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Chapter 1: 88760

The linoleum walls seem to glow under the fluorescent light. The flickering yellow-white beams flow around the tiles, distinguishing their shape as heavy black shoes trod over them. The feet tap tap against the floor, a man's shadow being projected as he walks. A white lab coat trails behind him, the long back streaming slightly as he shuffles briskly down the hall, keys, and clipboard in hand, the metal keys kitting the wood of the clipboard with each quick step.
He continued to flit his way down the winding hall, taking sharp turns, passing door after door, until he had passed hundreds of rooms. He slowed his pace, taking his walk slower, slipping his way around a final corner, coming to a dead end. The hallway ended with 3 walls, a large metal door on each, all of which had a metal plaque beneath small, plastic windows, no bigger than a child's hand.
The man, tucking the clipboard under his arm, takes the keys, shuffling through them, reading the engraved numbers. Holding a singular key, he walks to the door on the middle wall, inserting the key into the small keyhole in the center of a rotating vault wheel. Three loud clicks resonate through the hall as he turns the key. Taking the key out of the door, he turns the wheel slowly, the metal screeching as it rubs against itself. A final click signals the door is fully unlocked. With a hard tug, he pulls the door open, slowly creaking into an open position.
The blue-tinted light from the hallway filters into the room through the opening door, the beam growing in size as it opens further. The light streamed into the room, falling upon the body of a small shield, sitting with their knees to their chest, feet tapping against the floor. Tapping, tapping, tap tap tapping.
“Are you ready for your visit?�� The man stood in the doorway, his voice free of emotion, awaiting a response. The child did not respond, continuing to tap their feet against the tiled floor. The man sighed and took a step inside the room, his body blocking the light from the hallway. “It's time for your visit,�� he attempted a cheerier tone but was left once again without a response, only tapping.
Tap, tap, tapping. He let out another sigh, exasperated, sitting on the ground, placing his clipboard and keys in his lap. “Your friends are waiting for you you know-�� he whispered, a reassuring smile spreading across his face as he tilted his head, attempting to make eye contact with the child. This time, the child paused their tapping, lowering their legs from their chest, their arms flopping to their sides. They turned to look at him, their large eyes meeting his, blankly staring at the man. He softened his smile, eyebrows furrowing as they gazed at each other, silent words being shot between their faces. “You ready?�� he asked again, comforting and quiet.
“Are we going anywhere after? I want to go outside-�� the child responded in a soft whisper, a sound barely escaping their lips. The man’s face darkened, and his smile hardened into a sharp line.
“Yes. We have somewhere to go after your visit,�� he responded with no emotion, reverting to his previous demeanor. The child's eyes lit up a twinge, eyebrows ever so slightly raised in hopefulness.
“A-are we going outside?�� they asked, louder now, their voice reaching past the door and spilling into the hall. The man sat there silently for a moment, finally replying harshly,
“No. We are not allowed outside. You will not be leaving this room without the proper certifications and escort.�� he stared at them blankly, standing up, tucking the clipboard under his arm, and shoving his keys in his pocket. “It’s time to go.�� Any sign of empathy or warmth had drained from his voice, his face blank and cold. The child looked up at him, disappointment and fear in their eyes. Nodding, they stood up, head handing in obedience, holding their hands at their sides. “Good,�� the man said, stepping aside, and gesturing for the child to step outside of the room. They did so obediently, the man pulling the door shut and locking it behind them both.

