by Phil Maxey
He swung around to look back at the chair. It was still there but the tablet had gone. The robotic arm which once held it laid helpless and mangled on the floor.
This makes no sense. What the hell happened here.
He saw a dull glow coming from one of the still-functioning computer monitors and walked to it, picking it up and resting it so it was level again. The screen glitched, showing a display of numbers. It was an analysis of some kind. It also had a date. The twenty-first.
He looked down at the watch on his wrist. It also said the twenty-first. He was sure that was wrong.
A noise came from the back of the large room. Something was back there, moving amongst the shadows, but he couldn’t make out exactly what.
He walked forward, stepping over rubble and wires. “Is there someone back there? Are you hurt?”
A loud growl came from behind. He whipped around.
The scene once again stretched into the distance and rebounded back. He was seated in the chair. Multiple anxious faces were looking at him.
“Well? Did you see anything?” said Max.
Joel looked at his watch. It displayed the eighteenth.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
It took a full hour before the scientists left Joel alone. They asked him to go back into the virtual world and try and interact with it, but he said he needed to rest.
That was a lie. He also withheld what he had seen after the vision of the ancient battle.
He, Bill, and Evan were escorted back to their dormitory by a soldier and Rachel.
“You did good work today. I’m sure Josh and the others will be up all night discussing… well arguing about what you saw.” She briefly touched his shoulder. “Get some rest. We start early tomorrow.” She went to walk away, then stopped. “You and your friends are getting the blood supplies they need?”
Joel nodded.
“Good, see you tomorrow then.”
Joel gave a quick smile and nodded. They then walked into the long room. It was empty.
Joel peered around the open door to the corridor outside and watched Rachel and the soldier disappear around the corner of the far junction. He then stepped back inside and pulled the door closed.
Bill and Evan looked on, not understanding his actions.
“What’s going on?” said Bill.
“Take a seat, we need to talk.”
Bill sat. “Okay…” Evan did the same, placing his computer on the bed next to him.
“I saw something, I don’t un—”
The door opened. It was Marina. “I thought I heard you come back. What happened?”
“Is there anyone else with you?”
“No.”
“Good. Come in and close the door.”
Soon, he had three attentive listeners.
“So, after I saw the ancient battle—”
“You saw an ancient battle?” said Marina.
“Yeah, but that’s not what this is about. So after I saw all of that. I returned to the Dome room. At least I thought I had.”
Bill scrunched his face. “You thought you had? You did return.”
“You don’t understand—”
“Clearly not…”
“I returned to the Dome room, but it was different. Everything was destroyed, and there was no one there. Just me.”
Evan looked at Bill, looking just as confused.
“Are you sure of what you saw? Perhaps you hallucinated? We still don’t know what affect the tablet—”
“It was no hallucination. I got out of the chair. I walked around. And… there was a date on one of the screens that was still working. The twenty-first.”
“Of this month?”
“Yes.”
“That’s three days from now,” said Evan.
Marina stood. “Wait. What you’re saying makes no sense. The tablet shows you what happened in the past, it’s like a super-advanced memory stick, just gives you a show.”
“Yeah…”
“How can it show you something that hasn’t happened yet?”
She looked at Bill, who was lost in thought.
“Maybe it can show you the future?” said Evan.
Bill shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. But I do think it was a warning. Perhaps the tablet is aware of things we are not. It’s showing you a possible future.”
Marina let out a breath. “Well, that’s just great! We finally find a place the vamps can’t get to us, and now you tell me it’s going to be all gone in three days…” She sat down heavily on a bed.
Joel wanted to reply. Give her hope, but he couldn’t grasp any words long enough to do so.
“Do they know? Did you tell—” said Bill.
Joel shook his head.
Evan looked at him. “Let’s say the tablet somehow knows things we don’t, and what you saw will come about in three days. Maybe we can stop it? Did you get any idea what caused it?”
“I… just the whole place was trashed… and… there were things there as well, but I just saw shadows moving, and heard growls.”
“Growls?” said Marina.
“Yeah.”
“Then it was vamps… but how could vamps get into this place? It was built to withstand a nuclear attack!”
Bill nodded. “Agreed. Vamps outside couldn’t get in here.”
“Unless someone lets them in…” said Evan.
“That’s very unlikely,” said Marina.
Joel nodded. “I agree. Whatever happens is going to be caused by something already down here with us. Maybe it’s something that McClure does, or maybe it’s the tablet…”
“It could be any one of a hundred different things that lead to that outcome. But if the tablet is showing it to you, then it must be likely to happen,” said Bill.
Marina looked at them in turn. “Then what do we do?”
“Shouldn’t we tell them?” said Evan.
Joel shook his head. “And if we do. Then what? The last group of people who they invite in, who also happen to be hybrids and have some magical ancient tablet, and then we tell them, ‘Hey, guess what? This entire place is going to be gone. Dead within a few days.’ The best case scenario is they lock all of us up to keep an eye on us, or they throw most of you back outside while they do experiments on us hybrids.”
