“No, the bunker was designed to withstand nukes so I’m sure it can handle the screamers,” I lied again, trying to sound confident, “We should be quiet and things should settle down soon.”
With that everyone tried to calm down and get some rest. Rest though was the last thing anyone got that night. The screamers were relentless and made sleep impossible for us. It felt as though the night would never end. Each second ticked by slowly, then pausing for a few seconds and then starting again. At some point I lost track of time and I drifted into deep and pointless thoughts.
Day 96:
The next morning I woke to the sound of a slow and steady pounding. I rolled out of bed and made my way to the bunker door, putting my ear to the door I could make out low growls. A cool hand touched my shoulder and I whirled around to face Lucy.
“God you scared me,” I said.
“Sorry, I’ve been listening to the pounding on the other side of the door since dawn,” Lucy replied.
“I think there are alot of screamers on the other side of the door,” Lucy added, “We are trapped and I’m worried that Gabe may not teleport into the bunker. If he enters the basement…”
Lucy didn’t finish her sentence because we both knew what would happen. I noticed we were not the only ones awake. Everyone was listening and worry was evident on their faces. I put my hand to the door and close my eyes. I pictured the basement and focused, I put myself there and I looked around. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I frowned at how many bodies were standing in basement. They were crammed together, pressing against all four walls. They slowly swayed back and forth as one. The screamers pressed to the wall hit their heads in unison. It appeared they were in some kind of state of sleep. I turned my head to glance up the stairs when a face appeared right in front of me. It opened its mouth, black rotting teeth lurched towards me. I fell back, my hand leaving the door. I opened my eyes and felt sweat forming on my head. My heart still racing, Lucy helped me to my feet.
“You are right. There are dozens out there. We are trapped,” I said sullenly.
“Maybe we are not trapped. I could make fire come out of my hands and set them on fire,” Jacob chimed in.
“We would still be trapped and burnt alive. That doesn’t sound appealing to me,” Sally joined in.
The hours passed quickly while we brain busted ideas on how to get the screamers out of the basement. Nate and Olyvia searched the bunker for another exit. Even though I explained there was only one exit. Sally and Sara played a game of monopoly while we threw ideas around. The group was on edge, when evening approached and the pounding turned into screams we couldn’t help but wonder where Gabe was. Worry soon turned to panic. Wes, Lucy and I spent the remainder of the day trying to keep Sara calm. She explained how she had panic attacks and a fear of being confined in small places before the sickness. She would start hyperventilating and lose control of her ability. Each time things would break or move. Books flew off the shelfs and glasses smashed into tiny shards. She kept apologizing but by the end of the day the bunker was in complete shambles. She Finally drained all her strength and energy and fell into a deep sleep. Lucy and I cleaned up the bunker with little talk. The screams from outside the bunker door made it evident the screamers hadn’t forgotten us. After we finished cleaning I went to my bed and climbed in. I wondered as I drifted off to sleep if there was a way I could teleport everyone back to the warehouse. I had after all brought them here. What if I lost control of my emotions again but this time reeled them in enough to teleport everyone. The tricky part was figuring out how I did it.
Day 100:
It has been days with no sign of Gabe. We had begun to fear the worst possible things. We didn’t know if they made it back to the warehouse. Why hadn’t Gabe come to get us and what if he had but ended up in the basement? The screamers had been relentless and followed the same damn pattern day and night. Sara was a wreck and getting worse with each passing day. The rest of us had been trying to get by the best we could. Olyvia and Nate kept busy playing board games and baking cookies. Which was humorous because none of us ate food anymore. Nate attempted to eat one of the chocolate chip cookies but found the cookie wouldn’t pass his throat. He coughed and ended up spitting it out. Disappointed he threw the plate of cookies against the wall.
“Why do you think we can’t eat food anymore?” He bellowed.
“Doesn’t a human body need nourishment to survive?” He continued, “I really want to eat a damn cookie!”
“I don’t think we are human anymore. What kind of humans have god damn super powers?” Olyvia said.
“Also what’s up with the water consumption? It doesn’t make any sense,” Lucy asked.
No one knew how to reply so we all sat feeling stupid and inspecting our hands like maybe they held the key to unlocking all the mysteries the world had thrown at us.
I stood up suddenly and decided I was not going to sit around another second waiting for rescue that may never come. I walked into the kitchen and pushed the table to the side of the room. I then moved each of the four chairs. The area wasn’t ideal to work in but it would suffice for what I had to do. The ruckus got the attention of everyone and they gathered with curiosity.
“I’m going to try and teleport us back to the warehouse. This means I may need to take your abilities from you. I apologize in advance, but I’m not asking for your permission. I’m going to try my best to fix the mess I’ve caused everyone,” I explained.
Everyone gathered into a tight circle and we held hands. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind but thoughts flooded in and memories of yoga classes with my friends came centerfold. Yoga was the cool thing to do. I only went to class because after yoga we always went to my favorite coffee house. There we would get high on caffeine and cake pops. We would laugh and giggle at the silliest things. My friends faces whirled in my head. We were sitting by the big window in the front of the coffee house. One of my friend’s boyfriend worked there and he would put out a handmade sign that said, “Reserved” just for us every Tuesday and Friday evening we made our way to the same spot. My emotions flared around inside me and I lassoed each emotion, putting it into its proper category to be filed away neatly. My hand prickled and electric waves ran through my arm and into my hands. I tried but failed to picture the warehouse. The coffee shop kept replacing my image. I inhaled deeply and on my exhale felt my body lift. I didn’t open my eyes for fear I would lose concentration. A snapping sound in my ears jerked my eyes open. I was standing in the coffee house and I wasn’t alone. I had managed to teleport everyone out of the bunker.
“Nicely done,” Lucy said winded.
She took a step forward but her knees gave out and she collapsed to the ground.
I quickly searched the room to make sure everyone had made it and they had. They were sitting or passed out on the floor. The teleportation must have drained them. Strangely I felt fine. I jumped into action. I went behind the counter and found a sink. Thankfully the water was still working. I filled pitchers with water and fed them to each one. The refrigerator was stocked with beverages including bottled water. I passed out water bottles until everyone regained composure.
“Where are we?” Sally asked confused.
“Layla teleported us to the coffee house she used to come to with her friends. I believe she came here after her yoga class,” Nate explained with a smile.
“How did you know that?” I stammered.
“You shared you memories with me when I was holding your hand. The blond in your memory, She was super hot,” Nate stated.