The World
The doorbell rang, drawing me out of the only dream I enjoyed anymore. Me, with my parents, who grumbled about the 2012 apocalypse never happening. Knowing in that dream, everything that had happened was just a nightmare, and everything was normal.
But the doorbell rang again, and I was forced back to reality. Amber eyed me as I walked out of our room, and Mariah stood in the hall, straightening out her hair. Justin was snoring while Leo watched me with sleep glazed eyes.
Opening the door, Nathan, Sadie and Kelsey stood at the top of the stairs. Nathan had his back to the door, looking around in full defense mode. He looked like he had rushed here, hair a mess from running. Sadie's brown hair was pulled back, revealing a fresh bruise under her left eye, which no longer had her colored contact in it. Kelsey was wearing her signature gray hoodie and black jeans, and was clearly favoring her right arm.
"What happened?" I asked, instantly awake.
I ushered them into the house. They were clearly trying to hide their emotions, and failing.
"A group of people cornered us" Sadie said, wiping at her eyes.
Kelsey's black eyes had black veins, bloodshot, telling me that even she'd been crying. It had to have been bad to have broken her mask of apathy.
"I used the satellite phones you gave use to contact Ryan and Jason. They should be here any time." Nathan stated as we made our way to the kitchen.
"And Kyle?" I asked.
"I called him, but he didn't answer."
I turned on the kitchen light and the 4 of us sat at the main table.
"Okay" I took a deep, steadying breath "Tell me what happened."
Sadie started "Kelsey and I were headed to the store to get some snacks, when this group of people stopped in front of us."
"We tried going around them, but they kept moving in front of us." Kelsey continued.
"They came at us, pushing us back into an alley, where more people were waiting."
"We considered fighting back..."
"But then we'd just be as bad as Mother."
"I saw it as I was walking by and ran over. The people ran away when they saw me." Nathan said, sitting to my right.
I thought for a moment, then said "It's a good guess that they attacked you because someone has seen you come here before. But I don't know why they would run off after Nathan showed up."
"Maybe they're all just sexist assholes who see women as weaker than men." Sadie spat.
"They must have somehow known that we had abilities that aren't as dangerous as everyone else." Kelsey suggested.
I tried thinking of ways people could know such details. Half of us didn't have obvious tells of what we could do. Justin was known for his wings and Ryan, Nathan, Amber and myself had physical signs. But Mariah, Sadie, Kelsey, Jason and Kyle still looked relatively normal.
"One of the doctors or nurses probably recognized us and told the people" Leo stepped into the room, followed closely by his shadow.
"Yeah" Nathan agreed "they saw some of our changes. If any of them survived, or, if someone found our files, they might have known exactly who to target and how."
"So what do we do now?" Sadie asked.
"There's not much we can do. If we fight back, we'll be just as bad as if Mother was still controlling us." Leo stated, looking at me, as if I had the answers.
The doorbell ran, followed by pounding on the door.
I rushed to the front door, pushing it open and Ryan and Jason rushed inside.
"Kim-" Ryan gasped for breath "We have to go. It's not safe here."
"What's going on?" I asked tensely.
Jason locked every lock that the door had, 4 to be precise, looking around in paranoia.
"There's a mob headed here. We managed to slow them down but..." Jason said, looking through the peephole.
I moved into the living room, careful of the sleeping Justin. The living room was dark enough that I could see the shapes of vehicles approaching without their headlights.
I stepped back from the window. Nathan, Leo, Sadie, Kelsey, Ryan and Jason stood in the hallway, the kitchen light just barely making them visible.
"Sadie, Kelsey, go get Amber and Mariah. We're leaving." They nodded and walked away. "Justin" I leaned down and nudged his arm "wake up."
He groaned and stretched in clear annoyance.
I ran to the front door and did all that I could think of to buy us time. I willed the ice down my arms, pale flesh turning blue, and began creating layer after layer of ice, forming a wall to hold the door shut.
I ran into the kitchen where everyone was gathered, the only light now from the red nightlight and Ryan's glowing eyes.
"Everyone, you all have 1 minute to pack only what's important." I looked at Nathan and Jason "you both need to get food and help the others. Sadie, you help Mariah and Kelsey can you help Amber?" I instructed more than asked. Now really wasn't the right time for arguments.
