Outside the Box - Chapter 5

5 

A figure steps into the light, a gun in their hand. I can make out elfish features - narrowed green eyes and dark hair. Another figure follows, this one with dark brown hair and black eyes. Both are carrying guns, the first female and the second male. 

“It’s us.” Aspen says, stepping in front of me with her hands up. “Aspen and Ezra.” 

“And the other. Make him step into the light.” The girl orders, pointing at me with her gun. Aspen steps aside, pushing me into the light more. “Who is he?” 

“This is Jake.” Aspen explains. “He’s a Live One. We nabbed him from the tunnels under the Box. It lead to a wild chase, but we all made it out alive.” She doesn’t mention me getting hit and Ezra using a reversal pill on me. 

The girl lowers her gun first, followed by the boy. His actions are more reluctant, I can tell they don’t trust me. Well the feeling is mutual. 

“Is he really from inside the Box? Like, inside inside.” The boy asks, his jaw dropping in awe when Aspen nods proudly. “Wow, Aspen, how did you manage that?” 

“I told you.” Aspen sighs. “I’ve been checking the tunnels every day for the past two weeks. And I’m glad I did, or Jake would be dead.” 

“They seriously just chucked him out?” The girl asks, looking confused. But she can’t be nearly as confused as I feel. “They must be getting desperate if they didn’t even try for the relocation thing.” 

“Can someone please explain what’s going on here?” I interject. The four others turn to look at me, it seems they’ve forgotten me. 

“Sorry,” The boy blushes. “We got ahead of ourselves. What all has Aspen told you?” 

“Forgotten Site, Box, that’s about it.” I shrug. “She said she’d tell me back at the place where it’s safe.” 

The boy nods. “I’m Miguel, leader of the Lost. And this is Gretchen.” Miguel then puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles a short tune. I watch as people emerge from behind the curtains, all different ages. Altogether there’s about thirty of them, the youngest is about four, the oldest maybe twenty. “And these are the Hidden.” 

“Hi?” I wave cautiously. Gretchen laughs, as the Hidden look at each other. I guess Aspen and Ezra didn’t tell them that there would be a visitor. 

“You can go back to what you were doing.” Miguel calls back to them before turning back to me. “Anyways, nice to meet you, Jake. I’m sure Aspen will explain everything.” 

“Over a nice long meal, too.” Aspen nods in agreement. “I’m sure it’s been a while since you’ve eaten.” I nod too. My stomach growls and I can’t recall the last time I ate something. It was back in the hospital in the city, which I still have no idea where that is. 

Miguel and Gretchen tuck their guns back in their holsters and walk away, talking in hushed tones. Ezra claims he’s going to make me some food, and at first I don’t believe him. But Aspen assures me he’s the best cook they have. The world must be pretty messed up if the best cook here is a teen boy. 

But then again, I just jumped off a building and lived. 

Aspen rubs her head with her hands. “I don’t even know where to start. There’s so much that you don’t know…” 

I think for a moment before responding. There’s something I desperately want to know. 

“Where is my city?” 

Aspen freezes like this wasn’t the question she was first expecting. I guess she probably expected I would ask about the Box -whatever that is - or where we are. But I’d rather  know where I can return to. Somewhere I will know. 

“Jake,” She reaches out and touches my hand. Her palms are soft, but sweaty. “This might be hard for you to here. But the city wasn’t real.” 

What is she talking about? The city not real? 

“You have to be joking.” I laugh nervously. I think I know what she’s saying, but I can’t - I won’t - accept it. Aspen shakes her head sadly. “Oh, I see how it is. The city is too hard to find, it’s like a myth.” 

“No, Jake.” Aspen sighs, staring straight at me now. “The city isn’t real. It was all in your head - and not just your head. Everyone in the Box thinks they live there.” 

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.” My body has gone rigid, my voice cold. 

“About fifty or so years ago there was something big - I don’t know what - that caused mass panic. It could’ve been war, disease outbreak, whatever. But people got scared that everyone would die. They put together a building called the Box, a place where people would be safe.” Aspen explains quietly. “The people were sedated heavily and attached to wires that would provide them the nutrients they needed to survive. Then, somehow they made a city up in a computer system and everyone in the Box lived in the city - but in their heads. It was all a program, a lie. It was supposed to make the citizens feel like they were living a full life. 

“Well the war or disease or whatever didn’t kill everyone. There was a large group of people left to maintain the Box, but what would they do with the other survivors. The remaining people were split into four clans based on their values, a town was formed in the north, east, south, and west of the Box. Each clan valued something different - physical, mental, emotional, or social properties. 

