SALT
Even though there is not much to look at, I still scan the harbor carefully.
A single small building sits by the water, with someone inside who probably considers himself the harbor master, and aside from that there are only a few shipping containers along the shoreline, wooden crates, stacked pallets, and a medium-sized crane.
Thankfully, there are no guards in sight. The path down to the beach cuts through rocky ground, dotted with boulders that would be easy to duck behind if it came to that.
As we step off the ferry ramp, an open vehicle comes toward us along the gravel road leading in from deeper on the island, something like an oversized quad.
A beta with snow-white hair sits behind the wheel, wearing a wide, friendly smile. He introduces himself as Miller, the deputy facility manager, while Gomez says his goodbyes and explains that he is heading back to the mainland on the ferry.
Miller seems to strangely ignore him, and they do not even exchange a handshake, which strikes me as odd.
He comes straight up to us, eyes on our faces, and runs through a set of official welcome lines, repeating some of what Mr. Gomez already told us. At one point, he apologizes for the poor phone reception on the island.
I notice Eliano again picking up my suitcase along with his backpack, but I have enough of this, so I deliberately reach out to take it from him, lifting my chin in defiance. I am not about to let him treat me like some helpless omega.
But Eliano turns out to be far more stubborn than I expected from someone so young. Was Storm right about him?
The alpha shifts his body just enough that taking the suitcase from him would require wrestling for it. I try to do it, just to prove the point, and quickly find out that I can’t move the suitcase even one fucking millimeter, and Eliano watches my attempts with an amused expression.
Yeah, fucking alphas and their strength.
To keep my dignity, instead of continuing to flail uselessly against his rock-hard grip, I make an offended face and turn toward Mr. Miller, who is now explaining the island’s supply situation, mentioning both the clothing shop and the food store.
He hands us two magnetic cards that open our residential module. They also function as some kind of points card, though he does not explain what the points are for, and as a payment card as well.
Miller also gives each of us a wristband, similar to a smartwatch, explaining that it only displays meal and recreation times, as well as messages from the administration.
We climb into the quad, and head deeper into the island.
From what I can see, the path runs along the crest of a long, gentle ridge, with the sector fence on one side and a slope falling away on the other, down to the beach below. On the fence mesh, I spot a small letter G.
I try to map everything in my head based on what Mr. Gomez showed us earlier, and I already know that our destination sector is still some distance away.
The road peels away from the fence and winds through grassy, rocky plateaus.
The views are not especially impressive, beyond the sea visible down the slopes, there are some bushes and a great many erratic boulders that could provide decent cover if I ever needed to move through this area unseen.
For now, I know I need more information about the island’s security measures. Fortunately, I do not spot any cameras mounted on poles along the fence.
As we ride, I keep scanning our surroundings while Eliano talks with Mr. Miller.
They discuss nothing of interest to me. Eliano asks about government funding, the long-term outlook for the program, and whether it is currently considered successful or facing trouble.
Miller assures him that everything is running smoothly and says public support for the program is gradually increasing, despite strong opposition from the Beta Empowerment movement.
None of that matters to me. I have never cared much about politics. I was fighting to survive and worrying about how to pay my bills and afford food, so those things naturally fell to the bottom of the list.
Eventually, the ride comes to an end. I estimate we have traveled about one mile.
We enter a peninsula marked by a large stone pillar with a bold letter C carved into it. The quad stops at a fence with a barely visible mesh gate. I definitely could climb over it by pulling myself up with my arms.
Mr. Miller opens it remotely, and we drive inside.
Here, the gravel road gives way to concrete slabs, though the surroundings do not change much. We crest a gentle hill, and for the first time I see the entire residential area of Sector C from above.
By my estimate, there are around a hundred residential units. According to Mr. Gomez, only forty couples live here, so most of them stand empty. Still, it shows the much larger potential of this facility, not yet fully utilized.
I glance at Eliano, who is studying the long rows of modules below us on the slope.
