The End of Refuge, page 23
By the time Derrick finished, her anger had all but melted away. Both their bodies were damp with sweat and Juliet’s hair had gotten rumpled in the process. Derrick helped her back up to her feet and they both pulled their discarded clothing back on.
Juliet couldn’t think of any appropriate thing to say and just muttered, “Sorry about that.”
Derrick smiled and adjusted his glasses. “That was nothing to be sorry about.”
Juliet ran her hands over her button up shirt. It was hopelessly wrinkled and the top button was missing. Now that she had a moment to cool down, she was finally able to look around and see what was housed in this storage room.
There were all sorts of oddities in the room. The shelves to her right were stacked with aluminum pouches of emergency rations. To the left, there were old dusty first aid kits that would never be used in the medical wing. A vibrant yellow rubbery object caught her eye, and on further inspection, it appeared to be an emergency raft. Next to it was a row of life vests.
“What is this place?” Juliet asked.
“Storage room B,” Derrick answered, looking through a shelf of dusty flashlights and batteries.
“Well, yes, I know we’re in the storage area, but none of this stuff looks particularly useful.”
“It could have been useful. This is the oldest storage room in Refuge. It was originally stocked when this shelter was built for the cold war.”
“What?” Juliet stopped looking around, returning the lantern she had been examining to the shelf. “You know the history of Refuge? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Derrick was busy testing flashlights and the replacement batteries. He clicked the flashlight in his hand on and it gave off a weak flickering glow. “We do a segment of Refuge history in CEd, around the second year. It’s more than we learned in general ed, but still a watered down version. At least they told us we’re underwater.”
“But you knew about the shipment of supplies already? And Submarine Savior?”
“Shipments, yes,” he answered. He shook the flashlight in his hand and the light died out. He clicked it off before returning it to the shelf. “Never heard of Submarine Savior, though. What is it?”
Juliet told Derrick all the details of Submarine Savior she had learned from Avery.
“Wow,” Derrick said. He ran a hand through his short hair while staring at the floor deep in thought. “I don’t think we’re going to get anything out of this storage room.”
“No,” Juliet agreed. She picked up a pouch of water that had an expiration date from before she was born. How, she wondered, could water even expire? She set it back and tried to wipe the dust off her hands on the bottom of her shirt.
“We’ll come up with a plan,” Derrick insisted. “I’ll keep thinking about it.”
Juliet’s shirt was now crumpled, brown with dust, and missing a button. She could smell her own sweat, which she did not like. “I need a shower,” she declared.
“Me too,” he said. “Let’s head back.”
They returned to the residences and parted ways to go to their respective dorms. Juliet grabbed her shower kit and headed to the bathroom. She glanced at her reflection and stopped dead. Her hair was a knotted mess with patches of dust in it and her face and chest were still all flushed from her physical exertion. She was showing a lot of skin due to the missing button on her shirt. Still, she liked the person looking back at her. This Juliet was going to take control of her life. She was doing something instead of just hiding and crying. Maybe Derrick was right, she deserved to live life outside of Refuge, and she needed to look after herself and not worry so much about everyone else.
She smiled at her new confident self. She didn’t know how yet, but she was going to live.
There was quite a crowd gathered at the fountain on the Boston University campus to hear Senator Stanley Kane talk. Lauren looked around and saw lots of students milling around waiting for the event to start. She wasn’t a particularly politically charged individual, but Grant told her sometimes politicians who spoke on campus would field a few questions from the audience, and Lauren had some burning questions for Senator Kane.
Lauren and Grant had dressed for standing outside on a cool November afternoon. Today, however, the sun beating down on their heads, the thick crowd of people, and the unseasonably warm weather had forced them to shed their coats. Lauren was shifting from side to side, impatiently waiting for the talk to start.
Finally, someone came to the podium. It was definitely not Senator Kane, but Lauren still listened closely to what he had to say. The young man talking at the podium was the president of the College Democrats club. He sounded and dressed like a politician, even though he must have only been twenty. He gave a plug for other upcoming events sponsored by the club then gave a warm thank you to Senator Kane for coming to the campus as part of his re-election campaign. Everyone cheered when he introduced Senator Kane and left the temporary stage.
Lauren was surprised how attractive the Senator was in real life. Of course, she had seen him on TV and pictures of him included in news articles, but something about his likeness on a screen emphasized his age and wrinkles. Here in the flesh in front of her, Kane was an energetic and animated man. He was tall with lots of salt and pepper hair and crisp blue eyes. His perfectly tailored suit hinted at his athletic build underneath. Lauren hadn’t been particularly interested in what he had to say but now found herself hanging onto his every word as he peppered jokes between his campaign promises and witty anecdotes from his own college experience. She cheered loudly along with the rest of the crowd when he finished his talk.
Senator Kane asked for questions and the College Democrats president held up a microphone in front of the first student who waved his hand hoping to ask a question of the Senator.
