Traversing the walkways when accompanied by a small platoon of Wardens was a very different experience. Instead of the shoving and jostling that I was used to, we were in our own lane with plenty of space between us and everyone else.
Of course we were subject to curious glances and some outright hostile glares but I tried my best to ignore those. When we needed to cross over and take the exit into the Warden Central Building, we were given a wide birth by the other travellers and made the transition easily.
We paused at the building entrance to get scanned in and I saw my name flash up next to the word 'detainee' on the screen.
We approached the elevators at the end of a pristine corridor and the Warden to my left, a stumpy little man with a large, hooked nose, stepped forward to hit the call button. The doors slid open after a short pause and several people stared at us with an annoying amount of interest. They were all clutching tablets and wearing ID badges naming them as 'Warden Administration Clerks'.
"Official business. Out," snapped the biggest Warden at the front of our group. He was tall enough to dwarf everyone around him and had a large unibrow.
I moved aside quickly as everyone within the elevator scurried to comply. A woman who lived in an apartment down the hall from mine, peered beadily at me and clucked her tongue as I was escorted past.
Unibrow tapped twice on the wall of the elevator and a screen appeared. He leaned forward to let the retinal scanner do its thing.
"Warden one-five-six-eight-seven, where would you like to go?" the smooth voice asked over the speakers.
"Interrogation," he replied and the elevator plummeted down, and down, and down.
I didn't think I had ever been as deep within the buildings as we were heading. I glanced at Taylor and he offered me his hand. I reached for him but a Warden placed his palm between ours before we could touch each other.
"No touching," she said firmly.
The doors finally opened to reveal an undecorated, white hallway that stretched off into the distance. It was lit with harsh lighting that stung my eyes. There were white doors all along either side, numbered with odds on the left and evens on the right.
We were herded along the corridor by the Wardens until I thought I'd never see any colour but white again. Eventually, we came to a halt by a door numbered two hundred and six.
"In," Hook-nose ordered, putting a restraining hand on Taylor's shoulder to stop him from following me through the door.
I did as instructed and stepped into the room, turning just in time to see Professor Delo give me one last, scrutinising look. The door behind me closed, making a sucking noise as the seal fitted into place followed by four loud clunks as it locked.
At first, it was pitch black inside but at the sound of locks falling into position, a dazzling light filled the room. I stood and surveyed my cell.
Everything was white. There was a large bed to one side with something blue folded on top of it and a single, hard chair. A small opening to my right held a washroom with a shower, sink and toilet. I could see the gleam of cameras and speakers hanging from the ceiling.
"Hello, Maya. Pl
ease change into the outfit on the bed and place your biohazard suit by the door," a friendly male voice spoke over the speakers.
I moved towards the bed and picked up the pale blue tracksuit. It might not have been to my taste but at least it would give my eyes a break from all the white. I moved into the wash area to change.
Taking off the clingy fabric was a relief after so long. My hair stuck to my back and I felt like I'd run a marathon. I switched the shower on and held my hand out to check the temperature. The very thought of a shower loosened some of the tension that had been growing in my muscles. I stepped into the hot water and let out a deep breath.
Once I was clean, I felt much better. I studied myself in the mirror and was pleased to see I still hadn't turned orange or anything. I placed the biohazard suit by the door and lay down on the bed.
My mind spun. I wondered whether Artie and Taylor had been locked up in cells like mine. I hoped Taylor was alright, he was probably blaming himself for everything.
I spread my wet hair out behind me and tried not to overanalyse the workings of my body. It must have been getting late but the lights weren't getting any dimmer. My stomach rumbled, just a normal rumble for someone who hadn't eaten all day. I took a deep breath and pulled the blanket over my eyes. My lungs did not feel scratchy.
After what seemed like forever, I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Six
When I woke, I could tell that I had been asleep for some time. My biohazard suit was gone and a table had been placed next to the chair with a glass of milk and a bowl of porridge on it. I moved to the chair and tasted the breakfast. Cold. Great.
"Thanks for waking me up," I moaned to no one in particular, though I hoped they were listening in and I wasn't just starting to talk to myself.
After draining the milk I paced the room for several minutes. I glanced into the washroom and noticed a small bag of toiletries that hadn't been there yesterday.
I brushed my hair, then brushed it again. When I finished, I examined the large amount of hair left in the brush and felt a cold sweat prickle along my spine. I pulled some of it from the brush and let it run through my fingers and drift to the floor.