Where Light Dies

23. City of Lights

"How many?"

"Thirty-six."

"I'm not sure I can just - "

"Please."

-- Carlisle base, surface -- 2015 --

Sarah was a leader.

No matter how cruel she seemed, how hard she seemed to work everyone down, she always stood tall above the others, like a guiding light. A light with an inscrutable darkness hidden in its brilliance.

This was the first time she saw the lady beg, the first time she saw her struggle to keep her composure. The woman had her head bent low, eyes closed with a sense of regret in her face. Sarah Dayton was breaking.

Claire placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. She never thought she'd get this hurt watching Sarah in pieces, but if she were honest, it was painful to watch. It was doubtless that Sarah was the best to lead the camp, and seeing her down had all the campers hearts doused in fear. If she were to break now, the pack would go haywire.

"We don't have the rations Sarah. I hope you understand."

Sarah fell quiet, unable to answer the man. The moment they got attacked, the only plan that popped into her mind was to round up the campers and go to Carlisle. She was pretty sure they would take them in. But now, things were going sideways. Beth curled up against her arm, looking at her with an innocent but worried face.

"Then we'll gather our own supplies," Claire said, stepping forward. "We'll even do some of your surface runs. Maybe even all of it. All we're asking for is a roof under our heads."

Campers from both sides were whispering now, discussing how this would all add up. It was like a ticket from heaven for the campers from Carlisle. They could sit back and relax as long as the Daytons were there. However, that wasn't the problem here.

"How long are you planning to stay?"

They agreed?

" Six months tops," said Sarah, her hopes slowly lifting.

The man in front of her took a deep sigh. "One more condition."

"What is it?"

"We heard that you've learned to control the bane."

Sarah kept quiet, trying to hide her shock. There were a few rats in the tunnel after all.

"No need to lie, we're all civilized people here. Aren't we?" the man said, making a smug face at her.

"It's true," she answered, clenching her fists. The longer they were out here, the worse it would be.

"I want you to tell us about him, seeing that he's not with you right now. Missing I suppose."

They even know what he looks like?

"Alright," she said, her hand going numb.

"Well in that case, welcome to Carlisle."

ԭ Բ Գ Դ Ԩ Ԫ Ԯ Ԭ Ü ß ԗ Թ Ֆ Ք

"Thank you."

Sarah's eyes never met with hers.

"Don't mention it," said Claire, grabbing Beth's hand as she walked beside the leader. The camp was far more developed than they expected, but they weren't too surprised about that.

This was the first base camp that they'd heard of on the surface rather than under it. Unlike the ordinary campers that chose to reinforce the tunnels under the earth, Carlislers chose an abandoned mall, and developed it into their own little paradise in hell. The entrance itself was a bit bizzare to begin with. People were split into packs of ten before they could enter through the wide steel doors that had been littered with spikes. Once they went into the narrow passage, the doors were closed behind them, and for a few seconds they were held in total darkness. "Think of it as a crazy trust exercise," the guard said before shutting the main door behind them.

They've made sure light doesn't find a way out. Brilliant.

A few moments later, a stream of blinding white glimmered all over them. The doors in front of them opened, bringing into view a small city of sorts that thrived within the mall.

The place was illuminated in white light, a visual treat for most campers who'd spent the last two decades in hues of red. It felt as if there was a whole new world within these walls, like they'd just walked into the past. The place was home to almost sixty families if the man was right. The stores had been converted into homes for the campers. They had running water and electricity, which was a marvel in itself. Claire was suddenly reminded of Eden, the house where they first saw Blake's true form. It sent a chill down her spine.

"How did you get the lights going? And the water? This looks like a friggin' paradise!" asked Mark, turning towards a guard who was escorting them.

"Well we've got a dam in a river down south. It powers most of the area so all houses for a few miles've got running water and electricity. We've even got a couple of engineers with a few tricks up their sleeve if we come across minor difficulties. But if the dam breaks were pretty much fucked," The guard said in a Mexican slang.

"So, the darks don't notice you?"

"Well, light doesn't make it out if this space. We made sure of it. All the windows have been boarded and covered on the outside by trees or bushes. The ventilation shafts have been pointed upwards rather than horizontally, so no trouble comes that way either. There are a few windows that have been mirrored from outside if you wanna get some of that morning sun. There's a huge conference hall that used to be the mall's main office up top. Great view from there. We shut the curtains at four though. Maybe five." The guard shrugged.

A man came up to them, greeting Mark with a courteous smile. "The chief said something about a Ms. Dayton being called to the office. It felt kinda urgent so if you see her tell her to meet him up there," he said to his partner, pointing at the highest floor.

"That's me," said Sarah, patting Beth's head as she walked towards the stairs.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

ԭ Բ Գ Դ Ԩ Ԫ Ԯ Ԭ Ü ß ԗ Թ Ֆ Ք