The Rejects, part two (fiction)

The Rejects

2

It was always the same dream: before her stood several figures with rubbery skin and tentacles looking down at her with cold intelligence and arrogance, and also hatred. The fact she was there, that she even existed, was an annoyance to them. They cruelly looked at her as she tried to repel them… “Cally?”

Cally opened her eyes. She was still in the white room with the sun’s light streaming through the windows. There stood Mr. Williams before her, smiling.

“Hi.” She said.

“Good morning Cally.” Mr. Williams said. “I thought today we could take a walk and you could see the facility and meet your fellow team members.”

“Team members?”

“Yes. You will be part of a team. I’ll explain more about it later. Now let’s see if you can still walk.” Mr. Williams informed her. Cally rose out of bed. She swiveled her legs over one side of the bed. Her feet touched the cold floor. Gently she tried standing up, but she suddenly began to shake and almost fell over. Mr. Williams quickly went to her side and took hold of her before she collapsed onto the floor. Cally hung onto his arm as she tried walking.

“How long have I been here?” Cally asked.

“Not too long.” Mr. Williams said enigmatically. They walked slowly towards the door with Cally clinging to the arm of his tweed jacket. They came into a white corridor. Mr. Williams led her to the right and they went past doors and windows. Occasionally Cally could see people in those rooms working on computers or writing equations on boards.

“What is this place?” Cally asked mystified.

“It’s the Foundation. I set all this up to create a new foundation for our world. To save what we can and begin a new way forward.” Mr. Williams told her. “To begin again.”

“I thought the world was dying.” Cally replied while brushing her brown hair out of her eyes with her free hand.

“It is, but I haven’t given up hope yet.” Mr. Williams answered. “So tell me how long were you living in the ruins?”

“I don’t know. All I know was that I was there scavenging food and supplies. I don’t remember what happened before that.”

“Were there others?”

“Occasionally. People would stay there, mostly from the north fleeing the famine, but they never stayed for long. Many disappeared overnight it seemed.” Cally replied.

“It’s not a good idea to live in the ruins. I’m not surprised many weren’t there for long.” Mr. Williams stated.

“I was happy there. There was still plenty of food that hadn’t gone rotten yet, if you knew where to look.”

“So you didn’t come from the north with your family then?” Mr. Williams asked. Cally frowned.

“If I did I don’t remember them. All I remember is the ruins.” Cally answered.

“Curious.” Mr. Williams replied. “You wanted to know how I know you’re gifted? You wouldn’t have survived so long in the ruins if you weren’t. The ruins were once cities full of people. These days they are places to be avoided as they are deadly for most people if they stay there too long, but you seem impervious to it.” Cally nodded at his words.

“I did know they were once cities. I don’t know why though.” Cally replied. They walked on for a little longer, and then Mr. Williams stopped at a particular door.

“Hopefully the Foundation can change all this.” Mr. Williams remarked. “Through this door are your other team members. Are you ready to meet them?”

“Sure.” Cally replied. As they stood there, the door slid open…

to be continued…

Joanne Fisher

Previous chapter: Part One

Please support this blog – Ko-fi 🙂

©️2022 Joanne Fisher

Advertisement