Behind Our Walls Page 8

  "I'll go," Sophie said.

  Rowen didn't make eye contact with her but Lot was clearly uncomfortable. "Sophie, with what's happened, I don't know if you want to—"

  "Save the chivalrous bullshit, all right? I'm going, so you might as well start looking around for the other nine."

  He wasn't happy with her volunteering, but he threw up his hands in resignation and walked over to the rest of the group. Everyone was eager to help and it only took a few minutes before he had all the people they would need.

  "So what are we doing?"

  Sophie jumped at the sound of her sister's voice. She hadn't even been aware that she had approached.

  "We're going over there to make sure it's safe. If it is, we can see about maybe settling down. It's hard to say for sure until we actually get over there and see the place."

  "Are you going?"

  Sophie nodded without answering.

  "Do you have to?"

  "No. They're asking for volunteers but I think I should go."

  Corrine nodded and crossed her arms in front of her chest. It looked to Sophie like she might have shivered slightly.

  "Corrine—"

  "Just be careful." It was all she needed to say. Sophie hugged her, and again gave silent thanks for being able to look at Corrine again as her sister instead of an adversary.

  "All right," Lot said as he walked back to them. "Sophie, Rowen and myself make three—"

  "I'm sure as shit going along," Meredith interrupted.

  Lot nodded. "All right, fine. Meredith makes four. I had fourteen people volunteer. There were others, but I turned them down. No point in risking too many of us. Eighteen should be able to clear that place pretty quickly. I think we should split up into teams of three just to be safe."

  Lot waved for everyone to join them. They walked down the ramp and Sophie tried to focus her attention, to not put too much hope in the possibilities. If she expected the worst, she couldn't be disappointed by what they found. As they got to the bottom level and checked to make sure it was clear, they ventured out, moving silently and in single file towards the stadium.

  -26-

  Sophie pushed through the door to the next luxury suite. Rowen followed, as close behind as he could, while the third member of their party stayed out in the corridor. Both Rowen and the other guy were armed, but Sophie found the guns made her more nervous than anyone who might be hiding in here. She supposed that at some point she would have to ask Rowen to show her how to shoot, but she wasn't ready yet.

  So far, they had found signs in only a few of the suites that people had been in there. There were some rags of clothing, some of the sliding glass doors had been shattered and a few pieces of furniture were wrecked. All throughout the suites was the underlying smell of body odor and urine but no people.

  Rowen walked to the sliding glass doors and looked out over the field.

  "What is it?" she asked. "What are you looking at?"

  He shook his head and snapped back to reality. "Sorry. Mind wandering. But look at it. We'd be completely isolated here. There are enough of these suites that everyone could have their own space. There's enough room to get outside, get fresh air and walk around. We could even grow crops down there on the field."

  Sophie thought about pointing out that the grass might be artificial turf but she kept her mouth shut. He had clearly been giving this a lot of thought. "Come on, let's try to focus on the task at hand, all right? So far it's a little bit of a 'too good to be true' kind of thing, you know? I mean, we can't possibly have been the first ones to think of something like this."

  "Why not? It isn't like there are that many groups that need a space this large. Most people wouldn't think of staying here, because it's so huge. There's no way a handful of people would feel like they were in control here. So, people just scrounge for supplies and move on."

  Sophie placed a hand on his arm. "Still."

  He turned to look at her and the brazen intensity in his eyes almost made her take a step back. She had never seen him look so hopeful and vulnerable, as if he knew he was throwing all of his chips in on this one hand.

  The silence rang in her ears as she nodded towards the door. "Come on. Lot gave us an hour. We're only about halfway done."

  The next suite was also empty, but sported the most gruesome evidence of activity. All four walls were splattered with blood. A shattered glass pitcher on the floor was also stained with blood, but no other sign or explanation as to what might have happened.

  The next four suites were empty and undisturbed. Rowen found an unopened bottle of water, which he tucked away in his pack.

  As they entered one of the last few rooms, they were caught off guard by the sound of movement coming from within the closet. Rowen trained his gun on the door as Sophie reached out and pulled it open.

  A man huddled on the floor shivering, and Sophie suspected it wasn't from being cold. He looked emaciated, like he hadn't eaten properly in months. She knelt and held out a hand for him but he shied away from it as if from a predator. He waved his fist back and forth at them but his hand shook so badly that he couldn't even maintain the motion. Before long, his arm fell to his side and he began to cry.

  "Hey," she said as she reached out again and put a hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but with less severity than before. "It's all right. We aren't going to hurt you."

  He looked up at the two of them as Rowen knelt down next to her, smiling as well.

  "Sir, my name is Rowen. Who might you be?"

  Sophie thanked herself silently for his inherent politeness, likely from his time in the military, and tried to put on an equally respectful air of friendliness for the guy's benefit. He looked back and forth between them, mouth opening and closing as if he was trying to find his voice, but no sound emerged. Finally, he took in a long, slow breath and spoke in a low voice that cried of severe dehydration.

  "Ricco. My name is Ricco."

