Chapter 16: Random Exploration

CREAK-CREAK.

The corroded metal door swung on its hinges as I opened it and walked into the concrete building that Dmitry and I had decided to explore since we got bored today after lunch. Sitting out in the front yard was fine, but it was getting old, and I wanted to add some excitement to my life. When I pitched my idea to Dmitry, he was reluctant at first due to the fact that he had never left the grounds unless Miss Deshi took him out somewhere, but I convinced him that it would be fine.

As we walked into the building, we entered a large room with a desk and a few benches in it. There were two sets of doors on either side of the room that looked to be in better shape than the main door. I guessed that the outside doors looked the way they did because the chemicals had eaten their way into the metal, causing the corrosion.

"Which way to you want to go, Dmitry?"

"I don't know, Bash, maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"Aww, come on. It'll be fine. Let's go to the left."

The next room we went into had a bunch of fitness equipment on one wall, a sitting area with a bookcase, and a foosball table in the other corner. A staircase led upstairs and there was another door on the far wall. The foosball table was too tall for Dmitry and I to use, or we would have played on it. So far I hadn't seen anything incredibly exciting yet.

The couch looked really comfortable, way more comfortable than the beds we had to sleep in, so I ran over to sit on it. I hadn't sat on a couch in a long time. As I climbed on, I felt the soft cushions under my legs and I smiled to myself. I was having a great time today. Dmitry came over to sit with me, and I could see on his face that he was finally relaxing himself. All the fear and doubt that was on his face earlier had dissipated.

"Dmitry? Are you having fun? This place is exciting, isn't it?"

"Yeah, actually I am. I was kind of scared at first, but now I'm better. Thank you for getting me out of the orphanage, Bash."

"You're welcome. There's nothing to do there and I was getting so bored. I love this couch, though, it's so soft, unlike our beds."

"Ew, I hate our beds, they're hard and scratchy. I'm happy you decided to sit on this couch. I was scared to touch anything."

"Dmitry? Why are you scared of this place? It seems okay so far."

"I don't know, I think it's because I know I'm not supposed to be here. You know, Miss Deshi says we can't go places without her cause it's dangerous, so I just get worried we'll get in trouble."

I nodded at Dmitry, understanding his point of view. I knew in the back of my mind that we could get in trouble if we didn't go home before Miss Deshi started looking for us, but she usually let us do whatever we wanted as long as we showed up for our meals and exercises. Miss Deshi had told us that we weren't allowed to be out past eleven since the soldiers would arrest people for that, but I had planned to be back way before then. That's why I picked this building, it was close enough to home, being across the street from it a little ways, so I knew Dmitry and I wouldn't get lost when we had to leave. I had gotten my fill of sitting on this comfy couch, and I wanted to explore some more. If we were going to make it back before dinner, we would have to keep going so we could see as much of this place as possible in the short time we had.

The building was really big and I found myself wondering what it used to be. It was clearly not being used for much anymore, and it didn't seem like it was someone's house. The random assortment of furniture in it didn't really leave any clues to what it was either. I had a feeling exploring would help answer my questions, though, so I chose the natural path of going up the stairs that were behind the red couch. As I walked up the stairs with Dmitry behind me, I started imagining that he and I were in a video game, exploring one of the levels. The first set of stairs led us to a bunch of toilets, which made us giggle. Dmitry was starting to have more fun, and as we ascended up the second set of stairs, he ran past me down the hallway.

I smiled to myself, and was just about to follow him when I heard him scream loudly. My smile disappeared and I hoped I hadn't just gotten Dmitry hurt, otherwise we would really be in trouble when Miss Deshi found out. I quickly ran in the direction he was going to try to help him or calm him down. He was standing in front of some bars with his head in his hands. I was relieved he wasn't hurt, but I was concerned that he was scared again.

As I walked past Dmitry and peered inside the bars to see what he had been looking at, I felt like I was transported back to my living room, sitting with my dad's body, and the pool of blood that was under him. I went over to Dmitry and put my hands on his shoulders, feeling sorry that I had made him see such a horrible sight. I really hoped he wouldn't have nightmares tonight.

There was blood all over the walls and floor of the cell, and a man's body lay on the floor. The sight still scared me a little bit, as I felt a slight sense of danger, but for the most part, it just made me sad because it reminded me of my dad. Dmitry had been right, my nightmares had become less frequent, but I could still picture my dad's face in my mind whenever I wanted to. I felt good because I knew in my heart I would never forget him. My thoughts went back to Dmitry, who was still looking at the floor.

"Dmitry, are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, Sebastian, it's fine. I mean I am scared, but I'll be okay. Can we go home now?"

"Yes, of course, let's go."

Dmitry and I went back down to the first floor, but just as I was going to turn the corner, I saw two other people in the building, so I hid behind the wall. Dmitry put his hands on my shoulders and peeked over my shoulder. A woman and man were there, looking like they were disappearing into the floor. The woman was crouching down and climbing in. I didn't understand what could possibly be so interesting that would make someone want to go into the floor, but maybe it was some grown up thing I didn't understand.

After the man and woman were gone, Dmitry and I made a break for it, and left the building, which we decided was a jail of some kind. Was the woman being taken to jail? She wasn't tied up or anything, but I guess that didn't necessarily mean she wasn't in trouble. Sometimes I wished I was big enough to help people, but I knew since I was just a kid that I had to stay safe or I'd get in trouble.

As Dmitry and I left the jail, I saw our home in the distance, and I could only hope that we would make it back in time for dinner.