“Is that everything?” the man called down.
“Yes,” we all answered.
He nodded to someone at the front, and they opened the gate. A man came forward, collected the weapons, and placed them in a bag. Then, two more men walked toward our group.
“These guys will be patting you down. It’s for the protection of the survivors inside. If you decide to leave, we will return your weapons.”
Finn turned to me, but I kept my eyes on the man approaching. I was on the outside of our line, standing next to Finn. Then there was Marco, Cindy, and Parker. One man headed toward Parker, the other toward me.
The man looked nervously between Finn and me, then held his hands up. “This is only precautionary, a quick pat down.”
Finn started to move, but I grabbed his hand. “It’ll be all right, honey,” I said.
The man stood in front of me, looking directly into my eyes. When his face fell, I knew his mind was blank. “You will pat me down, and find nothing. Then you will call “all clear” and move on.” I spoke just loud enough so he and Finn could hear.
The man stepped forward, and I stood at attention with my hands in the air and my legs slightly spread. His hands ran down my sides, directly over Hellfire, and passed down to my legs.
“All clear,” he shouted, then moved onto Finn. “Clear,” he hollered again.
I closed my eyes and broke the connection, and willed my eyes to remain their normal, human color.
The man broke from his trance, nearly falling forward. Finn caught his arms, and held him as he grasped the sides of his head.
“Hey, Wes. You all right?” the other man asked. He walked over and took hold of his elbow.
He glanced at his friend with a bewildered look. “Yeah. I—I had a dizzy spell.”
“Head to medical. I want Dr. Tan to check you out.” The man turned back to address our group.
“Follow me. The name is Kurt.”
FINN DROVE THE BIKE INSIDE the protective gates, then unloaded our backpacks.
The man stopped him again. “Hey, I’m sorry about this, but I’m going to need to check those. It’s for everyone’s—”
“Protection,” Finn finished, holding the bags out to him. “It’s fine. Go ahead.”
The man rummaged through our bags and handed them back.
Finn came and stood to my right, the side Hellfire was on, and put his arm around me. I knew he did it as an extra safeguard, and I was thankful for it. I needed his strength. Already weakened from the injuries and journey here, I’d moved one step closer to total exhaustion when I controlled the man’s mind.
Finn tapped Kurt on the shoulder. “Kurt, my wife is tired. Is there a place she can lay down?”
“Yes, of course. Just this evening we put up five more tents. Tonight is your lucky night.” He turned back to our group with a smile. “How many tents will you need?”
“Three,” Parker answered.
“All righty, then. Three it is.” If at all possible, Kurt’s smile widened.
He seemed like a nice guy. His raven hair was shoulder-length, and he had a well-groomed beard. Kurt was a little shorter than Parker, but they had the same body type—thin. I guess I would categorize most of the men as thin, especially when they stood next to Finn.
As we walked inside, I noticed about ten, one-story homes enclosed within the perimeter, and situated along the outside and in between the homes, were tents. The survivors inside must have heard the man on the loudspeaker, because as we walked in, they were standing outside their homes and tents, watching the new arrivals.
I felt uncomfortable under the weight of their stares. I sometimes wished my power could make me invisible. But they all looked tired, just like us, and I had to remind myself we were all survivors. Besides, there was something sobering, an unspoken comradery, between us and the new faces who’d survived those long thirteen years underground.
Finn was right. At least we didn’t have to worry about safety tonight. It seemed like there were enough men at the gate to keep everyone inside safe.
“All right, here you go,” Kurt said, waving his hand at the new tents set up in one corner. “Take your pick. Oh, and see that greenish house over there?” He pointed to a home in the middle, and we nodded. “That one is our communal bathroom area, where there are separate toilets and showers. It’s hooked up to solar, so we have hot water. We just ask that you keep the showers brief.”
Marco and Cindy’s faces lit up at this news.
A petite woman with long, red hair down to her waist came and stood next to Kurt. “This is my beautiful wife, Megan,” he said leaning forward to give her a kiss on the cheek. The way they looked into each other’s eyes made my heart swell.
Megan held five plastic bags in her hands. “Here you go.” She handed one to each of us. “It’s a welcome bag, just a few necessities we put together for newcomers. It has soap, shampoo, a disposable razor, a toothbrush, and a small tube of toothpaste. A few of us over-prepped and the supplies have come in handy.” She turned and smiled at Kurt.
“Thank you,” we all replied.
The soap had a pretty smell. Because I couldn’t recollect the smell of flowers, I imagined they smelled something like it.
“You’re welcome. We’re pleased you found the safe zone.”
“Who is the leader here?” Finn asked.
“At the moment, I am,” Kurt replied.
Megan hugged his waist from the side. “My husband and I started prepping years before. We are both scientists and predicted a solar flare would take out the national grid. The more research we did, the more we began to prep. We knew we would have to go underground for years to avoid the inevitable fallout, then also thought ahead to what would happen when we emerged from our underground homes. We made sure we were prepared in all areas. We just weren’t prepared for the mutants.”
“None of us were,” Finn agreed.
“My father is also a scientist,” I noted. “He was a part of NASA’s Heliophysics Department.”
