Chapter 7: Apocalypse
"So, Hunter's going to be close by, watching what's happening in here?" Don asked Barbie, the two of them the only ones there after Sam, Joe and Norrie had been taken.
Don understood the plan well, but he was trying to keep Barbie distracted, seeing how anxious he was that the others were taken. The way his son cared for these people was truly amazing, something he never thought he would see.
"Yeah," Barbie said after a moment, "and when they tale me, he'll break you guys out," he explained, "Carolyn should be waiting outside with a car. And I will meet out there."
"How will you know when to escape?" Don asked.
"He said he will do something with the lights… make them flicker in a Morse code letting me know when to get out," Barbie said.
"And the Egg?" Don asked.
Barbie was silent for a moment, wondering if his father still had a hidden agenda, and finally said, "I have to bring it too. Everything that has happened, all the sacrifices we've made, it's been to protect it. I'm not going to stop now."
"You can sleep if you want," Julia said to Junior. It was past midnight and they were still driving towards the lake house. They had switched almost an hour ago, with Julia taking over the wheel after Junior's six hour shift. "No, I'm good," Junior replied with a friendly smile.
The phone beeped and Junior picked it up. "It's another email from Hunter," he said excitedly.
"What does it say?" Julia quickly replied.
"He's explaining their plan," Junior said, "Apparently Barbie, Sam, Joe and Norrie are being held in some secret facility."
"Are they ok?" Julia worried.
"It seems like it… He doesn't say otherwise," Junior said, "They'll break out the first chance they get."
Julia felt a slight wave of relief, but she could not help remembering the last time Barbie had been in Zenith and had been held by some secret agency. He had come back to her bruised and broken. She feared what they would be doing to him this time. She knew how stubborn he was and that would only make them treat him worse. She needs to get back to him, quickly. She missed him, terribly, those past few days without him had been torture, but mostly, at that moment, she feared for him, for his safety and for what they might do to him.
"Take them back and bring Barbara," King ordered one of the guards and huffed in frustration. This was not going according to plan.
"Sir, are you sure?" one of the scientists turned to him and asked, "what if the events of last time repeat themselves?"
"That's a risk I am willing to take," King replied.
"But sir, we still haven't fully assessed the events of last time," the scientist argued, "I don't think it's wise to…"
King cut the man off before he could continue, "your job isn't to think, your job is to do what I tell you to do," he fumed.
A guard opened the cell door and let Sam, Joe and Norrie in. "Are you guys ok?" Barbie quickly asked. The three nodded, "we're fine," Joe confirmed.
"Mr. Barbara, will you come with me, please," the guard asked, looking towards Barbie.
Barbie took a deep breath and turned to him, "sure, but will you just give us a minute, in private?" he asked.
The guard hesitated a moment, "I don't know if I…" he said.
"Please, we've been cooperative, just one minute," Barbie insisted and the guard nodded and stepped out.
"Ok, you guys know what to do, yes?" he asked and they all nodded, "I'll see you in a bit," he added as he approached the door. He turned to knock on it to call the guard when Norrie shocked him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.
"Be careful," she said, causing him to smile. He gave her a gentle squeeze and pulled back. "I will," he promised, "you be careful, too."
Barbie followed the guard silently, his hands cuffed, a slight annoyance, he thought with regards to the planned escape. They reached the room with the Egg and Barbie was surprised to see that there was no one waiting for them there, not King nor any of his scientists.
"What? No audience today?" he asked the guard.
"Following what happened last time, when everyone got knocked out, Mr. King decided it would be wiser to keep a distance," the guard said, "don't get too excited though, they're watching on the cameras."
They stop at the door and the guard unlocks it. Barbie puts his hands out, hoping to be uncuffed but the guard shakes his head, "I'm sorry, orders are to not take those off. You can still touch the Egg with your hands cuffed," the guard explains.
Barbie walked in slowly, hearing the heavy metal door shut loudly behind him. Like the previous time, the Egg sat in the middle of the room, glowing brightly and screaming.
He walked towards it slowly. The plan was for him to touch it and hopefully cause another blackout, allowing them to escape. But secretly, he also hoped for another vision, another chance to see Julia, even if it wasn't real. He missed her so much. Those past few nights spent without her, the last few days spent without her by his side had been torture. He stood in front of the Egg and closed his eyes. Please, he whispered, urging the Egg not to let him down. It was their only chance. He reached over and held it between his palms.
The glowing faded out. The screaming stopped. And the power went out.
He sighed in relief, taking a moment to relax before it happened. Again. The Egg turned green and again he was transported back to the lake house. He looked around expectantly, hoping to see Julia, and he wasn't disappointed. She was standing just a short distance away from him. But she wasn't alone. Beside her saw Joe and Norrie, he saw Junior and Sam, and they were all looking at something in the distance.
"It's happening," it was Junior's voice, "Lyle was right."
Barbie turned towards what they were looking at. And he saw it. The world was on fire, all around them, in every direction.
Barbie's eyes widened in shock and fear. The fires were getting closer. "We need to get out of here," he warned, for a moment forgetting all this was not real.
"No, it's ok," he heard Joe speak calmly, "we're safe here," he added, turning to Barbie with a confident smile on his face.
Before he could ask why, the Egg induced world around him began to fall apart and he was back in the cell. He took a moment to catch his breath. They needed to get to the lake house. Quickly.
"You don't have much time," he heard a voice speak and he looked up to see Melanie.
He just nodded, hoping the others were already in the getaway car. Safe.
He turned to make his own escape. The power would come back soon and he was running out of time. He took a step towards the door and stopped. He turned around slowly, "Melanie," he said, and she stared at him in silence, "I know it's not really you, but for what it's worth… I'm sorry," he choked, "I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe."
Melanie smiled, not the cold smile she had been smiling, but a genuine smile, "It's okay, I wasn't supposed to stay… I wasn't supposed to be alive. My job was just to help you find your way out," she said.
Barbie gave her a small smile and nodded, "Now, go!" she told him and disappeared.
Barbie rushed towards the door, the light from the Egg the only thing guiding him. He put the Egg down for a moment and reached for the door handle.
But there wasn't one.
