The Breeding Center Ch. 06

Dear reader,

The following is one chapter of an ongoing story. It is not intended as a stand-alone piece.

Some chapters may be more graphic than others.

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CHAPTER 6

The first-floor button was the most worn, so I knew it was where the kitchen was located. Riley's office was also on the first floor. I had to get to her. I had to explain! I crammed the button firmly and the elevator slowly descended. Musac played with irony as I became more charged. While my stop approached, I pressed my back to the panel opposite the buttons.

The elevator dawdled open and I cautiously peaked out. Several women worked nearby, preparing food. There appeared to be no way to escape the elevator and get by them without being spotted.

My heart hammered in my chest, but I couldn't stay there! I decided to proceed with a quiet confidence. If I was seen, maybe I could play it off like I was supposed to be there? I stepped out as calm as I could and turned away to conceal my face. I padded briskly in the opposite direction.

"Miss Urma? Is that you?" I heard one of them say.

Without acknowledging her, I ducked into a dark storage room and quietly closed the door. Pressed against the dry goods, I struggled to remain still but my whole body was a buzz. I took a deep breath and released it slowly. The room smelled of stale air and dusty cardboard. I caught a faint whiff of onion and was brought back to another time I hid in a such a place...

**

It was my birthday and Andi wanted to give me a "gift". "We are going to play hide and seek," she explained to me and my good friend, Julieann. "I'll count... then I'll come and search for you. The first one I find gets to be pierced in a very special place." Andi showed us a paperclip with one end sharpened to a point. "The lucky winner will get to wear this ring for all of time... as a memento of Sexy Lexi's special day."

I didn't know what special place she was referring to, and I wasn't willing to find out. Andi covered her eyes and turned away. She initiated counting and I darted! I ran up the steps to the front porch and into the house. Julieann was right behind me. My first stop was the parlor. I flung open the door to find Miss Bernice, Miss Carol, and Miss Rebecca as they sat and sewed. Julieann crashed into me with a scream and all the ladies jumped. We froze.

"Oh for goodness sake, Lexi! I'm an old woman! You can't go startling me like that!" Miss Bernice exclaimed.

I considered telling Miss Bernice what Andi was up to, but Julieann didn't want to stick around. She pushed off my back, causing me to fall into the room as she tore off down the hall. I glanced at my house-mother and read the irritation in her expression. She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I'll be so glad when this one is finally gone to The Breeding Center." Miss Bernice said.

"She is a handful." Miss Carol agreed.

"I'm sorry." I said, getting to my feet. "Sorry." I stepped out and carefully closed the door.

Not knowing where Julieann disappeared to, I refocused on finding a hiding spot. I rushed down the hall, turned the corner and spied the door to the basement. After several steps into the darkness, I recalled the last time I was in the basement with Andi and I quickly changed my mind about returning there.

Back at the main floor, I decided to try the kitchen next. Thankfully it was empty and I searched for a place to hide. I situated myself in the pantry and squeezed my eyes, as if it would help. Paralyzed with fear, I shivered and my skin broke out in an icy sweat. There was a pain in my chest and imagined I would die of a heart attack before I was discovered and pierced.

Several intense minutes passed before I heard someone in the room. I tried to swallow, but couldn't. I tried to breathe, but couldn't. I became light-headed as I waited to be found. The door suddenly opened and I screamed. I took a closer look and saw Julieann before me.

"Let me in with you!" she begged.

"No way." I hissed. "Close the door!"

"Please!!"

I shoved her away and pulled the handle closed. I felt terrible, but the situation seemed like a fight for survival and I didn't see any other solution.

I heard her tiptoe quickly away. I concentrated on steadying my breath so I could listen to the sounds of the house. A moment later, the backdoor opened and closed. A scream followed and I heard Andi's laughter. I flung the pantry door open and ran to the kitchen window. Outside, Andi had Julieann by the hair and walked her to the barn as she fought in vain. They disappeared into the darkness and the door closed behind them. I watched and waited. A few minutes later, I heard a shriek. My stomach turned. The barn soon opened and Andi came swaggering out alone. She regarded herself proudly... and I hated her for it.

After dinner, when all the house gathered to sing to me, Julieann sat silent. After the scuffle at the pantry, she refused to speak with me, or even look at me. I knew she blamed me for what happened, and I didn't believe she was being completely fair. A few days later she was transferred to a different house. No one would tell us why, or even where she had been moved. I regretted my part in her predicament and knew I would never get to see her again...

