Dissonance - Book One

thirty-three

The elevator doors shut behind us. They look heavy, definitely made of reinforced steel. I still don't fully understand where we are, but it's clear that no expense was spared in the building of this mysterious place.

"We call it 'the apartment,'" Cavanaugh says, staring at me in a way that makes me uncomfortable. He's been watching me closely since the second we stepped foot in this hole; this massive seemingly endless hole, which brings me to yet another reason why I blindly followed these strangers down into this pit. I can't help but wonder if this is the hole my aunt was speaking of, which is another reason why I caved and followed them inside.

"It's designed to house hundreds, even thousands of people," he continues, even though I didn't ask. "Although, not that many made it. Everything happened much faster than we expected."

His comment gets my attention.

"Than you expected?"

"Oh come on Miss Lewis, you're a smart enough cookie to have figured out what you're looking at isn't the keen foresight of some group of small-town, apocalyptic-obsessed crazies."

"So then why don't you cut to the chase and tell us exactly what this is and who you are."

He gives Jacobs a furtive glance before speaking.

"All right," he finally gives in. "In layman's terms, what you're looking at is a government sanctioned end-of-the-world bunker and Jacobs and I are government employees issued with the task of getting..." he pauses and looks at Jacobs, then continues. "...people to safety in the event...well, in the event that we should wind up in the exact situation we're currently in. I'd say you're damn lucky you lasted as long as you did out there and you're even luckier that you stumbled upon us."

I'm not sure if lucky is the sentiment that I'm feeling right about now and I can't help but feel like he stumbled upon us and not the other way around, but I keep that thought to myself. His story seems to be missing an awful lot of information, but I let it rest for the time being. It's enough for now.

"We're here. Everybody out," he orders as the elevator comes to a halt.

We step out of the elevator and walk into a giant corridor. I look up at the tower of rooms, one stacked upon the other. I see now why they call it "the apartment," although I might have nicknamed it "the prison" instead. It's dark and depressing, much like humanity's chances of surviving on Earth. People lean out the "windows" of their apartments, although they seem more like cells, covered with bars instead of glass. They hoot and holler at us as we're led through the corridor. We're ogled at like fresh meat; curious eyes follow our every step. If this is where we'll have to spend the remainder of our days, I'd rather take my chances up top.

"Do you trust these guys?" I whisper to Lex as the two men lead us farther down the corridor. Lex thinks about it for a minute.

"I don't really know who to trust," she replies, looking me straight in the eye for what feels like an eternity. I immediately assume she's referencing my unforgivable deed, my breach of trust, my betrayal of our friendship. Does she know about Wyler and I? The more I kiss him, the more difficult it becomes to hide my feelings. Of course she knows. How could she not? She's my best friend. She knows me better than anyone. I'm sure she's suspected something, but this hardly seems like the time to discuss my indiscretion.

"In here," Jacobs points for us to enter a room. I hesitate for a moment. Neither Wyler nor Lex budges. They both look at me to tell them what to do. It's an odd shift, me being the leader, but it is beginning to feel more and more natural. Tentatively, I step into the small room and look around. It's no more than 400 square feet. The floors and walls are concrete and there are two metal slabs with mattresses on top. There's a small closet, shower and a toilet. No windows.