Meridian | The Second Life III [COMPLETED]

15 - Storm

- R I V I A N -

"That's the Apollo," Catey whispers as we duck into a nearby alleyway. The building's right there, the supposed safe house of the surviving members of the Circle. This place used to be legendary but now sits in disrepair like much of the crumbling city around us.

"We get in, do what we need to, and get out," Eagle reminds, inspecting one of her alarm clocks. "We don't know what we're walking into. Don't let your guard down."

"Let's do this," Zach says, confidently priming his rifle. We begin walking that way with our eyes pivoting around. The light dusting of snow feels like an old carpet floor beneath our shoes. To the west, we can see the yellow-orange hue of the sunset sandwiched between the horizon and the edge of the clouds. The warmth of the evening and the coolness of the snow clash intensely- it's strangely beautiful.

I twirl my machete as we stop outside the door to the Apollo. I can't hear anything inside, though I don't know what I expected. Catey draws an arrow before lightly twisting the handle to the building. She slowly opens it, presumably to avoid squeaking hinges, as Zach covers her. It's dark inside; the lobby sits dusty and abandoned.

We quietly shuffle in, weapons on standby. I see the theater itself through the open doors, lit by candlelight. Red seats clash with the white and yellow walls. Stairs are on either side of me, leading to the upper seating areas. I hear faint movement from inside the theater, and the rest do too. Catey motions for us to divide in two. Before we do though, Evan picks up a book sitting on a table.

"What the fuck?" He whispers, looking at the paper with a mix of confusion and terror.

"What?" Eagle whispers.

"My scavenging route map and log," Evan mutters, barely audible. "I lost this weeks ago."

His eyes are wide as he folds up the paper and quietly stuffs it in his pocket. We don't have time to think about how that got here now, but... that's strange. Very strange. We finally get in position, with Catey and I choosing the left aisle while the others take the right.

On the stage, a man is messing around with a backpack. It seems like he's packing it with something, though it's impossible to see what from here. Catey aims her bow, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"Cross," Evan calls, breaking the silence as the name echoes around the theater. The man, Cross, turns around quickly, his eyes wide as he sees us five.

"Evan," he responds in a deep tone, scanning the room. "Why are you here?"

"The horde," Catey states, her bow on standby. "We thought you'd like to tell us how it's seemingly under control."

I hear a sound play in the room, like a radio channel connected to the loudspeaker. In fact, that's exactly what it is. "Hello, Battery," a male voice sneers.

"Who the hell is that?" Zach interrogates in a shaky voice, with his gun pointed right at Cross.

"That's Chuni," Evan sighs, scanning the room. "Long time no see, Chuni."

"Hello, traitor," Chuni greets, the speaker crackling as he talks. "I didn't expect you to be here. Maybe I should've, considering the boneheaded move Nikita made, but it doesn't matter now."

"Where are you?" Eagle remarks, tightening her grip on her weapon. "We're not here to kill you guys. We just want to talk."

"Obviously, I'm not there," Chuni responds, his words echoing around the room. "I'm actually closing in on the Sanctuary."