Final Days

by Jasper T. Scott

“Eric!” a voice boomed from inside the dome.

  The man blanched, and he moved to the side, allowing the newcomer to enter the doorway. He was older, handsome, and sure of himself. He wasn’t armed, and he wore a brown blazer and blue jeans. His eyes glinted as his gaze met Kendra’s, lingering for a moment before taking in the entire scene.

  “What are you waiting for? Let them in, Eric,” the newcomer said.

  Eric rubbed his beard, but lowered his gun. He leaned toward his boss and said something—maybe trying to talk the handsome man into leaving their group on the platform.

  “Nonsense. Come inside,” the man said, waving them forward.

  Andrew stayed out the longest, making sure the others entered first, and Kendra walked past Eric, glaring at the man who’d wanted to leave them for dead.

  The dome was really just a mud room, twenty yards in diameter. Benches lined the interior walls, and there were storage containers full of mechanical supplies and yellow raingear.

  “Welcome to Eden,” the man in the blazer said, sending shivers up Kendra’s spine. Eden. The connotations were deep with the name, and she was curious where they were. “I’m Lewis. You’ve already met my number one, Eric Keller.”

  “Wait,” Andrew said. “You’re Lewis? Lewis Hound?”

  “That I am,” Lewis said, smiling broadly. The corners of his eyes crinkled, and he winked at Diane.

  “Roland was right,” Kendra said, and it was clear she’d struck a nerve.

  “Did you say Roland?” Lewis asked.

  “That’s right. We were working with him to get here,” she answered.

  “It all makes sense. You’re the Kendra and Andrew he mentioned, then?” Lewis asked.

  “He’s here?” Andrew asked, visibly relieved.

  “He is.” Lewis led them to a spiral staircase and descended the steps, his soft-soled shoes silent as a predator.

  “What is this place?” Kendra asked, gripping the handrails. The entire structure rocked back and forth, causing her stomach to churn. She glanced over at Tony, whose face had paled dramatically.

  “Eden. I’ve already told you,” Lewis said again.

  Is this guy for real? Kendra wondered.

  “The Lord shall provide,” Shelley said from behind her. “I prayed for this, and it happened.”

  Kendra couldn’t even argue with the woman.

  The stairs went on for a ways, and Kendra’s legs were burning by the time they stopped. She set Diane on the ground, and the girl grabbed her hand, clutching tightly.

  Andrew was tense, and Kendra could see him boiling beneath the surface. She had only known the man a short time, but she could tell he wanted to throttle someone to find out where his girl was being held. She was impressed at his patience as they reached an elevator.

  The guards were at the bottom of the stairs now, Eric in front of the man and woman. “You two stay here, make sure there aren’t any more… drifters trying to come aboard.”

  “Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

  The oversized stainless-steel elevator doors sprang open with a ding, and Diane peered at Kendra as if seeking permission to go inside.

  “Go on, honey,” she said, trying to sound sure of herself. The truth was, she was grateful to be inside, safe from the raging disasters, but she was petrified at the same time.

  Andrew glanced over his injured shoulder at the guards before entering the elevator. Tony stood behind him, wet hair plastered to his face. The reverend was on cloud nine, humming a hymn as the doors closed, and they began moving down.

  “What is this?” Kendra asked again. “And please, don’t say Eden. Look, I know it’s your place, and we intruded uninvited, but aren’t you at least able to tell us what it is?”

  Lewis Hound’s smiled vanished. “This is what saves humanity, my dear. Out there, the world crumbles to a billion pieces, but in here, we’re the future of an entire race.” He stepped closer to Kendra, and she could smell his expensive cologne, his freshly-donned aftershave. “Don’t forget you are guests. If it had been up to Eric, you wouldn’t be. Don’t make me regret my decision, okay?” He spoke low, so low that Kendra wasn’t sure the others even heard him.

  Kendra nodded, biting her tongue. She was in Hound’s world now, and no one had told her the rules. One thing was clear; he was in charge.

