William was escorted through the dark hallways by a couple of burly men, with Claire following right behind under similar circumstances. Their hands had been tied together; their weapons confiscated. They had done all they could. And it didn’t feel like it was worth the effort.
All he ever wanted was to live a normal life. After that normal life broke apart, he just focused on surviving. After survival proved pointless, he just wanted to keep going until he didn’t feel like fighting fate anymore. And if that was how he was meant to die, so be it.
New people stumbled their way into his life, people that made him think it might have been worth it to try and survive for a bit longer. And then…
[Lilian wasn’t kidnapped… And I think Nora knows exactly how to find her…]
[What do you mean? Has she done this before…?]
[Y-Yeah…]
They knew, of course they knew. They were runaways, and they dragged him into whatever that situation was. And he wasn’t sure he had the energy to deal with it.
‘I’m… tired.’
…
As William was taken into an entirely different subway platform, he took a look around the place. He didn’t really care that much about it, but some peculiarities grabbed his attention nonetheless.
Most of the underground complex was poorly lit with some scattered, rudimentary light sources, leaving the vast majority of the tunnels cast in shadows; with the exception of a few shy patches of light, around which most of the activity bundled up. There were at least a couple dozen people living in the area, and many of them were children and elderly. William thought of that group as nothing but a gang of thugs, but what he saw in those hallways was a very different story.
The living conditions were grim at best. Those people were living in barely more than a couple of mattresses laying on the floor. Cardboard boxes were the only reminiscent of furniture in sight. With no sense of order or structure whatsoever, everything gave the impression of having been put together in a hurry.
Most of the inhabitants didn’t even react when William’s group passed by. Those who did react, merely looked at them sideways, trying not to keep eye contact for too long. Even the children appeared to be devoid of energy.
It was worth noting that, cheerlessness aside, the kids looked okay. But most adults didn’t. Many of them were malnourished, the shape of their bones starting to stick out under their skin, their dry lips yearning for a sip of water. Those people had some clear priorities in mind. And it was never a good sign when such priorities became necessities.
William looked at them with indifference. As needy as those people might have been, it wasn’t his problem, and he wanted it to stay that way. After all, that group was still responsible, in one way or another, for the crumbling of everything he had fought for since the beginning of the pandemic.
They could all rot in hell for all he cared.
******
Much like William, Claire offered no resistance while the man tied her hands behind her back and then secured them to a sturdy pipe on the wall. She was forced to sit on the floor, and she couldn’t manage to find a comfortable position that didn’t put strain on her legs, but she didn’t really care. At least the pain gave her something to focus on, something to diverge her attention away from her thoughts.
Within that same dark restroom, a couple of meters away from her, William had been restrained in a similar manner. She consciously avoided making eye contact with him. She couldn’t possibly look him in the face. She really intended to talk to him about everything that had happened. But with the way things had turned out, how could she?
‘Not like this… This wasn’t supposed to happen…’ tears kept pooling under her eyes and impairing her vision, but with her hands bound she couldn’t wipe them off.
The two men finished securing their restraints and then walked back out of the restroom without even saying a word. Claire did notice their resentful gazes falling upon them though. She felt a knot forming on her stomach. They probably wouldn’t have even made it to that restroom in one piece, had that Marcus guy not requested their safety.
Speaking of the devil.
Marcus entered the room, carrying a lit camping lantern, which he placed on the floor near the entrance, filling the place with much needed brightness. He closed the door behind him and then stared at Claire and William for a while, with cunning eyes. He looked just as calm and unimpressed as he did back at the subway platform.
“This is indeed unfortunate. Julien had told me about the resistant girl on the run, but he said nothing about her having family or friends…” said Marcus, looking directly at Claire.
“I don’t care what you say… You’re all the same… Just get to the point already…” she replied. She felt too exhausted to engage in proper conversation, but there was a lingering anger in her mind that wouldn’t let her stay silent.
“Claire, is it? Listen, Claire… Don’t get me wrong. I understand what you might be going through. All the hurdles you must have gone through to make it this far, only to have your friend taken away from you like this… It must be rough. But as rough as it is, this loss is unavoidable. It’s someth—” his speech was suddenly interrupted by a low chuckle coming from the other side of the room.
Was that William? Claire had never actually heard him laugh before. And that was definitely not a genuine laugh, it exuded sarcasm in every way possible. Marcus turned around to face him, almost tilting his head sideways in what seemed to be confusion.
