The Hellhound

Arrogant Brat

Once again, we'd taken to the maze of halls. Ryan had taken over in leading us, thus benching Mira, who couldn't have cared less. She never left her brother's side, instead choosing to walk as closely to him as she could get. An ache had settled in my chest at the sight, though the warmth of Sage's hand in mine had kept that nagging feeling at bay. But eventually, Mira had tossed her head back with a careless laugh and Ryan's grip tightened around his sister. A weight settled in my chest and I spoke up. I needed something, anything more than small talk and forced laughter.

Or not so forced.

"What happened?" When Ryan had looked over his shoulder at me with his eyebrows furrowed, I shot a glance over to Sage before dropping my gaze altogether. I hesitated, trying to string the words together coherently, meanwhile the buzz of voices from the mess hall still echoed in the back of my mind. "I mean...everyone here. There's a lot of people but..." The smoldering City flashed before my eyes.

But there's no way anyone made it out. Not really.

Still, when I lifted my gaze back up to him, a gentle warmth and anticipation thrummed through my veins.

Maybe.

Ryan tried to share a look with his sister, who was no longer looking at him. Her head was down, red curls tumbling in her face as a barrier between them. Her cries still rang in my ears, and I began wishing I could take back the fact I'd said anything at all.

"Once we got word of what happened to New York, we were under immediate order to evacuate all neighboring cities. We did everything we could to help civilians escape the immediate fallout of the bombs. Moved as many as we could to safehouses in the country or to the bunkers across the states. Then Fort Liberty was hit. And..." He hesitated, lowering his voice a bit as he spoke. "Then Russia hit DC. Now, our efforts are to find survivors. Relocate them to the bunkers in the surrounding areas."

Survivors.

More of us? From the City?

My mind wandered briefly back to the ride to the bunker. A girl and a guy. What were their names, again? I couldn't even remember if they'd been real or if I'd made them up. Unfortunately, I hadn't had the time to ask. Ryan straightened his posture as he slowed to a stop before a door at the end of the long hall.

I'd barely even registered where we were at. The corridor hadn't looked like the others; it was long and narrow with dark walls that contrasted the blinding lights. There were no other rooms along this empty stretch of concrete, all except for the single door it came to a dead end to. A keypad clung to the wall beside the steel door, with a red light blinking lazily.

I heard the keys chime quietly as Ryan effortlessly punched in the code and with a loud buzz, the door unlocked and cracked open. He stepped in first, and the three of us filed in behind him. What we stepped into had felt so absurdly out of place, it was almost surreal.

Tan walls and a wooden floor greeted us; just your average office-style lobby. Plastic chairs lined a small wall to the right, complete with a fake plant and a water fountain to our left. The lemony scent of cleaning supplies was thick in the air and the moment the door slammed shut behind us, we'd officially been cut off from whatever nightmarish reminders had been in the bunker itself.

There was a gentle squeeze to my hand and I glanced over at Sage, who was eyeing me carefully. "Wanna sit?" She offered, nodding towards the chairs. "You look like you could use-"

"Sage," I hummed, knocking my shoulder against hers, gently. "I'm fine." Ryan and Mira were already halfway down the small hallway by the time I'd looked back in their direction, and I tugged at my girlfriend's hand. "Come on. We don't have to stay long. Just stop in and say hi, alright?"