  They moved for what felt like several minutes, and she had no idea how far they were below the Pacific. The doors opened as the lift stopped, and she followed Andrew off the elevator. Eric Keller stayed behind, talking to an armed guard, and Kendra locked eyes with him. He frowned in her direction and averted his gaze. Down here, Kendra still felt the gentle swaying of the underwater structure, but it was surprisingly subdued: more gentle the farther below the surface they went.

  The corridor was wide and at least ten feet tall, the walls metal and blue in color. It reminded her of a submarine, an underwater safehouse, maybe. Hound stopped at a massive bulkhead; a huge round hatch opened as he leaned forward for a retinal scan.

  Kendra’s heart raced as she stepped over the ridge and into another world. The floors and walls were so different from the rough metal materials of the other side. In here it was luxury, and she thought she could hear classical music playing softly. Diane still gripped her hand, but the girl was already changing, her mood shifting from afraid to curious. Tony smiled as he saw other people down the corridor, milling about in a room full of tables, some of them standing to see the newcomers.

  Lewis Hound turned to them, and clasped his hands. “I’ll have Ginny come and find you accommodations. There will be an interview so we can decide where you fit in, and Andrew, I must ask you for your weapon.” He held his palm out, pushing it toward the Marine.

  “Where is she?” Andrew asked, his voice almost inaudible.

  “Excuse me?” Lewis asked.

  “My daughter. Where is she?” he asked.

  “I don’t know…” Lewis started, but Andrew grabbed the man by his fancy jacket and shoved him against the molded white wall, cracking a computer screen.

  “Where is Val? Valeria Miller,” Andrew said, his voice eerily level and quiet.

  Kendra pulled him away, seeing two armed men rushing to their benefactor’s aide.

  To her surprise, Andrew let go of Hound, and the man brushed his chest off. “It’s okay,” he told the guards. “Your daughter is onboard?”

  “All signs led me to this point,” he said. “Wilkes had something to do with it.”

  Hound’s eyes went wide. “Now I know why he never made last call.”

  “Is she here?” Andrew asked, and Kendra saw a girl in a white jumpsuit watching the altercation from the other end of the corridor. “Is Val here?” he shouted this time, thick chords jutting from his neck.

  The voice was small at first, but clear.

  “Dad?”

  Thirty-Five

  Andrew

  2 Days Left…

  For a second, Andrew couldn’t believe his eyes, and then they were blurring with tears and he went tearing down the corridor. He swept Val up into a giant hug, then winced as his wounded shoulder sparked like an exposed wire, and set her down. Val clung to his neck, both of them laughing and crying at the same time.

  “How did you find me?” Val asked, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

  He set her down and held her at arm’s length, speechless. Afraid he might be dreaming, he bit his tongue until he tasted blood. Not a dream.

  “Dad?” Val prompted. She took a moment to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

  “I tracked the man who took you,” he said, his voice gruff.

  Val’s cheek twitched and fear darted through her eyes. “Is he here?”

  Andrew gave his head a slow shake. “No.” She didn’t need the details. Odds were that Val had no idea what a sicko David Wilkes had really been, and she was better off not knowing.

  Unable to help himself, Andrew pulled his daughter into another hug. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m
here now. We’re safe.”

  “What about Mom?”

  That took the wind out of Andrew, and he withdrew. “Well—” He turned his attention to the corridor to find the others approaching slowly. He met Lewis Hound’s gaze. “—Is there any way we could go back for someone?”

  Hound just shook his head. “The helicopters won’t reach land anymore. Neither will the ships.”

  Val looked to Hound, then to Andrew, her gaze hard and brittle. “But is she... did she...”

  “She made it to Texas with Mike. They’re safe. As safe as they can be, anyway.”

  Val grimaced. “Can we at least tell her that we’re okay?” Her gaze slid over to Hound.

  “The cell networks are offline. All we have left is satellite, and I’m afraid we can’t go around broadcasting anything if we want this place to stay hidden. But... maybe in a few days, when things settle down.” Hound’s lips twitched into a tight smile. “I’ll give the matter some thought.”

