Chapter 15
Since there wasn't any more evidence to collect from Leah's body, Abby released it as soon as she was done with it so people could say their goodbyes. In some way, everyone was affected by her death and wanted to honor her even if they didn't know her well.
The body disposal unit was located at the lowest level but the room was small and since Leah didn't have any family, only her closest friends were allowed inside. The rest agreed to meet in the rec room for a funeral wake, merging some of Trikru and Skaikru traditions as much as it was possible in an enclosed space.
Abby was lost in her work when the sounds of the piano reached her ears. She lifted her head and scrunched up her forehead, confused as to why there was musicin the middle of the work day. Then it hit her like a brick. Leah's funeral! She told Jackson and Niylah that she'd join them once she would finish her work, but she completely lost the track of time and now it had started. She logged off, took off her blue coat, and hurried out of the room making her way towards the gathering.
She cracked open the door and sneaked inside, standing in the back hoping not to distract anyone with her tardiness. Looking around the room, she spotted Leah's friends, two younger women crying and hugging each other. Abby sighed; most people had no family left at this point. And if they did, they were lucky to have them around, unlike Abby whose only family was out there in the world, separated by deadly radiation, unable to communicate. Her eyes landed on Jackson who was standing with Miller holding hands. She smiled, happy to see that her friend found love. Niylah wasn't very far, she sat next to Iris. Abby's eyes continued scanning the room until they landed on Frank. She grimaced. The audacity! she thought as she gritted her teeth. Eventually, she spotted Marcus' long, dark hair. He stood at the front of the room, expected to give a speech as the chancellor. He dropped his head and whispered something to a shorter woman standing next to him. Abby didn't see her at first but her long, blond hair with characteristic braids gave her identity away. Leanna. Abby's stomach dropped. Somehow, she was always next to Marcus. You have no right to be jealous, Abby scolded herself. She pushed him away. It was better that way, she reminded herself.
Abby watched as Leanna whispered something back and squeezed Marcus' hand. His head snapped and he looked at her in a way that Abby could only interpret as shock or surprise. But she dismissed it. Marcus nodded at Leanna and made his way towards the makeshift stage. He was the chancellor after all, it was expected of him to say something.
Marcus' speech was short and sweet, encouraging the people to carry on with their lives, reassuring them. After that, Iris and Leah's friends made short speeches in remembrance of her, trying their best to keep positive despite their grief. When it was done, moonshine appeared, and chatter filled the room. The loudness was too much for Abby. Overwhelmed, she made her way out of the room without being noticed by anyone. Back in her office, she breathed a sigh of relief as she sat at her desk and opened her computer returning to work.
She'd been working for a while when she heard a knock at her office door.
"Enter," she replied still focused on the screen in front of her.
"I haven't seen you at the wake." Abby's head snapped up in surprise as she heard Marcus' voice. He was there, standing in the doorway, dressed in his dark sweater which fitted him perfectly, his long hair loose but brushed back, his beard longer than ever. Oh, how she'd love to run her fingers through it, she thought before dismissing it.
"I was in the back. I left after the speeches were done."
He nodded. "I was looking for you before."
"I was late, I had some work that needed to be done."
"Oh," he said. Was it disappointment in his voice? Abby dismissed the thought. "I spoke with Frank," he offered.
"And?"
"He still refuses."
"That was to be expected."
None of them knew what else to say and as Abby looked at him, she noticed that he was chewing on his lip, a clear indication that this wasn't what he came to say and there was something else on his mind.
"I'm going to grab some food now to beat the crowd." He ran his hand through his hair, feeling like a nervous teenager about to ask his crush out. "Have you eaten?" he spat out and sighed in relief.
"I have," she lied through her teeth. There was no way she was going to go get food with him. That would lead to a conversation she was not ready to have. She hated herself for giving him false hope. It was clear that he hoped things would go back to normal between them. Whatever that normal was. And she hated that she'd have to disappoint him again. But this was for the best and she knew that. Later, once he's able to think more clearly about them, he'll realize that it was the right choice. "Enjoy your food," she added.
"Thanks, u-huh, you too." She furrowed her brows at him. "I mean. Enjoy your evening."
Abby smiled at him. "You too," she said as she watched him walk away. Her body willing her to run after him, join him, touch him, be near him. But her mind overrode her urges and needs, forcing her to remain in her seat. She clenched her jaw, trying to control the tears that welled up in her eyes. She lost him and it hurt to watch him walk away.
"It doesn't make sense." Marcus ran a hand through his face, wrinkles visible on his forehead. "How is it possible that the food is still going missing? We've increased rations, no one should be going hungry," he said, tired of this whole situation.
"I hate to ask you this." She chewed on her lips unsure whether she should continue. "But when you closed the door and turned off the air, did you make sure that everyone was dead?"
His head snapped up in shock. His eyes wide, this was the last question he expected and he didn't want to think about that day.
"Yes."
"But did you check everywhere?"
