The light in the medical room was blinding. Chris could only keep his eyes open for no more than a second. He tried to adjust to the light a few more times before he could open them fully.
"Welcome back, Chris," Heather said.
"I could say the same to you," Chris replied with a smile. "Is everyone else ok?"
"Yeah, Jackson was detained and is currently tied to a beam in the conference room," Heather answered. "Everyone else was assigned jobs. Max will come in later to discuss your role."
"What about you. Shouldn't you be doing your job instead of being here with me?" Chris asked.
"No, because as of right now to the rest of the world, I am you wife."
"I'm sorry, what!" Chris replied in a state of confusion "But what does that have to do with your absence from work."
"I'll explain everything to you," said Max, walking into the room. He sat down at the foot of Chris's bed. "Heather, could you excuse us? Go to the farm and see if the need any more help."
Heather nodded and walked out of the room.
"I know you two aren't really married," Max started. "When she came to, you were the first person she asked for. Once she her about what happened, she tried to attack Jackson resulting in us almost having to restrain her. From that alone, I could conclude that you two are awfully close. With the current state of everyone else, I couldn't risk upsetting anyone else. So, I dismissed her from mandatory work for today so she could be with you with the only condition that she say that the two of you were married."
"What about Francis? Does he know the marriage is fake?" Chris asked.
"No one told him. For right now, I think it's better if you don't tell him. The fewer people who know the better," Max replied.
"One more question. You said everyone was assigned roles. What is mine?"
"Actually, that's what I came here to talk about," said Max. "If you can recall what Jackson said as he attacked you. No laws could stop him. While we will have laws, we have no one to enforce them. A law enforcer at this time will have to be strong and fearless. They must be ready to step into action at any time, no matter what the threat is. After seeing how you reacted in that moment, I believe the only logical choice is you, but it is entirely up to you. The job will be dangerous. After hearing this. Chris, what is your choice?"
"I don't think there's a choice at all," Chris replied. "I'll gladly take this job."
"That's what I figured."
"So, when are you going to release Jackson?" Chris asked. "I would like to talk to him first."
"Whenever you want. You are free to do as you wish with your prisoner," Max said.
Garret walked into the room. "So, I see you're our law enforcement now. It's a little odd to have a sixteen-year-old keeping us in check, but based on how you reacted, I guess it's better than nothing."
"Thank you, but am I good to go now?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, but before you go, let me give you a rundown on what all happened. For starters, your right knee was sliced open by Jackson's knife. The cut wasn't deep, so I gave you a few stitches. I also put an immobilizer on your knee to prevent any bending of the knee. Keep that on for a few days, then you can take it off. Other than that, you're good to go," Garret said.
Chris sat off the edge of the bed. His right leg sat in an unusual position since his leg couldn't bend. He hopped off the bed and tried walking. Chris hobbled around the room a few times before heading to the door. On the way out the door, Max handed Chris his sword and the harness. Chris put on the harness and walked to the conference room.
Chris arrived in the conference room. Jackson was tied to a pole in the back of the room. "You finally here to kill me?" he asked in a daze.
"No, just here to ask some questions," Chris replied. "My first question is why? Why attack Francis? What did you think that would accomplish?"
"Why would I answer you?" Jackson scoffed.
"Because I have the power to make you experience unimaginable pain and no one will bat an eye," Chris replied.
"Then why don't you."
"Because you are important to us," Chris replied in a soft voice. "I understand the pain and the trauma you must have one through, but guess what, we are all going through that same pain. We've all lost everything, but we have to work hard to get that everything back. We need your help in that plan."
Chris walked behind the pole and drew his sword. He stuck the pole with the sword, breaking the rope binding Jackson. "You are sentenced to extra field work in the farm and limited rations. Try to escape and I will remove both of your feet," Chris threatened.
Chris hobbled behind Jackson as he escorted him to the farm. The farm was an enormous room that was divided into four fields. The ceiling was rigged with lights that represented the sun's rays and an irrigation system that simulated rain. He called over to Heather and Nicole and asked them to come over.
"Why should I listen to you," Nicole replied as she returned to her work.
Chris sighed and instead called Evan, who was working in the same field as Heather.
"Sorry about my sister. She can be like that sometimes," apologized Evan.
"No worries," Chris replied. "I need you to instruct the man behind me on how to farm. Once you're done, you may be done for the remainder of the day."
Chris glanced at his watch. It was 8:23. He promptly turned around and left the farm to look for Max. Chris found Max just outside the conference room.
"So, you released him?" Max asked. "I would have thought you would have killed him for trying to murder your friend."
"I once heard this saying. I'd rather trust and regret than doubt and regret. Anyways I sentenced him to extra work in the farm and reduced rations. Speaking of which, do you have anyone in charge of locating and distributing rations?" Chris asked.
"Yes," Max replied. "I had Francis and Nicole take inventory. Let me tell you, that girl is not very willing to help with anything. I digress. Anyway, your food is out in the cafeteria. You may eat"
Chris turned around and entered the room behind him. The cafeteria looked like the cafeteria from Chris's school. It had rows of benches and on one wall there was a counter that looked like it was meant to serve food from. A small box, no larger than a cell phone box, and a bottle of water was lying on one of the tables. Chris opened the lid of the box. The box read: "This meal is designed to give the body all the nutrients needed to keep and active lifestyle. Instructions: Eat one bar three times a day in replacement of a normal meal. Do not consume over one at a time."
The food itself was a brown brick with a few spots of green and brown in it. Chris picked the brick out of the box. He closed his eyes and took a small bite. "sweet," Chris thought to himself. To Chris, the brick tasted good. Chris finished eating and stood up.
"Attention everyone who is working. At this time, you may be dismissed from work. Please meet in the conference room at 7AM tomorrow morning. Goodnight," said Max over the PA system.