BXBX NOVEL Chapter 42: Leaving
Deep down, he felt weirdly nervous for some reason. The mere idea that from now on, his life will change provokes a feeling of hesitation in him. Despite that though, he knew that this was bound to happen, so he could only accept his fate.
Knock! Knock!
Cedric stood up to answer the door, he was then met with a warden who briefed him about their schedule. According to the Chief\'s order, they\'ll leave at 9 a.m., so he still has a few hours to himself. The warden also told him that he no longer had to wear his prisoner\'s attire since he was technically a \'civilian\' now.
After receiving that, the warden left and Cedric tended to his needs. He ate his breakfast courtesy of the meal plan, bathed himself, and wore a fresh set of clothes he ordered online.
Nothing too fancy, just a loose white shirt, a pair of jeans, rubber shoes, a black jacket, a cap, and a face mask just to look presentable. Still, with how much he changed during these past few months, even this simple attire almost made him look like a supermodel.
Used to how he looked like by now, Cedric merely shrugged upon seeing himself in the mirror. After spraying some perfume on himself and deciding that he looked presentable enough, he stepped out of the hut that had served as his temporary home.
Looking at it and the RMC building for a good while, Cedric saw his life here flashing past his eyes. He couldn\'t help it, as weird as this might sound, this has been his home for a couple of years now.
He doesn\'t know if he\'ll miss this place or not, but it won\'t change the fact that he was one of the desperate people who lived in this place. That\'s something that will never change.
...it\'s also something that he will never forget.
The Chief, along with a couple of wardens, saw Cedric\'s melancholic look but they did nothing to stop him. They allowed him to bid farewell to this place in his unique way.
After a couple of minutes, they heard him sigh and turned to them. His gaze met them and they saw him nod. Without a word, the Chief turned around and started walking towards the gates, followed by the wardens and Cedric as well.
Once they arrived at the parking lot, the Chief paused, and so did the rest. He then turned to Cedric and said:
"Well, Kid. This is it."
Cedric sighed to himself, feeling the weight behind those minuscule words.
"I\'m afraid I can\'t accompany you to the Rehab Center because I\'m needed here. If I leave, I\'m sure the other brats here will cause chaos." The Chief snorted at that. "That doesn\'t mean that I\'m not sending you an escort. These people here will come with you, additionally..."
Swoosh!
A man appeared seemingly out of thin air, wearing a hooded suit with a camo design.
\'Talk about an entrance...\' Cedric mused inwardly.
The man had violet-tinged eyes, grayish hair, pale and slightly wrinkled skin, sporting a clean-shaven stubble, and a stern expression. He looked to be as old as the Chief but smaller and on the leaner side.
"See that? He\'s not surprised at all! I told you he knows that I\'m here." The man sounded like he was whining at the Chief when he said this.
To that, the Chief just snorted. Cedric on the other hand was moderately weirded out, but he didn\'t dare to show it on his face.
"Anyways, you might\'ve seen him before...or not, I don\'t particularly care. But this is Arishem Romanovia. This old skank will be escorting you to the nearby city \'til you arrive at the Rehab Center."
Arishem looked like he was about to complain when he heard how he was referred to by the Chief, yet he didn\'t after Cedric silently but politely acknowledged his presence.
"Well, at least he still has some manners." Arishem muttered, "If I hadn\'t seen you in a prisoner\'s attire before, I would seriously believe that you aren\'t somebody from here."
That is a compliment for Cedric but also a direct insult to the rest of the convicts here. Cedric only smiled wryly at that because he really couldn\'t think of a way to refute it.
"Bah! Whatever! Get on the convoy and get moving! We don\'t have all day." The Chief snorted and the rest scrambled.
The Chief then walked closer to Cedric and said: "Here are your files. Keep that secured at all times. Never, and I mean NEVER, ever give that to someone without them showing their license/proof of authority first. That is the proper protocol and procedure. Got that, Kid?"
"Yes, Sir." Cedric nodded after receiving the documents.
"When you have the time, read everything that is written in there. If you could memorize the entire thing, even better. But if you can\'t be bothered, like 90% of the population does, you can just memorize the highlighted parts on your documents. Trust me, you would need it."
The Chief then patted Cedric\'s shoulders. The latter nodded and kept the Chief\'s words in mind.
While the rest already got in the vehicle, they noticed that Cedric still hadn\'t done so. They were starting to wonder if he was hesitating due to the look on his face...and he does, but for a completely different reason.
"What\'s wrong?" One of the wardens asked, catching the attention of the rest including the Chief and Arishem.
"Uh...is that guy on the trunk coming with us?"
Thump!
"Fuck!" The suspicious guy cursed in pain and shock after being thrown.
It literally only took a blink of an eye for Arishem to move and fetch the suspicious guy from the trunk of the vehicle and throw him on the ground. Cedric was able to follow the movement but not fast enough to react.
"Shit! How did you even notice me?" The guy groaned in despair and unwillingness. His expression then turned into fright when he sensed the Chief walking towards him.
Of course, the wardens were shocked by that. They were sweating since none of them sensed the presence of the man which was obviously their fault. They even shivered when they felt the Chief\'s gaze roaming past them briefly.
Then they thought that even the Chief and Arishem didn\'t discover the man so this shouldn\'t be taken against them. On the other hand, though, they were surprised by how Cedric managed to see what all of them missed completely.
The Chief looked annoyed, Arishem did too but his amusement prevailed more than anything.
Biting on his cigar, the Chief crouched down, picked up the guy by the collar, and threw him in the direction of the building. Not caring whether the guy survived or not from what he just did.
A loud crash and cry of pain and surprise later, the Chief turned towards Cedric and said:
"Case and point." He huffed a smoke, "Good catch, by the way."
Cedric could only smile wryly. He\'s worried about what happened to the guy that just got thrown but at the same time, it was none of his business. It was the dude\'s fault anyway.
He noticed that the wardens were once again, double-checking their vehicle, intent on seeing if there was another one they missed. Cedric could confirm that there was none since his senses couldn\'t trace anyone, but he figured that he\'d just let them do their jobs.
Cedric didn\'t want to be the reason for their unemployment after all.
After the security check, which cleared across the board, Cedric finally hopped in and made himself comfortable.
It didn\'t take long before the engines hummed to life. He also heard the unmistakable sound of walls opening.
Taking one last look at the RMC Building and the Chief, Cedric let out a sigh and settled down on the back seat of the vehicle.
Then, off they go. The vehicle he\'s in was escorted by two more; one in the front and the back.
Arishem, for some reason, was sitting on top of the car as they moved. Cedric could tell that the old man was in stealth while he was there. He\'s weirded out by that at first but he decided to ignore it.
Shortly after that, they made their way out of the facility. And for the first time in years, Cedric finally saw what the outside world looks like.
Looking past the window, he saw the unmistakable and breathtaking view of the Blue Jewel Valley.
Aside from the paved road and a few cell towers here and there, the rest of the valley was untouched by mankind, letting nature take its course and preserving the wildlife around here.
He had seen animals that he hadn\'t seen in person for so many years. Deers, snakes, salamanders, boars, etc.
Cedric also notices the sheer difference in the air he breathes around here. It\'s purer and more natural, unlike what it\'s like behind those giant walls.
The mere fact that there were no signs of desperation, madness, and cruelty in his immediate surroundings, made Cedric subconsciously look forward to what the nearby city was like compared to the RMC.