by Jodie Kobe
I shake my head. “I wasn’t talking about names. I meant how were you able to take a wall apart...and escape?” I suddenly remember the guards. My gaze shifts over to them. They’re laying on the floor, limp. I try not to think about what might actually have happened to them.
The girl decides to tell me. “Don’t worry,” she says, pointing to both of the guards’ bodies. “They’re not dead. Just stunned. And to answer your question, we’re just trying to survive out here. Just like you. We try to stay away from trouble...but it’s not always avoidable.”
I’m surprised on the title she gives me. Someone trying to survive. She's wrong. I don't know this place and I don't know what it takes to survive. “Surviving? I’m not—”
She crosses her arms and interrupts me. “Ah, I see. So...you stayed in that prison for how long?”
I shake my head again. “Not lo…” I stop for a second, debating whether I should tell her I’m new to this town. I can tell her I came from somewhere underground, where everything is all white.
“How long?” she prompts. The two guys with her haven’t said anything for a while.
I keep shaking my head, finally settling on what I should tell her. “I only arrived here today. This place is new to me.” I give her an innocent shrug even though she’s narrowing her eyes at me, her expression covered with doubt.
She scoffs and points at me. “You’re new?”
I nod and take a small step back. The alley is suddenly claustrophobic with these three strangers. Five, counting the unconscious guards.
The girl opens her mouth, but shuts it and throws her hands up in the air, turning to the two guys with her. “Should we bring her back home with us?”
One of the guys tries to answer, but I beat him to it. “Your house? No, it’s fine. I’m not interested in seeing your house.”
The girl turns to me and gestures to herself and the two guys. “It’s not just our house. It’s home to all kinds of people. Orphans, homeless, escapees. You’re a stray, aren’t you?”
I look up at the dark sky and take a breath. There’s life out here. I could live here. Then there’s my old home, the white underground building. I can return back there, can’t I? But will I be let back in?
I was thrown out. No one's expecting me.
The three strangers watch me, waiting for an answer.
I finally nod. “Yeah. I don’t have a home.”
The girl scratches her chin. “So...do you want to come with us?”
“Where exactly?”
A small smile appears on the girl’s face. “Underground.”
Everything seems to stop for a few seconds as she says that one word. For those few seconds, I think she’s talking about that white complex. But that’s not possible is it? “Where underground?”
She vaguely points over her shoulder, but there's only a brick wall behind her. “Not too far from here. Close to the sewers.”
I’m half disappointed. The other half of me is relieved. A part of me doesn’t want to go back to that white building, but a part of me misses it. It was my home. But they threw me a—
Damn it. I have to stop thinking about that.
The two boys and the girl don’t throw a bag over my head like I’m expecting them. They only stand by my side as they lead me to their “secret” hideout. I find it strange how they trust me not to be some sort of spy. But I guess if I had been one, I wouldn’t have looked as weak as I did back in the alley. A trained spy wouldn’t have screamed at the sound of a gunshot.
The three of them guide me around the corner of a street. A house comes into view. This house looks different from all the other ones I’ve seen in this town. This one looks abandoned. We’re heading toward it and I immediately assume that’s their house. I don’t understand why they would use it as a shelter. It’s a typical and predictable place to hide out in if they’re being hunted. Its walls are made with brick, but small parts are already falling apart. Stains have been plastered on, but I can't tell if it's paint or blood.
“Is this where you live?” I ask in a whisper, pointing a finger at the brick building.
Dark surrounds us, and I can't help but jump at every movement that catches my eyes. It's nothing; only my eyes creating whatever they want to.
But someone could be lurking in the shadows, waiting to attack us.
The girl laughs quietly. She shakes her head and whispers back, “No. That’s not where we live. I told you it’s underground. Somewhere around this area.” She makes a circular motion with her hand, indicating the space ahead of us.
“Oh.” I turn my head from side to side, expecting an officer to appear next to me. I will be sent back to the cells if I’m spotted. I’d rather be free.
However, I am not sure how free I will become once I start living underground with runaways. I might never be able to come out.
All three of them stop abruptly. The girl brings her hand out, signaling for me to stop too. Did they hear someone coming? I take another quick look around me to check my surroundings. Just streets, parked cars, and buildings. No people in sight. Even if there isn’t anyone following us, I still have the feeling of being watched. The hairs on my neck are standing straight up, and my hands are clenched into fists, refusing to uncurl.
“Is anything wrong?” I ask quietly.
The girl shakes her head. “Nothing’s wrong. This is what we usually do with newcomers. We tell them to wait here while one of us fetches Caleb.”
She doesn't explain who Caleb. She only disappears behind the building without another word.
The two guys stay behind. One of them pulls out his gun. I flinch involuntarily and back away casually.
“Who’s Caleb?” I ask the guy without the gun in his hand. The moon’s light is brighter in this area so I can finally see how both of the guys look like. Both of them are taller than me, and I realize they look like emotionless body guards.
The one with the gun has curly, brown hair going just past his ears. The one I directed my question to has black hair sticking out in a few directions. He’s taller than the other guy. When he turns to look at me, I notice his jaw is clenched. I suddenly don’t feel very safe standing here with them.