  “Please,” Val said. “We can’t let her think I’m dead.”

  “What’s better: that she thinks you’re dead, or that you actually are dead?”

  Andrew rounded on him with narrowed eyes. “Is that a threat?”

  “No. It’s a statement of fact. I saved all of you. In order to stay safe, you must abide by my rules. Communicating with the outside is forbidden for a reason. We don’t have room for the entire world in Eden.”

  Andrew scowled, but he decided to leave it at that.

  “Let us be thankful that at least we have survived,” Hound added. “Shall we go meet the others?” He jerked his chin to the entrance where Val was standing. They walked through into a vast circular chamber—what appeared to be some kind of lobby or lounge. The room was full of people dressed in white jumpsuits, all sitting on couches and at tables. There was a bar, and computer consoles built into the outer walls between windows that peered out into the black water. People looked up as they walked in. One of them turned from a computer console. Another familiar face.

  “Roland?” Andrew blurted. He couldn’t believe it.

  “Hey, man!” The kid sprang up from his chair and ran over to them. “You made it!”

  Andrew pulled him into a back-slapping hug. “Thanks to you.”

  Roland grinned, his gaze skipping around to take in the others. “Looks like you brought... friends?” he suggested with eyebrows raised.

  “Survivors from Eureka,” Andrew replied.

  “I’m Reverend Shelley Morris,” the old woman said, stepping forward to offer her hand. Roland shook it awkwardly.

  “A reverend, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  “Cool, cool.”

  Andrew turned and finished the introductions. “This is Tony,” he said, pointing to the teenage boy, his hair wild and sticking up at all angles. “And Diane.” The girl’s cheeks were tear-stained, and her eyes were red, but she managed a faint smile for Roland.

  “How old is she?” Roland asked.

  “I’m eight,” Diane replied.

  “The youngest passenger we have,” Hound said, placing a hand on her shoulder in a paternal gesture.

  Andrew frowned. “Yeah, about that—how did you decide who to...” He was about to say abduct, but stopped himself.

  “Who to save?” Hound asked. “Simple.” He spread his hands to indicate the people in the room. “These people are the best that humanity has to offer. One thousand in all. They are the seeds that will sprout from the ashes. A new era is about to begin.”

  Andrew did a quick head count. “There’s only a few dozen people here.”

  “This facility has over a hundred levels,” Hound replied.

  “Oh.” Andrew did a double-take. This facility was the size of a skyscraper, and almost all of it was underwater.

  Kendra’s brow wrinkled in thought. “So with us, that makes... a thousand and five?”

  “A thousand and six. I wasn’t counting myself. It’s an odd number, but we’ll find space for you. Speaking of, there she is—Ginny!”

  A woman in a blue jumpsuit crossed the lounge from the other side. An elevator with glass doors stood open behind her.

  She had long, straight red hair, freckled cheeks, and vibrant green eyes. “Hello,” she said, smiling brightly at them. “I’m Ginny Edwards. I’m in charge of supplies and personnel, as well as room assignments. We do have a few spare accommodations, but space is tight on board, and at the moment, those rooms are devoted to storage. It will take a little while for me to clear them out for you. In the meantime, are any of you hungry?”

  That suggestion provoked a noisy grumble from Andrew’s stomach.

  “We’re starving,” Tony said.

  Kendra nodded.

  “What he said,” Andrew added.

  “Then follow me!” Ginny about-faced and headed back the way she’d come.

  “I’ll leave you with Miss Edwards,” Hound said. “You’re in good hands.”

  He turned to leave, flanked by his guards. The doors of the lounge slid shut behind him with a muffled bang.

  Andrew felt Val tugging on his arm. “Let’s go! You have to see this place,” she said, pulling him after the others. “It’s amazing. Everything seems like it came from the future.”

  “Yeah,” Roland added, nodding his agreement. “Don’t even get me started on the computer systems. Now that’s some next-level shit!”

