The Connection 🔱Michael Langdon🔱

chapter 15

Sitting at the dinner table with the others is eating me alive. I didn't tell anyone that I had met Michael last night and they are all wondering and questioning Venable about it.
They are serving snake soup, they had killed the ones that had somehow gotten into Emily's room and now we are eating them. The last, fresh food we ate was most likely Andre's lover Stu.
When Venable tells everyone to eat is when the snakes come alive and start slithering out of our bowls. Everyone runs back to their rooms while the guard start killing the snakes, again.
After a while the pull in my stomach becomes too much again, so I follow it.
I find myself walking down a familiar hallway, and stopping at a closed door.
I know who is on the other side of this door, Mr. Langdon. I can't just show up unannounced when I still don't even know why he is here.
I come to my senses and go go turn and run back to my room when his door opens and I hear him clear his throat.
"Can I help you?" He asks and I look at his feet, my cheeks rosy as I remember my dream.
"No, I uh I don't know what I'm doing here. I'm sorry Mr. Langdon." I try to leave but he moves from where he was blocking his doorway and waves me in.
"Come in, I'd like to speak with you." He says firmly and I shuffle past him awkwardly, he shuts the door behind me making my heart start to race.
"I'm going to be introducing myself to the rest of the Outpost here shortly but since you are here I'd like to pick your brain a bit if you don't mind." He says gesturing for me to sit in the chair across from his desk. When I do he sits in the large leather one and rests his elbows on the desk, pressing his fingers together.
"I'm here on behalf of the cooperative. We have built a Sanctuary, and I'm here to determine if any of you are worthy of joining me there. I will only be taking a select few that I deem worthy. I would like to know up front if there is anything that should influence my decision about anyone here." He says and I shrug still not meeting his eyes, instead I watch as his fingers tips slowly tap against each other. I get a very vivid flashback of my dream and I shift uncomfortably in my seat.
"I-I only really know Coco and Mallory, and some about Gallant because I knew them before the world went to shit. Coco and I were apparently best friends." I say and then my eyes widen when I realize I'd said apparently.
"What do you mean by that? You dont sound entirely convinced that you were "best friends." He finger quotes around the last two words, slowly standing and making his way to sit on the edge of the desk in front of me.
"I just, I don't remember much about when we met, and our entire friendship is kind've foggy. It may just be the depression medication my mother had me on that entire year but it just feels off." I finally look at his eyes and my breath hitches. They are such a beautiful blue and they are searching me for something, I'm sure he's looking for some sort of lie. He smirks lightly and leans over towards me just a few inches.
"Are you attracted to me?" He asks and I cross my arms uncomfortably looking down. Of course I'm attracted to him, but why would he ask that.
"I uh, why does it matter." I stutter and he squats in front of me forcing me to look at him.
"Its okay, I already know the answer. You can leave now, go to the library and I'll be there in a few moments." I stand immediately and hurry to the door. I need to get out of here, it's too strange. Something is not right and I can't put my finger on it.
"Haley." Mr. Langdon says as I'm about to close the door behind me and I look back to see him smiling at me.
"You may call me Michael, and also I wanted to wish you sweet dreams." Oh my God he knows. I have no clue how but he must know! Maybe I was talking in my sleep, what if they have hidden cameras or microphones. I'd never even thought of that before. There are probably bugs all around this place.
I rush to the library as fast as I can with this huge dress weighing me down.
Everyone has already met there and Coco pats the seat next to her on the couch for me with a smile. Venable is standing in her usual spot in the center of the library when Michael walks in and stands next to Venable. They have a moment where they are obviously fighting mentally for the spot of power. Venable is so stubborn, yet after a moment she moves aside and let's him take her place.
"My name is Langdon, and I represent The Cooperative. I won't sugarcoat the situation. Humanity is on the brink of failure. My arrival here was crucial to the survival of civilized life on Earth. The three other compounds In Syracuse, New York, Beckley, West Virginia, and San Angelo, Texas have been overrun and destroyed. We've had no contact from the six international outposts, but we are assuming that they, too, have been eliminated." My heart stops when I realise just how devastating that truly is.
