Chapter sixteen

Last night had been complicated to say the least. Backtracking, loose ends, loops, forgetfulness and even at one time referencing a very well known movie filled with knights who pronounce silly one syllable words; I had it all as I told Trapper what had happened in the store cupboard. It was now though, the next day. God only knew what horrors awaited us poor unsuspecting unfortunate mutants, our uniqueness condemning us to a life of misery. I hated mornings, they made me poetic.

“Stupid... Watch them burn...” I heard TNT mumble from the other side of the cell. I opened one eye slowly and focused it on the slumped, still greasy man; he was still staring at the same blank wall as before. He seemed practically psychotic and I still had no idea what he could do past causing explosions and I really didn’t want to find out first hand. I rolled over and my legs hung the edge, three bunks in here and I was the only able to climb up to the second level; I’d picked the one above Trapper because I didn’t fancy waking up on fire.
“You snore” Trapper declared, sitting on the edge of his bed “What they think passes as gruel is in the corner.” I jumped down and decided that I shouldn’t try that ever again because I almost skinned the two others in the room with spikes. Trapper was holding the edge of his bed tightly; lowering his body over the edge until his stumped legs almost touched the floor, then raising himself back up again. They were the strangest exercises I’d ever seen. I grabbed the bowl from the tray in the corner, sniffed it’s somehow purple gloop nervously and figured I was too hungry to care what it tasted like. I grit my teeth before starting to shovel the gruel into my throat.

“Hungry hungry lizard” TNT giggled from his side of the room, staring at me with his disturbing glittering eyes. I rolled my eyes at him and finished the strange coloured slop, dropping the bowl back onto the tray and licking my fingers with my long tongue on instinct.
“Wonder what we’re going to do today...” Trapper mumbled, sitting himself on the edge of the bunk and rubbing his elbows “I for one fancy washing my hair.”
I laughed weakly “I don’t think they’ll care.”
“Someone once tried to wash my hair, I think they still have the burns” TNT mumbled, increasing his creepiness vibes by tenfold. He returned to staring at the blank wall; I caught myself doing it in the few minutes silence as well, it was almost infectious.

Forcefully turning my eyes away from the spot TNT was staring at I snapped my fingers at Trapper, drawing his gaze away from the perfectly blank wall.
“Have you heard about the others at all? Do you know if Buzz and Bud are alright? They took a pretty big hit” I asked, going serious for a moment.
“I don’t know” Trapper sighed, his face falling from its usual happy go lucky smile to a serious scowl “I’m sure I heard Buzz being nervous earlier, this place has great acoustics. As for Stitch and Mist I’m surprised they haven’t tried to contact us yet.” Trapper glanced over at TNT “I’m sure Bud is doing what he’s doing, or trying to stick her vines through a window.”

I didn’t even jump anymore as the cell door was opened, three guards stood there just like before. I sighed and stood up, trying to discern if Jessica was with them. Once I found that the suits made everyone look alike I began to sniff softly, picking up the subtle smells coming from the black clad body guards. I had to pick through the stench of fear but I finally discovered that thankfully Jessica was the one on the left; she must be permanently assigned to us now, or at least that’s what I hoped. She didn’t get to me in time however and a large brute of a man reached out with a hand the size of a small television and gripped my shoulder. The gloves stopped him from getting his hand pierced so he couldn’t grip too hard as he dragged me from the room roughly. Jessica went in and brought Trapper out, I noticed how she was being gentle with him as well. TNT was examined for a moment before he was picked up bodily and carried out still in his sitting position.

“You’re going somewhere new today?” the large man holding my shoulder laughed bitterly “I don’t think you’ll like it much, I always like seeing the newbie’s faces when they first cop a view of the work yard.”
“Shut it!” Jessica barked I couldn’t help but jump, I’d never heard her like that. We were marched through the halls, now my ears were searching for any hint of Buzz’s wings. My nose was dilating to try and catch the whiff of Bud’s probably fading aftershave or Max’s heavy smell of cigarettes.
My eyes always stayed downcast, that’s why I found it a surprise as the fear began to get thicker and I heard the guard carrying TNT grunt “This crowd’s bigger than usual.” I couldn’t resist looking up; I managed to get a glimpse of a large group of people. Buzz and Bud stood out like... well when you’re a flower girl held one armed by a massive bee you can only look like a female tree being hugged by a large yellow and black furred bug. It took a few moments for me to pick out Stitch and Mist in the crowd because they blended in easily with the others; then again there were some that stuck out just as much as Buzz, like a squirrel girl with her fluffy tail held high in fright and a man giving off a slight yellow glow. To my surprise it wasn’t Mist that looked more edgy; Stitch looked half insane, her hands were shaking and her eyes kept darting around the place as if begging for a fight.

TNT let out a small “I’m flying” as he was tossed like a caber towards the group; he landed on his head which was probably the least painful way for him to land. Nearly everyone winced, Mist didn’t but then she didn’t wince at anything. Stitch frowned and glared at me as if trying to figure something out; I got what she was hinting and pointed down towards the wheelchair bound Trapper.
“No, d-“ Trapper said before letting out a groan of disappointment as Stitch stood on tip toes; her face went white as she saw Trapper sitting in the wheelchair. She mustn’t have known he had no legs either. Trapper was wheeled in beside Stitch, his head bowed in shame as she stared down at him.
“Oh... baby. What have they done to you?” I heard Stitch whisper as she ran a hand through Trapper’s hair; he moved away slightly but not as if he didn’t want to be touched.
“In line maggots!” the guard who had brought me yelled; Mist and TNT jumped and both their heels clicked together as they straightened up at once. I saw TNT forcefully grab his right arm as if holding it still against a reaction.
“What you are about to see may shock and disturb you” a second guard yelled as she moved to the front of the group, since I could see a wall and nothing else there must be a door hidden by the crowds there “And I love seeing your faces so expect some photos to be taken.”

I heard the sound of doors being opened and gasps spread from the front. I couldn’t see but the stench was overpowering; I thought the corridors were full of fear but even the people around me could smell it. There was a splatter of vomit hitting the floor from somewhere else and the flash of light as someone took a picture.
“Get moving” the bear of a man who had grabbed me said, pushing at people until we began to walk solemnly towards the open maw of the waiting door. I could see the sky outside now, it wasn’t gloomy or over cast but sunny, not a single cloud in the sky. How I hated it.
“Oh my god...” I heard Mist mumble from a few feet in front of us, covering her mouth and turning white as she saw what lay beyond. Now it was our time to see. Our line stopped still; Stitch, Trapper, Buzz, Bud, I and even TNT stopped dead as we gazed at the horrible scene.

The floor was rocks and dirt, the sound of blows filled the air as the workers slammed heavy hammers into boulders to break them down, creaks of wheels of the carts pushing the broken rocks rang out like groans of dying men. The people were filthy, sweat and dust from the rocks coated their skin. There weren’t chains, just collars and cameras everywhere. It was a slave labour camp; you could see that at first glance. The people looked terrible; worn out in body and spirit, broken by this horrible place.
I stared around and gasped in utter horror at the sight of black feathers fluttering in the wind “SIS!”

Disclaimer: Try to steal from me or Lavalamp studios and you will BURN!
Ebony and Ivory chapter seventeen done!
Ebony and Ivory Collection