Animals

Chapter 2

He looked around, studying quickly what the place looked like in the daylight. Early morning light shown through a barred up window in the back of the cell, casting weak shadows along the floor where the darker ones weren't. The air around them felt temperate "What are you two waiting for, Santa Claus? Get up!" The young male repeated himself, this time his impatience quickly seeping through. Lachlan realized that he wasn't talking to him, but to Rob. He watched as the boy crawled out from under his bench and yawned, then stretched casually. He then stood up, not a glimpse of hustle. The young man scowled, showing his disgust. "Hurry up you lazy ass-" "I'm up!" Rob said, raising both hands defensively. The man just frowned, his dirty blonde hair falling in his eyes, the lime green highlights in his hair catching the light. He quickly brushed it out of his face, before muttering, "Yeah, sure." There was hardly any emotion in his voice. He pulled a key out of his pocket, clenching the key tightly in his hand, as though someone was going to snatch it from him...
"Alright you two. I'm going to open the door, and you are going to follow me, got that? No running. You know who you are..." Lachlan tensed. He was ready to run again, knowing he was probably faster than the last time, but at the same time, he was expecting it... Dammit! He sighed, watching the man's keys jingle as he unlocked the cell's door. The door opened slowly with a creak, seeming so loud in the quiet building. The young man stepped aside, gesturing for them to follow, but Lachlan already knew what to do.
"Alright, follow me." The man directed. Lachlan stumbled out into the open hallway, realizing how hard walking was now going to be. Rob followed with ease. The man face palmed. "Kangaroo dude..." he sighed. "For God's sake just jump!" Lachlan tilted his head. "Jump?" The man looked ready to break something. "Yeah! Just do it!" "Fine." Lachlan muttered. Rob stayed quiet, seeming to not wanting to break the peace.
The man turned around and started walking down the cool, dark hallway. Rob followed instantly. Lachlan tripped and fell onto the cold floor, said a quick curse and bounced back up, this time following the young man's instructions instead of just walking. He felt awkward as he caught up to the man, who didn't even turn around to make sure he was following. "Where are we going?" Lachlan asked Rob, earning a shush from the strange man, even though the building seemed so vacant that he highly doubted anyone could hear. "I'm not sure..."
"...but we might be going to training." he finished. "Shut up!" The man scolded. He adjusted his black and green striped beanie irritably. They walked in silence for the rest of the way, the cold chill of the hallway making it harder to think strait. Dim morning light trickled in occasionally from small windows on the ceiling, making the hallway look dim and eerie.

The walk was short, but it felt like decades before they reached the locked, white metal doors barely visible in the shadows. "Wait here." Was all the guard said, knocking on the door. "That means don't move." The man said as though the other two were stupid things that needed to be locked away. You don't say? Lachlan thought. The man knocked on the door four times, in some sort of weird code. He folded his arms and tapped his foot, impatient as always. A man in a lab coat opened the door. He had messy, short brown hair, tan skin, and deep blue eyes. He also had just a little bit of stubble.
"Oh, hey! Jackie!" He greeted the guard. "I haven't seen you since... yesterday." Jackie glared at the other man. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?" "Seven...Million." Jackie frowned. "Huh." The man in the lab coat opened the door even wider. "I'm ready to see them." The man informed Jackie. Jackie smirked, the closest to a smile Lachlan's seen all day. "Alright, Doctor. No time to chat. Tight schedule, eh?" Jackie asked. The man nodded. "Yeah, I got most of my workers on fifteen hours a day." Jackie chuckled. "Is that even humane?" he asked. The doctor shook his head and smiled. "Nope."
The Doctor smiled even when he saw the two. Lachlan heard Rob whine behind him, while he himself felt scared.... Something was wrong about this guy. He seemed so calm and so nice, but something felt off. "What are you two waiting for? Come on in!" he sounded cheerful, as though he were trying to earn their trust. Lachlan didn't trust the man at all.
Suddenly Lachlan fell forward into the room, and a heavy weight landed on top of him. He gasped at the sudden impact, the breath knocked out of him. He heard a faint "Whoops." and then a chuckle from Jackie behind him, which made him want to punch Jackie in the face even more. "Well, like I said before," Jackie started. "Schedule's tight, and I gotta go." As Lachlan felt the weight on his chest lift as Rob stood up, he could hear soft footsteps slowly fading away as they got further. "Need help?" Rob asked, extending out his right hand for him to grab. Lachlan grabbed his hand, even though he didn't need any help.
Once he was on his feet, he looked around, quickly examining the area round him.
​Greenery covered most of the area, though you could tell just by giving it a sideways glace that there were large patches of places without trees. There was a large dome that loomed over the place, supposedly made of glass. Early sunlight shone through it, finding it's way down all the way down to the sandy floor. It shone on a group of hurtles, and strips of land defined by lines drawn in a deep red, there was also what seemed to be obstacle courses. Even with that there, though, the place looked amazing. All though it was beautiful, it didn't feel natural. Not one bit. Sure, it looked real, but everything about makes you feel uncomfortable, like you don't know what was hiding in the darkness under the trees that surround you. Anyways, that's how it was perceived by the two kids that stood there, unsure of what will happen next.
​Lachlan stood there, still looking around. He was trying to find a place to hide... a place to escape. But just as there was a "forest" in front of him, there was just nowhere to hide. Not even the bushes seemed safe, but to hide there was stupid, you'd be just asking for someone to find you...and do who knows what.
​"Alright, Robert, you know the drill," The man said suddenly, interrupting Lachlan's thoughts. "but newbie here doesn't. He'll figure out sooner or later, though." The man continued. Today you both will have separate training, inside Building A. I don't want any dilly-dallying or falling behind, got that? You will follow me, and you will do as I say." The man paused, and looked both teens in the eye. "Any objections?" he asked. Lachlan shook his head awkwardly, while Rob muttered a "No, sir.", his tail tucked in between his legs. Well, he did seem nice at first. Wonder where that went. Lachlan thought bitterly. The man started walking forward without any warning, and Rob instantly followed, glancing back at Lachlan as to say "Come on, dude...". Lucky for him, he got what Rob was trying to tell him quickly, causing him to leap forward to catch up, then almost loose his balance as he knocked into Rob. Funny how this time it was him that fell onto Rob. "Sorry." Lachlan whispered. "It's okay." Rob replied, not turning around.
​"If you two were wondering," the man started. "Refer to me only as Sergeant Hero, alright? Nothing else. No stupid names."
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