Shattered World (Shattered #3)

Chapter Five

I didn’t have to wait until tomorrow. The second we stepped off the elevator and onto the twelfth floor, Caroline’s cryptic words took on a whole new meaning.

Instead of a long, narrow hallway with doors littered on each wall, I stepped into an open space. Whether this floor had ever been like a regular hotel, it wasn’t now.

Walking further into the area, everyone else following behind me, I took in the dozen or so people milling about the area. To the right, there was a small kitchen area decorated with three tables, a fridge, and a stove.

Across the space, matching couches and chairs, presumably from the rooms, formed a seating area where several adults chatted quietly while children played at their feet.

Toward the back of the room, a singular door sat at a wall. The door opened at that moment, giving me a glimpse of the narrow hallway I had expected.

Murphy pressed a hand against my back, urging me further into the room, a few heads popping up as we walked. They each gave us small smiles, although no one approached.

Maybe I was being presumptuous, maybe I was an idiot for thinking that Caroline had been helping us, but something in my gut told me that these people were like us.

Murphy led us toward the kitchen, our steps wary, not sure what we should do. However, when the smell of something baking hit my nose, my stomach grumbled, reminding me we hadn’t eaten since this morning.

A man stood at the stove, stirring something in a pot, and he turned when we were only a few steps behind. His eyes widened for a second before a genuine smile graced his lips.

“Caroline called up, said we had several new guests.” He wiped his hands against a hand towel before reaching one out to Murphy. “My name is Matthew.”

Murphy shook his hand, introducing himself, before Matthew turned down the line, allowing us each to give him our names.

“You’re just in time for dinner. Everyone should be gathering in a few minutes,” Matthew said and, as if on cue, several more people entered through the door, heading straight for the kitchen.

The others that were in the room stood from their spots as Matthew took a casserole out of the oven. Like a practiced routine, people gathered plates and silverware, everyone lining up single file.

The eight of us stood still as statues, all of us unsure of what to do. My eyes warily traveled around the group, met with kind smiles from each person I made eye contact with. Months ago, I would have immediately jumped into the line, starting a conversation with whoever I stood next to. But it had been too long since this many strangers had been willing to hand out help with no expectations in return.

Matthew must have sensed our unease, ushering us toward the line. “Please, join us. I promise I will explain everything.”

His words seemed to snap us out of our trance and silently we all filed to the back of the line. Piling my plate full of casserole, meat, and vegetables, I wandered over to one of the tables. Sitting next to a woman around my age, Murphy sat on my other side, Mina, Sasha, and Aiden taking the other available seats.

Elizabeth and the twins found spots at a separate table, one filled with four other children and who I assumed were their parents.

As soon as everyone was seated, Matthew taking the last seat at our table, conversation ceased as they began to eat. My body buzzed with the urge to ask questions, but I bit my tongue, taking small bites of food as I allowed Matthew to eat his own meal.

After a solid twenty minutes passed, most of the meal finished, I knew I couldn’t hold off any longer. No matter how everyone acted, this wasn’t normal. At least, not anymore.

A million questions overlapped in my mind, but I settled on the easiest one. “What is this place?”

Although the room had already been quiet, I suddenly felt all sets of eyes on me. Murphy’s hand reached for mine underneath the table, our fingers lacing together.

Matthew pushed his plate to the side, settling his elbows on the table and leaning toward me. The friendly man he had been so far faded as a serious frown graced his lips.

“Several months ago, my family and I were sitting in our living room. It was a normal afternoon. Until it wasn’t.” A somber expression blanketed his features, the woman at his side squeezing his shoulder.

Their eyes connected, the same shade of blue, and I realized that must be his daughter.

Clearing his throat, Matthew continued, “We didn’t know what was happening. Corralled out of our homes, into guarded areas, all of us confused. Until a week ago, we heard a message. The guards tried to prevent us from hearing, but they couldn’t override the system.”

Murmurs spread throughout the room, agreements of something similar happening to them. Instinctually, my hand squeezed Murphy’s tighter. It was his message they had heard.

“After we learned the truth, there were riots among the people. The guards didn’t stand a chance. Although some lives were lost.”

Again, Matthew shared a look with his daughter. I wondered how many people in this room had lost someone they loved. How many more we would lose before this was all over.

“Eventually, we got answers. They told us we could find safety in Chicago, not too far from our home in Wisconsin. Gathering as many people as we could, we walked here. Imagine our surprise when the city seemed to still be thriving.”

Jumping on his statement, I asked, “How is that possible? Our towns were burned to the ground.”

That aspect of the situation had been nagging at the back of my mind since we entered the city and I sat forward in my seat, needing more answers.

Matthew opened his mouth to respond, but his eyes glanced over the others in the room. For the hundredth time since we entered Chicago, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, my gut twisting with unease.

Either Matthew didn’t want to say the entire truth in front of certain members in this room, or he was hiding something.

“Why don’t we finish this conversation elsewhere?” His question was more of a statement, implying that his next words were meant for privacy.

Nodding, I pushed away from the table, the others immediately standing with me. Matthew eyed each of us, but if he thought he was going to separate us, he had another thing coming.

Staring him down with a defiant chin, he nodded, gesturing toward the door at the back of the room. Before we exited, I found Elizabeth’s eyes, wondering if she wanted to be included. With a subtle shake of her head, she moved her attention back to Stephanie and Lucas.

Following Matthew past the door, we entered the long hallway, hotel rooms dotted with numbers.

“Your two rooms are at the back of the hall. After our conversation, you can all settle in,” he explained before entering into another room toward the front.

There was nothing different about the room. It was a cliché hotel room, with two queen beds and a bathroom.

Matthew sat on one of the beds, four of us squeezing onto the other while Murphy stood at our backs.

Matthew didn’t speak for several seconds, his hands fidgeting, and I wondered if he was debating how much information he was going to give us.

“You need to understand, given the circumstances, not everyone knows the entirety of what’s going on here.”

“And are you going to tell us everything?” Sasha asked, her brows raised sarcastically.

My gut told me he wasn’t. That even if he wanted to, he was under instruction not to. And, even more so, he didn’t know everything either. But that wasn’t enough for me.

“The message you heard, that was us. He sent it.” I gestured toward Murphy, the words blurting out of me.

Matthew’s eyes raised in surprise. “You saved our lives.”

I nodded, although the praise in his voice made me uncomfortable. We hadn’t saved anyone. Not until they were safely in those bunkers.

“You mentioned you’d find safety in Chicago. Why didn’t you mention the bunkers?” Aiden asked, his eyes staring the man down.

My own eyes widened, not even realizing the distinction in Matthew’s words. But now that Aiden pointed it out, I knew I was right to believe that he was hiding information from the others.

Matthew let out a long breath, his head low, guilt hanging off of him. “I didn’t know about the bunkers, not originally. None of us did. That is until we stumbled upon this hotel.”

“And you met Caroline,” I filled in for him.

He nodded, standing up from the bed and pacing. The calm, cool, and collected man was unraveling before us, the fear that held us all finally revealing itself.

“She gave us this space. A few others had already been here, a couple more coming in the past few days. I didn’t question much, I was solely thankful that my daughter, Anna, and I had somewhere safe.”

“But then, a week into staying here, Caroline pulled me aside. Asked what my plan was once the meteor struck. In that moment, I realized we weren’t truly safe and I had no plan to protect my daughter.”

“Caroline told you about the bunkers?” I asked and Matthew nodded. “But why not the others?”

Murphy didn’t give Matthew a chance to speak. “Because it’s the same problem as before.”

I turned my head, meeting Murphy’s angry gaze as he finished his statement. “There isn’t enough room for everyone.”