Cursed Souls - Chapter 8 8 The Stranger And Them

She opened the door and walked out. She stepped a foot into the hallway then went back inside. Seeing is kinda important you dummy. She thought to herself. She closed the door and went back inside to get her glasses. She put on a huge grey sweater and night shorts and long fuzzy socks. She went into the bathroom to put her drying hair up into a messy bun. Her curls popped out everywhere from her attempted bun before she just decided to put her hair in a ponytail and walk out. She went back to the door and walked out. Her stomach grumbles. She didn’t eat much earlier. She closed the door behind her. She stepped out into the hallway and out of the room. She decided to instead go actually do work on their plot instead. Noah has been doing the work for both of them before because she was a cripple and handing him the seed packets didn’t count as work in her mind. She started to go down the stairs to her work plot. As she went down the stairs she thought… there’s nothing wrong with being out past 11pm in the compound. It’s safe here… well besides the stab-happy rouge teens. But oh well. I’m not doing anything wrong per day she kept trying to convince herself. She got down to the plots finally and walked over to hers. She started to change the growing patterns to make a little flowing irrigation system to better distribute water to all the sprouts. They were assigned with growing wheat. She went over to embers and Elijah’s as well. Their plot was messy. They didn’t have evenly spaced rows and their method of just pouring water over the dirt everywhere was going to cause the seeds to drown essentially from the lack of oxygen in the dirt. She re-shifted their seeds they had been put in charge of growing green beans. She finished everything and reorganized there tools under the plots as well because to her those were also very disorganized. Just then she heard a chuckle from the corner of the room. She looked up really fast and felt her heart start to beat. Her leg began to cramp and she fell back in the ground.

SMACK. She hit the ground with her bare thighs and bottom. She didn’t think anyone would be out at this hour. Just then she saw combat boots pacing over quickly to her. She was going to attempt to scramble to her feet but her leg muscles were still cramped. The boots were beside her now. The grow lights were too bright so when she looked up she just saw a shadow cast upon them. A hand extended down to her.

“Silly girl, what are you doing down here so late? Don’t you know there are killers on the loose?” The voice was deep with a mocking sarcastic tone.

Oaki stayed in the ground where she was and didn’t even move a muscle to reach up to grab the hand.

“If you wanna kill me go ahead.” She struggled her shoulders and maintained a voice as if to say she didn’t really care. She was too cool for school.

Suddenly the hand reached down and lifted her up. She squealed a little. The voice chuckled again.

“Man looking death right in the face and mocking it. Pretty baby, I’ll give you that.”

The boy seemed amused by Oaki. He instantly liked her fearless nature. She grabbed the side of the plottable like a lifeline trying to keep a nonchalant vibe going. Her leg was about to give out. And right as she was going down the boy caught her.

“Easy now… I mean I know girls fall all over me but I didn’t you would be that attracted to me.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Put me down you babbling narcissist.”

He let go and she started to fall again just before she was going to hit the ground he grabbed her.

“Are you deaf or just really bad at listening?” She said in an annoyed tone.

He shrugged. “Maybe a bit of both darlin’”.

“Eww” she scoffed under her voice.

He helped her back to a standing position again.

“Okay… well… sorry madam thing”. He started to walk away to the stairs.

She rolled her eyes. Madam thing. What the heck does that even mean she thought. He turned over again to observe her. She grabbed the table and hopped on one leg to the corner and then I gracefully fell again. She used her arms and pulled herself over to the wall and tried to stand up again. The boy once again came back for her and offered a hand.

“Do I just have pathetically written over my forehead or something? I can do it myself” and said slapping his hand away.

“What is your problem kitty. I’m just trying to help you.” He said amused again.

“Well that’s nice… the thing is I don’t really want your help. Bye!” She said shoeing him away with her hand.

He reached down again and lifted her up. This time by the back of her arms. And placed her hands around his shoulders as he held her legs in a piggyback position.

“Since your so insistent on being self-sufficient I’m just going to bring you to the media-u… at least then I won’t have to see you in such a sad and delusional state.”

“Whatever I guess.” She said in a tone of complete outrage.

He carried her up the steps and down the hallway past the stadium then up another two floors to one of the levels of the meda-u. This level was different than the one she usually went to. This one had baise and crimson sheets. He placed her down on the bed. Just as she was about to open her mouth, he replied.

“Shh…tttt. Don’t wanna hear it short stuff.”

He looked at her leg at the scar he was observing earlier.

“Yanno your leg wouldn’t hurt so much if you didn’t overstress your muscle”.

