The Beginning

by Alice I Lunsford

  “Alex.” Destiny’s voice pulls me from my internal struggle and I meet her gaze. I see only understanding in her eyes, and I can’t help the shocked expression that blooms on my face as she continues. “You did the right thing, you know that right? What’s going on up there, we don’t know how it’s spreading, but we do know it’s spreading fast. If you hadn’t locked down the sites, I’m sure by now you’d have lost everyone in them too. I believe you made the right choice, and anyone with an ounce of intelligence and common sense would agree with me too.”

  I nod vaguely as I ponder her words. Part of me knows she’s right, but part of me still believes I could have done something more. But her words have dulled that part, the guilt not as powerful as before.

  “How many people have made it into your facilities?”

  “Overall, I’d say a little over 300,000 between all sites, but they could have easily had five times that number.”

  “Maybe, but that’s 300,000 people who are safe. People who wouldn’t be safe if you hadn’t helped them. That counts for a lot in my book.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” I know she’s right, so I try to push down the guilt and ignore it.

  The chiming of my tablet alerting me to a message broke the silence. At first, I consider ignoring it for a few minutes, but when it goes off several more times I sigh. Must be damn important. I quickly snatch it up off the coffee table and run the fingerprint scan to unlock it, so I can read the messages.

  Mitch: Alex, need you in your office ASAP.

  Mitch: Definitely high priority, man.

  Mitch: Seriously, I’ll come to your room if you don’t respond.

  “It’s Mitch, needs me ASAP.” I look at Destiny apologetically. “Sorry to cut this short. You can stay here if you want, let Chris keep playing. In fact, I’ll give you access to my room, so you and Chris can come here whenever you want.” Strangely, I know I can trust Destiny and giving her access to my room seems right. I shoot a quick reply to Mitch that I’ll be there shortly, then open the security program and quickly pull up her pass access to update it.

  “Wow, thanks. I think we’ll hang here for a bit if you don’t mind, Chris is really enjoying himself.” Destiny stands with me as I get up to head to meet with Mitch in my office. She smiles tentatively up at me, and I notice her gaze drift down from my eyes and lock on my lips.

  The desire to kiss her again builds in me, but I force it aside. There will be time for that later. I return her smile before I turn towards the door.

  “Stay as long as you want. Hell, I kind of like the idea of coming home to you guys.” I say, realizing how true that is. I’m actually excited to come back here rather than dreading it. It’s a refreshing change from the last few days, and I relish in it. I glance back at Destiny as I open the door and grin. “Seriously, stay. I’ll let you know what’s up after I talk to Mitch.”

  Destiny nods and I close the door before heading down the hall. I hope this meeting is quick, so I can get back to Destiny.

  ~~*~~

  Mitch was pacing back and forth in my office when I enter it, but he quickly darts over to close the door behind me.

  “Okay, what’s wrong?” I ask, watching him warily.

  “Shit, everything’s gone dark. We can still get to the TV channels, but the stations are all running the emergency broadcast. The last updates to the news websites were six hours ago. And I mean ALL of them in the US, Europe, Africa, you name it it’s quiet now. The last US news update was that ‘local authorities’ were telling everyone to remain indoors, not to travel, barricade your homes, and other shit that most people won’t listen to. And to top that off, our Seattle site stopped sending updates and hasn’t responded to any communication in over two hours. Everyone’s starting to panic, both staff and their families. I think we need to do an announcement or have a meeting or something before everyone really loses their shit. We’ve already had four fights break out in the last hour.”

  “Okay, okay. Calm down, Mitch. Who is fighting?”

  “Some of the family members. A couple fights broke out in the cafeteria over stupid shit, like someone finishing off an item that the other one wanted.”

  “Right, so there’s a good chance they are worrying about running out of food. Andrea mentioned our stock level on food during the meeting she held with the family members the other day, so we’ll just do another meeting and then maybe have some tours of storage and the gardens for those that want to see them in person. That should help calm them down on the food, some people have to actually see what we are talking about to assuage their fears. Was there fighting anywhere else?”

