“Pretty sure that’s the opposite of what will happen―”
“No, that’s not what I mean, Brian. You became a sympathizer because you believe in something, you want to change things. That’s why you’re my best friend, that’s why I love you, but doing this will change you, not the world.”
“She’s one person, Darren. Her life was gone the moment she stepped foot here―”
“Do you hear yourself? She’s a person! Come on, that’s not who you are!”
Brian cursed as he threw up his hands in exasperation.
“Okay, fine, you’re right! I guess I just need to take a swan dive from the fortieth floor―”
“Or we could think of something else!” Darren retorted. “Just because that ruthless bitch said those are our only options doesn’t make it true!”
“I don’t have time!” Brian shot back. “I’m hungry and I’m tired and I have to do something now! I can’t just sit around and wait to find out if Amber’s going to tell someone, what if she does it in the middle of the night and right now is my only chance to stop her? Smith could come for me while I’m sleeping!”
Darren reached out and took Brian’s arm again, his eyes pleading.
“Amber doesn’t even know where the executive offices are yet,” he reasoned. “What can you possibly do tonight, anyway? Lure her out of her room like some pathetic criminal from the history books?”
“If it works,” Brian muttered, but Darren silenced him with a look.
“You haven’t been caught, so stop acting like it’s already over. Stay in my room tonight if you’re that scared, just don’t…don’t do anything stupid. We’ll talk about it in the morning when we’re both thinking more clearly, but let’s just get through tonight for now.”
Brian pursed his lips. He knew he couldn’t stay hidden, missing his morning injections and another day of work would definitely put a target on his back. He sighed.
“I can stay with you?”
Darren grinned.
“As long as you promise not to jump from level forty. The tenth floor is more than high enough and the clean-up will be easier.”
Brian laughed quietly.
“Right, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Do you want to come with me this time?” Darren asked as he turned to leave. “My way out of here is a lot faster than yours.”
“That’s not a good idea,” Brian said. “We need to stick with separate routes, especially right now.”
Darren shrugged.
“Whatever. Meet you at the room in about thirty minutes?”
Brian nodded.
“Yeah, I guess.”
Darren waved as he disappeared down the hall towards his exit point, and Brian headed back to the level fifteen ramp access. He focused on the footlights as he walked, his thoughts churning through his mind. Despite Darren’s encouragement, he knew their mystery woman was right. He needed to make a choice, as difficult as it may be, and he didn’t have much time to make it.
†‡†
DAY FOUR
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Amber rolled out of bed, finally giving up on trying to sleep as she blinked in the darkness of her room. She looked up at the glowing, blue numbers of the clock that hung on the wall above her―five in the morning, only three hours to go before breakfast. Then, after that, one more hour and she would be reporting for her first day at work.
She glanced at the small card that was sitting on the table beside her bed. It was too dark to see the words, but she already knew what they said.
JOB ASSIGNMENT
T.P.M. Shift 1, 09:00. GW1―Hall E―Unit 34
PRESENT CARD UPON ARRIVAL
The card had been slipped beneath her door around bedtime the night before, accompanied by a small map with a scrawled line that marked the path through the facility she would need to take. No other details had been provided, and she sighed with frustration. Not that it really mattered, she would see for herself soon enough.
Amber yawned and stood to her feet, her arms outstretched as she blindly shuffled towards the wall beside the door in search of the light switch. Her hand touched the wall and began sliding back and forth, when a quiet knock sounded right next to where she stood. She jerked back in surprise, a low shriek bursting out of her throat before she could stifle it, and she clapped her hand over her mouth as she froze. Nervousness instantly fluttered through her heart. Although the facility was still too unfamiliar for her to be completely sure, she had a feeling it was a bit early for someone to be paying her a normal visit.
She leaned closer, pressing her ear to the door and listening for a moment.
“Who’s…who’s there?” she finally called out.
“It’s me,” Brian’s muffled voice replied. “Open up, will you?”
Amber hesitated. She was relieved that it was just him, but after his sudden departure during yesterday’s tour, he was the last person she would have expected it to be. She fumbled with the light switch before reaching for the door handle, and Brian’s exhausted face greeted her from the darkened walkway outside her room.
“Is everything okay?” she asked cautiously. He looked just as terrified as he had been when she had caught him in the ration dome, and she could hear him gulp as he nodded.
“I need to talk to you. To explain something.”
Amber shrugged.
“You don’t need to explain anything, Brian. I don’t need to know―”
“But you do!” Brian insisted, his voice hushed with urgency. “Please, Amber, I just…please, just let me explain.”
She sighed, glancing at the clock again before motioning for him to enter, but he shook his head.
“Not here,” he whispered. “It’s not safe.”
She raised a brow.
“Then where?”
“The upper levels, for the labs and stuff. I can’t risk anyone else hearing us. We need to hurry, we don’t have much time.”
