Journal Entry # 59

July 16th, 2734

Day 13. That's how long I've been at Ground Zero. It feels more. The days go by slowly. Seconds turn into minutes, minutes turn into hours, hours turn into days. Loneliness is a regular feeling that is creeping within, waiting for the right moment to completely absorb me.

I'm not sure how long I can fight anymore.

I haven't talked to my family since I came. We can't reach out to them. It's one of the "mandatory rules". There are no phones or reception. There hasn't been for a while. Part of me wants to leave this place, get back to my family.

How are they doing now? Are they happy at the Miracles? Are they still safe? Are they even alive? Thousands of thoughts swam in my mind. The thoughts are restless, draining, apathetic to my well being.

The map I'm making is in progress. I regularly walk along these hallways. Taking a notice of what is in the building. I memorized every visible exit here. I know how to get to the basement, the first floor, second, third and so on. I know everything within these walls. Or maybe I just know its mere surface.

They didn't harm us yet but I know the Commander is wrong. The worst didn't already happen. The worst is yet to co-

The beep of my bedroom door and the knob turning made me drop my pen. Someone's key card was opening the door. Feeling of dread rushed through my veins. I tossed the journal under the bed, hearing a thump as it hit the wall. Without realizing, I was face to face with Kana. She was another one of the trainers and worked in a medical field. She was a petite, pale woman with long raven hair.

Even if she suspected anything, her face didn't show. I didn't speak. It was her that barged into my room. There was definitely a reason why.

She cleared her throat and tried to give me a kind smile. "Commander wants to speak to you."

My eyebrows furrowed, my emerald green eyes looking at her questionably. "Why?"

"You're not in trouble," She assured, waving her hand in dismissal. That didn't ease my nerves. "He just has a favor to ask."

I tried to ask what favor but she already motioned her head for me to follow and disappeared from the view. She either did not know why the commander wanted me, or purposely left so that she didn't have to answer my burning questions. I gave out a frustrated sigh, and against all my better efforts to stay I found myself following her and getting lost in the gray, lifeless halls.

I jogged to catch up with her. Her strides were long and quick. She was taller than me by a couple of inches. However, being taller than me was not surprising. Almost everyone was taller than me.

We were quiet as we walked down the hall. I figured my questions would be answered soon, so I looked around. It was the section I didn't search and examine yet. Who knows how many sections I still don't know about? 10? 20? 100?

We were still on the second floor, but at the very end. The room numbers were ongoing as we passed. 273,274,275...

I looked back. The dimming light on the ceiling was flickering. I scraped my fingers alongside the wall. It was damp, rough, and paint was peeling off. This section wasn't renovated.

We were almost at the end and I found myself asking, "What happened to this section?"

"It's empty now," She started, motioning at the rooms. "All these rooms are vacant. As far as I know, Commander is trying to make half of this floor into another training facility."

There was an elevator right as we turned left. She scanned the keycard and we stepped in. No one except trainers and the Commander ever used elevators. I know there were a couple on each floor but we weren't allowed to use them.

"It's just an elevator." She deadpanned, and I stopped looking around. I blinked and stared at the rising number. We were on the 5th floor now.

"I know it's just an elevator," I couldn't help but say it with irritation. "We aren't supposed to use it."

"He gave you permission this time."

We got out when we reached the 6th floor. This is the one floor I knew about alongside the basement but never stepped one foot on it. Both of them were under heavy security and no one except the Commander and few of his trusted people were allowed to enter. We knew there were consequences if we did.

The nervous tightening around my chest disappeared as I looked at the view in front of me. This wasn't a floor, the elevator led straight to a luxury living room. It was ginormous. My eyes were huge as I looked around. There were leather, expensive sofas and couches, and glass coffee tables that were scattered around. A grand, black piano was in one of the corners. The room was dark with only lamps illuminating the view. Most of the light came from the outside though.

Before I realized, I was a few inches away from the window that was as tall as me. An actual window. I haven't seen those in almost two months. We were barricaded by the cemented walls. I shakily brought up my hand and placed it on the window. The cold rush swept through my body.

