We, who Survived

When we had caught up to the others, we were already at the broken apartment building’s door. No noise came from inside until we entered. Muffled voices came from behind room doors, each having a note of excitement or relaxed atmosphere around them. We said our goodbyes to the sisters as we passed their room, both giving Max a hug as we strolled to the leader’s room. On entry, Charlie was loud as he rambled excitedly.

“I can’t believe we found it! The place was so well hidden amongst trees and vines it could have slipped right passed us.” He was pacing up and down, a large grin on his face while Dean leaned against the wall looking bored.

“You found the base?” Spark jumped at his words, causing Charlie to bounce on the balls of his feet and grin wider.

“Yup! The outside is completely intact. The problem though, the door is really secure like Trident vault material and only has a handprint scanner. We already tested our group and our prints. Nothing happened.” His excitement seemed to falter.

“We think it must be either Nathan’s or yours needed to open the door since, well, that woman on the radio called your name out first and seemed to be relieved to know you were alive,” Dean said, his hands in his pants pockets in a classic bad boy style. “The other option is too tedious anyway.”

“He has a point sadly,” Maria stated, shaking her head and leaning her elbow on my shoulder. After what she had said, I felt anger bubble up in my chest. Choosing to keep it down, I stepped away from her to stand on the other side of Max. Her eyes were shining with guilt and hurt.

“What are we waiting for? We should start while the sun is up,” Max exclaimed, resting his hands on his hips until Carly tackled him into a bear-hug.

“Hang on, Max, how far is it Charlie?” Spark held his hand up in Max’s direction, focusing on Charlie.

“Three hours roughly...”

“Damn it. Did you see any buildings we could shelter in if anything happens?”

“A good handful.”

“Okay. We’ll head out then. Charlie and Dean, take front while the rest of you scatter in the middle. Nathan and I will take the rear.”

It did not take long for everyone to pack their limited belongings and meet outside. Charlie and Dean started off while everyone found a comfortable pace within the group. Spark made sure we were at the back, Max and Carly walking in front of us and a good pace set.

We walked with little conversation, trying to prevent our voices from echoing off the buildings and joining the stomp of boots on the crumbling asphalt. The only one who really spoke was Carly and even her light voice was a clear whisper to her brother.

At points, I would feel dizzy and stumble along until Spark would let me hold onto his arm and guide me. Hunger was setting in, my stomach cramping painfully even with the sips of water from Max’s canteen. I was not the only one of course. Some of the smaller kids were piggybacking teenagers, some slowly chewing on remnants of their berry stashes.

The sun was resting lower in the sky, slightly tipping the tops of the trees, when we began to slow down while entering the area. Something from the front must have been said because Alex came to fetch Spark and me and led us forward.

“Follow me,” Charlie said, taking us to the entrance. He pushed thick vines aside to reveal a Trident print scanner. Its surface was cracked and weathered leading me to question if it still worked. Technology, no matter how well made, would fail eventually.

Spark stepped forward as our group formed a circle around us. They were tired, faces red and shoulders slumped forwards. Spark pressed his hand on the scanner. A faint blue light emitted from the screen before a dark blue line slowly made its wat under his splayed hand.

He stepped back. Nothing happened.

“You’re up.”

Nodding, I felt anxious and pressured now. Raising my hand, I pressed it against the cold tempered glass. The same light flickered from it, the dark blue line running under my fingers and palm. I had to refuse the urge to turn around, to seek some reassurance as I stepped back.

There was a horrible silence that followed. The scanner light switched off, interface giving off a piercing screech as it seemed to malfunction. The first thought to pop into my head was that I had gone and broken it. And then it sounded. The grinding of gears rumbled under our boots, shaking the titanium door as it creaked open. Dim lights flickered on inside, welcoming us in.

A hand clamped onto my shoulder as an eerie silence continued. Spark squeezed my shoulder, turning to our weary yet excited group.

“We made it!” Hands shot up in the air, exhausted cheers echoing off the buildings as grins and small smiles showed. “Nate, lead the way.”

With a deep breath, I took the first step towards our new home.

Inside, a certain untouched aura engulfed us. There were faded paintings on the walls of the hallway, portraits of old Trident presidents smiling falsely at us. Under our feet was a spongy green carpet that sucked at our boots, muffling the footfalls. At the end of the hallway was a receiving room. There was a fireplace, nothing comforting or special about it. In front of it were old wooden chairs, the cushions worn away from age, and a coffee table covered in dust sitting in the gap between the two. A bar counter was built out of the wall, empty bottles lining wracks behind it.

A few gasps sounded as everyone funnelled in, bags being dropped at their sides. Relief finally came to me as I sank to the floor. My shoulders complaining as my bag slipped off them. Sighing, I knew one thing for sure, I wanted to sleep.

“Everyone, make yourselves comfortable, we can finally relax for now.” More cheers, more sighs of exhaustion. “Nate, we have to go check out the branching hallways, come on.” Spark pulled me up but his smile disappeared so fast it might have never been there. He felt my forehead and turned me around and lifted my shirt before cussing. I was now leaning heavily against him, worried glances coming my direction even though I could not see them passed the blur.

“Maria, we have a problem!”