“Really?” Kurt asked. “What’s his name?”
“Dr. Steven Parks.”
Megan gasped, her hand covered her mouth. She turned to Kurt. “Oh, honey. Remember, Stevie Park?”
It was odd hearing anyone call him anything other than Steven. Even my mother called him by his full name.
“How could I forget?”
I blinked, looking between the two of them. “You know him?”
“Yes. Yes, of course. We went to college together. Stevie was a close buddy of ours. He was in most of our science classes.” Kurt smiled and looked like he was remembering old times. “That dude was a party animal.”
I inhaled sharply and turned to Finn, completely dumbfounded.
Were they talking about the same Steven Park? Because my dad was the farthest thing from a party animal. But then again, being underground, with limited party supplies. could have made the difference.
“Are you sure you guys are talking about the same Steven?” I questioned.
“Yes. He married Katie, his high school sweetheart, and they had…you!” Megan pointed to me. “We received your birth announcement. You were just a little pea. Look at you now.”
Oh hell. They were talking about my dad. The serious, responsible leader of our hive…a party animal? As much as I tried, I couldn’t picture it. I guess there were things about my parents I was clueless about. Things they’d kept from me, probably believing I would never find out.
Well, the cat was out of the bag, and I couldn’t wait to see my dad, Stevie Park, and ask him a ton of uncomfortable questions.
“Dr. Park, a party animal?” Finn nodded his head in approval.
Kurt chuckled. “You bet. He was the coolest dude I’ve ever met. Such a nice guy, always helpful. Always one for the underdog.”
Now that, I could believe.
“And he lived life without regret,” Megan added. “He and Katie were so in love. They went to separate colleges, but every n
ight they’d talk on the phone ‘till the wee hours of the morning.”
I couldn’t even remember a real phone, only from what I’d seen and read about in books. I guess it wasn’t much different from a walkie-talkie, only you could call anyone, anywhere in the world, at any time. Maybe one day, we would have that type of working technology again.
Hearing them talk about my parents like they were cool and normal college kids at one time was so strange. All my life, they were just my parents. Leaders of the hive. Decidedly not cool.
“So, where are Stevie and Katie now?” Kurt asked.
“Tucked away in another bunker in the mountains, a few hundred miles away,” I said, unsure of how far they actually were. “They’re with the rest of our original hive.”
“How many were in your hive?”
“Fifteen, but we lost one,” I said sadly.
“Sickness?”
“No. She was bitten by an Arvy a few days after we left the hive.”
Kurt exhaled. “I’m so sorry. Those damn mutants really ruined our exit plans.”
“They sure did,” Finn agreed.
As we looked around, Marco, Cindy, and Parker had already entered their tents.
“We’ll let you go and get comfortable. A hot shower does miracles,” Megan chimed. “Are you hungry?”
“I am.” Finn answered immediately.
“Looking at the size of you, I’ll bet you are. Why don’t you two get washed up and comfortable, then head to that red house over there. I’ll whip something up for you and your friends,” she said.
“Thank you so much. We don’t want to impose.” I felt bad she’d have to cook for us.
“Not at all. We’re glad to have you here. And you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”
“Thank you. We appreciate it,” Finn replied.
Kurt wrapped his arm around his wife and led her away.
Finn unzipped the opening to our tent, and we stepped inside. It was a decent size, and had a few sleeping bags in the center with two small pillows. This was luxury living compared to what we’d had most days.
“The people seem great here,” he said, zipping the tent shut, and tossing his bag into a corner. “Maybe we can stay for a while. At least, until you’re fully healed.”
“Finn, don’t you remember who I am? The government will find this place, and all those kind people will be put in danger.”
“Then at least for a few days. If we hear or see any signs of soldiers, we’ll leave.” He pulled me into his arms. “Let’s go take a shower, eat something, and have a good night’s sleep. For once, we won’t have to worry about an attack.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
I gathered my last clean pair of jeans, underwear, and shirt, which I’d washed at the last location with Danielle and the soldiers. I had given her a bath, and while she scrubbed, I washed my clothes in the sink.
They weren’t as clean as our clothes would get back in the hive, but they were good enough. At least I wouldn’t look like a filthy wanderer when I woke up.
In the house, there were two separate bathrooms, conveniently labeled MEN’S and WOMEN’S. Walking past five stalls, I came to another door labeled SHOWER, which led me into another big room. On the far wall were five shower stalls, separated by curtains. One of the stalls was in use. The water was on and steam was rising.
I headed over to a table which had clean, folded towels, snagged one, and headed for an open stall. The water in the occupied stall turned off, and the curtain snapped opened, revealing a beautiful, but very naked, girl. She was about my age, had chocolate skin and curly, raven hair, but had the lightest brown eyes I’d ever seen. They were almost golden.
She took me in, then smiled.
“Hey. I didn’t think anyone would be using the showers this time of night.”
“We just arrived,” I noted.
“Ah, newbies. I figured as much. I haven’t seen you around.” She slowly sauntered over and took a towel from the table before slowly wrapping it around her, tucking it in at her chest. She had a thin, petite face, and looked like an athlete. “How many of you arrived?”
