Apocalypse Love

Outpost Three

My eyes flutter open and my ears catch the sound of ticking. I slowly sit up, not recognizing the room I've woken up in. Candles are placed randomly in the room and one on the night stand next to the bed that gives the room and dim light. The door on the other side of the room suddenly opened and a woman with deep red hair, styled on top of her head walked into the room. She's got on a long black old Victorian dress. Her face is a little pale, like she hadn't gotten out in the sun in a long time. She's had on deep red lipstick. "Good you're finally awake" she spoke, taking a step further into the room. She leans against the cane that echoed off the wooden floor, her heels following it. "My name is Wilhelmina Venable, but you will address me as Ms.Venable" she greeted. "W-where am I?" I stuttered out. She tilted her head to the side "You don't remember?" Then it had hit me, the world had ended. I felt sick to my stomach "Ah...there it is" she smirked. "You must get up" she tells me. I slowly stand from the bed as she walked back over to the door. "Now, we have rules here" she begins speaking as we exited the room. I see people dressed in grey clothing, washing down floors and walls. "Like any society, we have the under class which is the greys. Our worker bees" she informed me. "Then, the purples" she added. I knit my brows together "What's a purple?" I questioned. "A purple is the elite, worthy of keeping you a live" she turned to me with a stone expression. "You Miss are a purple, that means you must remain in purple anytime you leave your corridors" she explained. "What's with the candles?" I asked her. "Going back to the old days, before cell phones and lights were taken advantage of" she informed me as we make it down the hall. "This is your room" she stared, stopping at a wooden door. She pushed it open with her can "Breakfast is at 8 am. Lunch noon and cocktail is at 6pm and dinner is at 8pm" she informed me as I step into the room. The walls are covered in creme paper and the floors are oak. "You will dress in your evening gowns at dinner that are located in your closet" she tells me. "Let this be your only warning, nobody is permitted to be out of their bedrooms past midnight and under no circumstances will there be any procreation. No excuses" she hissed out. I arched a brow high "No having sex?" I scoffed. Isn't it the end of the world? Wouldn't they want people making babies to keep the human race a live? "Are you serious?" I questioned. "I'm deathly serious, as you can ask. We just excucated two greys this morning who had been caught" she informed me. "Oh..." I shifted uncomfortably. "I'll leave you to it, dinner is in a few hours. You may join everyone in the lounge for cocktails" she tells me. "Thank you" I kindly tell her. She walked back over to the door, her cane echoing off the floor before she exited, shutting the door behind her. I was left alone in the dim lit room, trying to wrap my mind around everything. I made my way over to the closest, opening it up to see the purple colored old Victorian dresses. I never would wear this, not in a million years. But, it was the rules. I grabbed the purple gown with the black ruffles on the collar, shoulders and some in the skirt. I put it on and something didn't feel right. Knock knock! The door slightly crept open and a girl with a bun high on her head peaked her head inside the room. She has black bully glasses on her face and wears a grey uniform with a creme color apron. "I was send to help you with your dress..." She spoke. I knit my brows together before nodding and turning my back to her. She quickly appoarched me, grabbing a hold of the ties on the back of my dress and pulling tightly. "Oh!" I winched at the air caught in my lungs as she pulled even harder. "It's too tight" I shake my head. "I think they're supposed to be tight" she stated. "Right..." I sigh before she finally finished, tying the string in a bow and then wiping her hands on her apron. I slowly turn to her, extending my hand to her.  "I'm Athena..." I paused realizing I still don't remember my last name. I think of Samuel Adams. "Athena Adams" I smile. "Mallory Montgomery" she shakes my hand with a warm smile. "I have chores to do..." She informed me. "Right, I think that's all I needed" I nodded. "Nice to meet you Athena." "You too, Mallory." When she left the room I turned to my mirror, tilting my head to the side before placing my feet into my heels and walking towards the door.  I get into the hallway, hearing the faint music coming from down stairs as I get closer to the top step. I grip onto the railing, not used to wearing heels and slowly make my way down the grand staircase. I reach the bottom step and breath out, proud I didn't trip down the steps. I turn the corner, following the sounds of chatter and music. I get closer to the archway at the end of hall and see a group of people talking to one another. A man with blonde dyed hair shot up from the sofa. He's got on golden sunglasses and is wearing a purple suit with dark purple ruffles on the sleeves. "Someone new!" He gasped, walking up to me quickly. "What's your name?" He asked, linking his arm with mine. "Athena" I smile as he guides me closer to everyone else. "I'm Gallant" he introduced himself to me. "This is my nana, Andres and his boyfriend stu" he goes on, going around the room. "His aunt Danah Stevens." She looked familiar "Didn't you have a show?" I asked, looking at the colored woman who was pacing back and forth behind her nephew. "Yeah, did you watch my show?" She asked me. I shake my head "No, my best friend did" I confessed. "Anyway, last but certainly not least there's Coco" he pointed to the woman with the crazy makeup and her hair on the top of her head, few strands falling down the side of her head. "Hello." "You should so let me do your hair sometime, it's beautiful" Gallant offered. "Uh...maybe" I tried giving a smile but it came off a little too fake. "Leave the poor girl alone" Andres tells Gallant. "She doesn't want you ruining her hair" he added. Gallant unlinked his arm from mine. "Fuck you" Gallant hissed out. "You wish" Andres retorted. I feel someone tap my arm and I slowly turned to see Mallory extending a drink to me. "Thank you" I politely smile, taking the drink from her hand. I tip the clear liquid up into my mouth, tasting the water. "Sparkling water?" I knit my brows together. "Dm, you think they'd be giving out alcohol for the end of the world" I sigh. Gallant snorted out a laugh "I like you..." He look e over at Coco who gives him at death glare. I set the glass down on the stand at the end of the sofa that Gallant Nana sits with Dinah. Something about this place seemed too familiar. Maybe it had been the dark wallpaper that reminded me of Samuel kitchen. Or the fact the fireplace reminded me of the nights he and I spend curled up by the fire and watched old movies with one another. Samuel was the one person who I could trust. Now, he was gone and I didn't know how to mourn him. "Right Athena?" Gallant voice pulled me from my thoughts. I lifted my head, knitting my brows together. "What?" I asked. "We were thinking after dinner we could explore the outpost?" He suggested. I nodded "Sure..." "You alright dear?" Dinah asked me, placing her hand softly on my arm. "Yeah...I'm fine" I lie to her. Her hand gripped rougher onto my arm as he eyes rolled in the back of her head. She inhaled sharply "What the hell?" Andres shot up from the sofa, rushing over to his aunt side. "Auntie, what's wrong?" He asked as she blinked a few times. She completely ignored him, slowly turning to me. "What happened to you poor child?" She asked me. I jerk my arm free from her grip "Excuse me?" The question offered me. Dinah then looked around the room, nervously letting out a laugh. "I'm sorry...I don't know what got into me" she stated, shaking her head. I back away from the woman, glaring at her hard. Suddenly a woman with short, jet black hair entered the room with Ms.Venable. I tilted my head to the side to see her dark makeup, black clothes. She looked like something I had dreamt about. A woman who was far in the distance but, I could put my finger on it. Had I met her before? Ms.Venable slowly raised her hand, ringing a small bell before giving us a fake smile. "Dinner...is served" She announced to us. Great, dinner with strangers.