  Andrew smiled as they piled into the elevator. Kendra and Roland carried on their conversation about the facility, and Val chimed in occasionally with her own thoughts. He wasn’t paying attention. The sound of their voices enveloped him as the elevator raced downward, the lights of different levels flashing past the glass doors.

  He took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around Val’s shoulders, pulling her close. They were all lucky to be here, but he felt luckiest of all. His daughter was alive and safe. He still felt like it was a dream. It couldn’t be real. Maybe the helicopter had actually crashed before they made it here, and they’d all drowned.

  If so, then this was heaven.

  What does that make Hound? God?

  Andrew sobered with that thought, and he glanced at Reverend Shelley. She looked troubled, but whatever was on her mind, she wasn’t sharing it.

  This was real. Eden was real. And Hound might not be God, but he was definitely acting like a savior. Maybe he was trying to save the human race, but even a benevolent dictator was still a dictator.

  Andrew had a bad feeling that starting over after this cataclysm wasn’t going to be easy. How long were they supposed to stay here before they made for the shore to rebuild? How long would their supplies last? How many people were going to survive outside this shelter, and what kind of society would they string together from the chaos? At this point, he had more questions than answers.

  The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open to reveal a room full of tables and chairs, with a long serving counter wrapping halfway around the room.

  “It’s a buffet,” Ginny declared. “You can all go help yourselves!”

  Everyone hurried out of the elevator, but Andrew lingered until Val had to pull him out. “Come on!” she urged. “You have to try the lasagna!”

  “Sure,” he said through a wan smile. He let his daughter pull him along, all the while wondering: what’s going to happen when the food runs out? There was no way this facility was big enough to house a thousand people and still grow food for them. Whatever supplies they had were limited, and when they ran out, that would be it.

  Maybe it wouldn’t matter. Maybe they just had to weather the storm and bide their time until things settled down out there.

  Andrew comforted himself with that idea as he and the others dished food onto their plates and went to find a table. The lasagna was good—full of meat and cheese, animal products that weren’t going to last long.

  Come on, Andy, enjoy the moment, he thought. Hound didn’t put all this together just to watch everyone starve to death down here. He has to hav
e a plan.

  But what really worried him was that the billionaire had been talking like these thousand people were it. Like there wouldn’t be any other survivors. But that couldn’t be, could it?

  “How’s the lasagna?” Val asked.

  “It’s great,” Andrew replied, smiling tightly for her benefit.

  Thirty-Six

  Kendra

  1 Day Left…

  “You’re going to have to pull your weight,” the woman said. She’d introduced herself as Veronica, and her long black hair and pug nose made Kendra wonder if she’d chosen to rename herself after the comic book character.

  “I don’t mind doing work,” Kendra said. Each guest of Eden was responsible for pitching in. There were no staff, no crew to cater to their needs. It was only them, the one thousand guests, each with a particular skill, it appeared.

  “What’s the end game?” Kendra asked the woman as they folded the jumpsuits. Today she was on laundry duty, which everyone had to do once a week. It really wasn’t so bad, especially after a quiet sleep in her own room and a big breakfast in the mess hall. Things were looking up after the difficult journey to reach their destination.

  “We finish folding these two hundred jumpsuits,” Veronica said.

  “No, I mean…” Kendra stopped short, not wanting to bother with this conversation. She idly pondered what Andrew was doing. His reunion had been heart-wrenching, and Kendra was so glad for the two of them. “What did you have that they wanted, Veronica?”

  “I’m a neuroscientist,” she answered without the hint of a joke.

  “Of course you are,” Kendra muttered to herself.

  “What about you?” Veronica asked her.

  “I’m…” She considered telling the woman she wasn’t chosen; that if Hound had his way, she’d be dead, cast aside with the billions of other people around the world. “I’m a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Or… I was an FBI agent.” That struck home, the idea that she was no longer defined by her job. For most of her adult life, her work had been her life, and now that was gone, along with everything else.