**

I shook myself from the memory as I heard the kitchen worker approach. Each step closer was excruciating. She took the handle and turned the knob. I held my breath as light slowly invaded the little room. There was a ringing and she froze. "Can somebody get the phone?" she hollered to the other girls. Another ring. "Can somebody get that!!" she called out with increased volume. The phone rang a third time. "Oh for heaven's sake..." she mumbled. The woman closed the storage room door and rushed away to answer the call. I exhaled in relief.

I waited a moment, opened the door, and carefully peaked out. No one was around.

"...No, I didn't call the elevator ... hang on... Jamie, did you call the elevator down? ...no, I'm sorry... okay..." The phone was hung up.

I assessed my new surroundings and saw there was no door. There was, however, a window. "Fuck!" I whispered. There was no way to go back.

"What was that about?" Jamie asked.

"Miss Urma and Miss Elaine set up lunch on the thirteenth floor, but when they returned to the elevator, it wasn't waiting for them. They asked if we called it for some reason."

"Why would we call it?"

I approached the window, carefully unlocked it and pushed it open. I observed the four or five-foot fall. Disappointed because I wasn't at ground level, I continued on. I sat in the window and spun around to throw my legs out.

The woman suddenly became more suspicious about the phantom she had seen "Um... hang on a sec." she pondered.

I was considered how I was going to jump without spraining an ankle when I heard the woman behind me. "Hey, you! Stop!" she demanded. "Jamie, call security!" she yelled, as she ran towards me. I jumped, but the woman caught my gown. "I've got her." She yelled.

"Please! Please let me go!" I begged, but she didn't have a chance to consider my request. The gown tore and pulled from her hand. I slammed onto the ground and the protrusion lurched inside with a jarring blow, knocking the wind out of me. I whimpered as I got to my feet. Aching, I ran a few paces awkwardly.

I had no idea where I was headed or what I was going to do. I didn't want to leave The Breeding Center or my duties there, I only wanted to find Riley, explain what she saw, and secure safety from Andi.

I scanned the area and saw someone approach. I spun around and saw another woman running to me from the opposite direction. My vision widened and I realized I was in a courtyard, surrounded on all six sizes by the hexagon-shaped, grey stone walls of The Breeding Center. Defeated, I abandoned my quest and surrendered to the guards. They each took firm hold of an arm and led me back into the building.

*****

"Please! I only needed to speak with Miss Ethyl or Miss Riley. It is extremely important! Please help me!" I begged.

The guards led me indoors without responding. As we approached Riley's office I repeated my request. "Please. This is her office! I only need to tell her something. It's important!" But the guards ushered me past. I fought them and tried to pull away. "Riley!" I screamed "Come out! Please! I must speak with you!" The door remained unmoved as we continued by.

We soon arrived at Miss Ethel's office and I was relieved to finally get a chance to speak with her. One guard knocked. There was no answer. She knocked again.

"What?!" We heard from within.

The guard opened the door and peaked her head in. "Can't you see I'm busy?! What?!" Miss Ethyl snapped.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but we caught a recruit trying to escape." The guard explained. She stepped in and closed the door. The second guard shoved me against the wall and cranked my arm painfully around my back to maintain control. A minute later the first guard emerged. "She's to go to confinement until Miss Ethyl can review our report."

"What?! No! I must speak with her!"

The guards took my arms and led me to the elevator. "Desertion and theft are extremely serious crimes, miss." she said as the elevator door closed.

"I didn't want to leave. I was only trying to speak with someone about a bully in my wing."

The guard peered at me with doubt. "Uh-huh... and your nurse's station is through the kitchen window, right?"

*****

Confinement meant a small windowless room in the basement of the building. No furniture. No light. Only a small opening in the door for delivery of substandard meals.

The chill of darkness shot through me as the steel door slammed shut. Frightened, I turned back and pressed my face into the small opening. "How long do I have to stay here?" I begged.

The sound of their feet moved further away. They disappeared into the elevator and the door closed. The light in the hall automatically clicked off.

My prison seemed to close in around me. There was a tightness in my chest and the air became harder to breathe. I turned, slid down the wall and hugged my knees. I waited and listened for several minutes, but there was only the far-away echo of dripping water. Drip drip drip drip. I took in the sound, my only companion. Then, it stopped. The silence was awful. I mashed my hands over my ears and screamed.

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