Chapter 1 c Seizures

A half of a bowl of boiled carrots later, and Iggy and Baine were marching along the upstairs hallway toward the last bedroom. A few other house members were also retiring for the morning, but the majority of the twenty some residents were already fast asleep, and the hallways were deathly quiet, until Nansen crossed their path.

Regardless of the dark smudges in the corners of his eyes that resembled exhaustion, Nansen smiled wide, and glided through the two, patting them on their backs as they passed each other. "Have good daydreams, boys!" he teased.

"I'll switch with you!" Baine called after him as he distanced himself further down the hall.

"No way in hell! Twenty four hours shifts were your idea, remember?!" Nansen twirled with a mischievous grin, just before he dashed through the door of his bedroom located at the top of the stairs.

Baine peered down at the old cot sitting outside of Iggy's bedroom door. A decrepit thing, layered with blankets to make it a tad bit more comfortable. Baine growled at the sight of it. "I'm getting to the point where the floor looks more inviting," he declared.

Iggy rounded the corner to his own bedroom and halted at the threshold. "You can always sleep in my bed with me," he offered.

"With you?" he laughed in mockery. "I think not."

"Well… Your choice then."

Baine plopped down onto the cot. It held for a minute too long, then it gave up on its duty altogether. His foot busted through the end, the springs snapped out of their holes, the sheet ripped through the metal frame, and he landed on the floor.

"Ahhh!" he hollered, flinging the blankets up while simultaneously climbing out of the frame. "Bloody hell!" He thrashed the frame over onto its side and folded it up like paper. Then, the cot went flying down the hall. He looked over at Iggy. "Just go inside, already!"

Timid, Iggy scurried behind the door. He covered himself with his blanket and went to bed as if he were at fault for the broken cot.

Baine, for the first time in at least a year, left Iggy's proximity while he was the one on duty. Off to find adequate sleeping equipment, he came to the lower lobby, but then he heard a particularly unsettling whistling coming from the entertainment room and lost sight of his original intention. The security panel was on the wall right next to the front door. There, Baine picked up the singing emergency line and held the static receiver to his ear. "Baine speaking," he answered.

"Amare speaking." Amare's voice was low and secretive. "Reporting from the outer wall. There's been an intrusion."

"What?"

"An intrusion. Two civilians are dead. Someone infected got through."

"What did the day guards see?"

"Nothing, sir. The murders just occurred. Whoever it is, they're on their way to you. I advise that you stay around the security cameras."

"Got it." Baine braced himself. He flipped open the security system screen. The cameras showed a long stretch of the inner brick wall surrounding the house, as well as the only drivable entrance barricaded by a cast iron gate. "Keep me informed."

"Of course."

Iggy woke up a few hours later. It was much too quiet and still for it to be evening again. He curiously slipped out of bed and set his ear against the door. He heard nothing from the other side. He turned the knob slowly and steadily, until there was a narrow opening. Except for the hill of discarded blankets that he saw as a blob before his door, the hallway seemed empty.

Baine never returned.

So, he shut the door and pressed his back into it. Maybe he should have been scared or worried, but he wasn't. Adrenaline saturated his body along with a desire for adventure. He rushed across his room to his covered window, grasped the thick curtain, and paused.

It was forbidden to remove or draw the curtains open during the day. Not often, he was brave enough to sneak a peek of daylight, but today, he was thrilled by the idea of basking in it! Without further ado, he spread the curtains apart and let the light in. It flooded his room. Blinding! Behind him, it highlighted all of his projects hanging from the walls and ceiling. Shadows danced to and fro… but he wanted even more. He crawled inside of the window ledge and drew the curtain shut around himself, and he pried open the old latch and swung the loose window ajar. The fresh air was warm and full of life, breezing easily with the smells of flowers, grass, and other things. The experience was nothing like nighttime garden strolls, and still… he wanted more!

The wall beneath was two stories high and rigid with building stones. He had climbed down from his window only twice, both times before the incident with his left eye and the onset of regular seizures. But today, with the sun shining golden orange, he was confident that he could do it again. He dangled his feet from the ledge, his arms held onto the window sill, and he found the first prominent ledge with his toes. One by one, he stepped his way down to the soft grassy earth beneath. Green. Flush green. Bright green. And not only green, a green that he could see well! Joy warmed his heart hotter than anything else ever could. Hope was reborn.

He bolted right into the plush garden. In the realm of flowers and plants, the garden was relatively fresh, having been planted over the span of fifteen years. Along the wall, there was an intricate pattern of vines crawling toward the sky. Beautiful round flowers appeared like multicolored spots, freckling over the stones. Orange, blue, and white all crowded together. His jaw dropped in awe, for he could see them with this light like never before! He caressed a petal at a time with his fingertips. He dove in nose first to smell them. Then, he picked them one by one, forming a small collection in his hand. He looked up at the solid blue sky, shaded with gray and white fluffy clouds, birds flew overhead in pairs singing.

Eager to discover all of the world's beautiful galore, he drew his gaze downward, back to the garden. Near the tree overlap that hovered above the tall brick wall, he saw a dark figure standing in the shade. A stranger who was hooded tight.

Moment by moment, the light from the sun lessened. It was all so perfect… familiar. The smell of burnt hair and ammonia filled his nose. The rock covered ground came closer. Then, he saw nothing.