“They’ve already gone in,” he said with a smile.
We followed the Sergeant down a long concrete corridor, ending at a large metal door. He punched in some numbers on a keypad, and then pulled it open. We entered a white room with concrete floors. There were two doors at the end of the room, and one guard posted at each door. In the center stood a stark looking woman, with salt and pepper hair pulled into a tight bun. She wore bright red-rimmed glasses and held a clipboard in her hand. Her face was hard and weathered. The thing that caught my attention were her heavily drawn on eyebrows and black eyeliner. Yikes.
“Men on the right, women on the left,” she said without looking up from her clipboard, and sounding a little robotic.
I looked at my father, and he nodded and smiled. Then I glanced at Finn and he gave me a wink and a smile. I couldn’t help but smile back.
The woman walked up to me first, probably because I was the only girl in the line.
“Name.”
“Abigail Park,” I answered.
“Age.”
“Seventeen.”
“Married or single?”
“Uhm, single.” Duh. Did she really think that a seventeen-year-old would be married?
The guys formed a single line as the unfriendly woman strode over to them with her clipboard. The guard in front of my door swung it open and ushered me in.
I stepped forward into an even larger white room. The floors were wet, and there were two others standing in what looked like a large shower stall in radiation suits, goggles, and smaller face masks.
“Step forward,” one of them said, waving me over.” The voice was female.
It was the first time I’d felt scared and alone, and was totally apprehensive as I walked up to them.
“Take off your clothes,” one of them said, pointing the hose at me.
I hesitated. OMG. Was she serious?
“I said, take off your clothes,” she ordered.
“What about my backpack and my weapon?”
“Just leave them there. Once they’ve been decontaminated, they will be returned to you.”
I nodded, and bent down to place my things on the floor and then slowly untied my combat boots. I took in a deep breath and began to undress, letting my clothes fall to the ground. I’d never felt more vulnerable, and no one had ever seen me in the buff before.
One of them, wearing long black gloves, walked toward me. She picked up my clothes and shoes, and threw them into a bag. Then she tied it up tightly and proceeded to a large black box on the wall, opened a hatch, and dropped it in.
“Everything needs to come off,” she said, pointing to my finger.
Shit, I should have taken the ring off, or hid it. This was the one thing I refused to give up, and I knew I had to think of something.
“This? This is very old. It’s from my grandmother who didn’t make it into one of the shelters. It’s the only thing I have from her,” I lied. I dropped my head and held my hand to my heart. “Please. Please, I beg you. Is there any way you can let me keep it?”
“Nope. Rules are rules,” she said firmly.
“Oh come on, Pam. Let her keep it. You know they won’t return something like that.”
There was a long pause.
“Stella, when’d you grow a heart in that black chest of yours?”
“Since now. They are survivors, just like us. They’ve been through enough. We don’t need to go and strip everything away from them. For heaven’s sake, let the girl keep her grandmothers ring,” she said.
There was another long pause, as they glared at each other through goggled eyes.
“Fine, step over here,” the woman named Pam sighed, pointing to the middle of the stall.
“Thank you. Thank you so much,” I said, and slowly walked forward covering my private parts.
“You might want to cover that pretty little face instead, darlin’,” the woman said holding a large hose at my head.
“What?” I asked.
I was suddenly blasted with ice cold water. I quickly covered my face, and gasped, as the frigid water soaked my body.
“Don’t worry. It’s just soap and water. Scrub your hair and your body please. We want you to wash all the dust off. It’s the dust particles that are radioactive.”
I was shivering, but did as she said and rubbed my entire body as best I could with the cold soapy water. After a few moments, the water became slightly warmer as she began to rinse me off. I stood still and let the water run down me, watching it disappear into the drain.
It felt like my life, everything I’d come to know and love up until this moment had washed down that drain too. I felt a ping of sadness, knowing that everything familiar about living in our hive…was gone forever.
When the water ran clear, she stopped and pointed me to the other lady who handed me a towel and a small package wrapped in plastic.
“You can change in there,” she said, pointing to a few stalls on the opposite side of the room.
I walked over to the first stall and closed the door. I quickly dried myself off, and then wrapped my hair in the towel while I opened the package. Inside was a white top, white pants, some granny-looking cotton panties, and something that looked like a sports bra. There was also a small comb and a hair-tie, and lastly, some white socks and sneakers. I wondered how they knew my size. Maybe the lady had seen it when she picked up my boots.
The Sergeant wasn’t kidding when he said they called this place the White City. He was right. Everything was so damn…white. Was color illegal here?
I sighed and dressed as quickly as I could, then brushed through my hair and tied it up into a ponytail. It felt good to be clean, but the scrubs-looking clothes were a little stiff and scratchy. When my new attire was donned, I opened the door and stepped out.
“Right through that door,” the lady holding the hose said, pointing to another door at the back. “Welcome to the safe zone.”
Wow. Safe zone? This was more like the twilight zone.
