Snippet #2128859

The dining hall was pitifully silent as the subjects scraped at their meals. It was a pained, uncomfortable silence, and Abel didn't like it one bit.

It had only been a few hours since his arrival, and he was still reeling from the speed of events. The man hardly even glanced at the bowl of goo a staff member had set before him, preferring instead to glance pensively around at the other patients. They were a grim lot, he quickly decided. Something about this facility was off. Very off.

Being yanked from his life and shoved into quarantine was bad enough. But for some reason, the whole atmosphere felt more like a sterile prison and less like a medical facility. He'd braced himself for tests and needles and poking and prodding, but this-- this was something else entirely.

Abel glanced again at the other patients, picking at their bowls of gloop. They were quiet, trying to choke it down. Any conversations seemed furtive and short. He frowned. He could probably pick out which ones had been here longer, just based on eating habits alone. And by the circles around their eyes, and the pallor of their skin. They all seemed cowed, submissive, and afraid. Yes, definitely afraid.

But of what? Of dying from the sickness? Or- Abel glanced sideways at the man standing, watching them eat- of something else.

This was seeming more like a prison every minute.

As the redheaded girl next to him began to murmur something to her neighbor, Abel came to a conclusion. Maybe everyone else here knew something he didn't, but the rules hadn't exactly been explained to him yet and he wasn't about to sit around and follow the crowd into silence and fear. He may be diseased, but he wasn't going to mope about it.

First order of business: get word to Lonnie. Abel grimaced silently as he thought of the kid, alone and probably worried. It would be apparent now that Abel wasn't returning from his doctor visit, and Lonnie wasn't the best equipped to be on his own. Or to deal with disappointment. He needed to speak with him, somehow, to reassure him and make sure he would be alright.

Abel turned to scan the room one more time; this time he focused on the staff members. A few kitchen workers, milling about. And a solitary man, standing, watching the patients eat. He looked official, more powerful than the kitchen staff. His best bet, Abel figured.

He stood and took off toward him in one swift, fluid movement. His shoes clipped against the cold floor as he crossed the room. He felt as if every eye in the room bored into the back of his head, but he willed himself to keep walking. Just keep walking, eyes ahead. Just do it.

Even still, Abel crossed the space as quickly as he could without breaking into a run. He stopped a few feet from Jack, eyeing him for a split second before forcing himself to speak. If he didn't do it now, he never would. Once the words started, they jumbled together, pouring out like a breaking dam.

"Hello, um- I've been wondering: Is there a phone I could use? I want to make sure my family's alright, and let them know I'm still okay. I didn't get much of chance…." He trailed off, gesturing vaguely with his hands and pulling up his best contrite smile, meeting the man's eyes. He'd never really considered himself a suckup, but hey, now seemed as good as any a time to start.

Anything it took.