Chapter 50
Heaviness pressed down inside Esmie’s chest pervading throughout her sleep.
She knew she needed to wake up, but her subconscious didn’t want to deal with the reality nagging at the edges.
Low beeps in the distance interrupted her sleep.
Esmie groaned, finally opening her eyes to stare at the fluorescent lights above.
Blinking a few times, she sat up to find herself in a hospital room, but the wall behind her was made of concrete and not paneling like in Andloor’s hospital.
She surveyed her surroundings confused, until she spied Samson slumped in a chair in the corner. Her world came crashing down on her.
She was in the Base, living a nightmare.
A whimper escaped her, and she covered her face with her hands, curling up her knees against her chest. A rustle of clothing and a scrape of a chair answered her whimper.
She peeked through the gap in her fingers.
Samson stirred, then woke, rubbing his eyes.
A moment later, he noticed she was awake, pushed out of the chair, and made it to her side in two long strides. A heavy hand pressed into her shoulder.
“Hey, you’re awake.”
“How long was I out?” Esmie mumbled through her hands.
“You slept the rest of the day and overnight. It’s early morning now. Dr. Anita gave you something to help you sleep as you were a bit…overwhelmed yesterday.” Samson tip-toed around the actual incident of her melting down because her best friend died. Something she felt like doing now.
“You mean she gave me something to calm me down because I completely freaked out,” Esmie supplied.
“More like, your world was turned upside-down, and you hadn’t slept in two days, so you needed to rest. After all you’ve been through, no one could blame you for breaking down.” Samson’s hand moved to her upper back, massaging circles into her sore muscles.
Esmie dropped a hand in her lap, then used the other to wipe the tears from her cheeks. She sniffled. “I can’t believe Mindy is gone. It’s all my fault.” Esmie’s body stiffened. “Where’s Tessa? Is she okay?” She tried to rip the white sheet off her body, but Samson stopped her.
“Tessa is in stable condition, but she has a long way to recover and might not be the same when she’s done.
” Samson helped Esmie relax. He tucked the blanket back around her thighs, but she refused to lay back down.
He pulled out the purple scarf from the inside of his light jacket.
Her eyes lit up at the material. He wrapped it around her shoulders.
“I found this in the car, wet and muddy. Just got it from some very nice men and women who cleaned it and patched it up. Figured you’d want it back. ”
“Thank you.” Esmie pulled the scarf tighter around herself.
She hadn’t forgiven Samson and although the scarf was his gift to her, it was still an anchor for what had been.
A time where her most pressing concern was hiding purple from her face and getting back to her normal life.
A life far from existing anymore. A tear slipped from her eye and dripped down her check.
“Stop blaming yourself, it isn’t your fault. It’s the mayor’s. He shouldn’t have taken your friends. It was his decision to throw them out of the dome, even after you gave yourself up. You risked your life for theirs, which is the opposite of it being your fault.”
“But if I hadn’t gone to that stupid club…”
“We can go back and forth on semantics all you want. At the end of the day, what happened happened. Who’s to say it wouldn’t have happened another way, or at another time?”
Esmie bit her lip, her mind and heart fighting each other. A phone buzzed. She glanced to her side to see her screen lit up. She furrowed her brow. “I thought no one could call me here.”
“I had the Biotechnology Sector upgrade your phone to allow only certain numbers through. That must be Deepika.”
“The what section? And how did she get my number?”
“Biotechnology Sector. The Base is made up of six sectors because it’s in the shape of a hexagon.
I gave Deepika your number after the accident when I went searching for you.
Never mind, I’ll explain more later. Hurry up and answer before she hangs up,” Samson’s words tumbled out as he handed her the phone, swiping the answer button.
“Hello?” she asked tentatively.
“My dear, is that you?” Deepika’s watery voice was filled with concern.
“Yes, it’s me. I’m so happy to hear from you.”
“Not as much as I’m happy to hear from you. Are you alright? That handsome man of yours was on the hunt to save you.” Esmie blushed at Deepika’s description of Samson. He must have overheard the conversation as he patted Esmie’s knee, then headed outside the room to give her space.