What is discouraging is how bare that slope is. There are only a few scattered bushes, with some thicker growth closer to the units themselves. Some of the vegetation may even have been planted by the residents.
That means if I want to get out of here, it would have to be at night, when no one could spot my silhouette moving across the hillside.
At the far end of the long line of houses, I see a large elongated building connected to another structure that disappears partially behind another hill.
From what I remember from the map, the administrative buildings form a star-shaped layout, with each arm extending into a different sector.
"That long structure at the bottom of the valley is our recreational building, with the dining hall and other rooms where activities take place," Mr. Miller explains.
We drive down the slope, and for the first time I can see small figures moving around, the residents of the sector.
Some couples are strolling along the promenade that runs between the two main rows of residential units.
The strip between the buildings opens into a wider area that resembles a small plaza. There is an outdoor gym, and I suspect this is also where people hold barbecues. From a distance, I can also make out something that looks like a fighting arena, with benches arranged around it.
So everything Mr. Gomez described is now right in front of us.
For reasons I cannot fully explain, my entire body feels slightly tense. There is a strange excitement in me, because my previous life is so drastically different from what I am stepping into now.
This is a completely foreign world with unfamiliar rules, and beside me stands an alpha who is essentially a stranger, with what seems to be a murky past.
What kind of man is he, really? He saved me, but…
Ehhh. I'm not going to romanticize this situation or start imagining stupid things, even though…
something in me seems a little excited about it, but I quickly shut it down.
I should avoid thinking too deeply about it, since I do not plan to spend the rest of my life with him anyway.
My goal is revenge on Tanner, and that is all I intend to focus on.
Still, I know I cannot act on any escape plan right away. I need to watch, figure out how this place works, and learn the layout. Which means I’ll probably have to deal with this guy, even if it’s only a little.
One thing’s clear: I can’t get too close to him. I don’t want to feel guilty when I eventually run from this island, and I definitely don’t want to start liking him too much. That would just make everything messier for both of us.
So for now, I just wait for my chance to get out.
As we drive between the buildings, I notice several couples sitting on benches along the promenade.
All eyes turn toward us with open curiosity. There is probably not much excitement here.
The main promenade between the rows of units seems to stretch farther on, likely toward the beach. From the aerial map I saw earlier, each sector has access to a small private beach.
Mr. Miller stops in front of one of the units, and I am quietly pleased to see that behind this particular one, as well as three neighboring units, there is fairly dense shrubbery and several large boulders. A very promising situation.
Mr. Miller steps out of the quad, and Eliano grabs my suitcase again like there’s no room for debate.
I pout a little. I mean… I could even respect how stubborn he is. Not a lot of twenty-year-olds have that. Still, it’s a bit annoying.
Umm…
Then, I look at our unit. There is not much to look at. It resembles a container house, a long rectangular box with a few floor-to-ceiling windows.
About thirteen feet wide and roughly thirty-three feet long, which makes for a very small living space. I suspect it was transported to the island in one piece.
Mr. Miller swipes a card across the glass door at the front.
I notice the number etched into the glass:
Unit 71.
We step inside.
"Welcome home, sweet home," Mr. Miller says with mild amusement, sweeping his hand in a circle.
My expression falls almost immediately.
Damn it.
The inside is shocking…
The walls are covered with huge reproductions of pornographic photographs.
They do not show faces, just close-ups of human bodies tangled together, intertwined in sexual acts: protruding asses, swollen nipples, erect penises…
What the fuck? I blink in disbelief. Yes, the photographs are artistic, black and white; clearly someone put effort into making them aesthetically pleasing, but for fuck’s sake, sex literally jumps out at you here!
It almost feels like we have walked into some kind of goddamn temple of porn.
There are also small glass display cases mounted on the walls, and inside them, as if the porn pics weren't enough, there are even more items that fit right into that theme. Dildos, fluffy handcuffs, playfully shaped bottles of lube, and a whole assortment of other sex toys, some kind of anal beads maybe. Sorry, I’m no expert.