Lockdown

Astoria stared at the empty chair beside her. Everyone was seated except for Oden. After their visit to the President’s apartment, he had taken off. It had been hours, yet he was still not back. Ross, too, was glancing at Oden’s place with a frown. “Astoria,” Ross called from the other end of the table, “go look for him.” She nodded and stood up, maneuvering her way around Beth, without knocking the pile of plates in her hands. All heads were on her as they watched her leave through the door. Ross got up with her since he was the only one who knew how to open their door. As they walked to the main door past the ‘living room’ Ross began, “Make sure the guards don’t find you. And return if you don’t find Oden in his normal spots so that we can check the cameras.” “I know, Ross…” she murmured bobbing her head to the words that had been repeated dozens of times. As reckless as Astoria could be, Oden was the one that made everyone worry. He chose to ignore the danger and pretend like it did not exist. She hoped Oden hadn’t done anything to get himself caught by the guards. It would lead to a lot of problems that would be much easier to avoid. Ross tinkered with the door trying to get it to open. The door was Ross’s most complicated and messed up contraption. It was built in such a way that only he could open it. He’d tried to explain it to the rest so that they wouldn’t be so vulnerable without him, but he lost them after the first few steps. A click sounded as the door pulled open, and he moved out of the way to let Astoria pass. “You have half an hour. Any more and I’ll send people out to find you.” Ross said shutting the door behind her. It took as much time to close it as it did to open. She stepped away from the door that was invisible from the outside and camouflaged into the apartment building. Night was the easiest time to get caught, since guards patrolled the city. They’d all had their fair share of being sent to jail, and getting out was a pain - doable, but still a pain. So they tried to keep it at a minimum. She moved away creeping through the street and poking her head out of their alley first. She went over the guards schedule which was memorized like the back of her hand, guessing where they would all be at that moment. The night was the same as all others. The moon had been changed to a crescent in the dark sky. The buildings were all lit by lamplights on the streets. Her first stop would be at the Barrier, Oden’s favorite spot to cool off. Before she turned onto a different street she made sure to check for guards or any sounds. The farther she moved, the shorter the buildings became, and she could see the beginning of the barren land. Her head turned at any sound of movement. She had trained herself for this. All of them had. She dived into the nearest alley and listened. Her back was pressed against the smooth wall and from the corner of her eye she saw a black shape move. She counted slowly to three and peeked out to see the body move away from the city buildings and towards the Barrier. Could it be Oden? It was not a guard, but definitely a man. She knew for certain that the figure wasn't a guard as they all wore matching neon green uniforms. She kept the distance of at least a block of buildings between them and followed him as he made his way. The dark outfit he wore gave him the illusion of a shadow in the night. Was Oden wearing that when he had left? She wasn’t sure. He was now on the empty land when she saw something glint bright red in his hands. She stayed at the edge of the buildings. If she went any further and the man turned around, she would have nowhere to hide. Her instinct screamed for certain that it was not Oden, but the build and height matched his. She had no way to be sure but to tread on. She took a step forward, deciding that she could take him on if she needed to. Her shoes touched the sand. She moved quickly so her feet wouldn’t sink in with every step. The tall apartments and narrow alleys were no longer around to hide her. She was on the outskirts of the city. The man kept walking. Astoria walked at a slow pace compared to his brisk one. She knew that they were approaching the domed crystal barrier that surrounded their city. Where was he going? The air was still, as it always was, and if she strained her ears she could hear his footsteps leaving her sight. There was a soft thud and then the sound of something dropping to the ground. There was a pause in the footsteps as she waited; her ears were her best ally. When she looked up, the man was moving, running away from her. It appeared that she was invisible to him. She heard the first beep. It was short and brief. Then more. The man was out of sight. She trudged over the deserted area, shaking sand away from her shoes. The fake moon reflected on the dome. The Barrier enclosed the entire city in a tight bubble with no way out. She approached a small black sphere. There was a digital clock on it, except it was counting backwards. The beep fell in time with each second as the numbers reduced. Five…four…three… Her heart pounded and out of instinct she made a run for it. Two seconds later her ears exploded.