Chapter Three
The Dark Rooms
The Trinity had not come back from the scavenger mission. A thread of fear and foreboding had crept into the minds of every individual who lived with in the Community. They'd been gone now for almost two weeks, and no one, not even Hector knew what to do.
He wouldn't let anyone leave our little haven, even though we were running low on food. About two days ago, he finally decided to start rationing what there was left to eat.
Everyone would meet in the main hall and get their portions. It felt like we were trapped and slowly suffocating to death. I couldn't take it anymore.
I began seeking out the dark, forgotten spots of the old base, areas that no one inhabited anymore. It seemed like the dark corridors were endless and stretched into nothingness. I wish I could see the sky again. Only the Black Hawks are allowed to venture above ground.
Eventually I found myself in a small room, somewhere deep beneath the mass of people. As my feet touched the old blue carpet of the room, billowing dust clouds wafed up to twirl around my lantern. Large monitors hang suspending from the ceiling and a lone podium stands silent before a large crest of an eagle carrying arrows. Pieces of broken chairs, lay like crumbled bodies on the floor.
Dry blood could be seen, marring the large crest and at the foot of the podium a deep blackish stain glared at me. I recognized this room, though I had never physically seen it. Hector once told me that this was were the United States became the first nation to fall. He said that as the President of the former country had stood addressing the nation about the hopelessness and futility of fighting and defeating the Breathers. A rival, an over zealous man consumed with religion, believing this was the apocalypse, emerged from the crowd of reporters and in just a few blinding seconds had shot the nations leader. He tried to assumed control afterwards, but was killed by a frightened mob of people trying to flee a Breather when it attacked above ground just moments after he resurfaced.
I guess they never really thought about cleaning up the blood mess. Hector thinks they might of left it, knowing that this era was over and that they had lost. What then was the point in cleaning up?
I remember when I was five, I had snuck above ground during the night just so I could see the stars. For a small, breathless moment in time I believed the world to be beautiful and that everything, all the nastiness, the Breathers, death, they were non-existent. Eddy, my older brother, had come up and pulled me back beneath the surface. He always watched out for me. But now he's dead. That's what happens when you're careless enough to meet a Breather. You die.
I moved on in the dark, towards a room that was to the left of the podium. A desk, dust, quiet memories that made little sense to me. These rooms were abandoned more than two decades before my birth.
Suddenly I felt faint, the dark was pressing in on me. I had to escape these rooms and return to the community.
I returned to the Haven commons room, only to find it empty. "So, where have you been?" I turned to find Mika standing furious behind me.
"I took a walk. I needed to get away for awhile."
"Away? And you didn't bother letting anyone know where you were going?" she asked, her lips in a tight line.
"It's never been a problem before." I snapped back, "What is up? Why are you so angry?"
"The Trinity is dead." she whispered.
"I thought we had already come to that conclusion."
"Ryan Connor showed up. He died about an hour ago. It seems Trinity didn't get very far." Mika began to hug her self. "They really did a number on him."
I didn't know what to say. Silence suddenly filled the room. Mika wasn't particularly close to anyone, but she had been to Ryan. Which for the recorded, I never really understood. Seeing her like this nearly broke my heart. "I'm sorry Mika. I'm sorry I wandered off. I shouldn't have."
"Look, Hector had called a meeting. So, we'll forget about it, come on." I followed her to another room, one I had only been in a handful of times.
The meeting was already underway. Hector barely acknowledged our presence. "We have barely enough food to last a four more days," someone was shouting from the crowd. "We need to go out. We need to gather!"
"How? We don't have enough weapons right now to defend ourselves." Hector shot back. "If what Ryan said was true, they are watching us. The moment we step outside they will kill use. Look we have the reserves. We've never touched them. There should be enough there to last a month, maybe two. By then things might be more calm." I leaned against the wall listening. Angry that we hadn't prepared earlier when we had the chance. But Hector was never one to see to far in the future.
"Then let us go to reserves." Harvey spoke up.
"What about the back door?" I asked suddenly, surprised to hear myself speak. Hector just stared at me. "You know the one on the other side of the complex. We've never used it. Maybe they don't know it's there." All eyes were suddenly locked on me.
"I'll think about it." Hector finally replied. Then he stood and left the room.
