Chapter 71: The Warehouse

After breakfast, the duo led her through the common area to the exit. The number of stares weren’t any less. There were more of them staring, if anything. Stacy noticed it. She tried to pretend that she didn’t notice and acted normal.

The moment they stepped out of the building, she leaned into Nelly. “Why are they staring like I’m some exhibit?” Before Nelly could answer, Jack burst out laughing. He overheard her question since he was just a few steps ahead of them.

“You’d be a rare exhibit!” He said in between laughter. Stacy’s eyes widened. Nelly elbowed Jack. His laughter died down but he was still trying to catch his breath. “Ha.. Sorry! That sounded rude, didn’t it?” He shot a toothy grin their way.

“It’s alright,” Stacy replied, she turned around to check what the men were doing. She didn’t know why but there’s an uneasy feeling lingering in her heart.

“Don’t worry. They know what happened to you. Maybe they were just curious how you are recovering,” Nelly tried to assure her. Stacy nodded. ‘Hope so,’ she thought, but the feeling that she’s missing something was still there.

Very soon, they stood in front of big doors to the huge warehouse. Two men stood at each side of the door. Stacy observed everything with utmost curiosity. Her wide eyes lit up with questions and excitement as she scanned her surroundings, as if trying to save the picture of the moment in her mind.

While Jack was opening the door, she looked at the guards. Their eyes fell on her. They gave her the same look as those guys in the common area. She decided to match their energy. When the atmosphere was awkward, the wise thing to do was to make it more awkward. She studied them till they were shifting under her stare.

A satisfied smile filled with amusement formed on her face. “Hi!” She greeted them. Right then, Jack pushed open the door and she followed them in, leaving two confused guards at the door. “Did she say hi?” One of them asked, shock still written on his face. “I heard it too,” the other guard answered, “and she’s practically beaming.” He shivered and shook his head. “Scary! I don’t think that’s the same Sammy that always spends her day here.”

The moment she walked into the warehouse, her jaw fell. “Wow!” Her voice dipped a few octaves lower, as if she gouged the word from the very depth of her being.

The space was huge. It’s wooden and filled with tools. But huge! She could feel the excitement bubbling from the bottom of her heart.

“So this is the warehouse,” she whispered. Jack was as excited. He nodded like a woodpecker. “Cool, right?” He almost looked proud. Nelly walked to a bench and sat while watching them like a mother watching her children in the park.

“Do you want to take a look around?” Jack suggested. Stacy nodded eagerly. Before Jack could say another word, she disappeared from his side. She went into the rows of racks filled with tools and parts. Nelly’s brows furrowed as she rushed to follow.

“These are awesome,” she looked through everything on them, occasionally picking up something that caught her interest.

She toured the rows of racks with Nelly and Jack in tow. Finally, they came to an end. She rounded the corner and walked out to the shooting range. Both her arms fell to her sides. Her eyes were fixed on the dummies and she stepped out in a daze. As if possessed, she drifted forward automatically, her eyes never once left the dummies.

Jack elbowed Nelly. “Is she alright?” He lowered his voice to a whisper. Nelly shrugged. She was watching Stacy with great focus. “Are you possessed as well?” His comment earned a glare from Nelly before she put some distance between them. Head held high, she joined Stacy in the middle of the range.

“How are you feeling?” Nelly asked as she neared. “Overwhelmed,” Stacy replied, still in a daze. “Do you want to try it out?” Jack’s excited voice joined in the conversation. The question managed to peel her eyes away from the dummies.

She turned to Jack. “May I?” There’s something in her eyes. He couldn’t put a name to it. “S.. Sure. Go ahead,” he stuttered as he answered. He pulled out the gun Stacy made for him before she left. Nelly’s face twisted in worry. “Be careful,” she managed to say before Stacy raced towards the dummies.

Jack’s hand was still outstretched, holding out the gun to her. It was left hanging as Stacy sprinted away. His face was extremely comical. It turned from shock to horrified as he registered what was happening. He whipped his head to her direction so fast, Nelly was almost sure he would sprain his neck.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” He exclaimed in horror as he ran after Stacy, only to stop seconds before he almost bumped into her. She was hitting a dummy with her bare fists. It was close to uprooting and falling backwards from the impact of her punches. Nelly stopped a distance away, watching in awe.

Jack winced as her punches landed on the dummy. Suddenly, with great speed, she spinned and gave the dummy a flying kick, causing it to bend in defeat.

Stacy stood on her spot, breathing hard. The dummy bowed 180 degrees as it folded in half, face hitting its legs. Nobody moved for a few beats. The only sound in the warehouse was her own breathing.

Suddenly, she turned to Jack, causing him to jump and took a step backwards. Stacy was beaming. “That was fun! I feel like it’s been centuries since I last moved.”

His smile looked forced. “That’s.. haha.. I’ll make sure to not cross you in the future.”

“Oh! I damaged it, didn’t I?” Her expression turned into one of horror as she finally realized the folded dummy. Nelly quickly stepped forward and spun her around, guiding her away from the dummy. “Don’t worry about it! Let’s take a rest.”

“That’s such a weak target. It can’t even withstand a few hits,” Stacy grumbled as Nelly walked her to the bench.

“Because it’s for shooting, not punching,” Jack said, “also because you are too powerful.” He gave her a cheeky grin at the end of the sentence.

“Oh,” she nodded as she took a few sips of the water Nelly handed her. Her eyes widened. “Shooting?”

“Oh, shoot,” Jack said under his breath.

“Can I try shooting at it?” Stacy’s eyes shone as she looked at him expectantly.