VIRUS - Redemption

ONE

11.28.2038

9am.

2 weeks of silence, until this morning. Robert had locked himself in my Fathers office for 2 whole weeks. He came home for dinner once, but barely spoke to my Mother nor I. By the end of the 14 days, he almost looked like a completely different person. His chestnut brown curls were oily, his usually emerald eyes looked tired and resembled a coffee colour. They were accompanied by purple bags and his skin had never looked so gaunt and grey.

I tried to push away the feeling, but somehow in only 14 days, Robert has made himself look more like our Father than he ever had. I just prayed he hadn't resorted to the drink yet; at least not this early.

But on the 15th morning, as Iris and I sat at the table eating oats while the fire beside us kept us warm; a haggard looking Robert walked through the door brushing the snow off his shoulders. I stopped in my tracks, my Mother pausing mid-way through a bite of porridge. We hadn't been expecting him, not in the slightest. He took his scarf off, then his jacket and his boots.

The English winter had finally come around in the last few weeks, the snow falling heavily and the cold setting in. Anywhere other than your home was almost unbearable, unless you were accompanied by at least 3 layers of thick clothing. Every house in London was made from brick and had at least 2 fire places in it; when it came to priorities while creating our safe haven all those years ago, warm was one of the main ones.

"Joining us for breakfast?" My Mother squeaked, almost afraid to ask him. I continued to eat my oats, keeping my mouth shut.

"I won't be here for long." Robert sighed, walking past both of us and going to the pot of coffee; pouring himself a mug. "I just came to ask Eleanora if she could accompany me back to Flagstaff for a meeting." I almost choked on my breakfast.

"Flagstaff is for members of council." Iris said, and I nodded along with her. Flagstaff was the name of the building which held all meetings – I had only been there twice, I wasn't a member of council, nor did I want to be. I would leave that for my parents.

"I've been working on something, and I believe that Elle should be there. I know Flagstaff has rules and regulations, but you need to keep in mind that the man who put them into place killed himself a fortnight ago." Robert sighed deeply, looking over to me. "I'll need you dressed and ready to leave in 5 minutes."

"Robert, she's eating breakfast -"

"I wasn't asking." He shook his head, taking a short sip of his coffee. He raised his brows slightly, almost asking why I hadn't moved yet. I swallowed my oats, putting my spoon down in the bowl and quickly jumping up out of my stool. Without a word, I turned on my heel and rushed upstairs. I'm going to Flagstaff apparently.

+

I follow Robert through the door of Room 3 of Flagstaff. Most places in London were old houses that had been re-enforced to be safe; like bullet proof glass and 80-pound doors that have a thick piece of metal in them. Simply, keep the Dead out and the Alive safe. Flagstaff is the only thing London built from scratch apart from the wall – and we'll get to the wall soon.

Flagstaff was completely made of sheeted metal and bulletproof glass. It was three stories tall above ground and had around 12 rooms within it; each one holding a specific purpose – my Father's office was one of those rooms. Beneath Flagstaff was a two-level underground bunker, with enough beds to sleep 680 people. With London housing around 800, obviously this wouldn't fit everyone – but in the case of an emergency like the wall breaking, its estimated around 200 wouldn't survive long enough to get to the bunker.