Wrapped in Bandages

Early Morning Light

Chance hadn't come that evening, and it was the evening before their birthday. Dez was looking forward to counting down to midnight, but now that seemed like a childish idea. Instead, she now lay on her back on her bed. The bird popped out, and the same old song repeated itself. It was now officially midnight and her birthday, their birthday. She knew that Chance couldn't make it every evening, and tonight just happened to be one of those days. Sometimes she would wonder why this was case. Were there just more guards patrolling her house, or did they lock Chance in on certain days? Why would they lock him in, though? They never sealed her in. Could it be because he lived behind one of the white doors? There was that distinction. This didn't seem like good enough reason, though. Perhaps, they were trying to fix his eye, and tonight he was receiving treatment.

Rolling over onto her left side, she stared at the pastel colored door and the light that shone through the small opening below the door. She half expected to see feet blocking some of the light, but no such thing happened. Frowning, she decided she would just treat herself this evening. Pushing several strands of her black hair behind her left ear, she got off her bed and opened the door to her room. Closing the door, she glanced both ways in the hallways and saw them quite empty. Well, it was midnight, and the flies left at nine every night.

Down the hall the one light was still out and cast a small field of darkness in its area. It made the silent hall all the more strange. Dez had occasionally exited her room past eight in the evening. Still, she was always so used to the buzzing of pink flies in the dull colored hall. Now that it was barren of life except for her, it seemed out of place like a whole new area to explore. At the same time, though, it was terrifying.

Her eyes gazed up at the security cameras that moved back and forth. Somewhere there was a guard watching her in their small screen filled room. There was most likely always a guard in that room, but during the day and early evening there was a sea of pink flies that surrounded her. Right now, she was alone, and she felt exposed. Thankfully, the guards wouldn't pay mind to her; they would merely figure that she was out for a late night snack, which was indeed the case. After all she could roam the hall at anytime she pleased.

In the quiet of the hall, her footsteps seemed louder than normal. There was no buzzing to mute the sound. She walked on the beige tile and took step after step with her black flats hitting the ground. Her pale yellow dress, which went to her knees, flowed softly with her movement. One could picture her as a bee flying from the hive to search for a flower, for pollen. Only in this case, she wouldn't return with the pollen but consume it.

Sure she would have cake later on in the day, but she wanted to eat something sweet now. Besides, it was her birthday, so why not find something delicious to snack upon. In the back of her mind, though, she knew she was just trying to distract herself from Chance's absence.

About halfway to her destination, she slowed her pace. Was she really seeing what was in front of her? No, this had to be a trick of the light in the hallway. She looked at the ground in front of her, not wanting to believe what she was witnessing. This couldn't be true. Her fingers clenched the ends of her dress, and her eyes widened. For once she was displaying evident emotion on her face. Usually, she would keep them in her head, but right now she couldn't. Something unknown stared at her, and she could feel its gaze burning into her.

Hesitantly, she stared up at it, and she froze. There it was; there was the object that had always held her curiosity. Ever since she was little, she imagined what was hidden behind it. White, rectangular and wooden, it stood tall, making her appear much smaller than she was. Light came out from the opening between the floor and the bottom of the object. This was to be expected, but now there was something different. Dez now saw light escaping between the door and the frame; it was open. It might have been only a small crack that permitted the light into the hallway, but that was enough for her.