Greenhaus Part 1: A Storm Brews by Bryan Reckelhoff Page A

to remove these threats even if just for this fleeting moment. He would return to his easy life and if she was lucky enough to escape, would return to whatever horrific life she was living.
    Jacob wanted her to stay forever in this safe zone and wished he could bring her Inside, to save her from her misery. He knew that was impossible, but he did his best to help her avoid capture by the Rangers, who were lik ely somewhere far to the east of the ‘Haus by now. Thinking the coast was clear, he was about to shoo her away, when she did something unexpected. She hushed him with a single finger to her mouth before turning and running away; her back hunched and arms flailing as she made her escape.
    He knew he would never see her again, so he watched her as long as he could until she disappeared into the hills. Those eyes made an indelible impression and even though the mask hid most of her face, he created one in his m ind. Her olive skin was layered with dirt, matching the grime on her strange attire, but he removed it, making her clean and pure. Her black hair was long and separated into thin braids when their eyes conversed through the glass, but Jacob unwound each of them, letting her hair rest on her shoulders, healthy and voluminous. He filled in the rest of her features, creating a beautiful and sleek body. No matter what else he imagined about her, Jacob kept returning to those hazel eyes, wishing he could have done more to help, knowing the pain he saw would haunt his dreams.
    His brief encounter with the Outsider over, he completed his task of securing the area, then he left t he unfinished Annex and entered decon. He wanted to find Jasper, first to apologize for lying, then to ask the unfathomable questions. After the door whooshed closed behind him, Jacob removed his torn rubber suit before discarding it into the haz mat container. His application for lifetime employment into the Department of Engineering fell to the floor as he disrobed, reminding him that amid all the confusion he still hadn’t turned it in yet. Slightly crumpled, it matched the state of his once firm commitment. Now he was having second thoughts, wondering if some unknown danger could possibly lurk amid the ranks of Engineering.
    After getting sprayed, Jacob proceeded to the next chamber where Medical would tend to his wounds. The final chamber, the blood clean se, was next and he rushed in, hoping to catch Jasper before the transfusions made him lose consciousness. Jacob entered the chamber, to take his usual end-of-the-day seat next to Jasper where they received their clean blood. When he finally sat down, Jacob couldn’t believe his eyes. In his haste and distracted state, assisted by the fog of completing his daily mind numbing routine of detox, Jacob missed the signs. Now that he had settled into his chair and had a chance to better observe his surroundings, he could tell there had been a terrible accident.

CHAPTER 8 (Ella Stone)
     
     
    Ella Stone ran. And ran and ran and ran, never once glancing back. Only a brief stop at the bunker to retrieve her items stalled her bee line to the fortress. Her cheeks were wet with tears as the rest of her head glistened with sweat, the origin of the tears unknown. Were they tears of sadness, from leaving her temporary safe place under the enchanting eyes of her Stranger Friend, or tears of anger at herself for entertaining those feelings in the first place? Now was not the time for her newly complicated emotions to be internally examined, it was time to escape. “ Run Ella, your instincts will keep you alive,” the last words her father said to her before a Ranger raid took him forever, played over and over in her head.
    Ella ran through the hills and all of the way to the fortified base camp. Though she was not due to report for days, she wanted to tell the Elders she had been sighted by the Oppres sors as a protective measure for the rest of the camp. Even so, she knew disclosing her unauthorized