Hounded Page 8
Chris’s scowl deepened in realization that it would be at least two more weeks before he was allowed any of the comforts he had been afforded in his life before being captured. Then again, he had been without most of them for a month already. What was another two weeks?
Emmett led us out of the cafeteria and down a dirt path towards a large barn. Behind it was a fenced in pasture where cows roamed, eating grass and mooing happily. I could hear chickens clucking as well, though I couldn’t see them.
After a brief tour of the barn, Emmett took us to the garden, which spanned at least an acre on its own. It seemed that every vegetable under the sun was being grown there. Plenty for everyone.
When our tour was finally over, Emmett led us to the residential area. It looked like a small apartment complex, with units stacked on top of one another. We went to Chris’s room first, a second-floor efficiency that wasn’t impressive in the least. Fully furnished, it was only slightly bigger than the cell he had been staying in during his detainment inside of the compound, with a full-size bed in the living room, a loveseat with a coffee table, a thirty-two-inch plasma TV mounted into the wall, and a small bathroom. There wasn’t even a kitchen.
I glanced at Chris to see his reaction, but he didn’t look surprised, holding onto the same scowl he had worn all day. His blue eyes flitted to a small stack of papers on the coffee table, and he sat down on the loveseat to take them in hand.
“This is the basic efficiency unit,” Emmett explained. “As you can see, it has everything that you’d need to survive, though it is a bit cramped. There isn’t a kitchen because the compound prefers all meals to be eaten in the cafeteria. There are two larger rooms that you can purchase with job points. There’s a one-bedroom suite, which Ms. Raveen will be staying in. That one costs sixty-six job points per month. Then there’s also a two-bedroom suite that costs eighty-one job points a month. Needless to say, they’re both very affordable for those willing to put in the work time.”
It was a good incentive to get people to work. I certainly couldn’t see living out the rest of my life in a room so small.
We moved on to my suite with Chris reluctantly dragged behind. If not for his curiosity, I think he would have preferred to stay in his own room and settle in, but I was sure he was wondering what a larger suite would offer, just as much as I was.
In terms of size, my suite was about twice that of his room. In fact, his entire room could fit in my living room alone. My suite was lavishly furnished with a fifty-inch plasma television, a DVD player, a mini fridge, a sturdy looking oak coffee table, a black leather loveseat and a matching rocking chair with ottoman. The bedroom was the same size as the living room, with a queen-size bed instead of a full-size, two bedside tables, a dresser for storing clothes, and a desk and chair in one corner of the room. Even the bathroom was twice the size as the one in the efficiency. Where Chris’s bathroom was cramped and only had a shower, mine had a big bathtub and plenty of room to move around.
“Now you can see how working pays off, huh?” Emmett jabbed Chris in the ribs with his elbow, trying to get a reaction. When his efforts fell flat, he continued, “Now, not all of these things come with the larger room. A lot of them are upgrades, like the big-screen TV, the leather sofa, and the paintings on the walls. Each luxury item costs additional job points per month. All in all, this room’s set up is worth seventy-eight points a month. Still very affordable, if you ask me.”
Chris nodded, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. He wanted a room like this one.
To be honest, it did seem affordable enough. For less than two weeks of full-time labor, the larger suites were pretty cheap by all accounts. On the outside, people had to worry about paying for food and other various bills. That wasn’t the case in the reservation. All the job points were completely expendable.
“Well, that’s about it for the tour. Tonight we’re going to let you guys settle in and wander around on your own. Tomorrow night there’s a feast being held to welcome Chris into the pack. Then, in a week, we’ll have hierarchy trials to see where he fits in. It’s an exciting event for most, and one of the few chances you’ll get to dethrone the alphas and betas.”
“Are there any benefits to being an alpha?” I questioned.
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