Intervention | NaNoWriMo 2018

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: The following chapter is the non-edited draft of what was written during NaNoWriMo 2018. My apologies in advance for plot holes and other inconsistencies.

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Marie's mouth gaped open as she stared at the Great Hall with horror. What had been designed to give arrivals a sense of greatness and hope for the future was a wreck. The large wall that had featured a massive map of the world had collapsed on the floor in a piles of rubble. The informational displays setup to provide those just arriving with the basic information about the shelter were toppled over on the floor, glass displays shattered with the remaining glass fragments strewn across the floor.

"What happened here?" Lincoln said with wonder in his voice as he noticed the tears streaming down Marie's face.

"I don't...I don't know," Marie said before stating the obvious. "This isn't the way it's supposed to be." She turned and followed the wall around the edge of the hall until she reached a door. Without hesitation, she tried the handle and then disappeared inside. Lincoln, a few steps behind, caught the door just as it was about to close and stepped inside, then froze.

"What is this place?" he asked as he pointed towards banks of computers and several rows of computer stations. Every single chair was precisely pushed in towards the table, as if the room had never been used or it had been left in an orderly fashion.

"It's the control room for the immediate area. Here, they kept track of new arrivals and workers that came and went as the shelter was being constructed. From here, the main gate into the shelter could be opened and closed. In theory, it still can."

"What are you looking for in here?"

"I'm hoping to be able to get a better status read of the shelter form in here. If the Great Hall is in shambles, what about the rest, you know? Going deeper into the shelter may not even be safe."

Marie walked over to one of the computers, sat down and powered it on. At first, only a little green light came on but then the screen came alive and flooded the room with its bright light, illuminating Marie's face with its white light. She began tapping away at the keyboard in front of her. Lincoln could tell that she knew exactly what she was doing. A few moments later, programs appeared on the screen, charts came alive and a series of indicators, some red, some green, appeared on screen. Lincoln had no idea what they meant, except that red likely wasn't good.

"So what are you seeing?" he finally had to ask.

Marie turned and looked at him with a tears forming in her eyes, her face white as a sheet.

"The shelter is empty," she said with a quiver in her voice. "They're gone. They're all gone, Lincoln."

Lincoln blinked and stared at Marie, then at the screen. "What do you mean? Who's all gone?"

"Everyone that came here to take shelter," she said and put her face in her hand as she began to sob.

Lincoln put his arm around her as he sat down next to her. "Marie, I'm sorry, I know this is hard, but I don't understand. Wasn't the point of the shelters that those that stayed in them would eventually leave and rebuild?"

Marie nodded and looked up at him. "Yes, of course but that's my point. There's no record of them ever leaving."

It was then that Lincoln understood. The shelter had been filled with people at some point. They had entered with the hope of one day emerging to rebuild the world outside. Now, they were gone and they never left. Yet, in itself, that didn't make sense to Lincoln. How could the shelter be empty if it was never opened for its residents to leave. Did the trashed Great Hall have anything to do with that? Had there been some sort of fight? Was it possible that someone had managed to break in? Or, had the shelter simply never been populated? Marie had, after all, not been there towards the very end. There was only one way to find out.