“I don’t think I understand what’s so funny, William. Ah, I hope I’m remembering your names right…”
“You’re full of shit.” said William, giving him a scornful look. “Hearing you talk about loss makes me want to puke.”
“It’s only natural that you resent me.” Marcus took a couple of steps towards William. “I’m fully aware of what Jacobs did to you and your people.”
“Oh yeah? I bet you were happy to hear about it.”
“Actually, I wasn’t. That was entirely his choice, not mine. You’ve seen what kind of man he his. You can’t really control someone like that. It’s like attempting to tame a rabid dog; it will bite the arm that feeds it.”
Marcus started walking in circles around the restroom.
“I founded this community because I wanted to help people, not hurt them. But when faced with individuals like him, leadership and charisma won’t cut it. I give him the freedom he desires, in exchange for his support. But it’s a fragile balance of power, and freak accidents are bound to happen. And the longer we stay here, the more likely they are.”
He stopped wandering around and stared again at Claire.
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“Which takes us back to you. Or, more specifically, to the other girl, Lilian.”
Claire felt a shiver down her spine. She knew what he was about to say. And she didn’t want to hear it. But she didn’t have a choice.
“I’m sure you’re aware of the big picture, aren’t you? It’s extremely risky for the military to get anywhere close to this area. They won’t risk their lives to save us, we mean nothing to them under these circumstances. All of us are worthless, except for that girl. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to get their hands on her.” he crouched down beside her, trying to get to her eye level. Somehow, his speech didn’t sound as oppressive and arrogant as Julien’s. But still, she didn’t trust him at all. “She will keep dragging people towards her, colliding interests will clash over her custody, and calamity will follow.”
After pondering for a moment, Marcus stood up and took a deep breath before continuing.
“When Jacobs came back from your shelter, another man managed to come back with him. His hand had a bite wound. Clueless as he was about the girl’s nature, he didn’t think much of it. Some disinfectant, a couple of bandages, and he’d be good to go… He turned, in the middle of the night. Many innocent people died before we could contain the ensuing shambler wave.”
Claire remembered the incident back at the apartments. When she opened fire, the one guy she missed was most likely the guy Marcus had just talked about. Had she aimed better, could those innocent deaths have been prevented? The thought kept floating in her subconscious.
‘Am I… responsible for this, somehow…? For this, too…?’
“Julien also told me about what happened back at your original shelter. He didn’t go into the details, but it doesn’t take a lot of audacity to figure out that the girl was somehow involved. Do you get where I’m going, Claire?”
Claire raised her eyes to meet his.
“She’s a bone of contention, a potential walking disaster as long as she remains out here without proper surveillance. It will happen again. People will fight over her. If other survivor groups hear about her situation, what little remains of civilization will degrade into a tribal war. Wherever she goes, she’ll be a bad omen. Hoping for the best is just wishful thinking.”
He walked back towards the door and grabbed the lantern off the floor.
“I truly don’t want to drag your friend away from you, but this is something that needs to be done for the greater good. And it might just be the only chance of salvation we have left.”
He opened the door and gave both of them one last look before stepping outside.
“Why…?” asked Claire. Marcus stopped at the doorway and turned back around. “What was the point…? Why did you come here…? You’re going to do whatever the fuck you want anyway. Why bother with the self-righteous speech…?”
“The fact that the both of you are still alive means that you’re capable enough. And we need people like that. I’m simply hoping for some degree of mutual understanding. It’s undeniable that we have our differences, but we should definitely do our best to overcome them.”
“Shove your banter up your ass. You’re delusional.” replied William. His voice sounded raspy. “Go talk about our differences to my dead friends, you’ll see how excited they are to hear about them. Pray that I never break free from these restraints.”
Marcus didn’t say anything else, he simply sighed and closed the door, leaving them in pitch darkness once again.
The situation quickly became uncomfortable. Claire could hear William’s breathing from the other side of the room, but neither of them were saying anything. She wouldn’t dare talk to him; not after what had happened. And he probably didn’t feel like talking to her either. She felt dirty. Dirty, and hopeless. Yet there was nothing she could do to fix it.
Her legs were numb. With the complete lack of external stimulus, there was nothing she could use to keep herself busy, except her own thoughts. Guilty thoughts, hammering incessantly at her own sanity.
