by Keary Taylor
At the same time, both Avian and West turned and each took one of my hands.
“She doesn’t carry the infection,” Avian said, his voice serious and low. “She’s been with me for the last five years and she’s never turned against us. She’s done nothing but protect us.”
The door at our backs suddenly opened and a very tanned looking face with jet-black hair popped in.
“What is all the shouting about?” he asked, his voice sounding slightly alarmed.
“She’s one of them,” Royce said, his voice cold. “They’re claiming she’s different.”
The new man’s eyes jumped to my face and his eyes narrowed at me. “Eve?”
“How do you know my name?” I spoke for the first time since we had been brought in.
“It’s really you,” he breathed as he stepped inside. “You survived.”
“Dr. Beeson?” West asked with uncertainty in his voice.
“West!” The man didn’t hide his surprise when his eyes met West’s. They paused for a moment when their eyes met, almost as if some sort of unspoken message passed between them in that moment. Dr. Beeson’s eyes grew serious, and he gave the smallest of nods.
“You were the one who took over my observation,” I said as the name from the notebook echoed in my memory.
He nodded, his eyes still wide.
“So, you’re saying they’re telling the truth, Erik?” Royce demanded.
“She is different, yes,” Dr. Beeson said as he glanced over at Royce. “She had a chip implanted into her brain that enhanced her. She was a preliminary experiment that led up to the infection. Since she was given TorBane at such a young age, and so precisely, it blended with her DNA, stayed under control. If you use that on her, it will kill her,” he said as he indicated the CDU Royce still had clutched in his hand.
“If I turn on you, you can shoot me yourself,” I said to Royce with hard eyes.
He looked at me long and hard, distrust written all over his face.
“Remove her weapons from her,” Royce said. “I won’t have you walking around here armed like that.”
I saw West’s eyes flash to my face in momentary panic. I shook my head at him. I didn’t like it either but I also didn’t see any other way to get through this.
Their men relieved me of my weapons. When one of them reached for my pack, I grabbed his wrist, shaking my head at him. His eyes grew wide and he withdrew his hand, backing away. I almost smiled.
“You’re sure she’s different, Erik?” Royce asked again, his eyes narrowed.
“Quite,” he said as he opened the door and held it open for everyone.
Royce finally lowered his weapon. As he did, the rest of his men followed suit. “Forgive me if I’m not exactly welcoming,” he said as his face softened, though his eyes were still cold on me. “I’m not so keen on the reliability of a human-Bane hybrid I’ve never heard of.”
“I wasn’t so keen on the idea myself when I first found out what I was,” I said back, never loosing eye contact.
Everyone else in the room probably missed it, but my enhanced eyes caught the twitch in his cheek as a smile was fought back.
“Well, gentlemen,” Royce said as he started for the door. “And lady. Welcome to Los Angeles. This is our sanctuary in the middle of hell on Earth.”
We followed him back out into the hall and Dr. Beeson broke off from the rest of us. He looked nervous and pale as he walked away.
“Our offices are on this level, as well as several of our labs,” Royce said as he indicated the doors down this hall. We followed him back where we had come from and reentered the elevator. My stomach felt strange as we started to descend. The door opened to a different level, this one bustling with people, opening up into a big lobby.
“This is our other headquarters,” Royce said as we stepped out and into the busy room. “Everything runs from this room. All the scheduling for patrol, shifts in the kitchen, maintenance, it’s all managed here. Everything is logged in, tracked. We keep a tight schedule but everything runs smoothly.”
I noticed the solid steel shutters that covered the front door, all of the windows, and every other opening.
“Keeps out things we don’t want getting in,” Royce said when he noticed me observing them.
“You keep them out during the day, even in the middle of all of this,” I said, impressed.
Royce nodded as we continued to follow him toward the back of the big front area. We entered another hallway, this one wider and more open than the one upstairs. “Restrooms are right there,” he said, pointing to a pair of wooden doors. I wondered what he meant by “restrooms.”
We turned a corner and came into another fairly large room with tables and chairs set up everywhere. Along one wall was some sort of glass case and beyond that I could see the strangest looking kitchen I had ever seen. It was all shiny steel and smooth surfaces.
“Back there’s the kitchen,” Royce said as he pointed in that direction. “Meals are served at nine PM, one AM, and seven AM. Pretty much all of us keep a nocturnal schedule here. Dinner will be served in about two hours,” he said as he glanced at his watch. “Most of us wake up around eight PM, just before the sun starts to go down outside. Bed is around ten AM.”
“Doesn’t this place start to feel like a prison?” I couldn’t help but asking. “You never even see the sun.”
“Our lifestyle isn’t easy,” Royce said as he met my eyes. “But it’s kept over one hundred people alive all this time.”
“There are that many of you?” West asked in amazement.
“For a few years we were gaining five or six new people a year. Then it started becoming fewer and fewer. There’s been no one for the last year. We figured there wasn’t anyone left.”
“We found two more people on our way here,” I said as we walked out of the dining room and back out into the hall. “In the middle of the desert.”
