Apartment 905

by Ned Sahin

  The kids in the day schedule are running around and laughing in the playroom but they stop the moment we glance through the door and peer at us curiously. Most of them seem to be doing fine away from their parents, but I see one kid who is doing nothing except staring at empty walls. He leans against the wall with both hands behind his back. It’s hard to read his emotions from his still light blue eyes.

  Logan catches me looking at the boy. “Some of them have more difficulty adapting here than others,” he explains.

  “I can imagine,” I say. It must be difficult for them to absorb all the changes. They transitioned from ordinary life with their parents at their own house to a bunker with over a hundred other kids.

  “Alright heroes! It’s reading time!” Logan says.

  The kids cheer and run by us to the library. The one kid staring at the wall moves to the door after all the other kids had left. His lips tremble and eyes narrow as he looks at us. I am not familiar with children's psychology, but I feel like he is asking for help. I am not sure what he is going through.

  “Ben, I need to talk to you,” Logan says to him.

  The boy stops a few steps from us and rolls his eyes to the floor.

  “Let me know if you need anything,” Logan adds as he walks away with Ben following him.

  We enter the playroom with the blankets and pillows Logan gave us. We had eaten a nutritional dinner, and we have a roof above us to spend the night. I couldn’t ask for more. I am grateful, but I can’t stop thinking about Ben. He seemed overly depressed.

  “We got lucky!” Kathleen says. Both she and Toshi look as grateful as I am for coming across this place.

  I lie down on a blanket and stare at the roof of the container. Even though I am not claustrophobic, being twenty feet underground already starts bothering me. What if the air circulator malfunctions or there is a fire blocking the exit? I hope they have backup plans for worst-case scenarios.

  I think about Murray and the purpose of this huge virus-free sanctuary again.

  “What do you guys think about this place?” I ask.

  “I think… they are angels! They spent a lot of time and money to build this shelter for kids,” Toshi says. He has a point, but something still doesn’t add up in my mind. Separating kids from their parents would probably cause permanent mental issues in their lives. Why didn’t they come up with a broader idea to involve parents in the plan?

  “I am not sure…” I say.

  “Come on, Matt…” Kathleen says. I know that smile. The same smile she had when I expressed my doubts about staying in Weldon Springs with the elderly.

  “I guess we are not locked down in this room. I’m thinking about checking out the library. It’s too early to go to bed anyway,” I say. I would like to see the kids in the night schedule. Since they are older, they may know more about life here. It also wouldn’t hurt to make new friends.

  “I’m in,” Kathleen says.

  Toshi’s yawn signals that he wants to call it a day. I think the Oxyrica and antidepressant mix he is swallowing daily is affecting his stamina.

  There are only a few of them in the library. Others must be still having breakfast and getting ready for their daily routine.

  The library is bigger than the playroom. Probably three containers were merged to create this open space. There are shelves all around the walls filled with a rich collection of books. Artificial tall plants are placed at corners. Several tables in the center are well lit by the three high voltage bulbs on the ceiling with a TV and DVD player beneath it.

  “Hi,” I say and wave my hand.

  A girl lifts her head from her book at the sound of my voice. Two boys glance at us but they turn their attention back to their books.

  “Hey. You must be our guests,” she says. She is probably thirteen or fourteen years old. She has hazel eyes with long eyelashes and curly brown hair tied as a ponytail behind her head.

  “We are! I’m Kathleen,” she says with a joyful voice.

  “And I’m Matt,” I say. I probably look concerned.

  “Lily,” she says. She avoids eye contact while smiling and pushing a part of her hair behind her ear. She looks friendly but reserved. I am not sure if she would be fine with our company.

  “Do you mind if we join you?” Kathleen asks, gesturing to the chairs around the table where the girl is sitting at. I hope this polite approach convinces her to spend a few minutes with us.

  “Hm… Sure…” She shrugs in hesitation.

  “We don’t feel like going to bed at this early time. We just wanted to walk around,” I say.

  She smiles while avoiding eye contact.

  “This place is well protected. You must be feeling safe here,” Kathleen says while looking around the container walls.

  “Yes… I do,” Lily says. She doesn’t seem to be enthusiastic about telling more of her experience here. She is probably still in shock of how her life changed in the last few months. I can relate.

  “Do you miss your family?” I ask. I know it’s a deep subject to bring up, but I want her to open up about her feelings.

  She turns her head to me for a while, probably thinking about what to say next. “I will… see them again one day.” She moves her eyes back to the table.

  Kathleen puts her hand on the girl’s shoulder. After making sure Lily is not startled with her touch, she leans forward and opens her arms for a hug. Lily gives a quick hug and pulls herself back right away.

  “You’re not alone here,” I say, nodding. Reminding her that everybody is in the same situation should make her feel stronger. It works for me, at least.

  She smiles with a coy glance at me. She moves a pinch of hair back to her ear.

  “And you have good hosts. We talked to them,” Kathleen says.

  The expression on Lily’s face changes rapidly. A fearful look replaces her smile. She doesn’t seem content to hear about the hosts.

  “Something is wrong?” I ask.

  “No…nothing…” she says. It looks like she is afraid of saying more.