No one said anything, getting straight to work. Thankfully, with everyone who had moved in, we had a large supply of suitcases and duffle bags. Much as none of us wanted to admit it, I think we all knew that this day would come.
I ran upstairs in darkness, to mine and Amber's room. Kelsey and amber were filling Amber's favorite green duffle with all the clothing it could hold. I grabbed a backpack from my parents closet and grabbed exactly 3 shirts, 3 pairs of jeans, 2 sets of underwear, 4 pairs of socks, and 2 pairs of tennis-shoes. I didn't have the time to be picky. It was a tight fit, but I managed to squeeze in my hair brush and a family picture of me and my parents, when we visited our third Shaolin temple, just 2 years earlier. This was all I could do to hold onto them.
Cars started honking outside the light was starting to come in through the windows. We were out of time.
Back in the living room, everyone was watching from the sides of the windows. There had to be at least a dozen vehicles in the street, and enough people to cover all cement visible in front of my house.
Nathan looked at me "So, how are we getting out of here?"
"The front door clearly isn't an option" Leo stated.
Someone started pounding on the door and people outside started yelling.
"My parents had an emergency exit installed when they bought the house."
I crouched down in the middle of the living room, ignoring the now constant pounding, and pushed the 2 mattresses. I knew the others were watching me in obvious anxiety, scared as rocks started flying through the windows. It was hard to see with the only light coming from the cars and the flashlights outside, but I finally managed to find the 2 indents in the wood.
A panel of wood, about 3×3 feet, raised an inch above the rest, and I raised the end in front of me, revealing a hole in the floor with an old metal ladder.
The others approached as quietly as possible.
"Ryan, we need light down there."
He nodded and a small orb of light fell from his hand, about halfway down the ladder. The orb floated in place as he went down the ladder. Then Sadie went down, followed by Kelsey, Leo, Justin, Amber, Mariah, and Nathan. I heard the sound of ice shattering as I sealed the entrance, leaving no sign of its existence.
In the light of the orb, I was able to look everyone over. The sewer wasn't exactly a nice place for us, but at least we were safe.
Leo was in his black sweats, a white t-shirt, and plain black shoes, without socks. Amber was in a pair of pink sleep shorts and a matching t-shirt, grimacing as she stared at her bare feet. Sadie was dressed in black jeans and a bright blue turtleneck, with white tennis-shoes. Kelsey blended into the darkened walls, with her hoodie and black jeans and bulky black boots. Nathan was in a red long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans, and red tennis-shoes. Jason wore a white button-down shirt, with the top 2 buttons open, snug fitting black jeans and black dress shoes. Ryan had a black hooded jacket over a deep blue shirt, and matching jeans and boots. Mariah had had time to change into a blue, long-sleeve blouse, black dress pants and heeled boots. I felt awkward in my happy bunny sleep shirt and blue shorts, covered in stars. I'd had time enough to get shoes. Though Justin had it worse, in just his orange sleep shorts.
"This place smells awful" Sadie whispered.
"You expected a sewer to smell pretty?" Leo asked sarcastically.
I ignored the murmurs, groans and complaints, feeling around the wall to the right of the ladder. I found the indentation in the wall and pushed it hard. A panel door popped open, getting everyone's attention.
In the compartment, in the wall, was an extra large first aid bag and 3 flashlights. I grabbed the bag and one flashlight. Sure, Ryan was better than any flashlight, but it always helped to be prepared.
"Let's go" I directed and started walking, careful of the puddles of much and grime.
Minutes passed, turn after turn, listening to the grumbles and complaints of everyone. Honestly, I wanted to snap at everyone who was complaining. It was only a little after midnight, and I wasn't exactly a morning person. It usually took me a half hour to properly wake up, and the only thing keeping me going right now was adrenaline. Once that had passed, I'd probably fall straight to sleep.
After what felt like forever, we found a locked iron gate, originally used to keep larger garbage out of the water. Smaller filters were farther down the way. I set the first aid bag on the ground and opened it up. There were all kinds of medicines, for several different illnesses or injuries. I saw the key in the side of the bag. I grabbed it and quickly unlocked the gate, letting everyone through, then locking it again.
"What exactly were your parents preparing for?" Ryan asked.
