The Plague

Jackson Saile

The hallway was empty, the only sounds being my footsteps and the distant murmuring of people drifting in from the cafeteria. I walked through the narrow halls, advancing towards the sleeping quarters. I turned a corner, and almost walked into Mr. Elliot. "Oh sorry about that," I casually mentioned. He glared at me for a second, readjusted some papers in his hands, and replied, "It's not an issue I am concerned with." He walked off in the direction I had come from, and I continued on my path. Mr. Elliot always seemed in a bad mood, like he was not satisfied with our current circumstances. Frankly, no one is, but most of us are grateful for the fact that we are still alive. As I was walking, I noticed a metal door, which was usually looked, ajar. I approached it, and as the door swung on its hinges, it slowly creaked. I peered inside, but could only see a few feet in front of me because of the immense darkness. I saw a little flashlight sitting nearby in the dark room, so I grabbed it and clicked it on. The beam lit up the room, or I should say cave. The walls, floors, and ceilings were rock, with condensation lining every surface. I started to venture forwards, my shoes smacking against the wet surface. The cave stared a steep descent, and I had to use grips in the walls to prevent the possibility of slipping. One slip could send me sailing down, possibly injuring myself or getting lost. I finally reached the bottom of the slope, and came to a fork in the cave. I made the decision to follow the left path, and followed it for quite some time. As I walked, I noticed a sudden cool breeze. I turned and noticed a small air vent installed in the cave wall. I took the cover off and peered in. A few meters away, an eerie blue light glowed through the other end. Out of curiosity, I crawled in, and shuffled to the other end. I removed the other vent cover, and dropped into a decent sized room. There was desks and shelves and technological equipment lining all the walls, but the center of the room is what drew my curiosity. I smooth, black table sat in the center, displaying a floating map above it. The map was of Nightingale, and it was very detailed. I saw the building I explored this morning, our garden on the outskirts of the city, and even Home One. The details were amazing. A little control panel was built in, and after a few tries, I figured out how to control the mechanism. I zoomed in on Home One, and that's when I became scared. The map showed the sub levels of Home One, and showed people walking around within it. The map stopped at the entrance to the cave. If this belonged to The Plague... I grabbed a gun off the table for protection, slowly opened a door on the other end of the room, and disappeared out.