  “You can talk to us. We are not here to harm you,” I say.

  She lifts her head and exchanges looks with me and Kathleen.

  “They are…” her sentence is cut off when Logan enters the room.

  “Time for the class!” he yells, then raises his eyebrows as he notices we are in the room. “Oh, what’s up, guys?”

  He probably didn’t expect us to be here talking with one of the children. He rubs the back of his neck and bites his bottom lip. He seems concerned seeing us sitting with Lily.

  “Couldn’t sleep. Decided to make new friends,” Kathleen says.

  “I love how many books you have here. There is even a TV and movie archive,” I say, turning my head to look around the room.

  “Yeah, it gets boring here quickly, you know,” Logan says impatiently. He looks back to the hallway.

  “I will be right there, boys. Finish up your homework,” he says to two boys walking behind him.

  Lily hands a piece of paper to Kathleen before Logan turns back to us.

  “Bye,” Lily says while looking at Kathleen. She folds her book and walks to the door.

  “We better go back to our bedroom,” I say, trying to sound as less suspicious as possible.

  Logan nods. Wrinkles on his forehead get deeper as his eyebrows lift up to give more space to his questioning eyes. He waits for us to leave the room first.

  We return to the playroom and close the door. Toshi rolls the other side of his blanket to see who has entered the room.

  “You came back early,” he says with half-open sleepy eyes.

  Kathleen unfolds the paper in her hand. She freezes while reading the note Lily gave her. She raises the paper to show it to me. It takes me a moment to figure out Lily’s handwriting, which reads:

  they are using us

  We look at each other. They are using them for what? Or in what way?

>   “What do you think?” Kathleen asks me. I have a million things going around in my mind about what this might mean. None of the scenarios is looking good for the kids or us.

  “Will you guys tell me what’s going on?” Toshi asks as he straightens up on his blanket.

  Chapter 29

  “We have to leave,” Kathleen says while pacing back and forth in the room.

  “At dark, while Ricas are up there?” Toshi says.

  Both are right. We can’t stay here longer, but it’s also too dangerous to go out right now.

  I still think about Lily’s note. I am not sure what she meant when she said they are using them, but it doesn’t sound like something trustworthy people would do.

  “They are probably abusing these kids,” I say.

  “But I agree with Toshi. We can’t leave right now. We don’t have a chance against those many Ricas. It would also alarm Murray and his sons,” I add. We should wait until the morning.

  “Then... We should stand watch tonight,” Kathleen says while checking if there is a way to lock the door from inside.

  We are back to the watch schedule. I think we will never feel completely safe until the order is restored by the government—if there is anything left of it.

  If we don’t do anything to make Murray and his sons suspicious, they should let us leave without any trouble, but I am still worried about the kids. They are not safe here. They are not safe outside either. The virus kills people from all age groups. Ricas too.

  We need to find out what exactly is going on here so we can make a reasonable plan. Maybe Lily didn’t mean anything negative. What about Ben? He seemed like a kid on the edge. I decide to go for an indoor trip.

  “I’ll have a walk in the bunker.” I walk toward the door. Both Kathleen and Toshi seem to be evaluating my decision.

  “Need backup?” Toshi asks.

  “No, it’s better if you guys stay here. So if I get caught, I can say I was looking for the bathroom or something around that.”

  They nod.

  “Be careful, Matt. We need you,” Kathleen says. It’s touching to hear this from her.

  I step onto the hallway and close the door behind. I can hear kids from the classroom. They shouldn’t be out for at least the next half an hour. The hosts shouldn’t be around either. They are probably in the class teaching to kids or in their bedrooms resting.

  I decide to go to the storage rooms. Those are the only rooms Logan didn’t want to show us inside. I have to walk through the cafeteria and pass by the bedrooms to get to the other side of the bunker.

  The hallway is empty. I try to walk as quietly as possible on the steel floor. I am glad I didn’t wear flip flops like most of the kids here.

  There is only one person in the cafeteria. He is one of the older kids and is cleaning the tables. He lifts his head to look at me when I enter the room. He rolls his neck from side to side to loosen kinks and continues to wipe the tables as if lost in deep thought.

  I leave the cafeteria and walk in the rest of the hallway with several doors opening to bedrooms. Glancing at each of them, I notice every room has at least fifteen beds. They are all occupied with kids who seem to be in deep sleep.

  But upon closer look, one empty bed in room #7 grabs my attention. I stand at the door and peer around to make sure no one is awake, then I go inside to find out whose bed is the empty one.

  The sheet is not wrinkled. The kid on the night schedule probably made the bed, but what happened to the kid on the day schedule who is supposed to be sleeping right now?

  I see the name written with a marker on the bed frame.

  Ben.

  Where is he while his friends are already sleeping?

  A clattering sound in the hallway interrupts my thoughts. Footsteps follow it. The sound of every step echoes in the container walls.

  I look for a place to hide, but the bedroom is stacked with beds on both sides and I am too big to fit in any of them. There is a narrow space between the door and the first bed on the left side. That’s my only chance to hide. I squeeze in the spot as much as possible.