  “No, just there.”

  “Okay, then this should help. Also, we should be proactive in communication with everyone on statuses, especially with the news being down. Work on getting everyone set up with access to the company messenger and email systems, and our internal network, so we can use those when cell towers go down.”

  Mitch nodded and turned to leave when there was a knock on my door. Of course. I roll my eyes and pull open the door. A woman dressed in a Retrieval uniform stares at me nervously. I see her badge says M. Conner.

  “Conner, how can I help you?” I ask stepping aside to allow Mitch to leave my office.

  “Sir, 7B is requesting to speak with you.”

  “Is he? Well, I don’t give a shit what he has to say.” I reply dismissively. That fucker could rot for all I care.

  “Yes, sir, but he insists you’ll want to speak to him as it pertains to a ‘mutual concern’.”

  I sigh heavily, knowing I’ll cave and go down there. He’s never requested to speak to me before, but I had heard he used to ‘summon’ random people on the science team and would make everyone else’s life hell until they showed.

  “Fine, let's get this over with.” I reply before heading towards the elevators.

  A short elevator ride later and we are walking down the hall towards 7B’s room. The men and women are standing stiff and anxious at their posts, and I can’t help but wonder what 7B’s been doing down here. Maybe we can disable the intercom, so no one has to hear his bullshit? I’ll definitely look into that. His voice chimes over the intercom as I come to a stop before his door.

  “My, my, the man himself has graced me with his presence.” 7B finishes with a laugh that sends a chill up my spine.

  “What the fuck do you want?” I ask testily as I glare at the intercom, hoping he can feel my hatred.

  “Now, now, Peyton. That’s no way to speak to a guest!”

  Asshole.

  “Tell me what you want and stop with the games.”

  “Ahh, well, it’s a matter of great importance. I’m sure you’ll agree, Peyton. But first, tell me how you’re doing. How are you holding up? You seem stressed and it worries me.” His fake concern sends a spike of rage through me that I quickly push down. I won’t let him pull me into his crazy antics.

  “What do you want, 7B?” I reply, ignoring his questions.

  “That’s not my name.” His angry shout echoes through the corridor.

  “Oh fucking well. Do you think I care what your name is or what you’d like to be called? You can tell me what you wanted, or I can leave.”

  There’s no reply, so I turn and take one step down the hall before 7B speaks again.

  “You should care, Peyton. Names are important...But I won’t tell you, not today. Maybe she’ll tell you first? Ahh, I think that might be more fun.”

  “She? Who is that some other fucked up voice in your head?”

  “You’re smart, Peyton. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. And when you do, what will you do? Ah, that will be fun indeed. I can hardly wait!” 7B says with a laugh.

  Fucking crazy asshole. I shake my head and turn away, done with 7B and his twisted sense of humor. I suspect this ‘she’ is just some game he’s decided to play to entertain himself, so I push it aside and head back up to my office to check in with Mitch before I head back to my room where I’m hoping Destin
y and Chris are still waiting for me.

  Chapter Eight

  Peyton Industries, Site 1: Ortega Mountains

  Destiny Williams

  It’s was almost 6:00 PM when Chris and I arrive outside Alex’s. We had spent the afternoon up in the play area on B1 with Andrea and the kids. Today was the first day Chris had participated in any physical play with the other kids, so I didn’t want to interrupt his fun. I had felt bad that we wouldn’t be there when Alex got back so I left a note letting him know where we were going to be, but Andrea told me Alex and Mitch had been working together on something and were about to finish up for the day just before we left.

  The lights were still off when I opened the door and when I turned them on, I saw my note still resting where I had left it on the table. Chris made a beeline for the bedroom with the consoles and I checked the other rooms just to be sure Alex wasn’t back yet before settling on the couch.

