Basement Betty

I awoke to the news on the tv. They were talking about Tony Blair for some odd reason. They had discovered something he had done I think. I quickly blocked out the chatter and leaned up and to the side to hang my feet off the bed. I stretched and yawn as I got up to go to the bathroom. I turned on the light and blinkingly stared in the mirror. Looking back at me was a messy bun headed 15 year old. Appearing scruffy as ever. I followed my normal morning routine, a bit of water here some soap there. By 9:30 I was ready for the day. Another day. Just like the last. I tried to pull myself together. "Come on Betty" I muttered "Time to do something." I started wearing the floor out, up and down, left and right. It was tough to exercise in a 12 foot room, when walking was the only exercise that you could stand. I liked puns too. Here I was as I had always been, In this small room, the bunker. Nothing to do nowhere to go. Just myself and occasionally Tammy stuck here. Whose Tammy you may ask. The only other Human I've ever met. Tammy Saltcore, my 35 year old friend and only companion ever. Tammy says she doesn't remember how we met, she says its the trauma. I have no memories of before I was 9 so I can't say anything, I don't even know if I have trauma. Tammy always leaves. Never with my knowledge, she sneaks out somehow, when I am asleep or distracted. Many times I tried to thwart her independence and had begged her to take me, stay or at least tell me where she could possibly be going. But she always replied "No chance Kid." and would speak no more on the subject. I watched a lot of Television while Tammy was away. To tell the truth, I never turned it off. I couldn't stand the silence. I needed noise to make me feel as if I was surrounded by people, muttering, laughing and consoling. I decided I wanted more sleep so I put on a episode of Pride and Prejudice and cuddled down in my duvet to again be hugged by the characters and the story. Oh how I wished life hadn't changed, that people had not changed. But I guess then I might never be here, I guess I didn't know where I would be? Soon the dreamscape took me and I wondered off into a much better world of freedom and kindness. Again I woke this time to static on the TV, A sudden shiver went down my spine and I leapt out of bed to fix the channel. It came blaring back to life and I realized how fast my hearty had started beating. I did not like it when that occasionally happened. It freaked me out! Then I heard the toilet flush....

My heart suddenly started to race again. I tried to remain calm, It must just be Tammy, she must have arrived while I was asleep. I went and knocked on the door. I immediately heard the rustic tones of Tammy. I breathed a sigh of relief, and sat down on the bed. Tammy shortly opened the door and came striding out like always. "Hey there Betster. How's you." She slapped her fingerless leather glove on my back and waited for a reply. All I could say in that moment was "BBBOOORRREEEEDD." She chucked. Well I brought all the usual stuff from the stock room, Shampoo, food and snacks, all the essentials, she smiled. Mindlessly she asked me what I was watching as she pulled her phone out of one of her many pockets. It was an old phone from the 90's I knew that much, obviously not connected to any phone network, Tammy had wired it differently. I knew there was someone important on the other side, crazy as that seemed since Tammy always told me she had never met another sole but of course she had. How otherwise would she receive radio like text messages. This one seemed to immediately alarm her. She looked more out of her comfort than I had ever seen her. It unnerved me. She was always cool and collected. She finally snapped out of the trance and looked at me straight in the face for about 10 seconds. I was seriously getting weirded out. She swiveled around and went to the chest in the corner if the room. Pulled open the draw to to full capacity and grabbed choice options, although I had no idea why. Then she pulled the rug out from under me, no literally. I fell back onto the bed and she yanked off a fully boarded down plank with her bare hands. Something was going on and I didn't like it. She pulled out of the dark hole a rucksack, small and black and purple, which really didn't look like hers and rushed to the bathroom. She came back what felt like a second later and yelled "COME ON"! "You what." I replied as I followed her to the bathroom. By the time I got in the rucksack was on the floor and Tammy was squatting besides it. She looked at me and at her hands and blurted at me to get up, pointing to the now open ceiling panel which I had not previously noticed was open. I took a step back shook my head in confusion and disbelief and said "Why should I go up there, there isn't anything up there but bad things, that is what you told me when I was just 9 remember, it's my earliest memory, Tammy, what are you doing? What is going on?" She replied with much effort "I know what I said but we don't have any time to explain, You have always wanted to come with me and leave, here's your chance and you have to take it."