Arrival: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

26

“Where are you taking us? Let go of me!” Maya said again, pulling at the hands that held her.

The woman with the tall candle stopped, and so did the rest of the group. She went to Maya, held up a sock, and stuffed it into Maya’s mouth.

Maya kicked harder, her words now nothing more than mumbled gibberish. The two men holding her had already bound her hands behind her back with zip ties. Reno had been bound, as well, but hadn’t spoken, and therefore hadn’t been gagged like she had.

The people escorted Maya and Reno into another tunnel, this one ending in a cavernous room lit by candles. Cardboard boxes and garbage bags lined the walls. They had been arranged rather than tossed, giving the dank space a strangely orderly look. Cases of Coke and plastic gallons of water sat against the far wall. Although candles illuminated the room, Maya couldn’t see another way out. The tunnel appeared to dead-end here.

Maya and Reno fell to the ground as the men shoved them in the backs. One of them then bent down and took the sock out of Maya’s mouth.

“This is kidnapping,” Reno said, speaking for the first time. “You can’t hold us here.”

“Stop talking,” Maya said to Reno. “That sock tasted awful.”

Maya thought she saw a quick, flashing smile on the older woman’s face that then disappeared as she crouched down to look directly into their eyes.

“What are you doing down here?” she asked. Her voice sounded tired—not booming or forceful, as Maya had expected it to be.

“Trying to find a way out of the city,” Maya said.

“And how did you discover these tunnels?”

“A man we met. He gave us a map he’d made while exploring them.”

The woman raised her eyebrows. “Where is this map now?”

Maya swallowed. “In my right front pocket.”

The woman nodded at one of the men flanking Maya. He reached into her pocket and pulled out the folded sheet of paper, then handed it to the older woman. As she opened the sheet of paper, she walked to one of the candles and studied the map. When she was done, she snorted and held it up.

“This place you are now—it’s not on here. How did you find us?”

“The tunnels below flooded. We were lucky enough to find a ladder which led us up to where you found us.”

“We should be asking you the questions,” Reno said with a sharp tone in his voice. “Who are you people, and why are you living down here?”

“Reno, please,” Maya said, wishing he could read her mind. “This is a family, and we’ve invaded their home. They have a right to hold us captive until they determine we’re not a threat.”

The woman smiled. “It’s not like you’re our prisoners.”

Reno furrowed his brow. “We’re not?”

“Not at all,” the woman said, laughing suddenly.

Maya looked at the men standing guard over her and Reno. They weren’t moving, but they looked like they’d stop any attempt to leave.

“Funny how you can say that when our hands are zip-tied behind our backs,” Reno said.

“It’s just a precaution. You must understand.”

“Yeah, well, you ‘must understand’ that it doesn’t exactly make sense, from our point of view, that we aren’t being held against our will.”

“Again, it’s only for our safety. But I do understand.” The woman looked again to the men around Maya and Reno. She nodded.

The men drew knives and cut off the zip ties. Maya massaged her wrists.

“Thanks.”

The woman smiled. “My name is Janine.”

“I’m Maya, and this is Reno.”

“Nice to meet the two of you.”

Maya scanned the dimly lit room again. Several children clung to the legs of their parents, nothing but white eyes visible on their filthy faces.

“Why are you down here?” Maya asked, honest compassion coming out in her words.

“This is our home now. I had been exploring the tunnels for years. And when the dome finally came down, we knew we had been doing the right thing.”

“Finally came down?” Reno asked.

“I didn’t know how it would happen, but the end of the world was inevitable. People have predicted it many times, and all have been wrong. But whether it was the religious cults, the ancient alien believers, the EMP preppers, or climate change, one of them was going to be right—eventually.”

“Which one are you?” Maya asked.

Janine smiled. “I don’t believe in any particular theory, but I’ve always known that it would happen during my lifetime. And it appears as if I was right.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Reno said. “What about terrorism or the government?”

“Yes, you’re correct. Two other theories as to how the world could end.”

Reno rolled his eyes and whispered into Maya’s ear. “We have to get out of here. These people are making Jack seem almost normal.”

“How about you two have a seat?” Janine asked. “We were about to have service.”

“Um, we appreciate the hospitality. But we have to get going. I have to find my children.” Maya looked at the kids clinging to their parents and then back to Janine.

Janine’s smile grew. She shook her head.

“Leave? Oh, no. Not possible. It’s all for your own good.”

Maya got a chill. She glanced at Reno. Sweat had collected on his brow.

“Look, you don’t understand,” Maya said. “I can’t stay here. I must—”

“No,” Janine said, her eyes narrowing. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

“Bullshit,” Reno said.

He knocked the man next to him out of the way, but another larger man grabbed him. He pushed Reno against the wall, pinning his shoulders to the cold stone.

“Stop!” Maya said.

“Yes, stop,” Janine said. “These two clearly don’t belong here.”

“Thank you,” Maya said with a sigh.

Janine’s smile disappeared. “Tie them up.”