Chapter twenty

Jason

Jason paced up and down the room outside the sliding doors. He was tense, incredibly so. He tried to control his breathing but he was finding it hard. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see the images of outside over and over. He couldn’t stand it. The images just kept on getting stronger and stronger until they overwhelmed him, causing him to have to stick his head in between his head until his dizziness abated. After that he continued his pacing once more until the images came back.

“Please, please, please.” He kept on repeating to himself, drumming his fingers rhythmically against his leg, trying to focus on the random patterns he repeated in order to keep his mind from getting too out of control.

When that didn’t work, he went to his plan B. He started counting down from 100, putting his entire mind into it, trying desperately to keep his mind preoccupied. A rogue sob escaped his throat and he let out a little moan, shaking his hands and head whilst jogging on the spot.

“Please, please, please.” He began again. “Please, please, please.”

The sliding doors opened and the woman he’d been hoping to see came out, surrounded by four other official looking people. What had Christiana called her? Tracey? No. Kelly. That was it.

“Kelly.” He called out.

She didn’t respond, deep in conversation with one of the men walking with her.

“Kelly!” He said louder.

Kelly stopped, tutting loudly to show her irritation.

“What?” She snapped, turning to him.

“I just need a moment of your time,” he pleaded, trying to keep the whine out of his voice and sound as authoritative as possible.

“I’m busy,” she said, “It will have to wait.”

She began to walk again. Jason raced after her and cut in front, blocking her from going anywhere.

“It will just take a second.” He said.

Kelly didn’t answer but looked at him expectantly. Jason took his cue.

“I just wanted to know about the transfer.” He said.

“What are you talking about?” She snapped.

“Well, it’s just… outside looked so… how are you going to do it? Safely I mean.”

“Do what?” She asked, irritation growing in her tone.

“Sorry, I’m not making myself clear, sorry,” he stammered, “I meant the transfer of the people from the other facility to here.”

“What other facility?”

Jason felt his blood run cold.

“The one where they’re keeping Mark, my Mark.”

“Look, I really don’t have time for this.” Kelly said, walking around Jason.

No, Jason thought, Please, no.

He caught up to her and cut in front of her again.

“Michelle told me!” He cried, not able to keep the panic from his voice. “She said that there was another facility, that you guys had taken him there, that if I complied and played nice then you would bring him here so that we could be together!”

Kelly looked at him for a moment, some of her irritation ebbing away, a sad expression replacing it.

“Look,” she said, “I don’t know what Michelle has told you but there’s something that you need to know. I hired Michelle to keep the morale of this place high and calm whilst we dealt with what was going on out there. She had her orders, to ensure that everything runs smoothly in here, whatever it takes.”

Jason staggered back. “She wouldn’t… she couldn’t. Please no.”

“I’m sorry, but this is the only facility there is. The only people to have survived are in here.”

Jason shook his head. “No, please no.”

Kelly gave him a sympathetic look and began to walk off again.

“Could he already be here somewhere?” Jason called out after her in sheer desperation. “Maybe Michelle has him somewhere but didn’t want to tell me until I’d done what she asked?”

Kelly sighed and got out a hand held device.

“What’s his name?” She asked.

“Mark,” Jason said, hope stirring once more. “Mark Farrington.”

She entered his name and took a while scrolling through the information but Jason knew the answer before she said it.

“I’m so sorry.” She said.

It felt as if someone had just punched him in the gut. Every fear he had felt since he had seen just how bad it was out there came rushing at him. He couldn’t lose it. The moment he did, he knew he wouldn’t be able to reign it back in. He took two deep breaths and nodded at Kelly, afraid to open his mouth for fear of falling apart. Kelly threw him another sympathetic look and walked away, one of her little followers patted him on the back.

“Welcome to Utopia kid,” he said. “Everything’s gone to shit.”