I stared out the dirty window of the military truck and silently watched the scenery pass us by. I was chosen to sit in the backseat beside the governor, and Isabelle sat on his other side. Alex was in front of me fully focused on the road, and Lucas was in the passenger seat taking constant peeks behind him to ensure Isabelle was okay. The drive was thick with tension that no one wanted to break, so we sat in silence. It was an hour drive to the bunker the president had ordered us to meet him at. We were only twenty minutes in but already the truck felt suffocating.

My nerves were getting the best of me as I tried desperately to focus on each hill we passed by. The road was winding towards increasingly more desolate surroundings as the minutes passed. There was less and less to look at and distract myself with. My mind slipped back on my conversation with Jake before we announced the meeting to the rest of the facility.

“The actual president?” Jake had asked in disbelief.

I just nodded silently and gave him a moment to soak it in. As expected he pleaded to join us, reasoning that his Oddity could be of use. I reminded him of the terms President Madison had set. Just us five. No one else could come. I watched his heart break as he accepted the fact that he couldn’t be there with me. I felt so guilty always leaving him out, and I couldn’t even argue with his fears. He was right, my life was in danger and this could be a trap, but it was something we felt we had to go through with.

I considered telling him how I actually felt about the situation. That I’d rather be dead than continue living while being hunted down simply for existing. I didn’t want to kill anymore, and I didn’t want to run. I wanted to see our parents, go to college, and live a normal life. This wasn’t fair and I was too tired to keep it up. So I’d rather risk it all if there was even a tiny chance that the president would take this burden from us. But I couldn’t tell all that to my little brother, not with the pain already showing on his face. It would be cruel. Instead I just apologized and held him in a tight hug, assuring him that we could do this.

“Wake up,” Alex said as he softly rubbed my arm.

My eyes fluttered open and the hot air seeped into my skin from the open door where Alex stood next to me. I must have fallen asleep on the drive. Everyone else was out of the truck already. I took a quick look around to see where the address had led us. The land was flat and empty. There was a long winding gravel driveway behind us and a small old building in front of us. The sign on the old wooden building said Texas Train Museum, but I knew that was a lie. A bunker must lie beneath it. There were two black SUVs parked near us in the large gravel circle. Calling it a parking lot would be an overstatement.

It was a convincing cover for sure. Even if I found myself driving in the middle of nowhere and looked down the gravel driveway out of curiosity, it wasn’t a place I’d stop at. It made me wonder how many other bunkers were scattered about the country like this one, and what covers they had.

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and hopped out of the truck, groaning as the relentless summer heat attacked me. The five of us walked into the museum and an old bell mounted atop the door chimed to alert the attendant of our entrance. A large bearded man dressed like a lumberjack briskly walked over to us. His hand rested on the revolver strapped to his belt. He eyed us suspiciously, likely scanning us for weapons. The text had specifically forbidden us from bringing any, and we weren’t foolish enough to sneak them in. Once the man seemed content he nodded and brought his watch up to his mouth.

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“Texas Mockingbird has landed,” he said into the watch in a surprisingly deep voice.

He then held his finger to the earpiece he had in his right ear. I hadn’t noticed it before. He paused as he listened to someone I couldn’t hear, and then motioned for us to follow him to another room. We walked behind him silently, passing by rows of old train memorabilia. We entered what looked like an office, and the man flipped up a hatch that led to a set of steel stairs. Unlike the building we were in now the underneath looked newer, and far more industrial. It was more what I expected to see.

The walls were concrete and cameras covered every angle of the stairs. We were led down the winding stairs until we reached a long hallway full of closed doors. The man led us down the hall and finally came to a stop in front of a door that looked just like all the others. He knocked twice, and the door clicked. He opened the door for us and stood to the side, allowing us to enter. We filed into the surprisingly large meeting room and the man followed us in, closing the door behind him and standing in front of it with his arms crossed.

There was a long oval table in the center of the room with office chairs all around it. A nicer leather chair was at the middle of the table, and in it sat President Madison with a serious look on his face. He had dark brown hair, cut short and neat, and he was much taller and more fit than I’d thought from seeing his news appearances. Even under the suit you could tell the man cared greatly for his fitness. Standing at both sides of him were two guards, with weapons at the ready should we try anything. On the table in front of the president was some paperwork and a handgun just within his reach.

“Please have a seat,” Madison said firmly.

“Thank you for meeting with us President Madison,” Alex said as he took the seat directly across from the president.

I sat on his left, and Lucas hesitantly took the seat on his right. Isabelle sat next to Lucas and shrank down in her chair immediately. Governor Barrett went over to the side of the table and sat as far away from everyone as he could. We stared at the president, and waited for him to speak.

“I appreciate you following my instructions. I don’t tolerate disobedience or failure, as my governor here can tell you,” Madison said looking to his left with disdain.

Barrett swallowed hard and nodded. He tried to remain calm, but sweat was already beading up near his hairline.

“Nothing to say for yourself?” Madison asked Barrett, sounding amused.

“I’m sorry sir. I was incapable-” Barrett was cut off by the president, who rose his hand to silence him.

“On second thought I’ve had about enough of your excuses. Guards? As we discussed,” Madison said coldly.

On command the two guards walked over to Barrett and raised him by the shoulders, escorting him out of the room. The guard dressed as a lumberjack opened and closed the door for them, remaining inside the room with us. I listened intently as another door next to us opened and closed and Barrett pleaded for his life. A loud shot rang out, and Barrett went silent. For a split second I wondered if the president had neglected to soundproof the rooms for the express purpose of mind games like this.

The mood in the room was heavier than before as we all accepted what happened in the next room. Barrett was right. Madison seemed to be a cruel man, and had the governor killed without letting him utter even a single sentence in his defense. The president was clearly sending us a message. Disobey and that was where our future ended.

“Sorry about that. Just taking care of some quick business,” Madison said with a cruel smile. “Now then, on to business of our own, yes?”