  "Ricco, it is a pleasure to meet you, sir. This is Sophie. How long have you been up here?"

  "I didn't know that I couldn't be here, I thought—" He was starting to get agitated again, his voice going up an octave or two as he tried to sit up. Rowen put out a hand to try to soothe him.

  "No, it's all right. We aren't here to hassle you about that. Truth is, we aren't really supposed to be here either. But I don't think there's anyone left to care."

  Ricco scrutinized Rowen as if he was expecting the punch line of whatever Rowen was saying to be delivered with an actual punch. He shook his head. "I haven't been able to find much food. Or water."

  "I can imagine. Any other people?"

  Ricco shook his head again. "A few times I thought I heard someone moving around out there, but I never saw nobody. Nobody saw me either."

  "You did a good job staying safe," Sophie said. Ricco jumped, as if he had forgotten about her. "We can help you, we've got enough supplies. Why don't you wait here a while and we can bring you back some—"

  "No!" Ricco quickly interrupted her. "I'm sorry. It's just that if you leave, I won't have any way to know if you were even real. Please, I'd rather just come along, if that's all right."

  "Okay," Rowen said. "But stick close to us. We've got a few more suites to check out before we meet up with the others."

  Ricco nodded and stood up with an agility that Sophie never would have credited him with. He brushed the dirt off his clothes and looked up at at them. Sophie saw the look of surprise on Rowen's face, mirroring her own as he shook his head and turned to lead them out of the room.

  -27-

  Sophie and Rowen sat on the cold concrete of what would have likely ended up being the food court. Ricco drank from the water bottle, given to him by Rowen. Clive and his group walked up, looking satisfied with their search.

  "No big thing," Clive said as he fished around in his pocket for his cigarettes. "We did find these though." He pulled out a key ring and tossed it over to Rowen.

  "Are these what I think they are?
" he asked.

  "Yup," Clive said. "We tested 'em just to make sure. Those are the master keys for the whole place."

  Sophie let out a long breath, trying to stay calm. She had never thought the idea of a key could get her so excited. Rowen turned to her and handed them over.

  "Keep those safe," he said.

  The others trickled in over the next ten minutes. Everyone took notice of Ricco as they arrived, but no one said anything to him directly. He had a wide eyed look as he watched his universe explode around him.

  Meredith and Lot were the last ones to show up and she spoke as they approached.

  "We didn't find anyone."

  "Well that's it then," Rowen said. "The place is empty."

  "Did anyone find any supplies we could use?" Lot asked.

  "There's a ton of condiments," one of the others said with a smirk on her face. "Some moldy buns and a few stray cans of food that rolled under some work benches. But for the most part everything is pretty well picked over.."

  "Well I figured that we would have to go out on a supply run at some point," Lot said. "It would have been nice if there was a little bit more on hand, is all."

  Lot turned his attention on Ricco. "How long have you been here, sir?"

  "I don't remember."

  "Seen anyone else?" Lot asked, echoing the line of questioning that Rowen had already given him. Ricco started to tuck his head down between his legs, as if the attention frightened him.

  "I already asked him." Rowen stepped in to try and give him some space. "He's been keeping to himself for the most part, so I think it bodes well for us if he hasn't—"

  "What are you going to do to me?" Ricco's voice was barely audible, but the abject misery in it stopped the conversation cold. Sophie felt completely taken aback at the apparent implication that they might hurt him, but also recognizing how much harder it was to trust people, let alone a small colony of complete strangers. What reason did he have to trust them when handing over the gift of his faith could potentially end in his own death?

  "We aren't going to do anything to you," Rowen answered. "We're happy to be able to help you. There's even more to our group than what you're seeing here and assuming everything checks out, we plan on trying to start over here."

  "You're welcome to stay for as long as you want," Lot added.

  Ricco looked from face to face, clearly not believing any of it. Sophie noticed his legs tremoring, as if preparing to bolt if he detected anyone with the intent to do him harm. He looked like he wanted to be grateful, but had reached a point in his life where his experiences made him unable to do even that.

  "I had a family," Ricco said. It seemed like everyone leaned in closer to hear him. Several minutes went by and Sophie thought there wasn't going to be any more to the story but he went on. "I consulted for a big bank before all this. People must have known who I was because when things started falling apart, some men broke into our house. They held guns on my wife and daughters and said that I had to help them get into the bank's vault."

  Sophie felt her throat and chest constrict, tears starting to form as she guessed how this story would end. It was becoming more and more common, but still gut wrenching to hear.

  Ricco went on, in a deadpan voice, as if shutting his emotions off from his brain just so that he could get through the telling. "I tried telling them that I didn't have that kind of access and that even if I did, what good was money going to do them anymore?"

  Sophie looked around and saw the same look of pained empathy on everyone's faces. It was like bearing witness to everyone's private moment of reflection set against Ricco's monotone delivery.