  The steps get closer. It doesn’t sound as heavy as Murray’s or his sons’ boots.

  It stops right in front of the door. I can hear the person breathing. I will be caught if he or she enters the room.

  The person waits for a few seconds before continuing to walk down the hallway. I lean my head to see who it is. It’s the older kid from the cafeteria. He must be on some kind of night watch duty.

  I’ve come this long. I can’t stop here. I decide to follow him.

  He turns the corner that ends up at the storage rooms and host bedrooms. I trudge along discreetly behind him.

  I lean over the corner to see him standing in front of Murray’s bedroom. He knocks on the door three times. There is no response. He knocks two more times. The door opens. I step back. Although I can’t see them, I can hear their voices.

  “All done, sir,” the kid says.

  “Thanks... Let me give you rations for tomorrow,” Murray says. I hear him walking to another room and unlocking the door. Someone else in a farther distance starts walking toward my direction. The sound of the steps is very disoriented and light, but it keeps getting louder the closer it gets. I take a step back and get ready to run, but it won’t be possible to go to the first bedroom to hide without making noise. I try to walk as fast as possible.

  He turns the corner before I make it to the bedroom.

  It’s Ben. He has bruises on his cheeks and neck. His hair is all over his forehead and ears. He gets support from the wall while limping toward me. He seems to be beaten up. I can’t take my eyes away from him as he approaches me. I feel like I am about to lose my control. What kind of person can behave this ferocity? Murray is evil in human form. I have difficulty stopping myself from running to him with my knife ready to take revenge for Ben.

  Ben pauses and looks up to me for a moment. He is too weak to say a word or show a reaction. He rolls his eyes down and continues to walk toward the bedrooms.

  I hear a hand cart moving from the storage rooms. It sounds like Murray and the kid are loading it with boxes. While walking back to the cafeteria, I pass by Ben’s bedroom in time to see him get in his bed.

  As I am halfway in the cafeteria, Logan enters the room from the other side.

  “Hey,” he says.

  I try to act confused as much as possible.

  “Hi... Um... I was looking for some late-night snacks...” I try to smile, but Ben’s frightened face stays in my mind.

  “We have some granola bars here.” Logan gestures toward the corner shelves while narrowing his eyebrows as he stares at me. He opens a drawer and hands me two bars.

  “Thanks... Good night,” I say and walk away from him. I can feel his eyes are still on me.

  I go back to the playroom and close the door. Both Toshi and Kathleen are awake.

  “How did it go?” Kathleen asks while standing up on her blanket.

  “I saw Ben leaving Murray’s room. He was... beaten up.” I try to control my emotions, but my lips and hands keep shaking.

  “We have to get out of here…now,” I add.

  Kathleen nods as she shrinks her eyes and raises her hand to her jaw. “I know how,” she says.

  Chapter 30

  “My father used to run a steel shop. He had orders for bunkers occasionally. He took me to his work a few times…” Kathleen says.

  Toshi and I are all ears as we listen to her.

  “What would be the first thing to consider if you were designing a bunker?” she asks.

  “Food and water storage?” Toshi answers.

  Kathleen shakes her head.

  “Air system?” I ask. You could bring food and water from outside, but you can’t pump in fresh air if you don’t have a system in place already.

  She shakes her head again.

  “What if the main exit is sieged? Bunkers a
re designed to protect who is inside…but what if intruders keep blocking the exit forever?” she asks.

  “You would need an escape tunnel,” I say. Not sure how I could’ve missed this. It must be an awful feeling to be trapped underground. Every bunker designer would think about a backup exit.

  “Exactly!” she says nodding her head.

  “They control the main exit, but there must be a second exit. This bunker is an L shape. The main exit opens to the cafeteria, which is in the middle of the long line of L. Murray and his sons’ bedrooms, as well as the storage rooms, are along the shorter line of L. Playroom, library, classroom, and some of the dorms are on the opposite side. It means…” she says, then pauses while grabbing stuffed animals and placing them on the floor for demonstration, “the second exit is either on this edge or the other one.”

  I think about my short trip to the other side of the bunker. The blueprint she described sounds right. If the main exit is in the middle, the second exit should be at one of the edges. I look around in the playroom.

  “I don’t think they put an escape tunnel to this room. It’s too small and there is nowhere to hide a door,” I say.

  “Then it should be either in the library or classroom... if it’s on this edge of the bunker at all,” Toshi says. The pieces are coming together.

  “Children are in the classroom. So we have to check the library first… It would be easier to hide a door behind shelves,” Kathleen says.

  “Let’s go.” I stand up.

  “What about the kids? Ben and Lilly? Elijah? Neman wanted us to take care of him…and there are probably more of them being abused by these monsters.” Toshi asks.

  “It would be too risky to take them with us while Ricas are roaming around... We will come back for them,” I say. As much as I want to take them with us, I know that outside is more dangerous than this bunker.

  I open the playroom door an inch and then check both sides of the hallway. Nobody is in sight. Children are back in the classroom. They had a break while we were discussing our options.

  We walk to the library. The door is wide open and there is nobody inside. Each of us goes to a different wall in the room to check for any hidden door.