The Conversion Bureau: The Land Downunder
By Da Bunnanan King
Chapter Ten: Driving into the sunrise
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I looked at my darkened surroundings to see Jude sleeping atop his covers with his hind leg twitching and forelegs moving a bit. He must of been dreaming of running or something, I had seen dogs act like that on the hypernet before.
I now also noticed that not only that I was drenched in sweat but t the sheets and pillow I was lying on. I smelled it to. Heck, I could even still feel the beads of sweat on my forehead. I didn’t know what time it was and for a moment, I felt that I was sitting in a house of horrors. I stood up and looked around my room. I was mainly looking for my backpack that I had brought with me.
Being dark in the room and me not tripping on my own feet I found the backpack with my foot. I bent down and opened up the small green pack in search of some clean clothes. I was able to find a pair of dark grey digital camouflage pants and a gray shirt. It wasn’t much of a leap from what I was wearing, but it was relatively clean.
After putting on the clean set of cloths, Jude slowly stirred from his peaceful slumber. He stared at me with his pale blue eyes that were the size a small dinner plate.
“Mhmmhmhmh. Alex? What are you doing up so early?” He asked, as he slowly rasing his head.
“Bad dream. You?” I asked, trying to move the subject.
“Your as stealthy as a man made out of metal trying to get through a checkpoint at an airport.”
“Yeah I know, but it’s dark and there's no one trying to look for me. So I think I can take a break from looking over my shoulder every second or so.” I said as I maneuvered over to his bed and sat down on it.
“So you still going to leave us or are you going to stay?” He asked, as he put his head on my lap.
“Jude, my mind has been already made up.”
“But what is it going to accomplish?” He questioned me, as he let out a big yawn.
“Besides me advendging my parents, it might also put a big dent in the HLF in this area.” I said, as I began to play with his mane.
“Mmmmmmmm. That feels nice.” He said, as he slowly drifted back to sleep.
“Shshshshhhhss, go back to sleep Jude. I’ll see you in the morning.” I lied, as I moved him back underneath the bed covers and leaving the room.
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I quietly crept through the hallway unburdened by my pack or webbing as I was leaving them behind. The hallway was quiet that I could hear snoring coming from one of the rooms, so this allowed me some leeway with my boot falls.
‘Thank god all those times of sneaking out to grab food from the mess with Jack has finally paid off.’ I thought, to myself as I approached the door to the main hallway. I quietly poked my head out to see if it was clear. It was, but I could hear hoofsteps coming from the lunch room which laided directly in my way.
‘Alex, please go back. Its not too late.’ Rose pleaded, with me as I could feel her crawling around in my head trying to make me go back.
“No deal Rose. This needs to happen.” I whispered to the empty corridor as I did a commando roll to the opposite side of the corridor making a small bump when I hit the wall with my back, but I kept on moving towards the main reception.
‘Alex, please go back before you get us caught.’
“Your a voice in my head. You don’t get a say in any of this.” I whispered to myself, checking to see if the pony in the lunchroom. I could see the faint outline of a unicorn staring at the door waiting for me to cross or getting ready to serve the bureau its breakfast soon.
He turned his head for a second, which gave me the opportunity to jump and roll to the opposite side of the door frame that was double wide. I made it to the other side and quietly ran to the main entrance to be greeted by the rising sun. But I couldn’t be distracted by it slowly peeking over the mountains. I had to steal my stuff back and perhaps a car if I were to get anywhere.
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Silently, I entered the office and looked around the dimly lit room. I looked around it, taking in everything I could see that could get me to Brisbane.
I found my gun and the knife lying next to each other on the table. I took them and put them on where I had them earlier. I continued to search the room for anything else, whether it’d be car keys or a teleporter.
But there it was, a pair of car keys. They had a tag on them that said ‘Green Jeep.’ It must of been the car that a family road in on or his own. It didn’t matter. I had all I needed and I promptly left the room closing the door silently.
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I walked out of the bureau’s doors unprotected by my shemagh, but I moved quickly around the road that wrapped around the bureau. I felt the sun slowly begin to fry the top of my head and I could smell smoke forming around my head as my hair began to burn. I couldn’t take it any longer as I ran down the driveway so I found my rolled up shemagh and just threw it on top of my head and ran for a tree on the side of the driveway, but I had made it into the carpark at the rear.
The car park itself was mostly deserted save alone for a few cars that scattered the parking lot, some of the paint on the cars were cracked and peeling and some had red X's on them. I looked around and spotted a green jeep near the far side of the lot, knowing that I would have to make a mad dash for it to avoid the security camera that was above my head I had to time it so it was looking completely one way.
I moved all the way to the right and I made a break for the car, I reached it and slid over the bonnet horribly only to land on my face on the drivers side.
“Oww,” I said, rubbing my face and opening the jeep’s doors, “I thought that would work.
‘What compelled you to do that in the first place?’ Rose questioned me,
“I was it in one of those old action spy films. The one with the British guy that always wears tuxedos.”
‘You mean Johnny English?’
“Thats the one. Now where is the handbrake?” I said, looking for it even thought it was next to my thigh.
‘Have you tried looking?’
“Found it!” I said, as I released it and rolled down to the main driveway.
‘So are you going to go back now?’
“Nope.” I replied, as I turned the jeep on and floored the accelerator to the floor making the jeep screech away from the Bureau.
“Next stop, Brisbane.” I stated, as I drove down the old highway going eighty nine mile per hour.
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Authors Notes: Yes I have a drivers license... doesn’t mean I can drive that well. Once again Wasteland Gunner is best grammar nazi.