“But the Box was only meant to last about fifty years, enough time for the world to heal. And now, the Box is falling apart.” Aspen pauses. “This might be hard for you to here, but…” 

“But my entire life is a lie.” I spit at her. “You don’t know how it feels, do you? I lived my entire life, waiting for my fifteenth birthday. Because in the city, you know when you’ll die. I wanted to be just like my parents, my sister, my friends. And my Date was in a week. A week! And now, I’m waking up, nearly getting killed and kidnapped - all to find out that my entire life was a stimulation?” 

“Jake, please…” 

“I don’t want to hear it, Aspen.” 

“Jake, there’s a reason that you broke out of the Box.” Aspen says, her voice cracking and her eyes filled with tears. “I hacked into the system, and I sent messages to some of the people in the Box. I didn’t know if the messages went through, and it became harder to send them. But I did it in the hopes that someone would break out.” 

“I did break out. But I had to throw myself off a building to do so!” 

“You’re not the only one who has suffered!” Aspen shouts finally, startling me. “Not everyone else has a perfect life, you know. Ezra and I lost our parents. Miguel and Gretchen have their own stories too. And the Hidden? Do you know how they got here?” 

“Of course I don’t.” I blush, shocked by Aspen’s rage. 

“Every year twenty children under the age of ten are sent to the Box to join the city. Each one is assigned a family and placed there, while the family is given artificial memories of the child. Each year, twenty children from each clan are abducted and taken away from their own families. For the past four years, Miguel, Gretchen, Ezra, and I have been taking the Hidden from those trucks and hiding them here. And before us it was our parents. And before them it was their parents.” Aspen explains, a bit calmer now. “We are the Lost, gone from society. I don’t have a birth record. The Hidden are different, they’re just missing.” 

I think for a second before coming up with a startling realization. If the children in the city are really from the four clans, where did I come from? 

“Which of the four clans did I come from?” I ask Aspen quietly, knowing she probably won’t know the answer. 

“The Box project has been going on for a long time.” Aspen answers, avoiding my question. “And although eighty children join the city each year, sometimes there are extras. If someone who works at the Box has a child, often it is placed into the stimulation as well. There’s no way of knowing who your true parents are.” 

My true parents. Like the parents I had before aren’t real, just as fabricated as the city itself. Are all of my memories fake then? Maybe I’m just dreaming right now, maybe I’m still in the city in my bed. 

“We’ve always wanted a Live One.” Aspen whispers. “I contacted you because we need to fight back. The four clans are getting restless, especially with the new rules from the Box. 512 new rules were published just a month ago, limiting literature, technology, and basically everything. We need to show you to them, the clans need to see that the Box is not infallible.” 

“And if we get caught?” Part of me wishes I was still in the Box, oblivious to everything. 

Aspen shrugs. “We die. My parents died for this cause, and I would too. The Box has ruled over us for far too long.” 

I’m saved a response when Ezra returns to the table with a plate of steaming food. He hands it to me, and I immediately wolf it down. The food tastes amazing, it actually has a taste unlike the food from the Processor in the city. 

“Which Processor packet is this?” I ask, making a mental note to memorize it for later reference. 

“Processor?” Ezra asks with a frown. “What’s a Processor?” 

“It’s a thing back in the city. You put a packet in the machine and out comes your food, fully assembled.” I explain, hoping Ezra is joking. He isn’t, there are no Processors here. 

“Well this is venison with a hint of lemon and ginger spice, along with some acorns ground up. It’s the best I can do with the forest around me.” Ezra shrugs, but he takes the plate back, inspecting it to see if I’ve eaten everything. 

“What’s venison?” I ask innocently. 

“Deer.” Aspen answers. 

“What’s deer?” 

Ezra stares at me, open mouthed. “What’s deer?! It’s a creature, kind of like a horse but more graceful and skinny. They’re super hard to find, but Miguel has a good shot and rarely misses. He gets ‘em right in the head, the only part I can’t use.” 

“And a horse?” I probe, trying to visualize the mysterious creature called a deer. Aspen groans and Ezra nearly drops the plate. 

“I call not it on teaching him.” Aspen calls, giving a pointed look at Ezra, who sighs. 

“I don’t need teaching.” I argue. “I need to get out there. If what you’re saying is true, the whole Box could collapse any minute. Everyone in the city could die. We need to hurry.” 

Aspen laughs. “The Box has lasted this long, it can last a few more weeks. 

“Weeks?” I protest, but Aspen and Ezra have already disappeared. 

The next two days are filled with new faces, new words, and a new lifestyle. 

Like the city - which Ezra has deemed “Boxland” - everything operates on a tight schedule. 

