The hazmat suits impersonolized the atmosphere in the vehicle. Marcus and I sat up front while Charles sat at the back of the Nissan where he had set up a make shift server room. I took in the sun, basking in its light despite the fact that I was uncomfortably hot. It was the first time I was seeing the sun in two months. The blazing African sun was still as scorching as ever, but it's heat comforted me. The human race was in its peak death throes but the sun shone unperturbed by our demise.
Marcus had picked an off road path and it soon became clear why. From what I could see the roads had been rendered impassable by the abandoned vehicles. Despite the fact the road was filled with cars there was nobody in sight. Not a single soul was on the street. We passed by burned homes that lay in their ashes, commercial buildings that had been ravaged by angry mobs and desperate people. Our once busy town was now a ghost town. I had expected to see some infected people but there was nothing else moving other than us.
After an uneventful ride we finally arrived at the Girim show room. The steel door that guarded the show room was still in place. Getting in would not be easy. Charles took one look at the door and went back inside the vehicle. He re-emerged a minute later with cables and other tools I did not recognize. Marcus and I went back inside the car at his request, saying we would only distract him.
With nothing better to do than wait i turned to Marcus who had said nothing directly to me since yesterday. It wasn't his obvious avoidance that bothered me. It was the fact that for the past two days he had gone out of his way to do so. The previous night he had excused himself from dinner as soon as I stepped into the room. The atmosphere had been awkward after he left and there was still palpable tension as we left the bunker the following morning. I would have loved to ignore him but given the fact that we would be stuck together for a decade, if we were lucky to survive the virus cleanse, that would make my life harder than it needed to be.
"Did I do something to offend you?" he whipped his head towards me suprise writing all over his face.
"N...no...nah...why would you think that?" He asked quickly diverting his gaze to the sky and keeping it there as if there was an event occuring that required his complete focus.
"Everything you have done in the past ten seconds is why. I don't think I did anything to offend you but if there was something you did find offensive let's hear it out."
He did not turn to me neither did he acknowledged what I was saying. He sheepishly scratched his clothed head refusing to otherwise respond to my inquiry. Marcus was many things but an unsure coward was not one of them. Avoiding me seemed reasonable given our relationship or lack thereof yet his reaction was too pregnant a response to be left unattended. There seemed to be a personal reason as to why he was avoiding me. Something had changed during the past two days. Something that had him more conscious of me yet simultaneous pushed him futher away.
"Marcus...?"
I tried a second time to get his attention but he remained adamant refusing to even glance in my direction. I give him a few seconds before smacking his head so hard it rebounded off the dashboard. He glared at me then half in anger and half shocked by the unexpected assault. I smiled sweetly waiting for his next move. He opened his mouth to speak just as Charles pulled the door open. I climbed out in time to see the huge steel doors slide open.
There were a bunch of wires hanging from the side of the door. Charles, was an IT genius, our very own personal Mcgayver. Up until now he had exclusively handled all and any electronic problem. He was an expert on all things electrical. Like wise Kevin was a protogé in all things mechanical. Marcus forte was combat in any and every capacity.
We made our way into the underground elevator that would take us down to the showroom. Thankfully the elevator was still working. We heard the steel door click in place as it closed once more. The elevator took us two levels down before grinding to a hold. It's metallic doors creaked open to reveal the showroom. My main concern had been wether or not there were any vehicles left. The fully stocked showroom lifted up My spirits.
Spread out before us was an apocalyptic getaway wet dream. There were oil tankers, cargo trucks, off road vehicles, there was even a war tank. Coming here had paid off more than I had intended it to. I took a step forward only to get tackled to the floor by Marcus just an arrow whizzed past us embedding itself in the opposite wall. I did not get a chance to catch my breath before Marcus half carried half dragged my body in an intricate jarring dance as he bypassed the booby traps that we were triggering. We made it across the room without denting our hazmat suits thanks to Marcus.
When we had established our safety I turned back to take in the carnage behind. None of the vehicles had been damaged if anything it seemed like the traps had been mounted in different vehicles away from plain sight. The booby traps and the weapons used were a dead giveaway to who had set them up. It seemed that despite all odds, a fact I had not even considered, Phillip had survived. I recognized one of the arrows that I had once gifted him. Phillip had always been very capable as well as mystery, which was why I found him attractive, among other things.
"If you're going to kill me can you not do it with the arrows I bought you." I shouted my voice rebounding off different surfaces in the silent room
"Phillip I know you are there you medieval wannabe" I shouted again.
A few painful seconds dragged by before a drone appeared from above drawing our attention. The drone hovered around before making a beeline for me. I did not move and it stopped abruptly a few inches away from my face. The drone paused for a few seconds before doing a flip and disappeared up through a hole I had noticed before.
The elevator door swung open and after a silent deliberation we all cautiously got into it. We moved a floor up and the door swung open revealing a shelter, for lack of a better word. The office floor had been converted into a temporary shelter. Pieces of clothing, utencils and food wrappers were strewn everywhere. The place looked lived in and yet there was nobody in sight. With the booby traps memory still fresh in our minds nobody ventured outside the elevator.
Seconds ticked by punctuated with our shuffling feet. Nobody said a word as we waited for Phillip to show up. After a minute my impatience got the better if me as I tested a foot out the door. Marcus pulled me back in as Charles pushed his way past me. He did not make it far before a drone appeared from one of the offices and flew towards us.
"Remove your suits!" a female voice commanded from a behind another closed door.
If people lived here then there was little chance of present infection. It's underground location made it all the more ideal. I made a move to remove my suit but Marcus stopped me once more, pulling on the thin threads that help my temper in check. He looked at Charles who read from a device in his hand before nodding. He let go of my hands and started stripping, Charles and I following suit. With the suits off the drone flew closer to us just a door to the far left of the office where it had come from swung open. Phillip came out of the office his excusitely good-looking, tall, dark, six foot frame coming into view. I think I heard a huff from Marcus but I was too glad to see Phillip to care about what was annoying him.
YOU ARE READING
AGE OF INSANITY
Science Fiction...The world did not end with a bang or a whimper. It ended with the hysterical screeches as it was plunged into madness.... With no clear horizon and a burning furnace at the end of the proverbial tunnel, will the survivors last. Will thier fragile...
