Better off Undead

Chapter 15: New Order

"This is... so gay."

Eli looked with surprise at Jay, who was standing there, mouth hanging open in disbelief, head shaking from side to side. He noticed he was being watched and his expression grew a little defensive. "Well, it is. A bunch of guys sleeping together? That's pretty much the definition of gay."

"We're not sleeping together, Jay," Marshall said, pushing past them with his bags. "Just in the same room."

The "room" was larger than Eli's entire apartment, but still managed to feel somewhat cramped from the beds that lined the walls on either side for a little over half of the room. The beds were a uniform full size and white, looking to Eli almost as if someone had installed one, and then copy/pasted it repeatedly to fill out the rest of the room.

Space opened up once the lines of beds ended. This next area was clearly intended as some sort of work out area, complete with a few pieces of exercise equipment, including jump ropes, yoga mats, and even a couple of medicine balls. Just before the far wall the room split off in either direction for the facilities: showers on one side, sinks and toilets on the other. Paul had said that there was a working generator, so that they could get the water pumping for the occasional shower, and most of the group seemed eager for the opportunity, hurriedly tossing their bags onto beds and pulling out various personal grooming items that had most likely been clung to for purely sentimental reasons. In the next building over Paul was showing the girls around an identical area and no doubt they would be equally excited for these facilities. The same generator that ran the showers also powered the small electric lights that dotted the walls above their heads, providing at least enough light for them to see and maneuver without risk.

"That's close enough," Jay grumbled in response to Marshall as he tossed his gear down on the nearest bed.

At the foot of each bed was a small chest. Eli opened one and, figuring it was big enough to fit what little stuff he had with him, dropped his bags inside. He was forced to pull out his bats and lay them beneath the bed, but everything else made it into the chest just fine. He collapsed onto the milky white sheets, feeling exhaustion wrapping over him like a blanket despite the unrelenting hardness of the mattress.

"Not exactly designed for comfort," he commented.

"This place is bizarre, don't you think?" Jay said, plopping down onto the bed beside his own stuff.

"How so?"

"What's with this weird little dormitory? And conveniently there are two so we don't have to go co-ed? And there are already generators in place to run the lights and water? What's that for, in case of the apocalypse?"

"Maybe this is one of those places conspiracy theorists are always talking about: a safe bunker where politicians are supposed to go to wait out the end of the world."

"I thought those were supposed to be buried under miles and miles of rock."

"How the Hell would I know?"

"And I can't envision a politician being able to accept a mattress like this," Jay added, lying back on his cot. "And another thing: what's this 'pathology lab' nonsense? There's something I don't trust about Paul's explanation." His voice trailed off, but Eli did not respond. "What do you think?" he prompted, but Eli was silent. "Eli?" Jay sat up just as a snore ripped through the air, grinding like a poorly oiled chainsaw. "Great," he muttered, and fell back down onto the bed.

When Eli woke he wasn't sure at first that any time had passed at all. The room looked subtly different, but he was not familiar enough with it already to place what miniscule details had changed. The remaining bunks were empty, save for one across the aisle where Jay sat, his back against the wall, staring silently at the ceiling. Eli looked left and right but was unable to determine any signs of the time. He felt well rested, but it was impossible to tell just how long he had been asleep. The temptation to just roll over and go back to sleep was great. Then at last it occurred to him what was missing: noise. The sound of the others taking showers had disappeared, yet they also were clearly not in their beds. He sat up and stared at Jay, hoping for an answer, but the confusion on his face was almost indistinguishable from the sleepiness.