Once he left Esmie replied, “Yes, I’m fine. He did find me and helped save me but at a great cost. I lost one of my friends.” Esmie sobbed the whole story to Deepika, including Samson’s admission of having powers.
“I’m very sorry to hear about your friend,” Deepika responded.
“Only the All Knowing understands why these things happen. You mustn’t blame yourself.
The evil of this world always finds a way to take what is precious from us.
We must fight back with love and light from Elohim.
I will say, I am glad you made it outside of Andloor. You’re still with your man?”
“Samson, yes. I’m at his home. The Base. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here.”
“Well, don’t rush back here. The mayor is furious.
You must have angered him greatly. He released the Andloor guard.
They have locked down all of Andloor, including The Suburbs, placing a curfew on us.
We can only leave and go to work and home.
If we want food, we need to request an exemption of leave and then must be escorted to the store and back.
It’s awful. You’re better off with your Samson man. Safe.”
“Safe? I don’t know how much safer it is here. Even with Samson. How can I ever trust him again after all that he hid from me?” Esmie scoffed, wrapping the corner of the scarf around her finger.
“How did you expect him to tell you such a big secret? Not only his secret, but Andloor’s?”
Esmie bit her lip. “I don’t know, but hiding everything for so long, even after I showed my powers…he could have said something.”
“My dear, to have told you anything would have upended your world, a world you didn’t know, doesn’t exist anymore. How does anyone crush someone else’s life with that kind of information? Especially someone they love?”
The question hung in the air. Esmie didn’t know how to answer her friend and ignored the fact she said Samson loved her. She huffed a sigh.
“Since your silence isn’t an answer, I will answer for you.
He couldn’t have, especially if he feels for you the way I see he does in his eyes.
You also forget, I also come from the outside world, and in our interactions, I never told you what I knew about Andloor and the outside world not existing anymore.
You’re not angry with me…unless you are?
” Deepika’s voice rose a fraction almost like a challenge. Esmie couldn’t help but laugh.
“Deepika, I could never be mad at you. You are my friend who helped me in my time of need.”
“As did your Samson man. Just as I couldn’t find the words to tell you the truth, neither could he.
I understand your confusion and hurt, but holding onto anger, bitterness, and guilt will not help change the past. None of this is your fault nor his.
Give it up to Elohim and move forward with your life.
It is what He, and your friend, would want. ”
Deepika’s words hit Esmie square in the chest. She was right.
Holding onto all of this would only deter her.
She needed to get back home and save her family.
Help the people of Andloor and if she walked around with all of that emotional baggage, she could never fulfill whatever Elohim had in store for her.
“Thank you, Deepika. For everything.”
A loud pounding sounded through the phone.
“My dear, I am happy to hear from you, but I must go now. I have overextended my stay on this phone, but I am glad I was able to speak wisdom into your ears. Now please be safe my dear. And take care of that Samson man too,” Deepika’s voice was hardly above a whisper, Esmie strained to hear her.
“What do you mean? What’s going on?” Esmie jumped onto her knees in the bed.
“May Elohim be with you until our paths cross again.” Deepika’s kind voice was cut off by a loud crash and shouting.
The phone call dropped. Esmie tried to call back, but a cool woman’s voice answered, “This number cannot accept messages or calls.”
“Deepika!” Esmie yelled at the phone.
Samson rushed in. “What happened?”
“I was talking to Deepika when a loud banging sounded. She said something about extending her stay on the phone and then there was a loud crash and shouting before the phone cut off. Now I can’t get back through to her.
” Esmie threw her phone on the bed, shoving her hands in her eyes.
This couldn’t be happening. Not to someone else she cared about.
Large hands removed her small ones from her eyes.
Samson’s handsome, caring face filled her view.
How she ever thought she could stay mad at him was silly.
Questioning his loyalty to her and her family and friends was something she would never do again.
He saved Tessa and tried to save Mindy. As for his feelings for her, she still wasn’t sure.
