The Encroacher's Trilogy: Dystopia (COMPLETED)

Chapter 7

It had been 3 months since I left the Lab. Every day I woke up to my parents calling me for breakfast and Aldo bounding up to force me out of bed. I chose whatever my heart desired from the fridge and spent the day sitting outside, pondering the importance of my parents.

It was at the start of one of these mornings that I woke with a start to a soft scratching sound and a thump outside my door.

Warily, I climbed out of bed and grabbed a book in my hand. I presumed that story about the war had been more than just a story to me. I felt people were out to get me.

The book was raised high in my hands as I prepared for an attack. Suddenly the floor met my cheek and a heavy pant was in my face.

Aldo.

With great effort I heaved him off of me. He ran around in circles with his tail beating against my leg; when all of a sudden he stopped in front of my door. He looked once out into the hall, and then back at me. I shrugged my shoulders knowing that he understood body language, so he then ran behind me and nudged his nose into my back as if to propel me forward. I did as he wished and moved into the hall where he led me downstairs to the kitchen.
He let out monstrous barks, which made me shiver.

"Stop it! You will wake up my parents!" He didn't seem to care for he simply barked louder. "Dumb dog." I muttered, even though I knew he was an incredibly smart dog.

Aldo skipped into the kitchen in the way dogs do and barked at the table. To my great surprise, my father had left a note:

We have both gone to work.
Will be back at 4pm.
Your school starts at 1pm and will last an hour. In the meantime, Aldo will look after you. He knows the rules.

From,
Father

P.s: Don't go into the basement. It's dangerous.

Over ridden with suspicion I immediately ran to the door leading to the basement. As I made to try the door, Aldo grabbed my pyjama bottoms and pulled me backwards.
"Aldo! No! Let go!" In response he growled savagely and pulled me back into the kitchen.
'He knows the rules.'
I groaned at the dog's intelligence.

I returned to the kitchen where the air was once again fresh with the scent of lavender, but this time it also had a hint of cinnamon. I ordered cinnamon rolls and pain au chocolat croissants for breakfast after I had a craving, and ate them under the guard of Aldo. He even stalked after me up the stairs once I had finished.

Eventually I left the house to go to school. I had a surge of excitement within me but then it dawned on me I had no idea where I was meant to go. I stood on my porch looking out at the marching pedestrians, hoping that someone was wearing the same humble uniform as me: Black shoes, tights, pencil skirt, tie and blazer, with a white shirt.

Alas, there was no one that was wearing my uniform and I ended up joining the marching pedestrians once more- false hoping that my feet knew where they were going.

***

It was quite some time before I heard the comforting sound of his voice; and I turned so quickly I caused a collision with the pedestrians around me. I stepped aside from the path and waited for him to catch up with me. How did he get out?

"Do you by any chance know where to go?" 

His tongue lolled out of his mouth and he barked as if for a reassuring yes. Several people inclined their heads towards our direction when he barked, but they didn't object to the noise so I ignored them.

Once again Aldo led the way. I followed him for at least 20 minutes before he turned down a narrow path that led to a ramshackle of a wooden hut.
It was no larger than half the size of a football pitch and it had a withered look to it (what with its paint peeling off and alarming splinters protruding out of it). On the inside I could make out custard yellow walls and several heads, which only meant one thing:
I had arrived, and I was late.