“He’s like the man in charge,” the guy answers. His low voice makes him sound like he's whispering. “He takes a few looks at you and sees if you’re worthy enough to stay here.”
So the hideout has a leader. I should have known. I’m surprised by what the guy just said. Caleb, their leader, chooses who’s decent enough to come. There’s a chance I’m not “worthy.” What would I do then? Take a risk to escape the town and return to the underground facility?
I stuff my hands into my oversized sweatshirt pockets and turn my head in the direction the girl was last seen. “So not everyone’s accepted?” I ask.
The dark-haired boy shrugs.
Silence follows after. I notice the guy holding the weapon hasn’t said a word yet. My eyes continue to stare into the dark and I start to get curious how this Caleb leader looks like. He seems to have a lot of experience choosing who is trustworthy enough to be accepted into their hideout. I’m picturing him gray-haired and short. Maybe having intelligent eyes and a kind face.
The girl doesn’t return for what feels like a while. I’m starting to wonder if she’ll ever come back at all.
Just when I’m thinking about taking a seat on the ground, two figures finally emerge from the shadows. The girl and..not the guy I pictured is walking right behind her.
The dark-haired guy I had been talking to several minutes ago whispers to me, “That’s Caleb.”
Caleb is not all at aged or short. He’s young, somewhere in his mid-twenties or thirties. He’s well-built, looking like he can take me down with a flick of his wrist. His dark hair has been styled into a buzz cut, matching his sleeveless shirt. A black tattoo is visible on his left arm. As he gets closer, I notice it's an image of a bear.
When he stops several feet in front of me, I have to til
t my head back in order to look into his eyes. There is a frown on his face, and I almost fear he's not going to accept me into the hideout.
But unexpectedly, a corner of his mouth lifts into a quick smile. I’m too frozen to smile back.
“What’s your name?” he asks, voice clear and not as deep as I expected it to be.
A few seconds of silence hang in the air as I try to remember my name. “Vivian.”
The man—Caleb—nods, using his thumb to point to the girl, who’s standing silently behind him. He says, “Sabine told me she met you in a prison cell. Why were you there?”
The feeling in my stomach tells me I should answer every question truthfully. “They threw me in prison because they said I don’t have an ID.”
Caleb nods again and says, “Who said that?”
I continue to stare up at him. “Uh...the commander.” I pause for a second, trying to think of the name. “Denham.”
Caleb doesn’t comment. He nods at the girl, Sabine, if I heard her name correctly. “She’s fine,” he says.
I nearly let out a sigh of relief as Caleb turns around and starts heading back toward the darkness he came from. Sabine motions me to follow and I see there’s a small smile on her face. The two guys walk behind us.
We pass the old building and head into a darker area. A few trees crowd around a large boulder. I’m betting that’s the entrance to their hideout.
And I’m right. There’s a cellar door right behind the boulder. It’s almost unnoticeable. Even if someone does see it, they’d think it’s some sort of stone step covered in plants.
The stone cellar door reveals a set of stairs leading down underground. As soon as I set foot on them, the temperature immediately drops and my heart starts to pound. I think I run into a couple of webs.
Sabine shuts the door behind us, and I start wondering how this place hasn’t been found by officers yet.
While we walk down the stairs, Sabine walks by my side. “You’re lucky it’s dark out,” she whispers. “Some people have to wait for the sun to set before we can let them come in. It’s better to enter when it’s dark.”
I nod, having nothing to say to her. The memory of the white complex comes into my mind, tugging at my heart. But I push it away, knowing I need to focus on current matters.
I’m waiting until we get to the end of the staircase. What is this hideout like?
CHAPTER 8
V I V I A N
Caleb is the first one to reach the wooden door.
Once we're all through, he closes it. We're in a small room only capable of holding five people. And we are the five people.
Concrete walls surround us, and that is all that is inside the room.
Caleb remains in the way of the door, but he doesn't look like he's trying to block it. He's just trying to give himself some space in this small room. This isn't a trap, right?
My head snaps left and right, looking for another way out. But I know there's absolutely nothing here.
I stand as far back as I can from them (it's not very far). As Caleb crouches down and pounds on the floor, we all watch.
Except everyone else seems to know what he's doing. I have absolutely no idea.
A small chunk of the floor pushes up from underneath.
A gasp catches in my throat and I slap a hand over my mouth to keep any other sound muffled. A man’s head pokes out from the new hole in the floor. His gaze automatically goes to me, the newcomer.
“You got the kid,” he says, eyes moving to Caleb.
I'm tempted to tell him the only reason I look like a kid is because of my five foot height. But I keep silent.
Caleb nods. “We did. Now let us in.”
The man's head disappears back into the dark hole in the floor.
Caleb is the first to jump through it. But Sabine expects me to go next. She gestures for me to come closer, and I do, slowly.
What waits for me through that entrance?
Before jumping, I peek down. Dim, orange light illuminates the next room. Caleb and the man are just visible through the hole. They're looking up, waiting.
