Hideaway life - Part 5

A tense silence seemed to scream in the ears of Pages as she wrapped a comforting arm around Cocoa and her other around a whimpering child. After she had completed her job with Hardy, Pages had made her way to the nursery to help and reassure Cocoa. It was the only time she ever came down to the children’s area, she usually couldn’t be bothered with the crying, snotty, vomit covered things, but it would be cruel not to soothe them at this time of fear. As she went along her route here, she had checked that all the lights and fires, or anything that could radiate heat, was turned off; Snatchers are a species which see by sensing heat and everyone had to be silent because Grabbers had amazing hearing. Another problem with Grabbers was that they could feel movement, however, that was only a danger as long as you were in seeing distance of them. Together Snatchers and Grabbers were an almost unstoppable team, apart from the fact they were pretty thick.

 

So here they were. Pages, Cocoa and Mama Cook, along with some other members of the hideout, trying to keep the young ones quiet, while in their little heads horrible memories were probably emerging from the places in their minds they usually keep closed. The memories of the night they were taken.

 

A yell came from the top of the caves, one of the guards; the all clear.

 

“About time too,” Mama Cook muttered as she disentangled herself from the many children who had piled on top of her seeking reassurance from her warmth, “My buttocks was becoming increasingly deadened, now I’ll proceed to the shower to sponge down an’ remove the little gift your chum bestowed upon me.”

 

“I’m not his chum,” Pages said, slightly hurt by the words.

“I am,” said Cocoa, brightly.

 

As Mama Cook trudged off, the rest of the nursery staff struck up conversation; one with a particularly shrill voice said, “This is the fourth search this week, do you think they’re on to something?”

 

“Don’t worry about it, Scrag,” said Gorger, with a much lower pitch, thank God, “The Hierarchy is having that big meeting they do every ten years. Our beloved leaders are probably trying to impress their foreign guests with captured rebels.”

 

“Yeah,” Cocoa chimed in as she turned on the lights, “They’re probably searching like this everywhere,” and began playing with a couple of the older children. Pages wasn’t sure what the game was but it seemed that whenever Cocoa turned around the children would freeze and if she saw them move they would be ‘out’. Quite honestly they should have all been out within the first few goes, but that was why Pages didn’t work with kids.

 

A different voice surfaced, full of resentment “I’ve heard tell that there’s a human in the Hierarchy, helps out with all the proceedings; it’s disgusting that they should be doing such a thing. Against their own kind! Disgraceful.”

 

“I would feel much safer if Chief were back,” said Scrag, her four sets of spindly fingers weaving in and out of each other and her pointed face wrinkled with worry, “How long has he been gone now?” Scrag often unsettled Pages, what with her extra pair of arms and skeletal body, she always reminded Pages of a spider, bar the fact she was a complete coward.

 

“Ever since the meeting began,” answered Pages, “he’s probably trying to find some information they discuss in there. I wouldn’t worry about it: 1. we’re impossible to find if you don’t know the entrance and 2. if they somehow did manage to find us they would never guess the answer that stupid password.” Then, upon tiring of the nursery gossip, she proceeded back to the living room to fix the stool Hardy broke.

 

As she walked into the massive room her heart leapt in joy; who should be lying there, on the biggest sofa they had, but Blur herself, and as Pages held her tight in a crushing embrace she awakened and muttered, “I was going to wait for you but it seems I fell asleep...”

 

“It’s okay,” said Pages, fully happy for the first time in ages, “as long as you’re safe.”