Amber gazed at him for a moment, studying the desperation in his eyes, then she sighed.
“All right, let me get dressed―”
“No time,” Brian impatiently repeated. “It won’t take long, but we have to get up there before everyone else starts waking up and sees us.”
The mysterious air to his demeanor piqued her curiosity, and she pursed her lips, giving him another long look before tiptoeing out onto the walkway. She pulled her door shut behind her and moved to follow him.
“This is about yesterday, isn’t it?” Amber whispered as they headed for the stairs. “I don’t need to know, Brian, I really don’t care―”
“Shhhhh!” he breathed, glancing back over his shoulder. “Not yet, just wait!”
She clenched her teeth against the wave of annoyance that washed over her, but she didn’t say anything else. Her footsteps barely made a sound as she climbed the stairs behind him; he was moving fast, and she found herself struggling to keep up.
“Can you slow down?” she finally gasped. “My legs aren’t as long as yours!”
Brian pointed to the walkway above them.
“We’re almost there. Come on.”
Amber grabbed the edge of the landing, pausing to catch her breath. The placard on the corner of the stairwell read GN10, and to the left and right, wide hallways stood between the darkened office windows and closed doors that lined the walkway. She leaned over to look down; everything below her was shrouded in shadows cast by the weak moonlight that streamed in through the clear ceiling above, and the entire wing was completely quiet save for the gentle hum of the air pumps hidden within the walls.
She straightened, putting her hands on her hips as she turned to face him.
“Okay, we’re here. What’s so important?”
Brian’s heart pounded in his throat as he met her gaze for a moment before looking away. Getting her out of her room had been easier than he thought it would be, but now he felt his nerve waver. She was standing
too close to the edge of the stairs, anyway—if he pushed her from there, she would likely just hit the landing for the level right below them. He swallowed hard and stepped towards the railing that overlooked the wing. The timing had to be just right.
“I know you saw what I did yesterday,” he began, his voice barely audible. “I feel like I owe you an explanation.”
“I didn’t really see anything,” Amber told him. “I don’t know what you were doing and I don’t care―”
“But you did see,” he insisted.
“It doesn’t matter,” she replied, taking a small step towards him. “I don’t want any trouble, I have my own things to worry about.”
Brian watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was still too far away, and he lowered his voice even further.
“So you’re not even a little curious?” he asked. She needed to come closer, close enough to prevent a struggle.
“Well, I mean, maybe a little,” Amber scoffed lightly. “But not enough to climb a thousand flights of stairs at the crack of dawn. Your business is your business―”
“There are people here who want to end the ration program,” Brian whispered. He watched her face freeze for a split-second, then she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true. That’s what I was doing yesterday, I’m…I’m one of them.”
He studied her, waiting to see if the tactic would work, and sure enough, she moved to his side.
“Why?” Amber breathed, her voice filled with shock. “Why would anyone want to end the program?”
Brian gulped; she was right next to the railing now, and he steeled his nerves as he put his hand on her arm.
“It’s…it’s complicated,” he stammered, his heart pounding in his ears. He began tightening his grip, but she didn’t seem to notice. “I…I don’t really know where to begin.”
The innocent, wide-eyed trust on her face as she waited for him to continue was almost unbearable to look at, and he cringed as he glanced down over the rail one more time.
Get it over with, dammit!
Nausea roiled in his stomach as he tensed, mentally preparing himself. Up and over, just one quick motion.
Do it, already!
“Dammit!” Brian hissed, letting go of Amber’s arm. Darren was right—this wasn’t who he was, desperate or not.
She gave him a puzzled look.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he growled angrily, turning away and leaning on the railing. “Just forget it, Amber, this was a mistake.”
Amber stared at him in confusion; he seemed tormented somehow, and she frowned as she put her hand on his shoulder.
“I’m not going to tell anyone about yesterday,” she whispered. “You’re scared that I will, that’s really why you brought me here, isn’t it?”
“How can I possibly believe you?” Brian moaned, resting his forehead on the edge of the rail. “You don’t understand what this place is like, you don’t understand what will happen to me―”
“What’s going on?” a quiet voice called, and Amber turned to see Darren step out of a shadowed hallway behind them. “What the hell are you doing?”
Brian scoffed, straightening as he muttered a curse.
“Are you following me now?”
Darren’s eyes narrowed into a glare, and he quickly pushed Amber out of the way to position himself between her and Brian.
“You didn’t think I’d notice you sneaking out of the room?” he hissed, and Brian made a face.
“How did you get up here?”
“I took the service stairwell, that’s how. What are you doing?”
“Not what you think,” Brian muttered dejectedly.
“And what other reason could there possibly be for you to be up here with her?”
“We were just talking,” Amber told him. “He’s my friend, that’s all.”
“So this has nothing to do with what happened in the ration dome yesterday?”
Brian’s eyes instantly flashed with warning.
“Just shut up, Darren!”