******
He was a ball of nerves, as he scurried down the hallways, trying to stay in the darkness as much as he could. He didn’t want to grab anyone’s attention, if at all possible. People didn’t usually care about him, but he still remained on edge. He knew those guys weren’t fooling around. If someone suspected that he was into some kind of shady business, he would get in big trouble.
Why was he feeling so unsettled by what he had witnessed? She looked like any ordinary teenager, yet something about her made him anxious. And why him? Of all people, why did she seem to choose him in particular?
######
Something had happened, that kind of commotion wasn’t usual. Marcus’ men had brought some people into the station some minutes ago, but he didn’t get to see who they were. Nobody told him anything specifically, and he wasn’t going to snoop around uninvited. He was left wanting to know more, and that was it.
But very few things were as uncommon as watching Marcus himself escorting someone into that dump of a shelter. And a teenager, on top of that. He watched in silence from his corner, as the group of people marched across the hallway.
Everyone seemed scared of the young girl for some reason. Most of Marcus’ thugs were rude and rough with anyone that wasn’t Marcus, yet they walked a couple of feet away from her, as if afraid of touching her. Only Marcus himself, along with a strange suited man, were reasonably close to her.
The group suddenly stopped, and the men started talking about something. The fearful lackeys started dispersing, after taking new orders. They were quite a distance away, making it difficult to tell what they were talking about.
The scene looked somewhat disturbing. The girl was visibly uncomfortable, fidgeting and looking around with sadness in her eyes. Was it actually sadness, though? Her facial expression was bitter, yet devoid of emotion at the same time.
Her behavior was weird. She started staring at the people around her, most of which weren’t even paying attention. She seemed to slant her head sideways for a moment, then switch her gaze to another person, then repeat. Was she looking for someone? He kept watching, but tried not to give it too much importance. It wasn’t his business after all.
…
‘Ah, she’s looking at me now…’
…
‘O-Oh god, why is she still staring at me…!?’
He could feel those eyes penetrating him from a mile away. Very dark eyes, almost jet black; but they had a light of their own, a mysterious blue sparkle, flickering shyly. He felt entranced. It took him a good deal of effort to diverge his attention away from her. It was then that he noticed why was she staring at him so intently.
The girl pointed with her hand back towards the hallway she had come from, in the direction of the subway platform. She slightly swayed her hand back and forth, as if attempting to add further emphasis. Furthermore, her lips moved. It was a very subtle movement, but it felt like she was trying to spell something for him.
The men finished their conversation and started to walk again, dragging the girl down the hallway. They got closer and closer to him, passed right in front of his spot, then disappeared into the darkness.
It was there, when the girl was right in front of him, almost within arm’s reach, that he could make out what she was trying to spell.
‘…pretty… please…?’
######
The men keeping watch on the platform had gone back with the others, probably to grab a drink. As reckless and stupid as it might be to leave the area unattended, he was thankful for it. He had to take that chance. If someone spotted him over there and questioned him, he didn’t have an excuse to provide without looking suspicious.
His mind felt heavy, hazy. The platform was silent, with the exception of the typical eerie noises that emerged from the track tunnels. He stepped forward and started walking around, unsure of what he was looking for.
******
Bitter sobbing broke the silence in the pitch blackness of the restroom. William turned his head slightly in the direction of the noise.
“I can’t… It’s always like this…” said Claire, barely able to speak while crying. “We have to do things for the greater good, and nobody gives a fuck about us…”
William said nothing.
“If they need to break us apart, tear us to pieces… they will… What can we do but run…? How can we say anything, voice our concerns, call out for help, when anyone would be willing to take advantage of our circumstances…?”
Willing to go to any length to save a friend, to protect a loved one… He knew what that felt like. And he also knew how it tasted to fail at it. It was a bitterness that time couldn’t possibly heal. Running away, suspicious of everyone and everything, with their entire world on their tails… He got the picture. He was angry, but he understood. At least, a little bit.
“Listen… I want to hear it. Right now.” he said.
“H-Huh…?”
“The whole story.” he added, before a brief pause. “I’m tired, Claire. Exhausted. I feel like a fool. And in a way, I hate you all.”
“I’m… sorry…”
“A part of me feels like giving up, like it isn’t worth it anymore. But the other part of me wants to keep fighting until the end. Give me a single reason to keep going, Claire; a single reason to care. Please.”
Claire tried her best to compose herself and stop her tears. After some unusually long seconds, her sobbing faded away.
“Alright…”
Then, she started talking.