Unlike the city, well, pretty much everything else. 

We wake up early for “hunting” - where Gretchen and Miguel take me up to the forest above. The dense foliage makes it hard to see anything, but they agree that it’s the best way to introduce me to the new world. After the first thirty minutes, however, I’m sent back to the “bunker” because of my noisy feet. 

We then eat breakfast, prepared by Ezra and his tiny chefs. Three younger kids, two girls and one boy, all about eight, help Ezra with meals. They normally consist of meat - whether fox, rabbit, squirrel, or other creatures - and nuts and berries, gathered by Ezra and his helpers. 

After breakfast is laborious times where everyone gets to work. Some of the Hidden work on fixing Aspen’s jeep. Some of them play with a lab kit in the corner, testing fluids and concoctions. Ezra mainly finds more food. Miguel takes care of inventory and what he calls “special missions” above the ground. Gretchen teaches the other children, painting and drawing with them. 

Aspen, however, invites me to join her at the computer. The tiny screen is hidden in one of the corners. She explains that she hacks onto the Box’s cameras and the Boxland code some days, while others she talks to people in the clans. 

But after the two mornings are over, everyone quickly discovers that I’m useless at literally everything. I nearly poisoned Ezra’s lunch with a single mushroom. I accidently blew up one of the science projects and spill a vat of oil near the jeep. I can’t read, write, paint, or lead like Gretchen and Miguel. And I can’t hack like Aspen. 

It isn’t until afternoon of the second day that I learn my special talent. 

The first afternoon all hung out and played board games and stuff. Miguel called it “fun time”, but I noticed that he didn’t participate. 

The second afternoon we decide to do something else. I’m beginning to become acquainted with the other children, so it isn’t weird when one of them asks me about what it was like in the Box. By now, the children know where I came from and aren’t ashamed to ask. 

I’m recounting the story of my death - apparently their favorite - when something makes a loud noise above us. I freeze, looking around at the children circling me. 

Noticeably, Aspen, Gretchen, and Miguel are all missing. I didn’t expect them to hear me recount my story again, but where could they have gone? “Where’s Aspen? Ezra asks, jumping to his feet. 

“Miguel, Gretchen, and Aspen went out to hunt for dinner.” One of the girls - Liliya - pipes up. 

So they’re outside… 

“Normally we don’t hunt in the afternoon.” Ezra explains with a frown. “The animals prefer the morning when the sun isn’t as warm.” 

I begin to wonder… if the Box had their victims as such prized prisoners, would they try to track me? It’s quite possible, seeing as they seemed prepared for me waking up. Which means they probably have protocols in place so no one can escape and live, meaning I’m probably being tracked. 

“How hard would it be to get into the foliage without a car?” I ask Ezra slowly. 

He shrugs. “Not super hard, but we have cameras hidden up there. Aspen checks them about every fifteen minutes after we do something risky.” 

“Is it possible for me to be tracked and followed here?” I ask, but Ezra has already come to this conclusion. We share a look. 

Ezra turns back to the remaining children. “Liliya, take the younger ones into the dorm rooms. Caspian, load up the older ones from inventory but stay in the bunker. Jake and I are going outside. If we don’t come back, make sure the doors are locked.” 

Liliya nods and gathers the children while the boy who must be Caspian sprints towards the inventory room. Ezra tosses me a knife and we bolt outside. 

There are four people dressed in all black. 

“Ninjas.” Ezra breathes as we duck behind a thick tree trunk. All three of them - Miguel, Aspen, and Gretchen - are being held at gunpoint. 

One of the Ninjas pokes Miguel’s head with the barrell of the gun. “Talk or one of the girls gets her brains splattered on the ground. We know the boy is here, give him to us.” 

“Which do you want me to do, talk or give you the boy?” Miguel raises his eyebrows. The fourth Ninja is scanning the trees around him nervously. At least he’s smart, but that isn’t good for Ezra and I. The Ninja presses his gun harder against Miguel’s head. “Ay, eso duele.” 

“What did he say?” One of the others asks, sounding more feminine than the first. “Was that a code word or something?” 

“Miguel speaks Spanish.” Gretchen explains. 

“Well I don’t care what other languages he speaks, he needs to tell us in English. We have orders to kill anyone who doesn’t comply.” The first Ninja shakes Miguel. 

“Fine.” Miguel mumbles, and my heart leaps into my throat. Will he actually tell? But he looks up and I can see as Miguel looks straight at Ezra and I. Recognition is painted on his face for less than a second before he continues. “Will you let me go if I tell you?” 

“No.” The man rolls his eyes, shoving Miguel against a tree. “But I will let you live.” 