“Now’s your chance,” Grant whispered to Lauren. She wasn’t sure now about asking the probing question about the bill he supported that would soon kill her pen pal. He was such an amiable guy, she kind of felt bad about putting him in an awkward spot with the question. “Come on,” Grant hissed, elbowing her side as a second student waved her hand and the College Democrats guy worked through the crowd toward her with the mic.
“What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?” The young woman gushed.
“Mint chocolate chip,” Senator Kane answered with his big political grin. “Next question!”
Grant waved his hand in the air, not waiting for Lauren to summon the courage to ask herself. Once the mic reached him, he launched into the question. “I think it’s admirable that you authored and supported the bill to rebuild Washington D.C., but part of that bill stops aid to Subterranean Shelter 14. What do you have to say about the three hundred people living there who will die because of your bill?”
Lauren groaned. She knew the question needed to be asked and was the only reason the two of them had come to the rally today, but Grant could have phrased it a little more delicately.
“First of all, thank you for your question,” Senator Kane said launching into his answer in an unflappably bright tone and maintaining his smile. “I am proud of the Washington D.C. rebuilding initiative. We need to make our capital great once again to reflect the state of our great nation. On the flip side, we need to be careful about which projects we aid. There are several areas of the world where people live without, and even here in our great nation of the United States, there are those living in poverty who wonder where the next meal will come from. Ideally, we would be able to provide food and shelter for all the people in need, helping them better themselves and turning them into contributing members of society. But, we do not live in an ideal world where the United States can provide aid to everyone. Even so, I pray every day we will one day achieve this better world. Next question!”
“Man, I hate politicians,” Grant mumbled under his breath. Lauren wanted to stay for the rest of the Q and A, but Grant was already pushing his way out of the crowd to leave the rally.
Lauren bought dinner for them at the local hole in the wall burger place which was a staple to the Boston U campus, most likely because the servers didn’t always card the younger clientele when they ordered beer. Lauren loved places like this, even with the outdated interior, sticky floors, and food that wasn’t really special.
“I can’t believe that guy,” Grant said through a mouth full of food. He took another bite of his burger before continuing. “He totally talked around the question.”
“I should have expected it. Politicians are all so sleazy.” She took a sip of her beer. She had offered to get Grant a beer as well, but he had opted for a soft drink.
“You seemed pretty enraptured by him while he was speaking.”
“Shut up.” Lauren blushed while giving him a small smile. “There was just something about seeing him in person. It’s like the TV adds a filter that makes him look old and sleazy.”
“I think it’s just you because the man I saw today was definitely still old and sleazy.”
“Please, just give me a break.” Lauren nibbled on her fries. “So, what do we do now?”
“Tonight’s the big party at the pink house,” Grant said.
“I know that. I mean, what do we do about SS14?”
“Did you ever hear back from that guy who wrote the blog?”
“Bob?” Lauren asked, recalling the Refuge blog they had read at the library. “No.”
“Maybe you should email your pal there. See what she’d been up to on the inside.”
“I guess,” Lauren said, not sure that messaging Juliet would help in any way. “I’ll go as your date to the pink house party if you promise to do a keg stand.”
“Hell no. I am not doing a keg stand.”
“Why not?”
“For starters, I’m not twenty-one.”
“Neither am I,” Lauren said, lifting her glass of beer. “It’s not stopping me.”
“I’ll be your designated driver.”
“Deal.”
24
Hey Juliet,
I’ve got to be honest, I’m doing what I can from here, but it’s not looking so good right now. I’m still doing research, and I’ll let you know as soon as I can when I come up with something. Grant has been surprisingly helpful with everything.
It’s been nice having a fall break and no class for a few days. I’ve been able to focus on stuff other than my failing grades.
What’s been going on with you other than receiving unpleasant news? Last I heard, you and Avery took it to the next level (wink). I will keep it PG here, but from your descriptions, I like to imagine him as a tender lover. Feel free to correct me. With details.
Just send me all the details since it’s been a while for me. I guess I could sleep with Grant, but he so does not seem ready for an ‘intimate’ relationship. After his stalker-like spell earlier last month, I would hate to see what would happen if he became an ex-lover. Nothing good for me.
I’ll keep you posted with any news. Until then keep in touch.
Yours, Lauren
P.S. Details!!!
Juliet was glad to finally get a new message from Lauren. It had felt like a lifetime since her last message, and technically she wasn’t even supposed to have read it.
She hadn’t even thought about messaging Lauren back. She should at least thank her for sending the information, and maybe also let her know how things had gotten stale with Avery. A wave of nausea washed over her when she realized what happened in the storage room a couple days ago would definitely upset Avery. Even though she was mad at him, she hadn’t meant to intentionally hurt him back.
“I thought I’d be able to find you here,” Jim said from behind her. Juliet jumped, caught off guard by the interruption.
