Survivors of The Pandemic

12

After arriving at his office, he asks me to sit and I do so, sitting obediently down in the chair opposite the desk that he's sitting behind. He studies me for a minute, not saying a word and I feel my anxiety hitting the roof with anticipation.

"Will you cut to the chase?" he smiles at my eagerness.

"I'll let you and that little group of yours live if you will follow my rules." I lean back in my chair, liking the proposition so far.

"Depends on what the rules are." He clicks his tongue, clearly annoyed by my lack of cooperation. He probably would've preferred me to just go along with whatever he would propose without hearing everything. I may be young, but I'm not stupid.

"You will help us rebuilt the society, doing exactly as we say. Cooperate with us and agree to using power damper that will be developed in the ear future and stay in your assigned rooms. You will no longer be able to see each other with the risk of an uprising." I mentally scoff at his idea.

He wants us to be good little guard dogs that he can use as he wants? Keeping us separated, that's a no. power damper which will eliminate our use of our own abilities will feel like just like a piece of our identity had been taken away from us. That's obviously a no. I could agree to help society, but that would be on my own accord and not because someone told me exactly what to do. I want to be doing what I mean is right and being able to interfere when I mean that it's necessary. Following them would be like under casting ourselves. I would do everything in my power to keep up my free will to do whatever I want.

"No." my answer is short and cannot be takes as anything else as what I mean. No means no.

"How can you say no to such a generous offer?" he scoffs at me, and I feel like throwing up at the sound of his voice. I despise people like him. Thinking that they've got the world at their feet.

"Because I'm not some animal that you can control at your own game. I'm not a guard dog that you can control at will. I will not be locked up when I'm not of use for you. To be honest both you and I know that you won't have use or all of our abilities." His mouth goes into a thin line. I can see that he's already fuming with anger at my constant nagging on his so-called brilliant plan.

"I'll put you with the others for the time being. We'll see how you come around." I'm about to stand up and protest that he can't just do this when I'm stabbed with a needle in my neck. Next thing I know, everything turns black.

Austin P.O.V.

Being dragged away from Emily and leaving her in that room all alone makes my stomach churn. Being dragged away with a mere sack over my head makes me feel powerless. I know the others are with me, but I have no idea where we're going, and the plan has just gone down the drain.

Being thrown left and right, down some stairs and up another I'm finally being thrown down onto the floor. the sound of other allemontite floor makes me think that the others are either in the same cell as me or in the cells near this one. I easily grab the sack off my head, looking around. I see Amber, Jody, Jeremy, and Darren. Where the hell is Mary-Ann, Randy, and Jacob? My hands are tied behind my back, but I can still see them. We're in metal cages, with small gaps so you can't get more than a finger out between the bars.

"Everyone okay?" I hear several 'okays' and 'I'm fine', making me feel relieved.

"Where were they going?" I look at Darren who is looking worriedly at me. I shake my head.

"I don't know. I just know that Emily will be fine. She knows how to take care of herself. Right now, I'm more worried about Jacob. Emily told me he was shot, and I don't know if he's still alive. Randy and Mary-Ann doesn't even know what's been going wrong and right now. The plan is very much going right down the drain. We need a new plan. Get the hell out, grab our people and the regroup."

"That sounds good and all. Really motivating, but how do you suppose we do that?" I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know. Aren't you supposed to be the smart one. Emily was the only who came up with this plan. So, I really hope one of us has a better plan than just to stay here. And amber?" she makes a humming noise letting me know she's listening.

"You're supposed to be the smart one." She scoffs.

"I've never used it before, it's like your abilities. Activating it and using the other brain as I like to call it, it's not a walk in the park Austin." I sigh, everything is getting on my nerves. I care about Emily, and I don't like not knowing where she is.

"What's between you and her anyway?" I look towards the voice, seeing Jody looking straight at me.

"It's not how you think. I see her as my daughter. She's so brave and I know it's an act. She hasn't let the deaths she caused sink in and it's only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down on her. I just don't hope she breaks down here, we frankly don't have time for that and right now. There is more serious matters at hand." She nods, and lest out what I can only assume to be a relieved breath.

"I know how you feel. She's so young in contrast to all of us. She's only nineteen and she's so caught up in this. Bearing the most dangerous and powerful ability, she missed her childhood because of this." Darren comments and we all nod, feeling sorry for the youngest member of this fucked up family.

"Even though she's young I don't think of her as that. She's way smarter than most of us, and it looks like things don't phase her." I shake my head, knowing that it all to well does. More than we would think. She's a master at hiding herself between layers of fake emotions and expressions.

"Over to the matter at hand please?" we all nod, silently agreeing on getting this conversation back on track.

"There is one thing I don't understand? Why allow us to talk to each other?" I'm about to come up with an assumption about the matter, but before I even get the chance to open my mouth the door slams open.

A military guard, without speaking drags a body into another cell opposite where I'm at and closes the door after placing some colored cuffs around her wrists.

"Who is that?" I hear someone ask, but I'm too caught up the the clothes and the curly red hair flwoing onto the floor.

"I don't know it looks like-" I cut off whoever was talking.

"It's Emily."