The Dark Rooms
The Trinity had not come back from the scavenger mission. A thread of fear and foreboding had crept into the minds of every individual who lived with in the Community. They'd been gone now for almost two weeks, and no one, not even Hector knew what to do.
He wouldn't let anyone leave our little haven, even though we were running low on food. About two days ago, he finally decided to start rationing what there was left to eat.
Everyone would meet in the main hall and get their portions. It felt like we were trapped and slowly suffocating to death. I couldn't take it anymore.
I began seeking out the dark, forgotten spots of the old base, areas that no one inhabited anymore. It seemed like the dark corridors were endless and stretched into nothingness. I wish I could see the sky again. Only the Black Hawks are allowed to venture above ground.
Eventually I found myself in a small room, somewhere deep beneath the mass of people. As my feet touched the old blue carpet of the room, billowing dust clouds wafed up to twirl around my lantern. Large monitors hang suspending from the ceiling and a lone podium stands silent before a large crest of an eagle carrying arrows. Pieces of broken chairs, lay like crumbled bodies on the floor.
Dry blood could be seen, marring the large crest and at the foot of the podium a deep blackish stain glared at me. I recognized this room, though I had never physically seen it. Hector once told me that this was were the United States became the first nation to fall. He said that as the President of the former country had stood addressing the nation about the hopelessness and futility of fighting and defeating the Breathers. A rival, an over zealous man consumed with religion, believing this was the apocalypse, emerged from the crowd of reporters and in just a few blinding seconds had shot the nations leader. He tried to assumed control afterwards, but was killed by a frightened mob of people trying to flee a Breather when it attacked above ground just moments after he resurfaced.
I guess they never really thought about cleaning up the blood mess. Hector thinks they might of left it, knowing that this era was over and that they had lost. What then was the point in cleaning up?
I remember when I was five, I had snuck above ground during the night just so I could see the stars. For a small, breathless moment in time I believed the world to be beautiful and that everything, all the nastiness, the Breathers, death, they were non-existent. Eddy, my older brother, had come up and pulled me back beneath the surface. He always watched out for me. But now he's dead. That's what happens when you're careless enough to meet a Breather. You die.
I moved on in the dark, towards a room that was to the left of the podium. A desk, dust, quiet memories that made little sense to me. These rooms were abandoned more than two decades before my birth.
Suddenly I felt faint, the dark was pressing in on me. I had to escape these rooms and return to the community.
I returned to the Haven commons room, only to find it empty. "So, where have you been?" I turned to find Mika standing furious behind me.
"I took a walk. I needed to get away for awhile."
"Away? And you didn't bother letting anyone know where you were going?" she asked, her lips in a tight line.
"It's never been a problem before." I snapped back, "What is up? Why are you so angry?"
"The Trinity is dead." she whispered.
"I thought we had already come to that conclusion."
"Ryan Connor showed up. He died about an hour ago. It seems Trinity didn't get very far." Mika began to hug her self. "They really did a number on him."
I didn't know what to say. Silence suddenly filled the room. Mika wasn't particularly close to anyone, but she had been to Ryan. Which for the recorded, I never really understood. Seeing her like this nearly broke my heart. "I'm sorry Mika. I'm sorry I wandered off. I shouldn't have."
"Look, Hector had called a meeting. So, we'll forget about it, come on." I followed her to another room, one I had only been in a handful of times.
The meeting was already underway. Hector barely acknowledged our presence. "We have barely enough food to last a four more days," someone was shouting from the crowd. "We need to go out. We need to gather!"
"How? We don't have enough weapons right now to defend ourselves." Hector shot back. "If what Ryan said was true, they are watching us. The moment we step outside they will kill use. Look we have the reserves. We've never touched them. There should be enough there to last a month, maybe two. By then things might be more calm." I leaned against the wall listening. Angry that we hadn't prepared earlier when we had the chance. But Hector was never one to see to far in the future.
"Then let us go to reserves." Harvey spoke up.
"What about the back door?" I asked suddenly, surprised to hear myself speak. Hector just stared at me. "You know the one on the other side of the complex. We've never used it. Maybe they don't know it's there." All eyes were suddenly locked on me.
"I'll think about it." Hector finally replied. Then he stood and left the room.