“We look forward to meeting everyone in your group. I’ve never heard of such a large group traveling so far. How did you manage it?”
“We drove,” Avian answered.
“I’m impressed,” he said as he raised his brows. We turned another corner and stopped at a desk where a man in a white jacket sat. He looked up at us with surprise in his eyes as we approached him. “This is Dr. Giles. He’s the head physician here. These people here traveled from back east,” he explained to Dr. Giles. After the introduction, Royce excused himself for a moment and stepped into a side room.
“Congratulations on surviving,” Dr. Giles said. I watched as Avian and Tuck shook his hand, observing closely so I did it just right when it came my turn. The motion felt strange and foreign.
“You’re a real doctor?” Avian asked, longing and awe in his voice.
“Board certified,” he said with a smile. His teeth were astonishingly white. “Well, used to be before there was no more board to pass. There are three other medical doctors here as well.”
The amazement was obvious in Avian’s eyes as he shook his head.
“Avian has been our doctor for the last five years,” I said, feeling a sense of pride in him.
“Ah, wonderful,” Dr. Giles said. “Where was your practice before the Evolution?”
“Uh,” Avian stumbled over his words. “I actually never attended medical school. I had two and a half years of medical training when I was in the Army. Since I had the most experience I became the doctor. I learned most of my knowledge through experience.”
“Very good,” Dr. Giles said, something in his eyes changing. It took me a moment to realize what it was. It was the loss of respect. I suddenly didn’t like the doctor half as much. I’d like to see this man treat a bullet wound in the middle of the forest with next to no supplies.
“Do you mind if I take a look around your quarters?” Avian asked, unbothered.
“We have a few open rooms you’re welcome to examine,” he said, his friendly demeanor back. “And so is our surgery room. We have patients in a
few rooms so I’ll ask you to keep quiet.”
He led us into a room that was so sterile I hesitated in the doorway with my dusty boots and dirty clothes.
Avian walked into the room alone while the rest of us waited in the doorway. His eyes were excited as he observed the strange bed with rails on the side of it. He ran his hands over a piece of equipment that stood as tall as him, all kinds of buttons and screens on it. He opened and closed drawers and I could just imagine what he would have done for all of these supplies.
I realized then what the fact that there were four doctors here meant. If we stayed here, moved the rest of Eden into this city, Avian would never have to be tied down because of his medical knowledge again. He would be free to do whatever he wanted. He could go anywhere.
Dr. Giles took us to the surgery room, but only let us look in through a window. As I observed the steel blades that lay out, gleaming in the light as it shone through the window, my breath caught in my throat. I saw the steel table in the middle of the room and my nightmares came back at me like a punch in the gut.
The sound of the drill and the cool against the back of my shaven head were all I could process.
“Come on,” West’s voice said from somewhere and I felt him take my hand and lead me back out into the hall.
I stood with my back against the tall desk, holding my arms around me. My eyes were open but I wasn’t seeing anything. West stood to the side of me, his arm draped around my shoulders, squeezing me into his side.
Avian finally walked back out into the hall and stopped in his tracks. He looked at me, glanced back in the direction of the surgery room, and his face blanched white. “Eve, I’m so sorry,” he said, his eyes looking panicked.
I just shook my head, my eyes glued to the floor. Avian was suddenly standing right in front of me, his hands on either side of my face. As I looked up into his blue eyes, I felt my insides loosen up. I still felt sick though.
“You shouldn’t be touching her,” Avian said, his voice cold as he looked over at West. “Having her black out here is not going to help Eve’s case.” He spoke quietly enough only the three of us could hear.
West only looked at Avian coldly as he took two steps away from me. All three of us glanced over at Royce who had just stepped out of the room and Dr. Giles who watched us with hesitancy.
“Sorry, gentlemen,” Avian said as he stepped away from me slightly. “Just bad memories for some of us.”
They both gave slight nods, though they still looked at me warily.
“I’ll show you our sleeping quarters,” Royce said, dismissing the awkward moment. He walked back out into the main hall and continued down. As we followed, West slipped his hand into mine. I shook it off, remembering what Avian had said to him. It was too great of a risk, having West send me into overload here. West should have understood that.
We entered another hall that was lined with doors. These ones were different however. They had names written on them, some written in clear, precise letters, others painted in colored fonts that I could hardly read.
“These are the living quarters,” Royce said as we walked passed personalized doors. “Of course they were once just normal hospital rooms. We’ve converted them into living space. Each of them has their own restroom. They’re not large but they’re big enough to keep all of your personal effects in and get some sleep.”
“What’s a ‘restroom’,” I whispered to Tuck as we walked.
He gave a slight chuckle and whispered in my ear. My brow furrowed. “If that’s what it is why do they call it a restroom?”
Tuck just smiled again and shrugged his shoulders.
We came to the end of the hall and opened a door that revealed a set of stairs. As we exited on the next floor up, we discovered another hallway of personalized doors.
“Would you like rooms for this afternoon?” Royce asked as we stopped in the middle of the hallway. “I hope you plan on staying with us. Of course you’re free to leave whenever you like but I would encourage you to stay. We can offer you protection, food, comfort.”