“Five,” I replied. “My name’s Abi, by the way.”
She walked over and offered her hand. “Hey, Abi. I’m Lina. Actually, Ewelina.” She shrugged. “My mom’s best friend—my godmother—was Polish, and she named me. Most people have a hard time pronouncing it, so they call me Lina.” She smiled. “I’ll stop talking and let you shower. The heat on tired limbs feels like heaven. You’ll feel like a new person when you’re done. Have fun,” she said, heading for the door, twiddling her fingers.
“That’s what I'm hoping for,” I replied, hanging my clothes and towel on a small hook outside the shower. Lina seemed cool. At another time, we could have been friends, but I wasn’t here to make new friends. I couldn’t. Everyone close to me could be used as pawns by the government. Finn and I weren’t staying long enough to make friends anyway. We’d be gone in a few days, onto the next place we could lay our heads.
I stepped in, closed the curtain, and turned on the water. In seconds, the water was steaming, and I stepped under the spray. Closing my eyes and letting the hot water pound on my sore muscles felt like heaven. After lathering with the sweet smelling soap, I shaved my legs and armpits.
I felt a bit of my humanity return and was thankful we’d made the choice to stay. It was evident the leaders here were professional preppers, and for them to know my parents, was an even bigger plus.
But I knew we had to leave. It wasn’t our time to stop and play house. Not yet.
After my shower, I felt and smelled like a new person. I towel dried my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, then quickly dressed.
As I exited, Finn was waiting outside. The corner of his lips rose as I walked toward him. God, he looked so handsome. He was clean, his hair neatly combed back, and he had shaved. I wanted to run my hands over his soft cheeks and down his neck.
I couldn’t help contain my own smile. “I know, I know. You haven’t seen me clean in a while.”
“Even dirty, you’re still the most beautiful girl in the world.”
“Are you being romantic, Mr. Armstrong?”
“Trying.” He winked. “Let’s go eat.” He turned toward me. “I can’t wait for dessert.”
“What’s for dessert?” I asked, and saw something flicker in his eyes.
“You.”
His words caused heat to burn in my core, and his closeness made it blaze even higher. I was hungry, but I couldn’t wait to be with him alone. The thought of him lying next to me while I was wide awake, caused an ache to grow inside. And by the hungry look in his eyes, I could tell the feeling was mutual.
I gave him a wink and walked ahead, swaying my hips with extra oomph.
The sound of his exaggerated sigh made me giggle. He jogged after me, until his arm curled around my waist, his lips pressing against my temple.
“Don’t tempt me, Mrs. Armstrong, or I’ll just take you right here in this hallway.”
I let my eyes run the length of his body. “I wish you would, Mr. Armstrong.”
Tonight, you’ll be mine,” he whispered, making my entire body tingle.
AFTER OUR MEAL, FINN TOOK my hand and led me back to our tent.
The entire safe zone was quiet; the only ones out were the six guards around the perimeter. It was so different than Billy’s, where there was music and dancing, and the air was filled with laughter until everyone was tired and went to bed. It was funny how different the shelters were from one another, with each atmosphere dependent on its leader. Kurt and his wife were helpful, but leaned toward the mellow side.
This shelter was new. Although the frames of the home structures were old, they had been remodeled inside during the months they’d been topside. How they managed it, I had no idea and didn’t really care. I was just thankful Finn and I had a chance to benefit from it, even for a short while.
From the glimpse I’d
gotten, this place seemed to have less than fifty survivors. I guess that was a lot, considering we’d just returned topside a few months ago. Plus, the government was picking up survivors and taking them back to help work and be trained to fight the Arvies. I was glad we were out of that hellhole, and even though freedom came with its own list of deadly devices, I’d rather take my chances on my own.
The moon and stars were bright, sparkling down on us. The closer we came to our tent, the more anxious I became. I glanced over to Finn, and he looked so relaxed as he stared up into the night sky.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I whispered.
His fingers tightened around mine. “It’s moments like this, when the world is quiet and peaceful, that we can stop and reminisce. Remember those days underground, when we would sit for hours in our park and swing, dreaming of the day we would come topside?”
“Yes,” I whispered. “I remember those days vividly.”
“We would dream of seeing the sun, the moon, and the stars.” He turned to me, his fingers grazing the sides of my face. “We made it, Abi. And we have been blessed to find these small moments of peace, beyond the chaos, to truly see the beauty within it all.” His dark eyes found mine, filled with so much emotion. “But no matter how beautiful the moon and the stars appear, they will always pale in your presence.”
“Finn,” I breathed.
The heat from his body was rolling off him in waves. Tilting my chin upward, his lips found mine.
He pulled his lips away to unzip the tent, then took my hand and led me over to the sleeping bags on the ground. After zipping us inside, he knelt next to me, our bodies inches apart.
My heart raced as I raised my hands. He lifted the hem of my shirt, pulling the material over my head, before dropping it to the ground. Enclosing me in his strong arms, Finn laid me down, his large frame pinning me against the ground.
“I love you, Abi.”
“I lo—”