Page 28 of Once Upon an Apocalypse

My eyes squint up at him in anger. “You also promised that I wouldn’t be imprisoned here, but now you tell me I can’t leave this room. I’ve been stuck here for a week trying to convince myself that you were being honest. That I’m not a prisoner.”

“You have a choice, Lori. Stay here where you can be monitored and agree to testing, or you leave The Valley.”

The Valley. My mom used that phrase before when talking about this college campus turned safe zone. The Valley. It has a nice ring to it. Way better than Novus Seclorum. But it feels the same, even with the idyllic view from my window. Walls are suffocating when you aren’t allowed the freedom to choose to leave them. But I have a choice.

I don’t want to stay here in this room for the rest of my life. I don’t want to leave when I know my mom is here and I wouldn’t make her choose me over the safety this place can provide her. Closing my eyes, I replay all the words Amos said to me. He’s giving me a choice. Giving me the illusion of a choice. I mean, really, there is no choice here. If I want to survive, if I want answers, if I want to stay with my mom, I have to agree to their terms. I have to let them perform their tests.

A tear escapes from behind my eyelids even through my attempts to banish it. When I take a slow breath in, the air rattles inside my windpipe.

“Lori. Please think about it.” Amos’ voice is so soft with a tone of kindness. My heart wants to trust him, but everything inside me wants to run away. And then the waterworks burst.

“I can’t do it. So much pain. I…I…” Tremors of fear wash over my body and I can’t shake them away. Memories invade my mind, threatening to paralyze me. Then I feel two solid arms around my waist, pressing me against something warm. Home. It feels like home. I fall into the haven of Amos’ body, not caring that I was pissed off at him moments ago. My mind goes blank, forcing the unwanted memories back into the black abyss where they belong.

Amos’ arms wrap tighter around me. “We’ll find another way, Copperhead. I promise.”

Chapter 20

“We’removingyououtof this room today,” my mom shouts as she enters the hospital room I havenotbeen imprisoned in for the last two weeks. She places some folded clothes and sneakers on the nightstand.

“Really? How?” I ask, looking up from the book I was reading, hoping this wasn’t one of those rare happy dreams I have.

“Amos.” How can one word make my skin sizzle with goose bumps? “He convinced Norman to give you more time.”

“More time? Why?”

My mom scooches me over on the bed so she can slide in. She wraps an arm over my shoulder and pulls my head to hers. “I can only imagine the horrors you have been through, honey. We want to help you through all that. The reason Norman is allowing you time is because Amos told him you need counseling to help you manage your PTSD symptoms. He told Norman that if we force testing on you now, you might not be sane enough to finish.”

“So Amos pulled the crazy card for me?” I ask sarcastically.

“Honey, this is important. I mean, what other post-apocalyptic community do you know with a therapist?”

I laugh dryly. “There definitely wasn’t a therapist at the bunker. Everyone there is crazy. Jonah was…” I stop myself, not wanting to tell my mom what happened to him.

“You know you can tell me anything. But if you can’t right now, that’s okay. I’m here for you, however you need me.”

I throw myself at my mom, hugging her with all my might. Well, maybe not all of it because I could break her with my super strength.Do I even have super strength? Or is it just extra strength?

“I understand why it is important to test my DNA and find out exactly what I’ve become. I also want answers. But the idea of becoming a lab rat again…the pain, the trauma. Yeah, I want help. Where is this therapist?”

My mom places a kiss on my forehead. “Dr. Alison Jeong. She’s on the other side of the train tracks where the dorms are. You can meet her tomorrow. For today, I want you to focus on getting settled. I’m going to take you around The Valley, show you where everything is.”

“Okay.” The smile on my face hurts.When’s the last time I actually smiled?My facial muscles creak at the movement, like I’m made of metal and haven’t oiled my hinges in years.

As my mom hops off the hospital bed, I roll off the other side, placing the book I was reading on top of the pile of books I finished in my confinement. When I turn back around, my mom holds out the change of clothes she brought for me. She walks out of the room, giving me some privacy as I get changed. When I slip on the pair of sneakers, I feel a sense of freedom I haven’t felt in years. Shoes. Such a simple thing and yet, it means the world to me to have the freedom of shoes.

When I open the door to the hallway, my mom puts her hand out, waiting for mine. I grab it and let her drag me out of the door. My suspicions that this place isn’t quite a hospital ring true when we walk down the hallway. It doesn’t have that same smell or sterilized feeling.

“You have been wondering what this place is, I’m sure. You are in a state-of-the-art building where the health professions students of this college would take their courses. It was well-equipped with medical supplies to begin with. So, naturally, we made it into a make-shift hospital.”

“Is this where you learned how to be a badass nurse?” I ask.

“This building? No. We didn’t have anything like this when I was a student here. This was built decades after I graduated. Would’ve loved to have studied here though. Not just for the equipment available, but the views of the campus. It’s the best spot in The Valley.”

The front doors loom into view, making my hands shake. When I was allowed outside the bunker, it meant I had to fight for my life. I know I am safe here. I know my mom would never force me to do something that would put me in danger or cause me pain. But being this close to the outside has me frozen.

“Lori, it’s okay. We don’t have to go outside just yet if you aren’t ready,” my mom says, sensing my fear.

“Seeing the outside from a window was one thing. Going outside is another. I forget what freedom feels like.”

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