Blotted Out - Chapter 6.1

It felt like two seconds before I was being jostled awake again. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. "Your turn," Ben said, only a few feet away. Nodding, I stood up. I sat down at the edge of the cave, yawning. A moment later, Ben came up behind me.

I folded my arms across my chest, pulling my legs in. Ben was right. It was cold away from the fire. Ben draped the large blanket around my shoulders, and sat down.

I hesitated, a little pang of sympathy getting the better of me. "What about you?" I asked awkwardly. Ben looked cold - shivering every so once in a while. I gave him part of the blanket, and he nodded.

"Thanks." For a while, neither of us said anything. It was probably a good thing. I kind of still wanted to kill him for almost killing me, and for stealing my brother... It already seemed like Johnny liked him more than his own sister.

"So, you want answers?" I looked at him inquisitively. Now was his chance? I nodded slowly.

"I want you to start from the beginning," I said softly. "Tell me everything you know about where we're going, and why." He let out a long sigh before starting.

"Alright. You ever heard of The Box?" I shook my head no. "The Box is meant for the president, the vice president, and all of their men and women in case of emergencies. It can house roughly one million people. They've never had to use it but one time, and that was a false alarm.

No one really knows about it. Where it is, or why it can house so many people, but, it exists. Recently, there's been some leakage, and let's just say they had to use The Box again."

"For the president?" Ben shook his head, taking a deep breath.

"For everyone. Something so catastrophic is happening right now, that they've gotten together all the scientists, the celebrities, and the wealthy, and stuck them in the box. Most everyone has gotten in, actually. Except for us."

"You mean, just us four?" Ben chuckled a bit.

"No, all of us 'mediocres'. The people who 'don't really matter'. Your average Joe. Not everyone can fit."

"That's kind of stupid," I remarked.

"It's more than stupid," he muttered. For about the first time since I'd met Ben, I agreed with him.

"So - why weren't they prepared? I mean, to have a big enough box for a big disaster like this?" Ben hesitated, picking up a twig, and throwing it out of the cave.

"They weren't expecting it. That kind of stuff only happens in books, ya' know?" He paused, rubbing his hands together.

"Anyway, a government led group called The Silver League basically goes searching for the most important people, and contains the rest. By any means necessary."

My mind suddenly flashed back to the alley. The man with the silver tattoo. He was one of them.

Ben carried on. "So about a year ago, this all started, and another, good, group was formed. The Shadowed Elite. It started out as a few speaking out against The Box - and all the secrets that were kept from them. After a few were sent to jail for it, the group was founded."

"And that's what you're a part of?"

"Yep. We have a leader, then the leader's wing-man. There are several other high positions, and then people like me. Warriors, Burrow Hole Guarders, Doctors, Messengers, and the list goes on."

"And you're a Burrow Hole Guarder then?" I shivered, pulling my half of the blanket around me tighter.

"Yeah. To be a Guard you have to know how to fight - and I kind of just picked the basics of doctoring up on my own."

"So where are we going?"

"The Shadowed Elite's home-base. There, we're safe from the Silver League while we devise a plan..."

"A plan for what?"

Ben looked at me, his brown eyes intense. "We're going to get into The Box. We're going to be safe." I nodded, looking up at the sky. The glittering stars seemed to question everything that came out of Ben's mouth, and I struggled to believe him. I wanted to believe something, someone so bad... But it was hard to.

"And," Ben seemed to read my thoughts, "I know you can trust me, Magdeline," he whispered. "But security's been a little shady the past couple of weeks, so be careful who you trust once we get to home-base." He took the blanket off, and gave it to me.

"You have about an hour and a half left. I'm going to get some sleep." Ben stood to go back into the cave, but I reached out in the dark to stop him.

"Thanks," I whispered.

Ben seemed taken aback by my kindness, and I guess I couldn't blame him. I hadn't been particularly friendly to him during the trip - but who could blame me? He nodded stiffly and walked deeper into the cave. I pulled the blanket around me, now wide awake.

I watched the stars for a while. I didn't know much about them, or why God would put them there, but, they existed. Like little jewels on a velvet scarf. They were pretty to look at, but unless you knew your way around them, they were pretty much useless.

I snuck a look back in the cave. Ben was on his side next to Johnny, his eyes closed. Martin was snoring, but not quite as loud. I listened to the soft crackle of the fire, and leaned up against the mouth of the cave. Already tired again, I sighed. It was going to be a long night.