𝖆𝖒𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖘𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖒 | d.f. | book two

🎀 apple81 🎀

10:12pm

"okay! i've eaten enough!" i tell him, pushing my bowl away from me.

"you feeling better?" he asks.

"yes. much better. i'm ready to see the surprise now."

"alright. let's clean up first," he tells me.

i gather my bowl and spoon and hand them to borkov.

i clean my area with a napkin and hand him the dirty napkin as well. he goes to walk away but stops and looks at me.

"i had told you earlier that i had no kids. i realize now that it's a lie. i do have kids. anna. and chin. they're not really mine but they are. i shouldn't have left them out like that. i have two kids," he says.

i smile.

"you'd still be a good dad. thank you for making me feel better."

"you should never feel bad. you are a cool kid apollonia. i'm going to take these to the kitchen. be right back."

i watch him walk away and into the kitchen.

everyone thinks i'm cool!

i'm cool!

cool!

borkov comes back and i stand.

he grabs my hand and we walk to the elevator.

he presses level nine.

"this is going to blow your little mind," he chuckles.

"it's that amazing?"

"yes it is," he nods.

i smile big.

what could it be?!

we go down passing level six, then seven, then eight, and finally landing on level nine.

the doors slide open, and my mouth drops open at the sight.

borkov and i walk into a forest. tall trees around us, standing unmoving.

there's so many of them!

"are we outside?!" i ask him.

"not exactly. we're still in the building," he tells me.

"can we go inside of it?"

"yeah! let's go explore. you want a piggyback ride?" he asks. "it's pretty tall grass down there."

i nod.

he bends down and i jump on his back.

he stands and i smell his clean scent.

it reminds me of before the virus.

"this place is cool!" i tell him, as he walks us over to a set of stairs that leads us further down. "and we're not outside?! this looks exactly like outside!" i tell him.

even smells like it.

"it's made to look that way. it's so if earth ever becomes inhabitable, then we'd have a remembrance of the outside world."

"scary. is outside still inhibit-inahabit-"

"inhabitable," he repeats, "yes. we are still able to breathe the air and walk the earth. but, it won't be a pretty sight out there."

"so why are we here?" i ask.

if earth is fine, why haven't we went anywhere else?

"we're hiding from soraya. we need to hide for a bit."