  Surprisingly it didn’t feel odd to me being in here without Alex. In fact, I felt safe and comfortable knowing Alex would be back soon. I hadn’t felt safe since Andrea’s middle of the night call that had me rushing out the door with the kids without any idea what was going on. Hearing what had happened here, and in the world at large, combined with my nightmares had me on edge. I hadn’t realized how much tension I had building in me until some of it eased, and I dreaded going back to my room after dinner.

  Thankfully my thoughts were interrupted when Alex entered the room. He looked tired, but the warmth in his gaze when he saw me on the couch made my heart flutter and my cheeks flush.

  “Hey.” Alex said as he walked over and sat next to me on the couch. “Did you stay here all day?”

  “For some of the day, yeah. I took Chris up to B1 with Andrea so the kids could play and he was having a blast, so we just go back a few minutes before you.”

  “And he’s already back on the game, huh?” Alex said with an amused twinkle in his eye.

  “Yeah, he is. He’s a gamer like his mom, always excited to play something new.” I say with a laugh that quickly dies when I realize there may never be any new games for him to play if the world continues to fall apart.

  “Hey, you alright?” Alex says, leaning forward to brush a few loose strands of hair out of my face and tuck them behind my ear. When I meet his eyes, I feel my heart flutter again. I don’t think my heart can take too much of this.

  “It’s nothing, I just realized that if something doesn’t change there won’t be any new games, or movies, or books. It’s kind of sad to think about, really.”

  “I’m sorry.” Alex says, his voice filled with pain.

  Oh shit, he’s blaming himself!

  “Oh God, no no! It’s not your fault. God, I’m an idiot. Please, don’t blame yourself.” Before I realize it, I’m cupping his face in my hands and leaning close enough to feel his breath on my lips. My breath catches at how close we are, but I push the dirty thoughts aside and try to focus. I need to fix what my idiotic statement just did.

  “Destiny.” Alex’s voice comes out strained and I worry that I may have ruined the evening. Until I meet his eyes and see the heat there.

  For a moment I freeze, caught in his gaze and unsure what to do. The sound of Chris playing a game in the other room enters my thoughts and I almost pull away but stop. Chris is occupied, he barely stopped playing to use the bathroom earlier. He gets so lost in the game that a bomb could go off nearby and he probably wouldn’t hear it. No, Chris wouldn’t come out, and even if he did, I wasn’t about to strip named and jump Alex’s bones with my son awake in the next room. But a kiss? A kiss couldn’t hurt.

  Fuck it.

  My decision made, I lean in, our lips connect, and I’m lost. Lost in Alex, lost in the heat, lost in the feel of his lips against mine. The kiss feels like it lasts forever and almost no time at all. When it ends, I feel tormented and bereft and a quiet whimper escapes me before I realize it.

  Alex chuckles and I blush again.

  “Destiny, if we keep going, I can’t guarantee I’ll have the will to stop again, and I don’t think you want Chris to see that.”

  “You’re right.” I say, moving to put some space between us. I feel an ache as the space grows between us, but it fades when I meet Alex’s heated gaze again.

  “Trust me, I don’t want to stop. Now, how about I go get us something to eat while you convince Chris to take a break from the game?”

  I groan at the challenge of convincing a 6-year-old that food is more important than a game and Alex laughs.

  “That bad, huh?” He asks, still chuckling.

  “You’ve only seen his good side. Games are like crack for him, so making him take a break will typically result in a fit followed by sullen pouting until he can get back to it.”

  “Well, would something special from the cafeteria help any?”

  “Oh no, that’ll just make him worse the next time I try to get him off a game.” I reply, feigning dread and a dramatic shudder. “He’ll become a banshee, screeching out his rage when his demands are not met.” Alex laughs and grins at me.

  “Okay, fine. No bribes. What about promising to let him play until bedtime when he’s done eating?”

  “Oh, that would probably work. I just wasn’t sure how long you’d be alright with us staying over.”

  “As long as you want. So, anything to avoid when I get food?”

