Chapter thirty seven

Adam

Adam looked at the wooden carving on the double oak doors. Christiana’s name was perfectly engraved in slanted calligraphy. He took another deep breath and raised his hand to knock. All ready with his apology written in his mind.

“Adam?” A voice came from behind him, making him jump. He looked round to find Duncan walking down the corridor. “What are you doing here?” Duncan asked.

“I needed to apologise to Christiana,” he said. “What are you doing here?"

Duncan shook his head gravely. “I’m looking for Connor and, seeing that he’s not in his own room, I figured this would be the next best place to look.” He looked expectantly at Adam, waiting for something. “Well? Are you going to knock or just stand outside her door looking like a perve?”

“Nice, Duncan.” Adam said and knocked on the door.

There was a noise inside of people moving and soon Connor was at the door in his boxers. When he saw who it was, Connor groaned.

“Why are you here at 6 in the morning?” He asked. “Kelly doesn’t need me, does she?"

“No man,” Duncan said. “But I do.”

“Can it wait?” Connor asked, stifling a yawn.

“Sorry mate, I need your help now.”

Connor looked at Adam. “What does he want?”He asked.

Adam felt a stab of anger at his words, he was standing right there, Connor could have asked him himself.

“Beats me,” Duncan replied. “Something about pissing off your girlfriend.”

Connor shrugged and opened the door wider to let them both in.

“Christie, that actor is here to see you.” Connor called into the bedroom. He turned to Adam and Duncan. “Take a seat.”

Adam sat on one of the circular chairs in the living room. Christiana’s room was similar to Adam’s in the sense that the rooms were positioned and of the same size as his, but everything else was different. Whereas his room had everything that he loved, he guessed this room was what depicted her. He looked around and saw various tall wooden statues of giraffes and monkeys in the corners of the room and huge colourful paintings on the wall. The whole place had an African style about it. That surprised him. He briefly wondered what link she had to Africa.

Christiana walked out of the bedroom, a purple dressing gown wrapped tightly around her. Her hair was tousled and all over the place and she had her pillows imprints across her cheek. She looked at Adam and threw him a confused look.

“What do you want?” She asked. Her tone wasn’t unkind, more curious. Adam took that to be a good sign.

“I came to apologise about yesterday.”

“Why? You didn’t say anything wrong. I was the one who told you, you shouldn’t be here.”

Duncan and Connor looked at Christiana then, a look of surprise evident on their faces. She appraised their reactions and shrugged.

“I was drunk and watching people die. Apparently that brings out the inner bitch in me.” She said.

Connor nodded his head. “Makes sense.” He turned to Adam. “Probably best not to provoke a drunken woman watching the apocalypse unfurl in front of her. I would have thought that was a given.”

There was something about Connor that irritated Adam, he didn’t know what it was but he just wanted to hit him. He pushed his irritation down and turned back to Christiana.

“I think we both said some things we didn’t mean. I just wanted to say that I wasn’t really angry at you, I was just angry in general.”

“Oh.” Christiana said, looking perplexed again. “No worries, I feel the same. And sorry for saying that you were only picked for your looks.”

Duncan laughed. “You said that??!! Awesome.”

Adam ignored Duncan and nodded to Christiana. “No hard feelings?”

“Sure, why not?” Christiana replied.

“Well, now that that’s been sorted out,” Duncan interrupted. “I need to talk to Connor about the fact that we have the biggest genius this world has ever known locked in a Walker and refusing to come out.”

Connor looked at Duncan confused. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Daniela has decided that locking herself in a room and walking around in her Danel suit for the rest of her life is the best way to not have to deal with the end of the world. I need to get her out.”

“Why would she want to do that?” Christiana asked.

“Because she’s really stupid for a clever person.” Duncan said. “The Walker’s make it harder for people to access emotions. She’s turned them off completely.”

“Well, if she wants a break from emotions then why not let her get on with it?” Adam asked. “Sounds like a good idea to me.”

“Because…” Duncan said and faltered. “It’s just not healthy okay?”

“How long can people walk around in those things?” Christiana asked.

“Daniela said that the longest she’s done it for is a month,” Duncan said. “Apparently she wants to extend that a little further now."

“For how long?” Connor asked.

“Forever, if she has anything to do with it.”

“So just do that thing at the computer that brings you all back.” Christiana said.