“Jim! You surprised me.” Jim came around from the back of the sofa to sit next to her. She enjoyed being amongst the evening buzz of activity at the center, even if she just kept to herself reading articles on her micro tab.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” he began. He leaned back against the sofa, letting his arms stretch along the top and taking up two cushions by sitting with his knees far apart. “I know you and Cass are best friends and roommates, so I want to avoid an awkward situation.”
Juliet felt a flash of anger which quickly passed. Neither she nor Jim had done right by each other, and calling him out for making a pass at her friend wouldn’t help either of them. She decided to be the bigger man. “I’ve already given Cass the green light,” she said. “I’m not preventing her from dating anyone.”
“Well, color me surprised,” he said. “But I feel like I should tell you something, and you may not want to give us your blessing once you hear.”
Juliet shrugged her shoulders. “Look, I know you and Cass have a history. You don’t need to tell me all the details. Cass can’t really keep a secret for long.”
“Huh,” Jim said, nodding his head. “So, you don’t think I’m a total scumbag after everything that’s happened?”
Juliet smiled in spite of herself. “I thought you were a total scumbag before any of this.”
“Damn, Jules!” he said, giving her knee a firm squeeze. “Be careful with the brutal honesty.”
“Sorry. Truth hurts.” She saw him pull a small box out of his pocket. “What’s that?” she asked.
“I know you’re not that big of a fan of poker, but I found a deck of Uno cards. Care to play a game?”
“Sure, why not?” she said. Jim pulled the cards out of their box and started shuffling them on the low table in front of the sofa. He dealt them each a hand of cards, then sat in a chair opposite Juliet.
“You have any sevens?” he asked.
Juliet smiled, “That’s not how you play Uno.”
“I’m just messing with you.” He leaned in close to the table and flipped over the top card. “You go first.” They continued playing Uno until everyone else cleared out of the center for the night.
As Juliet walked back to her dorm she remembered she hadn’t replied to Lauren’s message yet. She would have to do that the next morning.
Juliet awoke suddenly, grasping at the memory of a dream. She was walking down the pipe, but the pipe extended on and on and on. As she continued walking, the door at the end appeared to be getting further away. It felt like she had walked miles down the hallway. In the dream, the hallway was lit well enough to see the door at the end, which she had not actually seen before. When she lost hope of ever reaching the far away door, it opened and water rushed in. She turned and ran away from the door, frequently looking back to see the water racing down the hall toward her. She couldn’t go fast enough; the water was gaining on her. Then, the water engulfed her. That’s when she woke up.
She sat up in her bed, trying to take deep intentional breaths. Her heart started to slow down back to a normal pace. The dorm was dark around her. She could hear the faint breathing sounds coming from Cass’s bed as she slept peacefully. Juliet glanced at the wall clock above Cass’s desk, 4:17. She didn’t need to get up and prepare for CEd for another three hours. Laying back down, she tried to return to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she could see the water rushing at her and was jolted back awake.
4:48. Juliet gave up on getting any more sleep for the night. She crept out of bed, trying to make as little noise as possible. Sitting down at her desk, she powered on her micro tab and started writing a message to Lauren.
The dream kept haunting her, fresh in her brain. She had never before seen a door at the end of the pipe, but Avery had said that the exit was there. It was the only exit she knew about. If she and Derrick expected to get out of Refuge, that was where they would get out. Her vision filled with rushing water before her body gave her a quick jerk, reminding her to stay awake.
Suddenly the idea formed. It wasn’t a solution, but at least it was a step. After checking the storage room for useful items, she and Derrick had wracked their brains for almost a week trying to think of what to do next. They needed to go through the evacuation procedures for Submarine Savior. She wanted to see where it was supposed to dock and the pressure lock where they would escape. She opened a messaging window to write a message to Derrick.
Derrick,
We need to check out the pipe. I’ll tell you more at breakfast.
Yours, Juliet
She sent the message to Derrick then returned to the message she was writing to Lauren. Her eyes kept closing as she wrote, and she had to keep rereading the previous sentence, not sure where she left off. She decided maybe she should give up on the message and try to get more sleep. Cass was still silently sleeping as Juliet climbed back in her bed. She laid down wondering what they would find at the end of the pipe. Before she could imagine what her escape would be like, she had fallen back asleep.
Even though she had missed out on a bit of sleep, Juliet still felt refreshed and excited the next morning. She knew that once they could examine the doorway out of the pipe first hand, she would be able to plan an escape.
She got dressed in her CEd uniform, rolling up the two long sleeves. After glancing at her reflection, she felt like she was hiding under her long hair and Derrick’s oversized shirt. She found a rubber band in her desk and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, then took off her shirt. After rummaging through Cass’s closet, she found a t-shirt Cass normally used for her workouts. Even though it was a little snug on Juliet’s larger frame, it covered her bra and showed just a little cleavage over the neckline. She put her own CEd uniform shirt over it and just left the top few buttons undone. Looking back at her reflection, Juliet could see her face and her figure. Happy with her appearance, she grabbed her bag, shoved her micro tab in it, and left.