Together they walked down the hall, stepping beside each other. The man stood straight ahead, keeping a brisk pace. The child walked next to him, stumbling every once in a while due to the speed. They rounded corners and finally came to a wall. A large plastic wall, spanning the length of the hallway. Behind the large sheet of clear plastic was a room, lined with blue and white tiles in a checkered pattern all across the walls, ceiling, and floor. Lights sat in rows on the ceiling, shining the familiar blue-white light into the nearly empty space. Inside the room sat two children, both about six years old. Sitting on the floor, with a medium-dark, cool-toned complexion, was a boy with long yellow-orange hair, thin and quick-moving eyes, and a welcoming smile. He rocked back and forth, his legs crossed, hands resting on his knees. The other child, slender and pale, sat with his knees bent, legs tucked beneath his body, hands resting in his lap. His hair was a burnt orange, flowing from his head in wavy heaps around him on the ground. The two children were sitting there silently, each with identical men in lab coats standing behind them.
The child glanced at the other two through the plastic, eyes darting between them, as the man unlocked a small door near the transparent wall. Stepping inside, he guided the child in as well. Slipping between other men in white attire, they made their way to another door, opening it, and stepping inside the blue and white tiled room. The child sat down on the floor in front of the other children. The man nodded to his comrades in the room, and they all exited promptly. The three children stared at each other in silence, orange eyes meeting brown eyes, and brown eyes meeting blue. A man banged on the window from the hallway.
“Times a�� tickin kids,�� he shouted through the plastic. The yellow-haired child spoke up quickly.
“So how have you two been since our last visit?�� he smiled, scratching his collarbone. The red-haired boy shrugged.
“It’s been ok I guess. Havent had as many activities as usual,�� he brushed his fingers through his long hair, picking out little bits of debris and flicking them onto the floor. The yellow-haired boy kept scratching at his collarbone.
��80009, stop scratching at your number, you're going to get it infected-�� the third child spoke quietly, long black hair obstructing their face as it toppled from their head and pooled on the floor around them.
“Like you have any room to talk! All you ever do during these visits is pick pick pick at your face. You’re even doing it right now!�� the black-haired child lowered their hand from their face.
��...Hey- That was uncalled for…�� they fiddled with their hair, their ocean blue eyes falling to the floor in embarrassment, face flushing a reddish-brown. 80009, the one with yellow hair, shrugged, and flopped his slim body onto the floor, resting the back of his head on his hands.
“Well, at least I actually talk. How long have we been in here, 5 years? You should know how to talk by now 88760.�� The black-haired child, 88760, didn’t respond. However, the red-haired boy did.
“What was that for? 88760 is six 80009, and so are you.�� he lowered his voice to a whisper, leaning toward the other two. “I’ve heard that before the Shardlings came, kids didn’t talk the way we do until they were way older!�� he smiled, sitting on the floor, his legs straight out in front of him.
“And where’d you hear that, 43291?�� 80009 sat up, glaring at 43291 with yellow eyes.
“Don’t fight! We’re supposed to be talking, not fighting…�� 88760 trailed off, avoiding eye contact with the other two. 80009 and 43291 exchanged glances, softening their glares to minorly annoyed expressions.
"Fine-" 80009 slumped back to the ground, arms spread out on the tiles. 43291 rolled his eyes, shaking some of his hair away from his face.
"Don't listen to him 88760, he's just upset that he doesn't have anything to do after this," he chuckled, the only child-like sound in the cold room. Lifting his head, 80009 rebuted.
"What, like you have anything to do either? It's boring here... I want to go outside, climb a tree." He laid his head back onto the floor, sighing loudly.
The children sat silently, their youthful breathing resonated through the nearly empty room. A rumbling creak sounded in the room as the small door opened.
"Specimen 88760?" the white-clad man said from the doorway, reading off his clipboard and holding up a few papers to read what was beneath. Standing up, 88760 moved their hair to hide their faces further, walked over to the door, and stood beside the man. "What do you say to your friends?" the man said, an unusual cheeriness in his voice. They looked back at their friends, glancing at them sadly, eyes moving between their eyes or yellow and brown and the floor, reflecting their face back at them. Looking back at their friends with deep blue eyes, they said.
“Bye, everybody. I can’t wait for our next visit.�� They smiled weakly, suturing and walking out of the room, the man closing the door behind them.



Once again, the man and the child, 88760, walked down the hall together, walking beside each other. Making their way around the turns and curves of the facility, passing door after door, all closed and locked securely. Continuing through the blank, white hallway. They slowed their pace as they rounded the final, tiled curve, reaching another dead end.
They came to yet a set of doors, wide and white, swinging out from the middle. A small crack between the two blank panels let a sliver of blinding light seep through and into the open hallway. Squinting their eyes into the light, 88760 looked up at their guide.
“Are we going in there?�� they asked, their voice a small squeak in the silent hallway. The man nodded, pushing one of the doors open, and pulling the child inside. They squinted their eyes as they were tugged inside, being roughly tossed into the middle of the room by the man, before he stepped back out the swinging doors, leaving the child in the round, white room alone, blinded, and scared.
Spinning around, unable to see, their breathing got heavy, panting as they grasped for anything to ground themself. Unable to find an anchor, they cling to their long hair, grasping it tightly, tugging it from their head in small clumps, screaming and crying for relief from the blinding lights. Clawing about their head, scratching at their face and eyes, they screeched, the light intensifying, burning their eyes through their eyelids. They collapsed to the ground, attempting to shielding their head from the light in vain, crying loudly as the heat of the light burned their skin, leaving it red and raw. They cried loudly, screeching as they held their burning face against the cool white tiled floor, their tears pooling on the smooth surface. Their cries rang out through the rapidly heating room, their eyes burning, their throat weak from screaming. The lights continued shining, and the child continued crying.