Adam had no idea what ‘thing’ Christiana was talking about but whatever it was Connor seemed to think this was a good idea and was now looking expectantly at Duncan.

“I can’t, Jensen’s been given orders by Kelly to keep her there and you know what he’s like.”

“Why would Kelly order that?” Connor asked.

“Why has Kelly done any of the things she’s done?” Christiana asked bitterly, sitting down.

“Because there are… issues.” Duncan said, his eyes darting to Adam and Christiana. “I need you to change her mind.”

Connor laughed, “I don’t know who you think you’re talking to mate, but Kelly stopped listening to anything I had to say when we were kids.”

“Well how about you?” Duncan said, turning to Christiana. “You lived with her for three years, she’ll listen to you.”

“Sorry Duncan, but if I talk to her right now I might just end up hitting her and I know that if I start a fight with Kelly, I will lose.”

“What? So I just leave her there?” Duncan asked, his voice raising.

“Given how clever she is, I doubt that Kelly will let her get into any real harm, and if she wants to get away from it all, what do you care?”

“I don’t!” Duncan said, frustration pouring out of his words. “I just think that when a person decides to go crazy, it’s common courtesy to stop them!”

Adam looked at Duncan quizzically. He had never seen him like this.

“Duncan, do you like this girl or something?” Adam asked.

“What?” Duncan asked. “No! I mean yeah, she’s hot and everything but no! She’s too brainy, and way too high maintenance… Anyway, that’s not the point. Excuse me for wanting to try and keep a person alive!”

“But Connor’s right,” Adam said. “Daniela’s meant to be the brains of the place right? Why would Kelly let her hurt herself if that was the case?”

“Because!” Duncan said. “She’s got her working whilst she is a Walker, and the stuff she’s doing Daniela would not approve of if she had access to her emotions!”

Adam felt sick then. “What has she got her doing?"

Duncan gave Connor a pleading look and Connor nodded towards the bedroom.

“Duncan and I are just going to…”

“No.” Christiana snapped. “What happened to not keeping secrets from me anymore?”

Connor looked warily between Christiana and Adam. Eventually he settled on Adam.

“Adam, do you mind leaving for a bit?” He asked.

Adam knew he didn’t want to know what it was that Kelly had Daniela doing, he knew that all he wanted to do was leave the room and walk as far away from the conversation as possible because he was certain that if he found out, he would hate it. But Connor had been the one to dismiss him and Adam automatically felt the jerk reaction to go against him. He hated the condescending tone in his voice, he looked Connor levelly in the eyes.

“Oh, so that’s how this is going to be now?” Adam said. “Little pockets of people knowing information and isolating others? Of course I wouldn’t qualify because I’m just… what was it you called me earlier? Oh yeah, ‘The Actor.’”

Duncan sighed. “Fine. Stay. Whatever.” He said. “But at least sit and promise not to freak out, at least not to me, save it all for Kelly.”

He looked at them all and they nodded in agreement, everyone still standing taking a seat. Duncan took a deep breath.

“Kelly has volunteers locked in a vault downstairs full of glass prisons. People who didn’t qualify for Utopia but who wanted to contribute in some way. Daniela woke one of them up by accident and now she’s stuck in there with him.”

“I don’t understand,” Adam said. “What exactly are they doing to contribute?”

“You can’t tell anyone, I’m not even sure if telling you guys is going to get me killed but I don’t care because I need help. However, if people found out, then… well, it won’t be pretty.”

“Duncan, just spit it out.” Christiana said.

“There are vents in each of the prisons, vents that lead to outside. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself but, I did. I watched the first guy open the vents. He’s been exposed and he’s now dying. Kelly wants Daniela to monitor him, to sit in that room and watch him die. And when she’s done, she has at least 90 other people to work her way through. All of them are in there to die and Daniela is stuck in there with them.”

Adam felt light headed as he took in the information.

“So are they all already infected?” Christiana asked.

Duncan shook his head. “Only one.” He said. “But Kelly won’t let anyone bring any of the others out, and if they’re anything like that first guy, none of them will leave willingly anyway.”

Adam shook his head, willing the information away. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Christiana stand, he turned to see that her face was cold as stone.

“Where’s Kelly?” She said, her voice quiet and deathly calm. “I need to speak to her.”