44 turns to me when we get in. “Why haven't they killed you?”
His question throws me off. 164's look tells me he is just as surprised. I know that Atom is the reason, but I don't know what to say to them.
“I don't know,” is all I can muster. None of us seems satisfied with the answer.
We weave down a couple more hallways and reach a metal door. Standing in front of it is a man twice my size. He’s a scientist and looks familiar, but he turns before I get a good look at his face. He places his hand on the pad next to the door and speaks some words to get the panels to open. It’s an elevator, and if the man plans on joining us inside of it, we won’t have much room left to breathe.
The two drones walk me in, but the scientist stays behind. I get another look at him before the doors close, and flash to when I was taken to the medical ward to fix my eye. He was there.
The elevator hits its destination, and the doors open. The smell that greets me is stale, and it stings like I inhaled dust. The cold air causes my skin to bump up. As we walk down the corridor, I take in my surroundings. Cells are built into the rocks that form the foundation of the compound. Bars extend from the ground to the ceiling, separating what must be over one hundred cells. As far as I can tell, all the cells are empty.
164 and 44 lead me five cells down and open the cell door. I walk in, grateful to have this, especially knowing what the alternative could have been. The door slams hard behind me as I take inventory of my space. There is a stack of protein pouches in the back right corner. In the back left corner is a small toilet built into the wall. To my left is a mat that I can only assume is my bed. I turn and see the elevator doors close. I'm alone down here. The silence is so loud that it's haunting.
I grab a protein pouch and lie down on the mat. The taste is sweet, but my mouth yearns for more of the chicken I got myself and Atom from the outsiders. I take another mouthful of the protein pouch. My eyes feel heavy, and my body needs rest. I close my eyes, and the darkness comes.
A loud clang wakes me from my slumber. I sit up and look toward the elevator. I'm not sure how long I was asleep, but I still feel groggy. The elevator doors open, and two drones drag a body into the cell across from mine. They dump it on the ground as if it were trash. There is no compassion. They just do what they are ordered to do. I see now why they call us drones. The pair don't even look at me as they head back to the elevator.
Once they are gone, I shift closer to the front of my cell. I get a better look at the mound of flesh and bones on the ground before me.
“Are you okay?” I break the silence.
The mound moves but does not respond. After a few moments, I lie back down on my mat and fall back to sleep.
The darkness is interrupted by flashes of white and color. The last flash wakes me up. I look around for the colors' source, but everything seems to be as it was when I lay down. It's dark and cold, and the body still lies in the middle of the cell across from me.
A whimper from the body draws my attention. I lean closer and can tell that the person is crying. My muscles clench at each whimper. I want to ease them of their pain.
“Are you okay?” I try again.
“I want to go home,” a muffled voice answers back.
“Where is home?” I pry.
The body sits up, and I finally get a good look at my neighbor. It's a girl, which I didn't expect. Her clothes are dirty and tattered. She's not from the compound. Her short, dark hair hangs in front of her face. Though caked in dirt, blood, and tears, her face screams innocence. I can't imagine her doing anything or hurting anyone to put her in a place like this. She is here because she is an outsider, and in the eyes of those who run this compound, that is a crime. It sickens me. What gave the scientists divine control?
“You're one of them.” The girl's words snap me out of my head. I must have been staring.
“One of who?” I ask.
“Those clones. The ones that captured me and brought me down here,” she replies. Her eyes study me hard.
“Yeah. Well, I used to be.” I don't feel like one anymore.
She moves to the front of her cell. Her face winces at the pain. “What do you mean you used to be? Why are you down here?”
“I was shot in the eye, so I can't do my job anymore.” I run my hand over my eye patch. It's funny how now that I see things with a new perspective, I only have one eye to do it with. “They were supposed to kill me as they do with every other useless drone, but Atom saved me.”
“Azazel!” she shouts. It startles me.
“What?” I retort.
“He's the devil! He's the reason we are all going to die!” The disdain in her face is physical, and the anger behind it makes my skin shiver.
“No. He's—please don't. He doesn't even know.” I stumble over my words.
Her anger recedes, and the pain returns. Her eyes spew out tears. “I just want to go home. I want to see my family.”
I sit back on my mat, unsure of what to say. Is there a way I can help her get back to her family? I can't imagine what