Marcus had absolutely no idea where she was going with this.
"We checked every room, there was no need to check every nook and cranny. There was no air for hours, no one could have survived that, could they?" In that moment realization dawned on him. If there was a possibility that somehow, someone survived, he messed up big time.
"I don't know. It's possible if they found a pocket of air and managed to hide." Abby mulled over the possibility.
"It's been weeks, they couldn't have stayed hidden for that long," Marcus reassured himself. "This place is big but not that big. Someone surely would've noticed something." Still, he walked over to the bookshelf, pulled out the bunker plans, placed them on the table, and rolled them open.
Abby chewed on her lips; it was the time to tell him. She should've done it sooner, but she assumed he knew.
"The hidden corridors," she simply said.
"What?" his head snapped up to look at her.
Abby leaned over and pointed at the map. Do you see these lines? Those are hidden corridors, they run parallel to the main ones. The entrances are concealed."
"How did we miss that?" he looked at the map again, trying to figure out how they hadn't noticed the halls before.
"A lot was going on—"
"That's no excuse! Not for such a big mistake!"
"We felt safe. With everything running so smoothly, we weren't in constant danger, safety was no longer a priority."
Marcus nodded. "It's my fault. I was the head of guard; I should've known better. I know better." He pushed his chair back and collapsed into it.
"It's not your fault," she reassured. "You had other things to worry about. Your head of guard should have noticed it or Jaha or anyone else. You weren't the only one who missed it."
"You didn't."
Abby looked down, suddenly finding her nails incredibly fascinating and she nodded so slightly that if Kane blinked, he would've missed it.
"That's how you disappeared so easily all this time," he added.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know exactly what I mean. Whenever you didn't want to talk to me, you walked out of the room and when I tried to follow you, you were nowhere to be found. I always wondered how managed that. Now I know." He leaned back in his chair and watched her carefully. A lock of his dark hair fell to his forehead. He ignored it.
Abby stood still opposite him, not wanting to tower over him, she sat down. Now eye level with Kane. "Yes. I've been using them when I didn't feel like talking to anyone. I could travel from one spot to another undisturbed," she said ashamed of her behavior.
"Why didn't you tell me about them?"
"I assumed you knew."
He nodded and a thought occurred to him. What if the killer knew about the hidden corridors? What if Abby bumped into him. They'd never found her body as no one knew she was there. He swallowed, his mouth dry. He ignored the thought, deciding against saying it out loud, he didn't need to guilt trip her. She's doing a fine job on her own.
"Have you ever bumped into anyone there? Seen anything strange?
"No, I don't think I have." With her hands, she gathered her hair together, it was starting to annoy her. "I've never seen anyone there."
She quickly braided her hair to get it out of the way.
"Can you think of anything unusual that you've noticed?"
Abby chewed on her lip. "Now, thinking of it, there were a few times when I saw blankets left in random spots. I just assumed some couples found a quiet place. The blankets were gone the next time I passed by. I also found some energy bar wrappers but again, I assumed the same and just picked them up and threw them away." She rubbed her face, tired.
"I want you to show me the corridors."
"Now?"
"The sooner the better." He got up from his chair, walked over to the door, and turned around. "Are you coming?"
Abby stood up and followed him, joining him in the main hall.
"Turn right," she instructed him. "Over there," she pointed at a spot that looked just like any other spot along the walls. Abby paused and pushed her hand behind the tall halogen lamp and a door opened next to it. You'd never know it was there.
Abby pushed the door open and entered the corridor, Marcus followed, and the door closed behind them without a sound. The hall was narrow, no more than 2 people could walk side by side. It was long and dim. Darker than the main halls but bright enough to see where you were going. Each halogen lamp in the main hall was a one-way mirror, allowing the person inside the hidden corridor to see exactly what was happening outside. It would've been handy to know earlier.
"What's the distance between exists?" he asked.
"It varies. Some are close to each other, but there are some long stretches when there are only two or three across the whole length.
Marcus didn't like the sound of it. If anyone got stuck with the killer inside, they were trapped until they located the exit.
"How do you find exists?"
"Look at the lamps." She pointed up towards the ceiling.
Marcus' gaze followed trying to figure out what she meant.
"The exists have a bright red 'exit' sign next to them."
Go figure, he thought. Such an obvious thing that he missed. He really needed to get some sleep if he missed such obvious clues. "There are even maps along the way marking all entrances and exits." She pointed at something on the wall in the distance.
"This would've been useful to know weeks ago." He said thinking how much easier it would've been to deal with grounders if they had known these existed.
Satisfied for now, Marcus decided against exploring the hidden corridors with Abby. He wanted to do it properly, with trusted guards and if the killer knew about their existence, he wanted to be prepared. Guns were a no-no in the bunker but he didn't even have his shock lash with him not to mention his aversion to those things after what happened with Abby. No, he'd do it right. He'd get Miller senior and guards and they'll explore this place with maps as soon as possible.
End of Chapter 15
