Horizon

Chapter 28

Another pang of hunger hit my stomach, making feel weaker. I was tempted to tap on Thomas's furry shoulder, and ask him if we could grab a bite to eat. I figured, however, that I'd be able to make a quick run by the cafeteria...that was of course, if no one was trying to kill me.

Even though I was underground, I could tell that the sun was about to come up. That meant that Anthros would be flooding the cafeteria, and common area, pretty soon. I couldn't tell if that was a good thing, though. Sure plenty of anthros meant plenty of cover, and plenty of potential followers to talk with; but it also meant that there were plenty of unexpected variables.

Thomas slowed down as we started we neared the more populated area of the colony. He then turned to me, and whispered, "I'll let you take the cafeteria. You look like you could use some breakfast. Once you've found someone you can trust, whistle lightly. I can hear very well, and so even a light whistle will get my attention in here. I'll head over to the living quarters, and try and see who I can find."

I could feel my stomach gurgling, as if it were thanking Thomas for making such a great call. In response, I gave him a thumb up, and turned towards the cafeteria. Thomas immediately went in a different direction, and was soon out of sight.

I was able to smell the cafeteria before I could see it. Cafeteria workers were already preparing for the large crowd of hungry animals that were about to come, and it smelled like they were preparing omelets, sausage, hash browns, and small strips of raw meat. Once I reached the cafeteria that was the only thing that I could smell. It was still pretty early in the morning. I would have guessed that it was around five in the morning, so there weren't that many people haunting the place. It was the perfect time for me to snag some of that delicious food I had smelled.

I quickly ran through the line, and piled my plate with food. Eager to eat it, I sat at the nearest table, and started shoving the omelet in my maw. I was rudely interrupted, however, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey! Remember me?" a voice said, that was almost familiar.

I turned around to see Ian, followed by Avery, coming around the table to sit across from me. They had their own plates full of food, and were looking to get an early breakfast.

"What are you two doing up so early?" I asked, forgetting my manners, and continuing to chomp on the pile of breakfast on my plate.

Ian quickly answered, "Avery and I like to wake up early, and get a good workout in, before everybody comes charging into the cafeteria. Seriously...this place is like mash-pit after seven."

Avery slumped in front of her food, and took in a deep breath. "I'm not a morning person, though, so Ian has to wake me up, when I sleep through my alarms."

I let out a chuckle, and a couple of shards of bacon flew onto my tray. "I'm not a morning person either," I added.

"What's go you up so early in the morning?" Ian asked.

I immediately swallowed my food, and looked at the two anthros in front of me with curiosity. There was something about the two of them that made me feel like I could trust them. They were pretty new to the colony, were both in favor of me already.

"Talon betrayed us," I said under a sigh, so only they could hear it.

Avery reared her head back, and raised an eyebrow at me. "What was that?"

I continued. "Talon isn't who we think he is. There are humans, in the CIA that are calling all of the shots in the colony. Talon is just the face of the monster."