Smaller buildings close to this compartment were lit up. They were flawless, new, perfectly, perfectly intact. As the view went further, my hand dropped. The world in the distance was abandoned. There was no one there. The constructions from this place appeared small but there was no question that they were destroyed. Some of them were split in half, some of them burned to the ground, and some of them barely left standing.

My throat went dry and I could feel my heart thumping, thumping, thumping. It was a slow, steady pace. The one that makes you go mad.

"Allie?"

My heart skipped a beat as I heard one of my sisters mutter quietly. We were in one of the kiosks at the end of the city, stationed in the backroom. It was one of the few ones that wasn't burned or had Infected hiding in it. My mother was sleeping next to my other sister Izzy while my father kept watch.

"What's up Soph?" I whispered, turning to look at her.

"Do you think we are going to get to that good place mom and dad were talking about?"

I tried to force a small, assuring smile. Then I realized she couldn't see it and I wiped it off of my face. The power was out, and the night has already covered New York City. I took a deep breath, not trusting my voice.

"I mean when have they ever been wrong?" I said.

"Never." She answered, her 10 year old voice confident.

"Exactly." I could feel a hot, damp tear sliding down my cheek. My voice got quieter each second. I only hoped she didn't notice. "We are going to win this, get to Houston and that Miracle place and live like we used to."

"All of us?" She asked again.

"All of us." My voice was confident now. If anything, I knew we would get there together.

"Thank you for coming."

I spun around, my memory disappearing. My eyes met the Commanders'. Even though he never showed any acts of cruelty, I was still scared. No one knows person's true colors. Not even a person you lived your whole life with.

"Kana," My voice was weak, breathless, unlike me. I tried to regain my normal voice back. "She told me you needed me."

His smile cut me in half. "Yes, I do." His hands were in his suit pockets and as he walked around his gray eyes observed me. "I have a job for you."

That took me by surprise. A job? For me? To work for him? He only lets certain people do his work.

"I'm not sure I understand." I was confused. My voice was holding a thousand questions that I knew would never be answered, so I kept my mouth shut.

"I want you to work with the trainers," He stated, simply.

He moved to his working desk, and pulled out a wooden box. It was my time to observe him. The light reflected onto his face and he looked even older than he was. It seemed like he hadn't shaved his beard ever since I was introduced to him on my first day. Dark circles were visible around his eyes as well as wrinkles.

He pulled out an orange folder with my name on it and then pulled another piece of paper from the drawer. He handed me the folded paper. I looked at him once more before unfolding it. As I looked at the drawings he continued to speak.

"This folder has all of your results from the testing we took on the first day," I looked at him as he opened the folder and took the sheets out. "The results are spectacular."

I didn't respond. There was a ball in my throat, in my stomach preventing me from breathing. I didn't know what to say. I could hear ringing in my ears but I continued listening.

He looked at me and smiled with his perfectly straight, white teeth. "The results...we have never seen anything like it. Frankly, the fighting ability is not the best," He murmured the last part of information as he turned over the pages,"The trainers will help with that, I am sure. However, your logical side is what we all need."

"I'm sorry, but what job?" I asked, still examining the drawings. It was a map. Very similar to mine. However, it was not a part of Ground Zero. It was much larger. It was a map of the city.

"You are going to work with the trainers and go into the city," He explained. "You will help with patrolling, and finding the survivors."

In the city? Go outside and see the world again. Or at least what's left of it. Small part of me wanted to. I was desperate for everything to go back to normal. Safe. Undamaged. Peaceful. Bigger part of me though never wanted to go back there again. I saw more than I should have when my family and I traveled to get to the only safe place on Earth. I never wanted to see that again.

"I'm not sure I'll be of any help," I put down his idea. I was questioning why he chose me. I just came to Ground Zero. I didn't know how they operated. The trainers were 19 or older. I was only 17. "I have no experience in that field."

"Aliana," He looked at me, his eyes burning into mine. He was exhausted, and desperate. "I believe you are the only one that could actually help us."

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This is the second chapter. Hopefully you enjoyed it. Please vote, comment and share this book because it helps me a lot as a new writer. If you have any suggestions please kindly let me know.

The next chapter is already being written, and should be uploaded in a couple of days more or less. Thank you for reading!