Evan looked down. “Right…”
Joel looked at them all. “No. We keep this to ourselves. But we have to decide. Are we going to stay to try to stop whatever happens. Or do we escape?”
“How can we stop it when we don’t even know what ‘it’ is going to be?” said Marina.
Silence descended upon those in the room as each thought through the possibilities.
Bill sighed. “I think we have to leave.”
“Great idea. How do you suppose we do that?” said Marina.
Evan flipped his laptop open and started to do a search in his database for the military complex they were inside. He shook his head. “There’s hardly anything on this place. It was too top secret.”
Marina took her ID card from her pocket. “These cards, could we hack them somehow so we go further with them?”
Evan smiled, taking his own card from his pocket. “Yeah, maybe. There’s a chip embedded in them…” He looked around the room. “I need to be able to connect from the ID chip to my laptop, then we’re in business. If I had an old radio or something similar, I could take the parts I need from that.”
Joel stood. “I’ll work on getting you what you need. Meanwhile, try and learn what you can about this place from anyone you come across.” He looked at the low ceiling. “We’re a good ways below the ground. I can’t feel the sun at all. Not even a bit.”
“What do we tell the others?” said Marina.
Bill, Evan, and Joel exchanged looks.
“We are going to tell the others, right?” she continued.
“I don’t trust Hardin,” said Bill.
“Okay, so not Hardin. But what about Anna, Mary? Shannon? And Lee?”
“For now, don’t tell anyone. Not until we’re further along with how to get out of here,” said Joel.
The others nodded in agreement.
*****
Joel lifted his heavy head and swung his feet around to the cold floor. He looked at the date on his watch.
Nineteenth.
Sleep came quick for him seven hours before, despite his brain wanting to make plans.
A single light above the entrance lit the entire room, and he looked over the other beds. Most were sleeping, but he noticed Shannon was missing from hers.
He threw his shirt on and made his way quietly out of the room and into the corridor. In the gloom, he could hear a heartbeat coming from the second door on his left. Opening it revealed a good-sized room with a series of tables and chairs in the center and a kitchen area along the far wall. To the other sides were cupboards and a large fridge which he already knew contained, amongst other things, blood bags.
Shannon was seated at one of the tables, reading.
“Can’t sleep?” he said, passing and going to the fridge.
“Needed to get out of that room.”
Joel got a blood bag out of the fridge. “You miss being up top?”
“Don’t matter what I think.” She turned a page.
He opened the valve on the bag and started to draw the blood out. The sleepiness started to fade from his mind. “There’s something you—”
The door to the mess hall opened and Anna walked in. Dark rings sat beneath her eyes.
“There’s plenty of blood in the fridge,” said Joel.
She nodded. “I know. I’m just getting some water.”
Joel scrunched his face. “How long has it been since you had some blood?”
“Don’t worry about it…”
Joel noticed Anna studying Shannon’s neck as she walked behind her to the sink. He got to his feet and pushed the blood bag into her hands. “Drink, before someone gets hurt.”
“I’m trying to see how long I can go…” she whispered, while looking down at the succulent red liquid contained within the plastic.
He leaned closer to her. “This is not the time to be messing about with that kind of thing.”
Her gaunt face expressed confusion. “This is the perfect time to do the experiment. Lee’s helping me keep track. I can assure you, I’m no threat to anyone.”
“You need to be at full strength.”
Joel looked back at the young girl at the table. She had turned around in her seat and was looking squarely at him.
“Something’s going on, I can tell. What is it?” she said.
Joel looked at both of them, then leaned back on the counter.
“Take a seat,” he said to Anna, who did. He sat on the table nearby and recanted his virtual experience and the tablet’s final warning.
By the time he had finished, Anna was drinking down the blood as fast as she could draw it from the hole in the bag.
“Good. I don’t like it in here anyway,” said Shannon.
Anna placed the bag down. “Does everyone know?” she said breathlessly.
“Lee, Mary, and Hardin don’t.”
“I don’t trust Hardin,” said Shannon.
“He has that effect on people…”
Joel heard the footsteps before the door opened and held his hand up so nobody else would speak.
Bill walked in sheepishly. “Hmm, I thought it was the old that didn’t need much sleep.” He continued walking towards the coffee machine.
“They know…” said Joel.
Bill kept on walking. “Good.” He switched the machine on and pulled a plastic cup from a rack of them. “I’ve been thinking. We need to get the tablet and bring it with us. It can’t stay here, or be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.”
“That’s going to be some task. They’re going to have it battened down as if it were a crate of uranium…” He thought for a moment. “I’ll see if I can track down where they take it for storage, maybe I can vamp in, grab it, and vamp out.”
“When we first went to the Dome, I noticed a door which was heavily guarded. Perhaps they keep it in there?”