  “Just no mushrooms, onion, or anything super spicy for Chris. I’ll eat almost anything. Except for fish.” I say with a grimace. “Please don’t bring me any fish.”

  “Don’t worry, you’re safe there!” Alex replies as he stands and heads towards the door. “I despise fish, can’t even stand the smell myself.”

  As the door closes, I realize that’s the first thing we have in common and I smile as I head into the room to convince Chris he needs to eat something soon.

  ~~*~~

  Time flew by while Alex and I had gotten to know each other and Chris played his game. We had been talking for several hours, learning a lot about each other’s favorite past-times and hobbies. We had spent most of the time geeking out over our favorite games on the PC and console, and I realized that we had more in common than I had with many of my friends. We were so engaged in the conversation that I hadn’t noticed how long we had been talking for until I glanced at the clock and realized it was already after 10:00 PM. Oh crap. I looked at Alex apologetically.

  “I’m sorry, it’s way past Chris’s bedtime. I should probably get him in bed.”

  “Yeah, of course.” Alex replied, glancing towards the room where Chris is.

  As I watch Alex, I realize I don’t want to leave. More than anything, I want to stay here with him. I know I’m not ready for anything more intimate than sleep, even with the heated kisses we’ve shared and the knowledge we could be gone tomorrow, I can’t bring myself to take that step just yet.

  “Alex?”

  “Yeah?” He replied, his gaze settling on me again.

  “Can we stay here tonight? I mean just to sleep. I don’t want to put you out or anything, so if you want, I can sleep on the couch or with Chris.” It all pours out in a rush and when I’m done, I stare at Alex awkwardly, waiting for his reply.

  “Of course, you can stay.” He replies with a warm smile. “And you can sleep wherever you’re comfortable. I’m not going to do anything you’re not ready for.”

  “Thanks. I’ll get Chris settled in the room then.”

  When I get in the room I find Chris asleep on the floor, the controller hanging loosely in his grasp. I smile fondly as I move him to the bed and get him settled for the night before I shut off the game and the TV and head back out to Alex.

  “So, if its alright, I’d like to sleep with you. Just sleep, though.” I say nervously as a blush spreads across my face again.

  “Of course, just sleep.” Alex replied with a serious expression. “Destiny, don’t worry. I promise I won’t do anything you’re not ready for.”

  I nod and
smile tentatively as Alex gets up and takes my hand, lightly tugging me towards his room.

  “I have a shirt you can sleep in unless you want to run to your room and grab something?”

  “No, your shirt will be fine.”

  “Okay,” Alex released my hand to retrieve a shirt for me. “There’s another bathroom through there you can change in. I’ll change in here.”

  I nod and dash into the bathroom to change quickly. When I come back Alex is already in the bed waiting for me. I’m suddenly overwhelmed with how naked I feel, even though I’m wearing a shirt that goes down to the tops of my knees, but it’s been years since I’ve been this underdressed in a bedroom with a man. So, I make a quick dash to the other side of the bed and pull the covers up to my chin before turning to my side and smiling nervously at Alex. His amused expression makes me blush again.

  “Like I said, Destiny, I won’t do anything you’re not ready for. We can just lay here next to each other and sleep, it doesn’t have to be anything more than that.”

  “Okay.” My voice comes out higher pitched than I intended, and I clear my throat. “I mean, okay. Good night, Alex.”

  “Good night, Destiny.”

  Alex switched off the light and I closed my eyes, forcing myself to relax into the bed before drifting off to sleep.

  ~~*~~

  I’m in a hallway again, only this one is different. All the doors are gone except for one at each end of the corridor. The lighting is still dim, only coming from under the doorways, and the hallway is filled with shadows that seem to surge and dance around me. There was no sound other than my shallow breathing and the frantic beating of my heart.

  Maybe I can open a door this time. I decided to try the door behind me first. Disappointment surged through me when I reach it and the knob doesn’t turn. One left.