Outbreak

Chapter 17

Taylor

I only remember a couple things from after we left the medbay.

Lenny told us all a few ground rules - curfew, no using our weapons on humans, noise regulations - then took us all to the sixth floor and pointed the boys towards a room down the hall from the elevator. He opened a door into another room and bid us goodnight as we walked inside We turned off the lights and threw our stuff on the floor, and all fell into beds, still in our dirty clothes. 

Then... nothing.

. . . . .

I wake up to the wooden planks of a bunk bed above me, and for a split second I forget where I am. Then I remember last night.

I stretch, turn my head, and see a wardrobe leaning against a wall. I crawl out of the bed to see that I was lying on the bottom half of a bunk bed. Ivy's still sleeping on the top bunk, and I turn to see another bunk bed opposite ours with tangled sheets and blankets. I walk past the wardrobe and into the main room, where an armchair lies on the opposite side of the room, next to a couch and a side table. A clock on the wall says it... 11 AM?! My stomach growls, and driven by hunger I approach the door and press a promising-looking green button, which makes the door slide open quietly. 

I stick my head out the doorway cautiously to look around, and then step into the hallway. The door closes behind me, and I lean my head over the railing. Three floors below, the cavern floor is bustling with life. Long rows of tables are set over most of the floor, with a circular bar in the middle. Tiny people behind the bar dish up food to those waiting in line.

"Hey, Taylor!" 

I turn at my name, and see Quinn walking out of the elevator and towards me. She's wearing a dark blue hoodie, and droplets of water are still dripping from her long blonde hair as she dries it with a towel. But despite her clean appearance, she looks... sick, with red rims around her blue eyes. 

"You ok?" I ask in concern. "You don't look too good." She reaches me, opens the door to our room, and throws her towel inside. 

"Fine, fine," she says casually, waving her hand dismissively. "Everything's fine. Just a cold. Let me show you where to get food!" I'm not sure I believe her, but follow her anyway. She would tell us if something was really wrong.

We take the elevator to the ground floor, where Quinn takes me to the dining hall. I grab a plate and as Quinn and I line up, I look around at the unfamiliar scene before me. There are people of all ages talking, eating, and laughing. I haven't seen anything like this in a long time.

"You gonna eat?" I ask Quinn. She shakes her head. "Nah, I ate earlier this--" she winces and clutches her arm. "You good?" I asked, alarmed. She straightens, a strained smile pasted on her pale face. 

"Yeah, fine." No, she's not. And the way she's acting is... familiar. So familiar it's frustrating, but I can't put my finger on it. I shrug it off and move up the line.

Once I load up my plate with scrambled eggs, baked beans, and fruit salad, food I haven't seen in a long time, I look around for a table when I see Emmett waving us over. I grin and walk over to them. When I sit down next to Ezran, I notice that only two people are missing; Eric and Ivy.

"So how's everyone like it here?" I ask while chewing on a piece of pineapple. Mal pushes his eggs around his plate sulkily. 

"Now I have to wear an actual cast and walk around with those dumb crutches. I was actually getting used to limping around." We all laugh.

Quinn winces again, and I look at her arm, concealed by her hoodie sleeve. She's clutching it so tight, her knuckles are turning white. Something's wrong now, I know it. I start to say something, but she stands up abruptly. 

"I'm going for a walk." She leaves, and we all look at each other. She's definitely hiding something - I'm sure of it.

Michael

For an underground base with limited access to sunlight, the food here is pretty great.

After Quinn leaves, Lenny comes over and sits next to Mal. "Hey guys, how're you liking it here so far?" I grin. "How can underground apocalyptic food be this good?" He laughs. 

"We have underground plant farms, and animal sectors with grass and artificial sunlight. It's amazing, what modern technology can do nowadays. Also, we have mass storage rooms where we keep long-lasting foods, mostly canned goods." I nod. 

"So are most of the people here from the air base, or...?" He shakes his head.

"When the apocalypse first broke out, more than half the base got bitten. We escaped here and started broadcasting our location almost immediately, so more people could find safety. Most of the folk that lived in the area came within the first few weeks, but new arrivals became rarer and rarer. Now, we think this is all that's left. Then again, people can surprise us. We thought we were the only ones before your group turned up.

"Our colony has elected leaders, including me, my brother Max - he found Quinn and Eric - and a few others. Every night a group of us - volunteers only - go out and check the perimeter of the base for any survivors. Finding you made our efforts worthwhile." 

I smile sincerely. "Thank you for that. I don't think our group would've found each other after we got lost if not for you." He nods. "All part of the job. Mind if I ask where you all are from?" 

"Some of us are from Australia, but we picked up a few more along the way," Jason says over his plate. We lived in Norfolk County for a while before yesterday when we drove here." Lenny raises in eyebrows. 

"Canada?" he says in surprise. "That's a long drive for a few kids." 

"We learnt how to drive a long time ago," Mal says tightly. "You pick up a few things in an apocalypse." 

There's an awkward silence.

Ivy approaches with a plate of food, and seats herself next to Emmett. "Took you long enough," Ezran says, mouth full. "I didn't even know humans could sleep that long." She rolls her eyes and chews her toast.

I look around. "What do you guys do around here, anyway?" 

"We have a small schooling system, and the gym for everyone to keep in shape. We also have a pool, next to the gym, and next to that is the showers - fifth floor." 

"Honestly, I don't know if we can last much longer without going insane, and it's only been half a year. I'm not sure if being outside constantly running from the zombies isn't a better way to live."

I can't tell if he's joking or not. I don't think he realizes what a nightmare the real world is. I look at the rest of my friends, and I can tell they're thinking the same thing.

Suddenly, a scream erupts from a few meters behind me, and everyone in the dining hall jumps up. 

I stand, and shove through a small crowd to reach the source of the noise to find... 

Quinn.