  "They shot my wife first. The man who did it, he didn't kill her outright. First, he shot her in the leg. I guess they thought I would take them more seriously. I kept yelling at them that I couldn't do anything, but he still shot her in the stomach. They made me watch her die, held me down and forced us to look into each other's eyes as she was...as she was going. Then my daughters—" His voice finally faltered just as Sophie was about to reach her own breaking point. She didn't want to hear any more of the story. Still, she saw every unspoken detail as clearly as if she had been telling it herself.

  The silence hung in the air like a physical weight. Sophie wanted to say something, anything that would change the subject away from the misery that had become a staple of all of their lives. In the end, Lot spoke softly to the rest of them.

  "One of the groups still isn't back," he said.

  Meredith looked up, as if noticing for the first time. She nodded, not looking concerned. "Daniel isn't here. He went off with one of your people. Not surprised he isn't back yet. I'm sure he's poking around in the nooks and crannies, trying to figure out the best way to shore this place up."

  Lot nodded, but looked concerned. He jabbed a finger at several of his people. "You two, come with me. We'll see if we can track them down. The rest of you stick around in case they show up. If we aren't back in a half hour, send someone after us." He nodded at the other two and they began walking off down the corridor.

  "They were checking out the lower levels!" Meredith called out after them. Lot turned his head enough to nod, and they carried on. Sophie blinked away the tears, trying to shake the images from Ricco's story. She needed to clear her head, find something else to focus on.

  "Wait!" she called out. Lot paused and turned as she jogged to catch up. He nodded without trying to argue and the four of them headed for the service stairs.

  "I'm sure it's fine," Lot said. "Nobody else has found anyone, but you never know who might be hiding out down here. Stay behind us, Sophie."

  At the bottom of the stairs, they pulled out flashlights. Lot raised his gun and aimed the light down the barrel as he slowly advanced. They took a left and began down the corridor. A gust of air flowed past them, making Sophie shudder at the sensation. She fully expected to stumble into a small horde of people, huddling down here and ready to attack.

  Despite her fear, there was no sign of anyone. No sound of footsteps or movement other than their own. The wind in the tunnel accentuated the emptiness of the space and made Sophie feel like they were stepping out onto an alien planet. They began to hear a new sound as they walked, a steady dripping of water somewhere which echoed around them, progressively louder as they walked. She had never imagined that the sound of water could be so terrifying. She winced with every impact as it echoed off the walls.

  She ran into something ahead of her and realized that Lot had stopped.

  "What?" she hissed. He reached out to her to keep her from stepping forward.

  "Shh!" he hissed at her and in the dim light she could see him cocking his head to the side, straining to hear. "It sounds like someone crying," he said and resumed leading them down the tunnel. After a few dozen paces, she began to hear it as well, the ragged inhalation of air followed by the pathetic sobbing. The sound echoed around them and seemed to bend as they walked.

  After another dozen paces, they came to a large set of doors with a bench next to it. Daniel sat there, trying to comfort the other guy, the one who was crying. Sophie shifted her gaze from one to the other.

  "Guys?" she asked. "You all right? What's going on?"

  Daniel raised a hand and pointed at the doors. Sophie, Lot and the others stepped forward and pushed their way through. The last thing she wanted was to see what, in this nightmare of a world could reduce a grown man to terrified tears. She also knew that she didn't really have any other choice.

  Not anymore.

  -28-

  It was immediately clear upon opening the door what had been causing the breeze. They walked into a large service bay and could see a garage door at the far end of the room. It had not been closed completely and the gap, several feet tall, was allowing air to come rushing through. Only after recognizing this did Sophie notice the smell and wondered that they hadn't picked it up on the wind, far earlier. Something was definitely not right. Despite the cool air flowing in, the room h
ad an uncomfortable, warm feeling to it with an underlying smell of decay. They swiveled their flashlights around to look for the source but she wasn't sure if she even wanted to find it.

  Shoved into the center of the room was a pile of human remains, nearly ten feet high.

  "What in the Christ?" Lot asked, voicing what the others were almost surely thinking themselves. Some of the bodies looked to be in an advanced state of decay and some seemed to be more recently deposited. Why anyone would go to the trouble of dragging them down here was beyond her.

  "Do you think they killed each other?" Clive asked.

  "If they did, then who collected all the bodies and left them like this?" Lot asked. "What..." He trailed off without finishing the thought, looked around with a dumbfounded look on his face and spoke again. "Well, I guess the good news is that it looks like the place is ours for the taking." He paused, clearly waging an internal debate with himself. "Before we start bringing people over here, we need to clean up this mess."

  "Do you think that Ricco guy could have had anything to do with this?" Clive asked.

  Sophie answered. "No way. He looks like he would have a hard time overpowering a child, let alone anything like this."

  The door opened behind them and they all spun around as Daniel and his companion come in.

  "We found them like this," Daniel said.

  "I'm guessing that door is on a motor," Lot said as he walked towards it, likely trying to change the subject. He knelt down to peer underneath it. "I can see that it slopes up to the parking lot." He stood back up and redirected his flashlight into the room. "There's got to be a manual release mechanism. I'll see if I can find it."