“When you and Evan come with me in a few hours time, maybe Evan can take a look.”
Bill nodded, while pouring himself some coffee. He then looked closer at the coffee machine. “Hmm.. I wonder if they will miss this.”
“What about the vials?” said Anna. “Who knows what was in them.”
“It’s going to be hard enough getting the tablet. If we get a chance to grab them we will, but…”
Shannon smiled at the others. “So, how we getting out?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Joel sheepishly walked along the corridor. It was the same one he had walked the day before. By his side was Evan and Bill, and in front was a soldier leading the way.
They arrived at the elevator and all walked inside. Joel paid close attention to the panel of lights indicating the levels. They were on the twelfth, and were quickly heading deeper.
The door opened at the eighteenth level, and after a short walk they were confronted by the chaos that was the Dome.
Evan leaned closer to his grandfather. “Is it just me, or do they seem even more agitated than normal?”
Bill nodded.
Rachel walked up to them. A few strands of hair were stuck to her forehead, which she flicked away. “Umm… We have to cancel today’s session.” She nodded to the soldier who opened the elevator door again.
“What’s going on? Is there something wrong?” said Joel.
Scientists ran between the long tables, running up to others and handing them pieces of paper, or showing them what was on flat display screens.
“No, no. Everything’s under control. We just need you to go back to your rooms. We will call upon you if we need you.”
A group of soldiers ran past and through the doorway Bill noticed the day before.
“What’s in there?” he said.
Rachel walked forward, trying to physically pressure them to move back into the elevator. She looked again at the soldier, who pressed on Evan’s shoulder. “I’m sure we will contact you again later today.”
Soon, they were inside the elevator which was rapidly rising. Joel could hear the soldiers rate was booming in his chest. He looked up at him. “You know what’s happening down there?”
“Sorry, sir, I cannot answer those kinds of questions.”
“Maybe I can help?”
“Yeah, me too!” said Evan.
The elevator door opened. “Please go back to your rooms.”
They all stepped out.
Joel looked back at the face of a scared young man as the elevator doors closed.
Bill looked at Joel. “I think what you saw, it’s happening now!”
Joel started moving off towards the dorm room. “Yeah, so much for having three days.”
“But I’m not ready. I need more time to change our ID cards!” said Evan.
Joel briefly stopped and held up a card. It was not his own. “No need, I got this.”
Hardin, Lee, and Mary were inside the dorm, and all looked at Joel as he entered.
“Get your stuff packed, we’re leaving.”
Hardin’s face contorted into one of disapproval. “They are kicking us out already? I only just got here! Is it because something you and your ‘friends’ did?”
Mary was more perceptive. “Is there something wrong? Why do they want—”
Joel shook his head. “Something’s happened on the lower floors. Something bad. We need to leave, now.”
Mary started packing what few things she had into a small plastic bag.
Hardin got to his feet and walked to Joel, who was packing his own things. “Let me talk to that… general guy. He’ll respect that I was a mayor. I’ll put in a good word for all of you as well, and—”
Joel angrily stuffed a sheet into his bag and stood a few in
ches from Hardin. “This place is going to be destroyed. All of it. Stay if you want. But the rest of us are leaving.”
The color flushed from Hardin’s cheeks, and he turned and started packing what he could.
Marina appeared at the door, Jess and Jasper behind her. Flint barked at all the commotion.
“Is it happening now?” said Marina.
Joel walked up to her at the entrance. “Yup.”
She went to talk again, but he held up the young soldier’s ID card and that gave her her answer.
Shannon appeared with Anna. Both rushed inside and picked up pre-packed bags.
“Everyone ready?” said Joel.
They all acknowledged they were, and he led them to the elevator. The lights in the hallway flickered.
“What the hell?” said Hardin.
The elevator doors opened and everyone bundled in. Joel held the ID card to the box beneath the keypad, then selected the ground floor.
“How the hell are we going to survive out there?” said Hardin.
“Same way we always have,” said Marina.
The elevator jolted and the doors opened. Fresher air rushed into the confined space. They stepped out into a much larger space than the floors below.
Signs and large painted arrows pointed to the entrance on rock walls that were twenty feet high.
Everyone stepped out apart from Joel.
“What are you doing?” said Marina.
“I have to try and get the tablet.”
“Are you crazy. It’s not worth it. Who knows what’s going on in the lower levels!” She went to step forward, but he threw her his small bag and punched in the eighteenth floor on the keypad.
“Give me fifteen minutes. If I’m not back, leave!”
“But—”
The elevator doors closed and the number on the LED screen above them started increasing.
Joel calmed his beating heart, and allowed his senses to absorb what was about him. With each level he passed, for a brief moment he heard gunfire and screams. Someone or something had brought hell to the mountain. He watched the floor numbers change.
‘9… 13… 16… 18’
The doors slid open to silence.
The usual rush of confused noise had been replaced with a lack of sound that was even louder.