The ground is not far, which is a relief to me. I clear my throat and jump through, landing heavily on my feet. Pain runs across my foot from the jump, but I pick myself up and watch as Sabine and the rest of the company appear next to me.
But before we can't keep moving, I am patted down. They find nothing, not even the plastic knife I remember putting in my pocket.
Then Caleb tells me I'm allowed to carry weapons once I get settled in.
We continue walking, this time through a dimly-lit hallway. The man who opened the chunk of the floor for us stays behind. I can't imagine what he does all day.
Caleb breaks the silence hanging in the air as we march down the dark hallway. He's talking to me. “Sorry if this is taking so long. It's best if the hideout is protected with all of these hallways and doors.”
“I’m not complaining,” I say.
My hand accidentally brushes the too-close wall. I cringe as I feel a soft and wet surface make contact with my fingers. I pull my sweatshirt sleeves over my hands. It’s too dark to see what I touched, and I’m not going to make any wild guesses.
We turn a corner somewhere along the way and end up by another wooden door. It looks old and scratched.
As Caleb reaches for the doorknob, I brace myself for what I'm going to see on the other side. People, maybe?
The door swings open.
Dozens of eyes greet me. Eventually, they move on, but I don't. My gaze is glued to the room I see in front of me. I swallow and slide my hands into my pockets. When Sabine urges me to step inside the room, I finally see how large it is.
The walls are made of concrete, and I can see people have attempted to paint them to add warmth to the place. There are blankets, tables, bags, food, boxes and all kinds of items scattered around the room. Most of the people here are asleep, wrapped around their blankets. I see a few children.
Closed doors line the walls and I am curious to know what lies behind them.
I blink as my eyes start to sting. These people are a family, and what do I have? Only myself, a poor loner.
I shake my head to get rid of the tug in my heart. I can't think about homes right now. I don't even know where I belong.
Sabine lets out a yawn, stretching. “Anyway,” she says to me through the yawn. “Caleb will fill you in on a few things. I’m gonna crash.”
She gives one final wave and heads toward one of the doors in the room. The two guys who had been with us go their separate ways. Caleb and I are left standing. Somewhere on the other side of the room, a light switches off, letting a portion of darkness take over.
Caleb whispers, “Make yourself at home. If you need anything, just ask. I’d let you roam around but people need to sleep.” He turns toward a door closest to him and motions for me to follow. “Here,” he adds. “I’ll get you a blanket and find you a place to sleep.”
The folded blanket Caleb provides comes from a supply closet. There are several of them stacked away.
I’m led through another door and into some other room with gray walls. This one is practically empty. There are only five people inside, asleep.
Caleb leaves, telling me to get settled. Finding a perfect spot too sleep isn't all that hard. I get an empty corner, right below an empty shelf. Boxes line the walls of the room. I can only guess the people's belongings are stored here. I have nothing to add to the collection, so all I do is prepare my bed. I spread my blanket across the floor and tangle myself in it, glad it wraps around me perfectly. For once, I'm glad for my short height. If my height matched my brother Piers', the blanket would be too small for me. Same would be with Rian's height.
The thought of my brother and Rian causes my eyes to burn. I rub them and try to get comfortable. I don’t know anybody here, and nobody knows me.
The blanket heats me up quickly, turning my eyes heavy. I untangle myself from the sheet and use part of it as a p
illow. My large sweatshirt and pants keeps me warm enough.
It takes me a while to fall asleep. I roll over on my side, having a staring contest with the wall. How long will I stay here? And what am I supposed to do?
I let out a breath of air and close my eyes. Eventually, sleep comes.
I’m aware of the voices before I even wake up. The words are gibberish at first, but slowly they clear up until they sound like they belong to two girls. When I open my eyes, the concrete wall greets me. I roll over to my other side.
There are two people inside the room, young girls. I'm too tired to listen to their conversation. So all I do is stand and bunch up my blanket.
The conversation stops, and I turn around, seeing that both of the girls are looking at me.
One says, “I haven’t seen you here before. Are you new?”
I nod.
“Did you come here yesterday?”
I nod again, eyeing the door.
“Do you need help with anything?”
I shrug. I hate it when people ask me this because I really don't know what I'm supposed to be doing.
“No but thank you.” I say, starting for the door. The girls have nothing else to offer, so I wave an almost unnoticeable goodbye to them and walk out. I'm back in the large room I first entered when I arrived at the hideout. People are strolling around, awake. It's still as messy as yesterday but I don't know why I'm expecting it to be clean all of a sudden, just because I'm here.
Windows are absent, just like inside that white complex.
Caleb stands at the far side of the room, surrounded a crowd. A full cart accompanies him, and he keeps reaching into it, handing the crowd whatever he pulls out. Food.
People are lining up to get breakfast...or lunch (I don’t know how early it is).
I start toward him, but don't get far before he notices me. His hand lifts up in a wave, but there is no happy look on his face. Only a frown.
“Finally woke up, huh?” he asks me, placing a small can into someone’s hand. “How long do you usually sleep?”