My father, for some reason, decided to bring the entire series of the Twilight Zone down into the hive. It was one of his favorites, and I had watched way too many of them, but this…was like something right out of one of those stories.
I was hoping it would be more like the Wizard of Oz, and I would magically walk from this black and white world, into a beautiful world of multicolor. I knew it wouldn’t happen, given this place was nicknamed the White City.
I took in a deep breath as I grabbed the cold silver door knob attached to the white door, and turned. The door opened into a narrow hallway painted with white walls. Shocking.
I guess there was no yellow brick road on this particular journey.
As I reached the end of the hall there was another door made of glass. When I neared it, it slid open, and there was a girl standing right on the other side. She was about my height, and looked like she could be about the same age. She was also dressed in the same white attire, and had blonde hair tied in a braid, which hung down her shoulder. Her eyes were a very light brown, and had freckles on her face.
“Abigail Park?” she asked.
“Yes,” I answered, a bit confused. “It’s just Abi.”
She stuck out her hand, and I shook it.
“Welcome to the White City, Abi. They sent me here to meet you, and take you on the grand tour. I’m your new roomie. My name is Tina. Tina Donnelly.”
“Hi Tina,” I said.
“Wow, I never thought they’d find survivors out there. You’ll have to give me the whole rundown of how you made it, but that can be later. We’ll be spending a lot of time together.”
“So, who sent you?” I questioned.
“The people who run the place. Come, let’s get moving. Dinner is in twenty minutes and tonight its meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It’s killer. We can’t be late or we’ll get the scraps.” She turned and started to walk away, so I followed after her.
“Where are we going?” I questioned.
&nbs
p; “To our room,” she answered, matter-of-factly.
As we walked through the hall I noticed there were no boys, and all the girls were looking at me like I was some kind of alien. Some just glanced, others glared, and the rest were whispering amongst themselves. All except this one girl. Her hair was fire-red, and her eyes blazed with evil. It looked like she was out for blood. My blood.
I could tell that if anyone was going to give me trouble, it would be her.
“Don’t mind them. They haven’t seen anyone outside the White City for the past thirteen years. You’re kind of a big deal right now. Like fresh meat in a lion’s den. You’ll have to watch some of the fangs around here, but don’t worry…” She gave me a conspiratorial wink. “You’ll be safe with me.”
“Who’s the redhead?” I said, keeping my eyes on her, matching her glare. Hell if I was going to let anyone intimidate me, especially after all I’d just been through. All I knew was the bitch had better back off because she had no idea what I was capable of.
“That’s Ava. She thinks she rules the place, but she’s just an arrogant bitch. The girls around her only stick by because they’re afraid of her. Look at her. She’s totally jealous of you because you’re so pretty. Don’t worry, she’s got a bark, but no bite.”
I laughed. “Well, I do bite.”
“Good. She’s due for one,” Tina snorted.
I hated the attention, and all the extra eyes staring at me. It felt creepy, and I seriously wanted to reach out and punch some of their faces.
“Do you know if another girl, named Lily, came in before me?” I asked
“Yes. About twenty minutes ago. She left with her new roomie, Kiana. She’s getting her tour right now. They’re in G-47. Are you friends?”
“She’s my cousin.”
“Cousin? That’s cool,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “I don’t have any extended family here. It’s just me and my dad.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Don’t be. My mother died years before the fallout. She had cancer. As for our extended relatives, some made it into the other bunker, but we never heard from the rest. I was too young when we came in, and my dad doesn’t talk about it.”
“Oh. I’m sorry about your mom.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“Thanks,” she said.
“Hey, where are all the guys?” I asked. I was curious where they’d be taking Finn, and how far away he’d be.
Tina laughed and stopped, turning back to me. “I was waiting for you to ask me that question. This is the girl’s wing. The boys are two blocks over. The marrieds - married couples - are in between us. We’re restricted from having too much contact with them now, especially within the past few weeks. The only time we can interact is during meals and few recreational events.”
“Why?” I questioned.
“Our leaders say it’s because those who are preparing for battle need to focus solely on the battle and training, and they should be completely free from distractions. I guess they think falling in love is a huge distraction, so they try and keep us separate. But what they don’t know is, love always finds a way,” she wiggled her eyebrows.
“Yes. I guess it does,” I agreed.
“Since we’ve been down here, the marrieds have also been forbidden to have kids. At least until we get out of this place and it’s safe to repopulate the earth.”
“Well, what happens if they do? I mean, if someone gets pregnant?”
“They don’t. They all take birth control.”
“But, what if an accident happens?”
“I don’t know. I guess they’d dispose of it.”
“Dispose of it?” I barked.
“The leaders are strict. We have a large number of survivors and a limited food supply. We need to be very careful, if we are to survive.”
“So what about all of us who were just brought in? Will they be disposing of us too, if the food supply gets too low?”
“No, of course not! We need everyone we can assemble to help us fight those horrible mutants outside. We’ve already lost a few good people because of the new war.”
I sighed, and decided to change the subject. “So, my parents are in the next block over?”
“Yes.”