She rolled her eyes at him once again. “Okay… well… thanks for all your “help”, she said gesturing her fingers in the air when saying help to emphasize her obvious annoyance with him, she continued…” but now you can leave…shoe.” She smiles at him passive aggressively.

He sounded cocky and arrogant. He obviously got some kind of jollies telling her what to do. She knew then that she didn’t like him. She looked over in the table at the medicine. None of the names sounded familiar. She picked one up and glanced over to see him chuckling at her.

“WHAT NOW?” She shouted in annoyance.

“Haha nope. That won’t fix your problem” he said chuckling.

She turned over and laid in the bed. He sat at the bed across from her and stared.

“Your just a fun little box of joy aren’t yea?” He said mocking her.

She turned over again to her other side to avoid the sight of him.

“Come on what’s your name at least give me that and I’ll leave.”

“Plot girl” she responded

“Your real name angry,” he said.

“Angry?” She said still remaining angry in tone while questioning him.

“Yea like the dwarf from Snow White… yanno the short angry one.”

“Yanno that’s it! What’s your glitch you…” she got cut off.

“Well actually I don’t have a glitch… everything is functioning quite normally.” He said chuckling.

He walked around to her side of the bed again. And bent down to look at her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She said insulted.

“Well… what’s your name angry?”

“Oaki… now go away.”

“Got it. From now on I’ll call you oaki smoki because you’re quite angry all the time” he laughed

She sat up. And looked at him. He was 6 feet tall wearing combat boots black jeans and an army green colored t-shirt and a leather jacket. He had short dark brown hair styled quite nicely. He had curls on the top an the rest of his hair buzzed on the side. He smelled of fresh Landry and dirt. He had an athletic build with, eyes that were a bright green like spring leaves in a forest with a glint of brown freckles near the outside of his eyes. He leaned closer to her.

“Get a good enough look yet?” He said noticing her eyes on him.

“Hmm?” She said snapping out of her obvious staring at him.

He leaned closer. And stared right into her eyes. And lightly touched her knee. She squirmed a little from the discomfort. He got so close that they were practically breathing each other’s hot humid breaths. She froze. He was kinda beautiful up close…. she thought. He looked unsure of what he wanted to do. He slowly moved his mouth closer to her ear. Her whole body tensed up. He felt her tense and then slowly moved back.

“Your hair smells like peaches and your curls aren’t fake. And you’re not so bad on the eyes.” He paused “haha turns out they’re not red!” He chuckled again.

She looked at him confused.

“What game are you trying to play?” She said a little outraged

“You’re not like the other girls. You don’t cower away or move your ground…it’s quite interesting smoki oaki”

His hand still on her knee. He looked down at it.

“…anyways you’re going to want to stretch it to warm up your muscles to stop them from cramping.”

He grabbed her foot and rotated her ankle around. Then he gently massaged her calf and leg. He did the same thing to the other leg. He stopped touching her and got off the bed.

“Feel better angry?”

She rolled her eyes then moved to the side of the bed. She was surprised. There was no pain or tension in her legs.

“Oh, shoes dude! Thank you!” She said great-fully.

She started to get off the bed and walk away.

“…well um… see you around.” She said pausing briefly. “What’s your name again?” She asked.

He looked over and grinned. “My name is Chris.”

She smiled and started to exit the meda-u when she felt someone grab her hand from behind her.

“Da da da da da… where are you going now?” He asked

“Nowhere.” She said going back to the offensive tone from earlier.

“Well since your going nowhere come with me really quick.”

He pulled her toward the staircase and started to quickly walk up the stairs. She wasn’t sure why but she followed him. They got to a higher floor.

“Everyone has been too scared to come here but this place is amazing”. He said wonder and excitement in his voice.

She looked up. There was pure windows on every wall and the ceiling for the room. She looked out at her old school and the parking lot and the courtyard. She saw a door in one of the windows. She went to twist it and there was a room of pitch blackness. Chris looked down into this room he clearly never saw before.

“Is that a slide?” He asked

Oaki steppes onto a smooth service and sat down and felt the wind rushing through her hair. Then she saw blue at the bottom. SPLASH. She hit the water. They were in an underground pool area. Chris came behind her and plunged into the water. They swam over to the side and hopped out both dripping wet. It was really warm and humid here. There was a huge wheel in one of the pools pushing water and another one crushing rock.

“NO WAY!” She said. “This is a self-sustaining water heater! … this must be for the whole complex!” Looking around with excitement and amazing. She went over to the wall and opened another door which leads to the caves. The door closed behind them when suddenly she heard mummers from the distance. She slowly approached to see them… all of them… excitement and happiness had left. She just felt mortified and fearful slowly panning around the room at them. The echos and murmurs stopped as they all stared at her…