Comfort. I was pretty sure I would be more comfortable out in the woods than I would be in this boxed-up prison.
“We’re not sure what our plans are honestly,” Avian said as he glanced at West, Tuck, and I.
“We weren’t even sure if we’d find anyone alive, or if we were walking into a death trap,” West said.
“I’m sure we could all use some sleep though,” Avian continued. “I know at least I would like to stay for another day, explore your facility more. I’m fascinated by how you’ve managed to thrive in the middle of a city.”
Royce nodded. “Of course. This way.” He led us further down the hall. “You can use these three rooms.”
“Three?” I questioned. “There are four of us.”
Royce looked confused for a moment. “I’m sorry, I assumed the two of you would want a room together,” he said as he indicated Avian and I. I then remembered how he had watched as Avian had held my face between his hands, how close our faces had been together.
“If you have four rooms,” West jumped in, not looking at Avian or I.
A small smile crossed Royce’s face. “That one is available as well,” he said as he pointed at the door across from the other three. “Will you remember how to get back to the dining room in an hour for dinner?”
We each nodded our heads and Royce turned and left.
Before I would have to face any more of the awkwardness between the two of them I let myself into one of the rooms and closed the door behind me.
The room felt so sterile, just like the rest of the hospital. The walls were all white, the bed made up with white sheets, white pillows. Even the wooden drawers and cupboards felt too clean and pristine.
I longed for my tent back in Eden.
I opened a door, finding the restroom. The hint of a smile tugged on my face as I saw the shower, remembering the one real one I had had in the cabin I had found.
A knock on the door startled me. “Who is it?” I called through the thick wood.
“I’ve brought you some things,” a female voice called from behind the door.
Hesitantly, I opened it. The girl behind it looked close to my age. Her eyes were narrow and dark, her hair jet black and perfectly straight.
“My name is Lin,” she said, giving me a smile. Her eyes seemed to almost disappear when she did so. “I brought you a few things.”
She was standing next to a cart with wheels. She grabbed a gray colored blanket, a few items of clothing, and a few bottles of unknown liquid.
“What are these?” I asked as I opened the lids and took a wiff. They smelled nice.
“To wash your hair?” she said, her face looking slightly confused. The smallest of a laugh escaped her lips but it didn’t feel mocking.
“Thank you,” I said as I put all my new things under my arm. There was something about this girl I liked. She seemed…warm.
“If you need anything else, any help, I’m just a few doors down,” she said as she pointed down the hall. “My door is the one with the white lily painted on it.”
“Thank you, Lin,” I said again. She gave me another smile and crossed the hall to knock on another door.
I went back into the bathroom and after a few minutes figured out how to get the hot water to flow. My clothes felt crusted as I pealed them off. I quickly washed them in the sink and then hung them to dry.
A sigh escaped my throat as the hot water poured over my beat and scarred body. My muscles relaxed and even my insides felt cleaner as I breathed in the steam. The water ran brown for a while, the desert we had survived going down the polished silver drain.
I used the products Lin had given me on my hair. I ended up lathering it all over my entire body it smelled so nice. My hair felt so smooth after it all washed out.
But the relief the shower and hot water provided didn’t last long. The situation waiting outside my door crept back in on me. I stood with my hands bra
ced against the shower wall, the water cascading over my head. I didn’t want to go back out there, to where I knew people didn’t trust me. Facing Avian and West felt like too much to deal with right now. It was all to exhausting to think about.
After almost an hour, I climbed out of the shower, dried off with the towel Lin had given me, and pulled on the stark green clothes. Grabbing the gray blanket, I curled up in my new bed.
I had finally hit my limit. Just a few seconds later I was out.
THIRTY-TWO
The ceiling above my head confused me when I first woke. Dim lights glowed along the floor as I slid my feet off the edge of the bed. I walked to the now open window and looked out.
How strange, to live in this concrete jungle. Small patches of green cropped up but it was being choked out by the gray cement, steel, and glass. And everywhere I could see eyes. How could they stand it, being in the middle of them all, all the time? How had they kept them out?
The lights glowed brightly overhead as I walked out into the empty hall. My steps echoed as I descended the stairs. I had to take a deep breath as I stood behind the steel door, gathering courage to go out into the unknown. Why was it so simple to go on a raid into the city, knowing I might not come back alive, and yet walking out among those strangers, among other humans, was so hard and terrifying?
I traced my way back to the infirmary, passed the dining hall and kitchen, and out into the bustling lobby. I stood at the entrance of the hall for a while, watching as the people moved around.
In a way, they were all like soldiers. They all had their orders, a task to execute. Some of them entered what I assumed was some kind of information into black boxes, presumably computers, a few cleaned the area, other’s brought in sheets of paper. The guard switched as a handful of armed men walked out those glass front doors. I wondered where I would fit into this hive.
I saw no signs of Avian, West, or Tuck and I felt awkward for a while, unsure of what to do with myself. And I didn’t like the fact that I didn’t know where any of my weapons had gone to.
