Ray of hope || by Elin Moon

Chapter 8: Foul air, intoxication

I've been in this place for only a few hours, and I've already gotten lost.

After the small break-in with the one, lone Newborn, I didn't want to leave Ron nor try to make my way back to my room. The thought of the possibility that those things could find a way inside had taken away any sense of safety I had. However, half an hour after the break-in, a nurse came, telling me I had to leave. I was very hesitant, horrified at the thought that something could happen to Ron if I wasn't there, but Ron convinced me that that break-in had been a one-off and everything would be okay now.

"Everything's going to be alright, Laa. Just make your way to your room, and I promise nothing will happen." he'd said in a reassuring tone, patting my head with his hand gently. I eventually nodded my head, and went on my way, making way for the nurse to do whatever she needed to do. Making my way out of the medical area hadn't been hard, the area was rather simple and didn't have any twisting hallways or directions to take. Once I'd left the medical area, however, I was met with a dilemma: I had no idea how to get to my room. There were so many ways to go, and all the hallways seemed to look the same. My room could be anywhere! I ended up deciding to test my luck and try to just wander around and hope that I just happen to stumble the right way.

Now I have no clue where I am, how long it's been since I started wandering, and I'm surrounded by strangers. My heart is starting to beat heavily against my chest the longer this takes, and I feel pinpricks of tears gather up in the corners of my eyes. I try to steady my breathing, to keep my feet from wobbling; this isn't a reason to cry! I can find my way, and then everything will be fine and this will just be a silly memory I can laugh about in the future. I just need to calm down, maybe stop for a second and try to figure out where I am, or even better, I could just ask someone to help me find my way. Just try to breathe in, tap someone on the shoulder, and ask them for some help. It's very simple, however the thought of speaking to a stranger just makes my heart race faster. I lean against a wall, which sends a chill through me at the touch, and let the rise and fall of my chest slow down as I slide down to the floor. I try to take in my surroundings, try to see if they are familiar in any way, but they all look the same, painfully so. The light overhead is too bright, and it burns my eyes and makes my head thump with pain. I desperately wish I was in my room already, just so I could curl up in a ball on the bed and collect all the thoughts in my head and organise them into something that makes sense.

Suddenly, loud cheering and screaming fills my ears from the right, making the headache formulating in my head throb harshly. I grit my teeth, glancing in the direction of the noise. The hallways are empty, not a person in sight, but the cheering is still continuous, formulating into words that I can almost make out.

"The blasted thing is FINALLY working! I finally got it to work!" a voice that sounds a little bit familiar, even if only a little, screeches out. I slowly sit up to my feet, following the noise as it gets louder and louder, till I come across a large entryway, with the two doors shut and a string of blue light leaking through the bottom gap. I place my palm against the metal door covered in peeling paint, the dented and rough surface rubbing against my palm uncomfortably. I firmly push the door open a few inches, peeking inside to find a grey room with several glowing screens attached to panels covered in buttons, most of them showing blue screens with the word ERROR written in large letters. All except for one, which Lenny is currently standing in front of, pressing a bunch of buttons in a seemingly random order. Other tubbies I don't recognise are standing by and watching from afar, intrigued in whatever Lenny is doing.

I slip inside the room, the door sliding shut after me with a small thump. No one noticed my entry, so I snuck in further, approaching the small crowd around Lenny. I look at the giant screen connected to the array of buttons that Lenny is clicking on. The screen was black and there was a lot of stuff written on it in white, too small and far away for me to read. Suddenly, there is a loud beeping noise, sharp and bright, that makes me cover my ears. I notice something flashing on the screen frantically, a white dot of sorts, that seems to make Lenny perk up. I watch as Lenny clicks one final button before a bunch of static noise comes from the screen. At first, I think it's broken again, but then a voice can be heard through the static, and then the static fills out completely as Lenny adjusts something. The voice is deep and rough, and sounds a lot like the Sergeant guy from earlier. Lenny confirms this suspicion quickly.