DAY 5
The apprehension lingered between Jack, Trevor, John, and Matt as they stood in silence. Though none of them spoke, Matt knew that each of them was thinking about their current situation. Jack was biting his lip as he stared at the key in his hand, and Matt was sure Jack was thinking about what the most logical step would be. John seemed incredibly moody, though Matt could understand why. Finally, Trevor was shifting his weight from one foot to the other and back again, almost like he had to go pee, though Matt doubted that was the reason for his current demeanor.
"Alright," said Jack after a few moments, "Today, we should each do something different. I'm going to find out what this place is and see if I can get any information about our escape, Trevor you should try to memorize the layout so that we can make a plan of the building if need be."
Trevor nodded and started walking away from his friends towards the west end of the corridor.
"I'm going to get something to eat," John said as he headed towards the cafeteria.
Matt nodded at John as he followed him with his eyes until he was out of sight before turning back to where Jack remained, standing still in front of him. Matt took a deep breath before speaking, "Honestly, I think I need to clear my head. I mean, we have plenty of time to figure out how to escape, so I think I'm just going to try and wrap my head around what Dr. Squires told us."
Jack just nodded solemnly before turning to head up the stairs near the rear of the lobby, leaving Matt standing alone in silence. Matt wandered into the exotic garden and stopped next to a statue of an elephant. He absentmindedly ran his hand over the elephant's leg before looking up at it in awe. Everything in this garden was so incredible. It almost seemed like something out of a fairytale. Matt looked over the park in amazement as he tried to come to terms with the fact that he may never see his home again.
Why was this happening to him? Who were these people? How could they kidnap children and inject them with a serum, turning them into ten-year-olds? How was any of this even possible? Why was all this going on? Matt wasn't sure he could deal with any of this. He didn't know what to do.
Matt took a deep breath and sunk to the ground with his back against the elephant statue. He closed his eyes as he tried to grasp what was going on, but it was all too much. Matt buried his face in his hands as tears flowed freely from his eyes.
Matt wasn't sure how long he sat there and cried, but by the time his tears had finally dried, the sun was sitting much lower in the sky, casting a fiery glow on the bottom of the clouds that drifted overhead. A cool breeze lazed through the exotic plants and stirred the hem of Matt's shirt.
Matt took a deep breath and stared up into the sky, lowering himself into a prone position at the foot of the statue. The numerous plants and trees around him seemed to hide the facility from view, and for a moment, Matt forgot that he was a prisoner in a gilded cage.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Matt could only stare up at the sky in amazement. He had never stopped to watch any nighttime sky before this, and it was beautiful. The stars were beginning to emerge as he felt movement on his shirt sleeve. It took him a moment to realize that what was rustling his clothes was an insect that had landed on him in search of food. As Matt stared up at the night sky, he heard more cricket-like chirping begin to fill the air around him. It was so peaceful - like a dream within a dream.
Matt's stomach growled loudly, jolting him back to reality. He had lost track of how many hours had passed since he first found himself in this garden.
The only light that shone came from the stars above and a few illuminated windows from the facility, but it was enough to light the way for Matt to find his way back to the lobby. Once inside, Matt made his way to the fancy cafeteria and found more food than he had ever seen before in his life. Matt scanned the room to see how many people watched him before popping a piece of cheese in his mouth. The cheese was terrific; it melted and spread through his mouth with an exquisite taste that he couldn't have imagined before. He chewed on the cheese for a moment before swallowing it down, all while trying not to look too conspicuous.
The tables were laden with fruit, cakes, chicken, beef, bread, and more! Matt eagerly grabbed a plate and loaded it with as much food as he could get to fit before taking a seat at an empty table. Sure enough, Matt lost control and ate everything on his plate. He felt terrible about it, but he had been so hungry! The food was so good! It was like nothing he had ever tasted before!