Amber pursed her lips, studying the two as they glared at each other. Whatever was going on, she wanted no part of it.
“I’m going back to my room,” she announced as she headed for the stairs. “This is none of my business―”
“Stay, Amber,” Darren said, turning to look at her. “You need to understand what’s going on.”
“I really don’t―”
“Yes, you do,” he insisted. “We need to talk, just not here.”
“Don’t you dare!” Brian snapped. “You can’t take her there, are you crazy?”
“Apparently not as crazy as you!” Darren shot back. “We’re just going to the service stairwell, so calm the hell down!”
“The entry logs will catch it, dammit! It’s too early―”
“It’s too late, I already used a code to get up here in the first place thanks to you! Now come on, we can’t stay out here in the open like this!”
Amber gulped; they were scaring her.
“I really don’t like this,” she choked out. “I want to go back to my room.”
Darren’s expression softened as his eyes filled with pity, and he heaved a quiet sigh.
“I’m sorry, Amber, I really am. You didn’t ask for any of this―”
“I don’t even know what this is!” she protested. “I already told Brian that I wouldn’t say anything about what I saw, so just leave me alone!”
She spun on her heel to run, but Darren grabbed her hand to stop her.
“Please, Amber, our lives are at stake—your life is at stake! Just listen―”
A blaring alarm screeched out to shatter the silence of the wing; Brian’s eyes locked with Darren’s, and despite the darkness, Amber could see the blood instantly drain from both of their faces at once. An unknown panic tore through her stomach as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
“Get back to the room!” Darren gasped, pushing Brian towards the stairs. “Amber, come with me!”
He snatched hold of her hand and pulled her into the nearest hallway.
“What’s going on?” Amber cried. “What’s wrong?”
“They found out about the ration dome! That’s the facility-wide alarm, it only happens for things like this!”
He broke into a run as he dragged her through the dark, pausing in front of a door and quickly entering a code on the keypad. Inside was a tall, vertical shaft with stairs coiled around its curved walls; it was almost pitch black, and Amber lost her footing within seconds. She cried out as she began to fall, her arms flailing in the dark, only to feel Darren’s arms swoop out to catch her. He gripped her waist, keeping her balanced as they ran down the stairs.
“Where…where are you taking me?” she managed to gasp.
“Your room, this is the fastest way to get there without being seen! Hurry, Amber!”
He was practically carrying her; she could barely feel her feet touching the steps as he swept her along.
“What happens if they see me?”
“Lockdown means no one leaves their rooms―you’re new enough to not know any better, but they’ll want to know why you were out so early. That goddamn idiot should have left you alone, he never should have―”
“But what about him, won’t he get caught? Why didn’t you bring Brian this way?”
“That moron can handle himself,” Darren told her, his voice hushed as they stopped in front of another door. “This is your level, come on!”
He slowly cracked the door open and peeked out, then he beckoned to her with a jerk of his head. Amber swallowed hard and followed him; to her surprise, they were standing in the far corner of the walkway that led to her room. The alarm was still blaring, and she could hear shouting voices in the short pause between each loud pulse. She glanced up―the ball of solar lights that hung over the wing flickered
for a moment as the bulbs began to turn on, and she caught a brief glimpse of uniformed guards filing down the staircases on the other side.
“Come on, before the lights warm up!” Darren hissed, gesturing for her to hurry. “Before the guards see you!”
Amber didn’t need to be prompted again. She bolted for her room and entered the code, quickly ducking inside, but when she moved to slam the door shut behind her, Darren put his hand out.
“Don’t say anything about what you saw,” he begged, his eyes pleading as he met her gaze. “You’re new here, you can just play dumb and no one will think twice. Please, Amber.”
She pursed her lips, studying him for a moment. The fear on his face sent a shiver up her spine, and she gave a curt nod.
“I won’t,” she promised. “I swear.”
He gave her one last look before turning to leave, and Amber quietly closed the door. She collapsed on her bed; her heart was pounding out of her chest, and she could feel her hands shaking.
Then, only a moment later, she was startled by the sound of a booming knock.
“Ordell!” someone shouted. “Open up!”
She steeled her nerves, fighting back tears as she slowly crossed the room.
“Yes?”
The man that was standing on the other side of the door was almost a foot taller than her, and his clean-shaven face didn’t match the deep growl of his voice.
“You were in the ration dome yesterday, correct?” he bellowed, his eyes cold with suspicion. Amber nodded.
“There was…there was a tour. For orientation.”
“You have to come with me.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Now, Ms. Ordell!”
She managed an unconcerned shrug.
“Okay, I’ll get dressed.”
The man grunted in acknowledgement, positioning himself to block the door open.
“Two minutes,” he told her. “Go.”
Amber put her head down and hurried towards her dresser, grabbing her clothes before going into the bathroom to change. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror; she looked terrified, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she tried to calm her nerves. A sudden flash of anger stabbed through her heart.
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