Secret Aversion

Chapter 10

*Ari's POV*

The Platforms were no longer in sight. Around me was yellow grassland, an area of abandoned pasture the road had disappeared under.

        As we approached a rolling valley, a structure loomed from the horizon. The bike maneuvered around the arid meadow and joined a new path paved by tire tracks. The road lead us to a flat building hidden under the shadow of a massive mountain. Tattered shingles roofed the building and the bricks were coated in ash as if it had just survived a fire.

         “Stay behind me,” Arian advised, slowing to the side of the building. Two pickup trucks were parked in front, and a sentry dressed entirely in black stood near the door. I heard faint chatter and a dull light peaking from beneath the door.

         What was this place?

         I stood rooted at the bike as Arian went to talk to the dark-clothed man. He must be an NR Agent, but why was he here? The agent opened the door and Arian motioned for me to follow.

         Stepping into a fully lit room at night felt new all of a sudden. The Platform cells were void of a single light after the curfew, and if an agent on guard was luckily at your door, you could be allowed a bathroom break.

         I was too stunned to move when I saw what was happening in the room. The entire floor, with chipped floorboards, was covered with tiny-bodied patients on thin bedding. A light bulb hung over each section of the room, shining onto the bandaged and bloodied faces of young children. Amidst the aisles used to transport medicinal supplies, there was a total of eleven agents tending to the kids or chatting with them.

         I heard sniffling and moved my enlarged eyes towards a small child bundled in grey blankets. My feet moved towards him, and I kneeled shakily in front of him. A ring of red wound around his neck and there were cuts in his shrivelled lips. His petrified eyes drowned me in a sea of despair.

         “Don’t…” I whispered, a lump forming in my throat. “Don’t be afraid, little guy.” He shrunk back into the wall and a hard hand fell on my shoulder. I turned around to see a frowning agent.

         “Who let you in?” he demanded.

         “I did.” Arian batted the hand off my shoulder and grabbed my arm. “I told you to stick behind me. Don’t wander off on your own.” The agent asked for an explanation and Arian told him I was a harmless visitor.

         “What’s going on?” I asked when he led me away. “What happened to that boy’s neck?” Arian ignored my questions, and I gritted my teeth. “Please. Tell me. Who are these kids?”

         “Platform A members,” he said. Towards the end of the room, an agent was kneeling in front of a girl and wrapping gauze around her arm. When he turned, I was shocked to see Rowen.

          “Rowen!” I gushed, and he was equally surprised to see me. When he stood, I threw my arms around him. “Thank God you’re okay.” 

         “You’re okay, too,” Rowel said, and his eyes shifted to Arian. “Hey, you might want to stop hugging me.” I pulled back and looked at the girl lying down. “These were the only kids we could save and protect. They went through enough torture.”

         “But what for?” I said in dismay.

         Arian rolled a supply cart over and picked up a folded blanket. “The agents tried to discipline the disobedient kids in Platform A. If the kids didn’t follow the rules, they were hit,” he explained.

         I watched him walk to a child shivering at the corner of the room and spread the blanket over his tiny body. Everywhere…the place was filled with children and there wasn’t much room left.

         “We tried to do something about it,” Rowen said, gently placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “We secretly transported the severely injured to this building, a former hospital for the villagers that used to live here decades ago.”

         “The pickup trucks…”

         “Yeah. We put them in there.” Rowen sighed. “We’re responsible for all the kids we take out of the cells. Usually, the Platform members or ‘tickets’ are assigned to us, but we’ve volunteered to own these ones.” He spread an arm to the entire room. “This, is all ours. We’ll be busted if we’re caught doing something like this.”

         “Why are the Donegans so cruel?” I said. Arian returned the cart with an unpleasant scowl. “How can they treat little children like that? What will happen to everyone here?”

         “They’ll stay here until everything’s over, hopefully,” Rowen said. “We just don’t know what to do with the other kids left at the Platforms. We can’t bed them outside this building. Besides, Emerson’s angry that some of his agents are missing.”

         “He wants complete cooperation from the Platform members, let alone the agents," Arian said. "Until then, it’ll be impossible to provide secret welfare or find other places for sanctuary. He needs to be distracted in a way that won’t endanger the civilians.”