I can see the fear in Miguel’s eyes. He didn’t expect the man to be so harsh. 

Aspen  lets out a yelp as she’s shoved against a tree as well, followed by Gretchen. The fourth Ninja pulls another weapon out of his holster - a larger gun with something that spins on the end. I can’t tell what it is, but it looks dangerous. 

The first Ninja moves so Miguel can clearly see the new weapon. “We’ve been waiting to test out this bad boy for a long time now. So who is first? The blonde girl?” The fourth Ninja turns his weapon on Aspen, who flinches. 

Suddenly, a burst of light shoots from the tree beside me. Ezra. It strikes the fourth Ninja in the back, knocking him down. 

The others turn in our direction and Ezra steps out in front of them. 

“Watch out!” Aspen cries, throwing herself against Gretchen as one of the Ninjas tries to shoot her. Ezra ducks as a beam of light shoots by his head, and he responds with another bullet from him, which strikes another Ninja in the chest. 

Miguel takes the opportunity to slam into his own opponent, shoving him to the ground and wrenching the gun out of his hands. Then there’s a telltale crack of a gun being fired. 

I peer back at Aspen, Gretchen, and Miguel, relieved they’re safe. But then I hear something crack in the bush behind me and jump aside just in time as I remember the final Ninja. A beam of light slashes through the tree beside me and cuts through the trunk like butter. 

As the tree topples and dart towards the final Ninja, pushing off the ground and leaping onto him in a graceful manner. 

The Ninja tries to throw me off, but he can’t. The only thing he can do is surrender. 

Or put me in a headlock. 

The Ninja chooses the latter, holding me against his heaving chest. The others watch in fear or shock, but I won’t die. Not this way. I defied death once before, and I’ll do it again. 

With as much strength as I can muster, I throw myself away from the Ninja. Somehow, I manage to release his grip with my own brute strength and he grabs for me again. 

My knife is gone now, hidden in the underbrush no doubt. I have no weapons against this man besides my own two fists. And he has a gun. The odds are not in my favor - but then I remind myself that they never have been. 

I prepare myself to fight or to die, but neither is necessary. The man’s body crumples and Ezra stands behind him, still clutching his gun. The boy breaks into a smile. 

“Aspen! Aspen! Did you see that?! I shot the Ninjas, just like you do!” Ezra cheers, dancing in a circle. But Aspen, Miguel, and Gretchen aren’t listening to Ezra - they’re staring straight at me. 

“How did you?” Aspen breathes at the same time Gretchen mumbles, “No way.” 

“What do you mean?” I ask with a laugh, relieved that I lived. 

“Ninjas are strong, Jake.” Miguel tells me, catching his breath. “They use strength gaining tablets in every meal, and it makes them stronger for about two hours or so. Aspen and I nabbed some once, and it makes your grip like steel. How did you get out of the headlock?” 

Before I can answer I hear something whiz by my head. My hand instinctively reaches out to grab it. The cold metal slices a small cut in my skin and I realize someone has thrown a knife at me. 

Aspen stands a few feet away, her hand out like she threw something, a guilty look on her face. “What was that for?!” I cry out angrily. 

“I think she’s on to something.” Gretchen smiles, holding back a giggle. “A few year ago the Box did some genetic experiment in case the city fell through. They wanted to make a human strong enough to withstand anything, so they altered the DNA. Stronger, faster, smarter humans are what they wanted. What they got were children who had some of the traits but not all, and they had weaknesses in other areas. I thought they killed them, but maybe the children were sent into Boxland.” 

“Are you saying…” I begin, a smile breaking out on my face. “That I’m a super hero?” 

“Nope, far from it actually.” Aspen shrugs. “I bet that one of your parents is from the Box and offered you up for genetic altering. But if you were back in Boxland, that means you weren’t the perfect human they were going for.” 

“What do you mean?” I smirk. “I am perfect.” 

Miguel shoves me. “Dude, have you ever had any social interaction? Ever?” 

“You mean from besides other unconscious people? Well, I’ve been here two days… you do the math.” I push him back. Gretchen and Aspen roll their eyes in sync, which maybe that should be considered a superpower. 

“Hey, can Jake fly then? Or can he transfer his powers to me?” Ezra jumps up and down excitedly. Aspen shakes her head. 

“For the last time, they aren’t superpowers!” She sighs, exhausted. “What we need to worry about isn’t what Jake can do, anyways. We should be worried about what he can’t do.” 

That shuts both Ezra and I up. Aspen is right, of course. She said that I must not be the perfect superhuman if I was in the city, which means something about me is defected. It makes me wonder what makes me … bad … then. All I can do is hope I don’t find out at the wrong time.