Chapter 95: A New Home
As they set off, Kain could feel the eyes of the five people on him and his family. They weren’t looking at the boat or even the crew; they were staring directly at the five of them.
Kain felt the tug in his chest again.
A few minutes after leaving the barge, Kain said, "You know those people."
It wasn’t a question. The three children nodded.
"401,402 and 403, they used to be in the lab with us. Doctor Ugly really liked them," Ashton replied.
"Then why are they here?" Kain asked. He didn’t ask anyone in particular. He was simply wondering why favoured test subjects would end up in such a state.
"Something must have happened at the lab after the children left," Amelia said with certainty.
Kain lowered his eyes, "There’s something wrong...with the five of them."
"Dad, how did you know?" Dominic asked, surprised.
He tapped Dominic’s forehead and said, "Your father is perceptive. But why do you think something’s wrong with them?"
Dominic pursed his lips. "Their numbers. The adults have 10, like you and Mom. 401, 402, and 403 have 9 like my siblings and me. Besides us, I’ve never seen anything like it before."
Dominic didn’t mention that Kain’s number was strange and was changing colour.
The five of them said nothing.
Then Amelia spoke, "They’re all Awakened."
"I’ve noticed." He sighed. "Whatever it is, just ignore them for now. We’ll be trading with the barge soon. If we see them again, we can look more closely. For now, ignore it."
Back on the barge, that family of five had stopped watching the boat. They were now sitting in a corner, away from the other refugees.
"Why were those things here? And the S gene in them as awakened," the woman hissed.
"Don’t ask me," the man said, "McClaw, that bitch lied. She told us she took care of them."
"Taken care of? They are definitely being taken care of. Did you see the clothes? They don’t look like they’re going through a collapse."
"Mom, don’t worry," Lila scoffed. "Even if they can use the S gene, they won’t be stronger than us. They probably don’t even know what it is."
Xavier replied, "They might." The little boy looked thoughtful. "If Dr. McClaw can save them, why wouldn’t she tell them about it? They were defective when they left. Maybe she told them and activated it by chance."
"Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. Even if they can use it, they probably don’t know its potential." The man said dismissively. "Forget about them."
Both families had their own conversations, one more pleasant than the other, but the outcome was the same. They both chose to go their own way.
Despite Kain and his family’s thoughts, the night on the boat went peacefully.
Kain and his people made their way back to the Sanctuary.
The barge had been given directions to the Sanctuary. Kain gave them his frequency, and they had done the same. This was in case of any emergency.
When the group arrived at the Sanctuary, the first thing they noticed was that the windows, which had been shattered from the mosquito attack, were now intact.
"Boss," Jake started, but was cut off by Kain.
"Wait until we get inside, then you can talk."
Kain drove the boat, sidling up to the large window they normally used.
Before Kain could turn off the boat, two small hook-like metal pieces came from the side of the building. They anchored the boat.
Then the ladder they were used to using also changed. It turned into a proper staircase that led them to the enlarged window.
Kain was surprised by the change. He didn’t remember the system saying anything about these changes, but he wasn’t complaining.
Kain kept his face impassive. He couldn’t allow any of them to know he was just as surprised as they were. As for their suspicions, it didn’t matter. They weren’t at the point yet where he would tell them such things.
But he did have to admit their loyalty was growing. Verdana and Jaylin had also gotten to 90%. Jon, Ian, and the others were hovering around 70%.
What interested him was that Marcus’ loyalty was 40%, yet he was the one most likely to agree with his decisions. Kain didn’t dwell on it.
He walked forward into the building, the children and Amelia trailing behind him. The others, whether with open mouths or wide eyes, also followed.
The moment they set foot on the second floor, they could feel the difference. The decor didn’t change, but the atmosphere did. The smell was different. The air felt fresh.
The "normies" felt as if their lungs had expanded.
The Awakened could feel the Source Energy in the air. The concentration felt higher inside than it was outside. Their shock intensified. They observed Kain, not with suspicion, but with a kind of respect they hadn’t shown before.
They weren’t stupid; they knew Kain was different. They understood there might be something strange in all of this. It wasn’t that they didn’t care; they believed they would find out one day.
"Is everyone tired? Or do they want to explore?" Kain asked.
He knew within himself that he wanted to explore, but how could he ever say it? Was he going to admit that he didn’t know what any part of this place looked like? Was he supposed to admit that he was just as excited as they were?
"Let’s go, let’s go," Avery shouted.
Hearing her enthusiastic response, the others agreed.
"Let’s go," Kain replied calmly, looking down at the little girl with the beaming smile.
He led them down the hallway, past the door, and to the elevator. He pressed the button.
"The elevator," someone began to say.
The chime of the elevator cut off whatever they were about to say.
Kain stepped in without waiting, and so did the children. The others stood there like they had seen a ghost. It wasn’t until the doors were closing that Kain pressed the button to keep them from closing.
"Aren’t you coming in?"
Breaking free from their stupor, they scrambled into the elevator heading to Floor One.