“Is it easy to get there?”
“Yes and no. It’s through a few doors, but those doors are guarded. No one is allowed to go into other blocks unless they have permission from one of the leaders.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head. All of a sudden I was cut off from everyone I loved, and could only see them in the meal room or with expressed permission from above. This royally sucked.
At least I knew my parents were only a few doors down. Unreachable, but still close.
“So, Abi, is there a boy in your life?” She said, arching an eyebrow.
“I came here with the members of my hive, and there were a few boys who came too.”
“OMG! Are they hot?” She whispered giddily, taking hold of my shoulders.
“Yeah, I guess,” I shrugged my shoulders.
“Then you have to introduce me to them at dinner,” she said while excitedly jumping up and down.
Umm! Hell no. That’s what I wanted to say, but I kept my mouth shut. I was the newbie here, and didn’t want to make a scene my first day. But I sure as hell didn’t want Finn to meet her, or any other chick in this drab place. However, I’d gladly introduce her to Charlie.
She took hold of my hand and pulled it up to her face and examined my ring. “Where’d you get that?” she asked.
Crap. I should have kept it under wraps. I totally forgot it was on my finger.
“It was a gift,” I said, pulling my hand back.
“I just wanted to see it. I’m sorry if I made you mad.”
“It’s fine,” I replied, feeling my face get a little hot.
“Was it a gift from one of the boys you came with?”
Yes, Sherlock. I wasn’t sure if I could trust her. I didn’t even know her, and she was already asking me a bunch personal questions.
“Yes. It’s a promise ring,” I blurted, surprised at the words leaving my mouth.
Tina gasped loudly. She grabbed hold of my hand and dragged me down the hall and around a bend. She then took out a card from her pocket and swiped it over a small square box. A door slid open. I glanced at the big black numbers on the wall.
G-6.
Tina grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me into the room, and the door automatically shut behind us.
“This is our room. Your bed is over there,” she said pointing to a twin bed against the far wall. It looked so…white. White sheets, white pillowcase, against a white wall. Ugh.
“Do they allow color in this place?” I asked.
“Oh yes, but it’s hard to come by. The government had everything mass produced and brought down here. I guess white was the cheapest to produce, thus… the White City.” She emphasized by throwing her arms out to the side in a dramatic fashion.
I found myself giggling. “I guess that would be a reasonable explanation.”
“Yep, you’ll eventually get used to it. Around that corner is the bathroom,” she pointed to the far, back-right corner. The second drawer of the dresser is yours. It already has everything you need in it. Dirty laundry goes in the basket, and they have ladies who come in and pick it up daily to wash. Oh, and before I forget…here is your key to get in. Just swipe the barcode over the black box and it will let you in.”
“Thanks,” I said, placing the keycard around my neck. It was attached to a lanyard.
“No problem. Soooo, now that you’ve seen our room…spill! I want details on the boy who gave you that promise ring.”
I turned and looked at her, and wasn’t sure what type of expression I had, but whatever it was, made her blush.
“I’m sorry for being so nosey. Everything here has been very dull and boring. Nothing exciting ever happens, and there aren’t many available boys who are interesting,
or interested. I bet you’ve had a very different life than I’ve had. I’m sixteen, but I’ll be seventeen in a month. I’ve spent most of my life here. It’s all I know.”
“I’ve read hundreds of books in the library, and one day hope to meet my dream guy. Sadly, none of the boys here ever think about those kinds of things. All they think about training and killing those horrible creatures outside. These past few weeks have been pretty intense. Their training has been every day, and since they’ve been sent on missions, we’ve lost a bunch of them.”
“You mean they’re sending boys out there with only a few weeks training? What about the girls? Aren’t they training them too?” That was strange, because in our hive, the girls trained just as hard as the guys.
“They’ve had to send out the boys to relieve the military, who have been out there for too long. The girls have had some basic training, but we never really needed it because there is military to protect us.”
“All those under eighteen studied in the learning centers. We were taught how to replant and rebuild, how to keep safe from any immediate dangers, and eventually, we would be the ones to repopulate the earth. We never expected there to be a war,” she sighed. “They have started training the girls who are able to fight and can use weapons. I want to fight, but I’ll never be chosen,” she said sadly.
“Why?” I asked.
“It’s complicated,” she sighed.
I could tell she didn’t want to share information with me at the moment, and I was totally fine with that. There were things I didn’t want to share either.
“Well, I can fight,” I said. “In our hive, we started training as soon as we could hold a weapon in our hands. And frankly it sounds sexist to me that you were not given the same chance. You should at least know how to protect yourself. Girls are just as capable with a gun as boys are. In fact, I happened to be the best shot in our hive.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I was reminded of Hellfire. “Hey, when I first came in, they made me leave my backpack and gun in the decontamination room. They said they’d return it to me. Do you have any idea how long it would take?”
“No. I’m surprised they told you that. Civilians aren’t allowed to have weapons in the hive,” she said. “You are only allowed to train with them, and then are issued one when you go out on a mission.”