CODES

T H I R T Y - S E V E N

The air became dense as we descended the stairs. With my hand on the railing, I stared at the wall, watching as they changed from brick to stone. Ragged rocks. Province dug deep into the earth to hide their secrets, didn't they? Little did they know they unintentionally created a hideout for their future villain.

There's no way Polk has all of Province on his mind. He cares about one thing.

"Hey," Xerses said as he glanced back at me. I thought it was safer if I was at the end of the line. Matthews had already taken front; no talking him out of it. But I knew if something would happen, I wanted Xerses as safe as possible. I didn't need someone else I cared about to be in trouble tonight.

I slowed my steps a bit as I locked onto his gaze. "What's up?"

He passed his hands over his chest as we continued. "Do you feel that?" He looked around the stairway. The further we got, the more narrow it seemed. Once upon a time, I was claustrophobic. "Something's in the air."

I tongued my cheek as I focused on our surrounding space.

"I feel it," Matthews looked back at the both of us, "it's almost suffocating, right? I thought it was just me. I hate tight spaces."

"It is," Xerses looked down at Matthews, "but there's a buzzing, too. My skin's prickling."

"Yeah." Matthews stopped so he could point as he agreed. "That's what I'm feeling."

I wanted to agree with them, too, but this wasn't like when we were outside. Before coming into this monument, I felt like I was walking through a swarm. Now, I felt as normal as I could be. Slight buzzing, but nothing crazy. I also didn't feel anything on my skin. If there was something, I felt... emptiness. A feeling from the Void I tried my hardest to forget sometimes.

I continued, quickening my steps, almost walking into Xerses. "Maybe it's air pressure. I feel like we've already gone down a few floors beneath the building."

"True." Xerses nodded as he stepped further down. "Province made sure this was hidden."

"Have to dig deep to bury secrets." A bottom floor was visible and Matthews jogged the rest of the way. "That's what the Province is all about," he said. "Secrets, buried lies, and power."

I snorted as I bit my tongue. "That's been the world since I could remember. Province isn't doing anything new."

"Facts." Xerses made it to the bottom floor and stood beside Matthews. They both turned to look up at me as I continued my way down. But the closer I got, the slower I moved. Had they noticed all the flashing lights behind them? Tiny, flicking bulbs were all over the walls.

I pointed over Matthews' shoulder. "Did you see that?"

He turned and lifted his brows. "Maybe I did? Maybe I didn't?" He took three steps forward toward the lights. "It looks like a bunch of computers."

Skipping the bottom step, I jumped down to stand beside them and scanned the floor. It wasn't narrow like the stairs that'd led us here; rather it was large and open, with aisles created by tall computers resembling cabinets, each about my height. I walked toward one row and eyed the panels, neatly and evenly placed; they looked like drawers, but I doubted I could open them.

I passed my fingers over the number 2365 and glanced at Matthews and Xerses. "Doesn't this remember you guys of something?"

Xerses continued ahead, touching the panels as I'd done. "Actually, yeah." He looked back at me. "It reminds me of the Domes, back when there were computers inside of them."

"You mean before you blew them up?" Matthews smirked as he walked around Xerses, touching the computers, too. "Just joking."

Xerses rolled his eyes. "You weren't."