Bluebird Chapter 11

Bluebird Chapter 11

An Ongoing Story by Selomon

[Bluebird is an ongoing sci-fi fantasy story. Read Chapter 1 HERE]

A loud bell shook me from my daze. I wasn’t sure how long I had been sitting down for. Though the feeling in my legs and butt told me it was probably a few hours. After I let go of looking for something, there was a lot I thought about. 

There were probably a lot of people who were worried about their friends and family. They couldn’t just get on social media and check anymore. My parents went on a trip when I was sixteen. Their plane vanished near the Bermuda Triangle. It was never found. 

Grandma and Grandpa on both sides passed away before my parents went missing. Both of my parents, like myself, were the only child their parents had, so I had no cousins. No aunts or uncles. I ended up getting a job as a dishwasher at a restaurant. The owner let me stay in one of the apartments above it while I worked. 

I never made many friends. When I did, I would chase them away because I was afraid something would happen to them, like it did with my mom and dad. Like I was cursed and anyone who got close to me would disappear. So that’s how I ended up alone. 

I had become as close to numb as you could get with that kind of thing. Long ago I accepted I would probably never see them again. There were so many others who were just now feeling that same pain. Everyone around the world was losing people they loved.

Should I have been happy I didn’t have to worry about anyone I loved, or sad? There were a lot of mixed emotions. But the bell ringing again snapped me out of it. 

I looked around and noticed most people were moving to the largest building that was the furthest away from the gates. Some moved slowly. Some ran as fast as they could. But everyone was heading that way. My stomach made a noise and I thought about how hungry I was. 

The hunger began to control my thoughts and actions and I ended up heading towards the big building like everyone else. When I got close enough, I could smell cooked food. Above two doors it said “Mess Hall”. It was nothing like the smell of my favorite restaurants in the city, but any food smelled good at that point.

I walked into the two doors that were being held open by a large line of people. To the left, there was a row of tables that stretched down to the end of the building. Everybody was walking towards it. People in uniforms were on the opposite side of the table, handing out styrofoam food containers.  

I waited in the long line of humans for a while. Everyone seemed to keep to themselves. The large room was filled with low whispers and random coughs. I finally got a container and looked around for a place to sit. 

It was crowded. Most of the tables were full. But there was a spot next to that lady who had talked to me just before. I went over and asked if it was okay to sit there. She said yes. 

“It’s not the best, but it’s better than starving,” she said.
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” I replied.
“When we’re in shock, our bodies go into survival mode. You were probably so full of adrenaline during the attack that you needed to make sure you made it out alive first. When that adrenaline goes down, we reconnect to the other needs of our body, like food and water,” she told me.
“Where were you when it happened?” I asked.
“I was in my home studio, not too far from here. I was working on the most important research of my career when multiple explosions shook the house. Just an hour or two after that, there were men with guns and armor who forced me out of my house and into this place.”
“I thought this was a safe zone. Why would they have to force anyone to come here?” 
“I’m not sure, yet. But there is an odd feeling about the whole thing.” She leaned closer and whispered, “Have you noticed how none of the alien ships come near here? I’ve been watching since I got here, and there hasn’t been a single one over this place.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“I have a few ideas. Just keep quiet about it all. I’ve already seen a few people go missing.”

I ate my food without saying anything else. It was bland. There was no seasoning. Not even salt or pepper. But it did stop my stomach from growling.

Before she got up and left, she whispered to me, “If you want to help me figure out what’s really going on, wait an hour and then come find me in the courtyard.”

I fought the urge to get up right away. There was something odd about the camp and I wanted to know what it was. Nothing else had shown itself to me, so this was the next lead to follow.

[Read Chapter 12 HERE]