Dark Museum

Sophia

All seven of them fit in Erica's minivan, Sophia sitting next to Josh in the two-seater middle section. She hadn't registered fully his being alive before they all shoved in; he didn't say a word, but held her hand with both of his.

When Erica and Nasir arrived at the hotel, Demetri almost didn't let them in. He kept Sophia and Kieron under the eye of the gun, even though they were still tied and hadn't moved from their positions on the floor. A few sweet promises later, he opened the door and Nasir tackled him. Erica took the gun.

Sophia gave Josh the clothes she and Diya bought for him at the mall, and his demeanor visibly relaxed when he changed out of the drafty hospital gown.

Nobody said much for the two-hour drive. Once the sun went down only their own beaten expressions reflected in the windows. Nasir's phone conversation with Blair echoed in their memories.

Meatpacking District.

Trucking dock.

Sure, the plan was for everyone to attack Blair, fight for their freedom, but how many people would she have with her? The desolate, back-alley location description had murder written all over it.

But the city was different.

When the van entered the bustling metropolis, the passengers pressed against the windows. Gone were the dusty facades; in their place were a thousand lights.

When Erica turned from 60th to 7th, Nasir complained, "This'll take us through Times Square."

"We don't know what's gonna happen when we get to this place—" Erica started.

"Are you crazy?" Kieron said. "You wanna get shot?"

"Will you just look out the damn window?" Erica continued.

But Sophia was already doing it. The lights from the outdoor videos and neon store signs made the area bright as day. They flashed, the billboards moving like gigantic TVs. Thousands of pedestrians choked the sidewalks and middling areas; the cars had almost nowhere to go. Looking in one direction meant missing something in another. Food stalls drew crowds, people distributed leaflets, children's show characters posed for pictures with tourists.

"What's going on?" Sophia asked.

"Nothing," Nasir said. "It's Times Square."

"But why is everyone out?"

He shrugged.

But with another turn, the lights and the crowds were gone.

"That didn't look like Times Square," Kieron said. "Buddy of mine got shot there just walking through."

Erica drove down a dark street with nothing to see before turning down the comparatively open 10th avenue. Under construction skyscrapers loomed overhead. The previously dangerous area didn't seem so bad anymore with its shiny new restaurants and women walking alone.

But it wasn't in front of a new restaurant or brightly lit shop that Erica stopped, it was a loading dock beside an intimidating box of a building.

Once she reverse-parked in one of the bays, Nasir turned in his front seat to face them.

"I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to tie you up." He held up a roll of duct tape. "It has to look legitimate when we get in there."

Kieran was the first to try to open the door, pawing at the vinyl interior for the lock when it wouldn't budge.

"Child safety locks," Erica said. "Just listen to him."

What had been a quiet car ride turned into a cacophony.