         “Is it just the injured?” I asked. “Why not move everyone out the cells?” 

         “We could,” Arian said. “But there’s simply nowhere for them to hide. It’s safer for them to stay in the cells for food and clothing. What they need is medical help or a hospital system, which Emerson didn’t want to implement until people started dying.”

         “Is he crazy?” I said in disbelief. I remembered the boy who had hit his head on a rock and fell unconscious, and wondered to what degree his wound had been treated. Even if some of those poor kids were being treated at the Platforms, how effective was the treatment?

         “Ari, some of the agents are looking at you,” Rowen said with a lowered voice. “You should go back soon. Arian knows you’ll bring suspicion, so I don’t know why he brought you here.”

         Arian stared at the girl with her arm bandaged. “I don’t know either…” he said under his breath.

         “I want to help,” I declared, furrowing my brows.

         “That’s what I was afraid of,” Arian said, giving me a stern look. “I don’t want you sticking your nose into everyone’s business.”

         My hands clenched to fists. “No. You’re already doing something rebellious and unauthorized, so why is it a problem if I join?”

         The frown on Arian’s face deepened. “Don’t trouble yourself with more of this shit.” Before I could counter, he cut in sharply. “If I let you help here, you’ll want to help everywhere else. I’m not putting that kind of risk on you. Listen to me.”

         I didn’t want to fight with Arian even if I had the courage to. He could become a scary person if I continued to annoy him, and the kids wouldn’t want to see his cranky state.

         Though my heart weighed like led, I murmured an ‘okay’ and gazed longingly at the hopeless children lying on the weak floor-beds. The image of Andy and Liara popped into my head again. Just the thought of them with bruised faces and a tight band choking their neck brought tears to my eyes.

         Rowen fidgeted anxiously. “Oh no, Arian. She started to cry. You should’ve let her help.”

         Arian’s jaw clenched. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down the aisle, away from the cart and away from all the injured children. I avoided looking at the other agents and looked up only when we exited the building. The cool air splashed on my face, and I instantly felt another stream of tears building in my eyes.

         “I’m dropping you back,” Arian said, and started his bike. My feet were anchored to the ground, and he waited impatiently. “Get on.” I didn’t move, and he took my wrist. “I didn’t bring you here to see the kids.”

         I lifted my eyes. “What?”

         “I…” He pressed his lips to a hard line. “Just get on the f*****g bike.”

         I did. Soon, we were speeding away from the former orphanage, but the little, whimpering voices and frightened eyes didn't leave my mind. My cheeks were wet with tears, and the disappointment of leaving the fragile children crushed me. I shut my eyes tightly, clutching the back of Arian’s coat and hoping to never reach the Platforms.

         Dread consumed me when the bike slowed, but I didn’t see the caves or Platform boards anywhere. With the headlights still illuminating the path, Arian got off the bike and pushed down the kickstand.

         He put his hands on the seat, with me sitting in between, and carefully looked at me. His face appeared dark and menacing, but I knew worried thoughts were rushing through his head. Was he sorry? Did he want me to stop crying? I always figured he wasn’t big on words, but more so, he didn’t share his feelings.

         “I’m okay,” I said, wiping my tears with my sleeves. Arian moved forward, and when the shadows left his eyes, I saw he wasn’t convinced. “It isn’t your fault. I promise.” He opened his mouth, but I cupped it with my hand. “Don’t apologize. I’m happy you took the risk to take me there, and it’s alright if you don’t let me help you guys out. You just want me to be safe.”

         He took my hand off. “I wasn’t going to apologize,” he said. “But if you don’t make me worry too much, I’ll be grateful.”

         I smiled. “I’ll try.”

         Arian’s expression turned flat, and I stared at my fingers. It was one of those familiar faces where his eyes became thoughtful, yet cold and reserved to the point they were intimidating.

         “What am I doing?” he murmured to himself.

         “Huh?”

         He got on the bike and lifted the kickstand. “Nothing.” He took off and I clutched his coat to regain my balance. We probably wouldn’t make any more stops.

         The deterioration of the Project had begun with Platform A, but what would be sacrificed next?