"What happened to the people inside?" Someone asks and I watch Michael's reaction. He seems, almost proud.
"Massacred. The same fate that will befall almost all of you." There it is, the selection begins.
"Almost all?" I say playing along, prodding him to explain and his mouth twitches in a smile for just a millisecond.
"In the knowledge that this very moment might occur, we built a failsafe The Sanctuary."
"The Sanctuary?"
"The Sanctuary is unique. It has certain security measures that will prevent overrun." 
"Excuse me, sir. What measures? Why weren't we given them?" Miss Mead speaks up and I watch him look at her and his eyes flash like they feel something.
"That's classified. All that matters is that The Sanctuary will survive, so the people populating it will survive, so humanity will survive." His voice is strong and confident, it makes me shiver as I watch his body language.
"Who are the people who are populating it?" Andre asks.
"Also classified. However, I have been sent to determine if any of you are worthy and fit to join us." Everyone starts to murmur amongst themselves and Coco takes my hand.
"The Cooperative has developed a particular and rigorous questioning technique we like to call "Cooperating. " I will then use the information gained to determine if you belong." There it is, the bad news.
"What is this, The Hunger Games? This is bullshit. I paid my way in here, and that is the only cooperating I plan on doing." Coco is upset now, she's used to getting her way, she's never had to fight for anything.
"You don't have to sit for questioning." Michael sas looking at her as if she annoys him.
"What happens if we choose not to?" I ask worried for my friend.
"Then you stay here and die." The words sink in with all of us for a second before Gallant speaks up.
"I volunteer to go first." He says standing with his hand raised but Michael shakes his head.
"No. You will go second, she must go first." He points to me and I turn a bright red and look to Coco panicked.
"The process should only take me a couple of days, so you won't be kept in suspense forever. For those of you who don't make the cut, all is not lost. If the worst should happen and feral cannibals come knocking, down one of these." He holds up a small glass vile with a devious smirk on his face.
"One minute later, you fall asleep and never wake up. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you"
Coco drags me into her room, Gallant following suit immediately after Michael leaves.
"What the hell was that! Do you know Langdon?" She screeches and I flinch at her tone for a second.
"No of course not. You would know if I did Coco think about it." I lie and she rolls her eyes stomping around the room.
"He looked at you like he knew you. I'm willing to bet you already have a spot secured in the sanctuary." She huffs and Gallant is staring at me intently.
"What?" I ask nervously and he shakes his head disappointed.
"Nothing, I'm going to try and calm Coco down. You should leave." He mutters and I don't need to be told twice. When I return to my room I feel like I can't breath. The events of the day start rushing forth and I start to freak out.
Somehow Michael knows I dream about him, literally everyone else in the world is practically dead. Coco thinks I'm sleeping with Michael. I have to be interviewed tomorrow to decide whether or not I get to live.
"I fucking hate my life." I whisper and I start to get ready for bed. I lock my bedroom door and remove all of my clothes for a shower. That's the one good thing about this God forsaken place, they have running water.
As I'm washing my hair I start to feel that pull in my stomach again. What is happening to me? Why am I feeling this way?
A feeling as if hands are on my waist makes me gasp but when I look there is nothing there. I close my eyes and remember how my dream felt last night. My imagination must be playing tricks on me. I may as well give in to it a little bit. The feeling of being touched moves all over my body and I moan softly and imagine its Michael touching me this way.
I've never felt these things before except in dreams it feels amazing.
My back presses against the cold tile wall and I feel my most intimate parts being touched in ways that surprises me.
"Michael." I whimper and suddenly the feeling is gone. I open my eyes confused. What in the hell just happened?

///AN so I've been getting blown up with notifications tonight of someone, if you want a shout out let me know 😉, voting on my story all night! So I wanted to upload even though this is kind've boring.
Thanks so much for being interactive I really love hearing what you all think!! Please comment and tell me what you think!
Love yall 💜