Was it all just for his mission and for her to trust him?
Or did he truly care? He seemed so genuine.
She would trust him with only some of her heart until she could determine what his true intentions were. Samson cupped her chin in his hands.
“I’m going to contact the Biotechnology Sector and see if they can send a drone in to check on her.
We have some on standby within Andloor. I planted them when I got there so we could do intel without as many people using portals in and out.
I’ll do anything I can to help find her and get her safe again. ”
“It’s not just her, Samson, it’s all of Andloor.
With that madman as mayor, they will never be safe.
It would only take one slip from him to expose Andloor’s people to the elements and kill them all.
” The bitterness rolled off her tongue. “The mayor will never allow the citizens of Andloor to live a normal life, and it shouldn’t be for him to decide.
They deserve to know the truth. They deserve freedom from his tyrannical rule. ”
“You are absolutely right, Esmie.”
Both Samson and Esmie jumped at the female voice.
Samson stood at attention. Esmie stared at a short woman with dark, long curly hair, hazel eyes, and soft light brown skin.
Appearing next to her side was a tall, handsome man with black curls on the top of his head, tighter than Leo’s curls, and the sides shaved.
His gray eyes were striking against his brown skin.
Although he wasn’t as tall as Samson, he still held a commanding presence about him.
“At ease Samson. We don’t want to scare our guest,” the woman said.
Samson relaxed and smiled at her. A twinge of jealousy erupted in Esmie’s stomach, until she noted the way the man with the curly hair stood at attention by the woman’s side.
They glanced at each other and Esmie realized she had nothing to worry about.
“Who are you?” Esmie asked.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. I am President Symone of the Base, and this is my husband and bodyguard Trémon.
It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard many great things about you,” the president’s smile widened, and her hazel eyes twinkled.
Esmie immediately felt safe with this woman, although now she also felt self-conscious in her hospital gown. Should she bow? Curtsy?
“I-um. It’s a pleasure to meet you, although I didn’t know you existed before now,” Esmie blurted. She winced. Great, she just embarrassed herself in front of the president.
President Symone threw her head back and laughed. Esmie smiled despite herself. “I can see why you fell for her, Samson,” President Symone said as she wiped her eyes. Esmie’s eyes darted to Samson whose cheeks flushed just as hers did.
“She is very special. You’ll see for yourself,” Samson said, glancing at Esmie then back at President Symone.
“I’m looking forward to it.” President Symone’s eyes fell back on Esmie, who recoiled.
They were going to do experiments on her like Genetronetics wanted to.
“Please, don’t be afraid. We aren’t going to harm you.
We want you to fully heal up first, then I want you to show me your powers.
Our people here will help you hone them to prepare for the next part of our plan. ”
“And what would that be?” Esmie asked still skeptical.
“To help you remove the mayor from power and save your people. The people of Andloor. As you said, they deserve truth and freedom. The same thing we have strived for here at the Base. With your help, we will oust the mayor, who is acting reckless right now, and putting your people in jeopardy. Then we will use our technology to protect them from succumbing to the radiation, like your friend did, which I’m very sorry to hear happened.
I recently lost someone dear to me too. My heart and prayers go out to you.
” President Symone’s expression filled with sadness before returning back to determination. “Are you in?”
If this president and the Base could help her save Andloor, she was on board.
Esmie’s skepticism disappeared. Symone seemed genuine and Esmie could tell she had indeed experienced a similar loss.
Esmie couldn’t do this alone. She needed Symone’s help along with the technology they possessed and the radiation cure for the people of Andloor.
Here was her purpose. Through all the trials and hardship over the past few weeks, she realized it was so she could arrive here, at a place with people who could help her.
Who believed and wanted to help her. Elohim had sent her on the correct path. Her true destiny.
Esmie scooted to the edge of the bed. Samson immediately came to her side, helping her out of bed.
She smiled at him before placing a kiss on his cheeks.
With his help she stood in front of President Symone, hospital gown and all.
“I’m in. Tell me what I need to do to save my family, my friends, and my people. ”
END OF BOOK 1