Finally complete, Matt made his way back to the lobby and up the stairs towards his room. He carefully pulled out the key and read the number before glancing at the nearest door to him. Then, using it as a reference, Matt quickly made his way towards his room and slipped inside.
The room was relatively spacious, with a king-sized bed dominating one wall and a large entertainment center directly across from it topped with a large TV. There was also a writing desk and a bookshelf laden with novels. The decor was simple, but it wasn't like Matt was expecting anything else. Honestly, it made Matt feel like he was in a suite at a fancy hotel. Though a cage of gold was still a cage...
Matt took a long, hot shower and washed his hair with shampoo that smelled like flowers. When he emerged from the bathroom, he gazed at the bed before climbing in and wrapping himself up in the soft covers. He felt so exhausted from all that had happened today, but Matt couldn't seem to get to sleep as he stared up at the ceiling as thoughts raced through his head.
Less than a week ago, the biggest concern in his life had been passing his math test. Matt had been making summer plans and complaining about his family. However, the thought that he might never see them again filled every fiber of his being.
What would happen to his family?
Were they looking for him?
Was someone coming to rescue him and his friends?
Matt wasn't sure how long he lay in bed pondering those questions, but he awoke the following day to the sound of footsteps outside his room. He quickly sat up in bed as his stomach rumbled loudly.
"Good morning, Matt," Dr. Squires said warmly as the door opened. "How did you sleep?"
Matt looked at Dr. Squires and remembered all that had transpired yesterday and refused to speak.
"Now, now. No need to give me the silent treatment," Dr. Squires said with a smile as he grabbed the wooden chair from the writing desk and sat with his stomach towards the back of the chair.
Matt sighed, "I slept okay. Still have a lot on my mind."
Dr. Squires gave Matt a knowing smile, "I know. I'm sure everything seems unfair right now, but trust me when I say that this research will benefit all of humanity in the long term. It may not seem like it, but the things we research here have already been of great benefit to humanity!"
Matt wasn't sure why he believed anything Dr. Squires said, but he seemed so much more sincere than he had the day before. Honestly, it was like he was an entirely different person than the smug jerk of yesterday.
Matt felt more comfortable talking to Dr. Squires today, so he decided to confront him about the situation. Matt wrapped the bed sheets tightly around himself as he spoke, "So, um... I'm still trying to figure out why we were taken captive. Why do you need us here?"
"It's all for the cause of science," Dr. Squires said in a serious tone, "to conduct research that will benefit humanity."
"But why us," Matt asked, unable to keep the pleading sound from his voice.
Again, Dr. Squires smiled in a knowing way that almost seemed sympathetic, "Honestly, it was just bad luck on your part. We aren't exactly sanctioned to be here, and so we couldn't have you wandering back to town and causing problems for us. I know you all had no way of knowing when you first walked up here, but we couldn't risk other people finding out what we were doing. As for the experiments, again, it was bad luck on your part. You just happened to be the perfect subjects for our experiments, and we decided to kill two birds with one stone. Keep you from telling everyone about our lab and further our experiments."
Matt took a deep breath and glanced down at his hands before speaking, "So why are you so nice now?"
Dr. Squires took a deep breath, "Honestly, I prefer not to have to play the part of the villain, but it was obvious your friends weren't going to back down unless I cracked the whip. As for you, I can tell you're much more sensible and less prone to spontaneous actions. As such, I figured I'd extend the proverbial olive branch to you. I just wanted you to understand that this is for the good of humanity."
Matt sighed as he nodded slowly and watched Dr. Squires rise from the chair.
"Matt, I want to make this as easy for you as possible. If you have any questions later, feel free to ask me."
With those parting words, Dr. Squires let himself out of Matt's room and closed the door with a soft click behind him. Once Matt was alone in the room, he gazed at the door and wondered what his life would be like if he had stayed back in town. Watching the older man's veneer of nobility melt away had shocked Matt to the core, but it was the sort of feeling that had almost become routine.
Matt closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tried to decide what to do.
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