"Believe it or not, angry mobs. This path was made for the possibility that terrorist or people, who hunt other people, or zombies, showing up. Normally our first action would be the upstairs safe room, but the door was destroyed after the monsters showed up. So, this will take use to the secondary room."
"So, we spend the rest of our lives in an underground room?" Leo asked, trying to hide his anxiety. I'd learned pretty early into the rebuild that Leo had issues with the idea of being trapped anywhere.
"Only for tonight. Come daylight, the people should be out of the house, and we can go back to get anything we left behind."
"Then what?" Mariah asked.
"Then we get out of town." I stated.
"Where will we go?" Nathan spoke up.
"My parents had some contacts, out of town. With any luck, some of them are still alive."
"And if they aren't?" Sadie suggested.
"Then we'll go to my parents cabin." I stated.
I made my way to the mid point between the gate and the next turn, and let the light come over the wall. I pressed one of the bricks, hearing the grinding of gears, as a 3 x 6, door slid into the wall, then to the right.
Stepping into the white-walled bunker, I switched on a light switch, letting Ryan re-absorb the orb of light.
The bunker ran on 2 large generators, which I'd made sure to keep charged in my parents absence. It was the size of a large trailer, with 2 sets of 3-layer, bunk beds. While my parents had prepared to be targeted, they also prepared to help. The back wall was lined with cases of water and non-perishable foods. Some clothes sat in the corner, next the the small room that was the designated restroom. A desk was placed next to one of the sets of beds, with a desktop computer that had a satellite up-link, enabling it to connect to a form of internet only the government really had access to.
"Whoa, you weren't kidding about them being prepared" Justin commented as he and the others wandered around the room.
"That door leads to the bathroom" I pointed. "It's the only one we've got, so we'll have to make due until we figure out where we're going."
I went the the desktop, opening the special browser my parents had installed on the computer. I typed in Kyle's phone code. He may not have wanted to accept the phone, but knowing it made it possible for me to find him if he were in danger.
According to the computer, he was nearby, probably on his way to my place and the angry mob.
I pulled out my own phone, extending the antenna, but the walls had been made to block out any signal that didn't have proper wiring. I walked over to the door and started to reopen it.
"Where are you going?" Leo asked, stepping in front of me.
"The walls of this room block out signals to phones. And I need to call Kyle before he walks into the mob." I stated, pushing him aside.
I knew he wanted to argue about me leaving the room, but I didn't have time to deal with his insecurities.
In the sewer, I was lucky enough to have slight signal. It wouldn't extend over any great distance, but I knew from the computer that Kyle would be within range. I dialed his phones code and waited. Still, there was no answer, but then I started hearing something nearby. The beeping of the phone approaching. I walked to the turn in the sewer, hearing the phone getting closer and louder. Turning the corner, in the dark, I walked into what felt like a brick wall and cold hands grabbed my shoulders, keeping me from falling on my ass into sewer water.
"Hey Kyle" I said, knowing without a doubt that it was him.
In the flashlight, his face was an impassive mask, with his light brown hair in a mess. His tanned skin seemed to stand out in the dark, along with his brown eyes that were rimmed with green. To look at him, you wouldn't think it was possible that he'd been the giant rock man. He was taller than me, but not very well built.
He looked down at me "Why were their people outside of your house?"
I took a deep breath. Normally when he talked I got a shiver down my spine. As if he were angry or defensive. I was fairly certain if it weren't for the fact that there's safety in numbers, he wouldn't have anything to do with any of us.
"Angry mob" I stated as calmly as possible. "They finally snapped and tried a direct attack."
He looked away from me, I guessed it was just his way of thinking.
I looked him over. He wore a white, button-down shirt, the pocket protector he almost never left without, looking like it had almost been torn off. The lower half of his dress pants were shredded and his feet were bare, as he held his shoes in his right hand.
"Find us through the earth?" I asked tensely.
"I felt the hallow of the street and the movement of you guys moving. So I just followed it. I don't think the people noticed me, since I entered from a manhole down the road from your place. But I lost track of you, so I just had to follow my instincts."
When I'd first met him, I had thought his rock form had effected his personality, but Mariah had informed me that he'd always been like this. It made me wonder just how much of us changing had to do with the parasite and not just our genetics and mentalities.
"Come on. The others are over here." I started toward the room, not able to think of anything else to say.