Follow The Buzzards

V

          As the doors sealed and everyone found their footing, the floor beneath us began to rumble slightly. Moments after the floor started to decend, as if it were like a massive elevator.

        As we got lower, the doors to the outside world got further away, until they were no longer in sight. We had been going down for quite some time, I almost could not tell if it was because we were moving slow, or we were really just move deep underground.

         Families around me tried their best to regroup, some mourned for the sudden losses. I noticed the red head girl standing alone to the side with her little brother, poor boy was only a baby.

           After decending for several minutes, I could see people becoming a bit restless, I myself was getting rather uncomfortable too. Soon enough we stopped, most people's knees buckled and they stumbled from the sadden jolt. My first concern was that if the machinery malfunctioned and we were trapped in here. That would be a disaster.

         One of the walls became coming lose, rattling loudly. However, this was only to raise the wall, introducing us to our new home, the Vault.

         When the wall lifted, I could not see too much, but I could tell there was a group of men in protective gear much like S.W.A.T. uniform in a line keeping the crowd back. That same woman in a suit was in a large screen smiling, welcoming us with some speech I couldn't understand with all the shouting around me.

          I saw a few people push forward to get in, some getting stopped and pushed back, some getting through, this prompted more people to try, eventually leading to everyone rushing in. I had no choice but to follow the crowd or get stomped over.

         Once I was in the large clearing, somewhat resembling a lobby, I could see the entire back wall lines with desks, with oddly cheerful women standing behind them. The sign over them read "Vault Check-In". The desks got swarmed with people trying to find where they stay. There was no orderly fashion, no sign of civil behavior. I decided to hold back and come around when there were not as many people around.

        The lobby was shaped like a dome, with about a dozen of halls branching out in each direction, six to the left of the check in desks, and six to the right. They were organized by alphabetical order of last name. There was another wing to the side where the guards stayed, it seemed to have restricted passage.

         I found a map of the layout on one of the walls by the entrance to my wing. It seemed like each wing was equipped with leisure activities and a cafeteria. I was surprised how much work had gone into this. I felt a gust of wind behind me, and then someone brush past me as they ran down the hall. It seemed as the line was moving forward, people seemed in a panic to get situated.

         I made my way to the front desks, luckily finding an available counter to the far side. The woman seemed very different. She had a smile seeming almost forced, a voice sounding nearly robotic, but her eyes seemed shot with fear.

         "Welcome to your new home" she said with what felt like forced joy. "I'm going to need you to fill out this small form and I'll take your thumb print below."

         I took the slip if paper, and filled out what they asked. I had to check off which city I was from, they had options for cities all over Chicago. Then again who knows how long I was asleep in that truck, they probably gathered anyone they could and brought us all here. I also  was assigned a number ID.

        I handed the paper back and she grabbed my hand. Her hand was cold, and what I noticed next really had me concerned. She was missing a finger, it was bandaged up but looked painful.

         She held a ink pad up to the thumb and took my print. She handed me a pass key and directed me to my wing based on the first letter of my last name.

         It finally started to hit me as I slowly walked through the crowd of panic. I had far too much going on for me to fathom. I walked down my hall now knowing the room number matching my pass key. To make matters worse I could see my parents up ahead of me, turning and unlocking their room. As I got nearer, I dreaded what may be the case. It was what I expected, I was in the same room with them by name. I didn't have it in me to go inside, I leaned back against the cold metal wall, watching others run down the halls frantically, finding their new homes.