Page 11 of Shattered World

“But your message gave me the chance to save my family’s life. This is me repaying you.”

All of us sat in silence for the next few minutes as we digested the information. Aiden and Murphy threw out several other questions, but it was clear that Matthew had shared as much as he knew. Caroline may have entrusted him with the secret of the bunker, but that was it. If we wanted answers, we’d have to go to the source.

Standing from the bed, Matthew walked us to the door. “I hope you find safety here, for what it’s worth. And we serve three meals a day.”

Thanking him for the information and meal, we exited the room, walking down the hallway until Murphy unlocked ours.

“Should we go tell Elizabeth about what we learned?” Aiden asked, glancing back toward where we came from.

“We will when we know more,” Murphy said, and his words had me turning on the heel.

Immediately, Murphy could see the decision in my eyes and he grabbed my arm gently, halting my movements.

“Tomorrow. We will get answers tomorrow.”

I wanted to argue, to head downstairs and barge into Caroline’s office until she told me everything I wanted toknow. But I knew Murphy was right. Not only was I exhausted from our long day of walking, but I needed time to formulate my questions. To make sure that Caroline couldn’t leave the conversation without giving me the words I needed.

Mina, Sasha, Aiden and I walked into the room, Murphy heading back toward the front area to give Elizabeth the key for her room for the night.

The room was identical to Matthew’s, fit with two queen beds and a bathroom. Mina poked her head into the bathroom, a delighted squeal leaving her lips.

“I call first shower!” She exclaimed, not waiting for a response before locking herself in the room, the water turning on a few seconds later.

Sasha and I shared a look, wide eyes and small smiles before we burst out laughing at Mina’s excitement. And it felt so good, the ache in my side from laughing, that for a moment, I almost forgot about the pain in my chest.

But as it always did, it slithered its way back into the forefront of my mind, reminding me that although there were happy moments, this was no longer a happy life.

As Mina finished in the shower, Murphy came back into the room, telling us that Elizabeth and the twins were settled in for the rest of the night.

We each took a turn showering off the smell and grime from the past several weeks, doing our best to wash some of our clothing while we threw on new things from our bags.

Once we were all clean, I settled into the bed near the window with Mina and Sasha. Aiden and Murphy took the one closest to the door.

Although it wasn’t too late, with the lights off, we all quieted down, sleep beginning to pull us under. In the shadows of the room, I saw Murphy reach his hand out to mine, our fingersgrasping for each other across the small space between the beds. And with his touch, I fell into a deep sleep.

Murphy chuckled as I shoveled breakfast into my mouth, not pausing to even inhale between bites. Sasha and Mina threw out jokes, but I ignored them all with an eye roll. It was almost the middle of October. We had two months before the projection date of the meteor.

And although I didn’t know much about my dad’s work, nor did I listen very well when he talked about it, Aiden and I both knew enough that projections were not to be taken as fact. Which meant we didn’t truly know how much time we had and a minute couldn’t be wasted.

Taking my plate to the sink, I washed it quickly, setting it out to dry as a body came up behind me. As a gentle hand settled on my hip, my body leaned back into Murphy’s chest.

“I should come with you,” he urged, but I shook my head.

We had already had this conversation this morning. Everyone had griped about me wanting to meet with Caroline alone, except for Sasha. She had agreed that Caroline was more likely to open up to one person than to five.

Spinning, I placed my palm against his chest, his heart beating fast underneath my touch. “I’ll be fine. She gave us a safe place to stay, she’s not going to hurt me.”

I knew the statement was naïve. How many people in positions of power had hurt us in the past?

Murphy raised a brow at my words, thinking the same thing as me. “I’m more worried about your incessant need to do something. You won’t even relax for a second.”

“We don’t have much time,” I said.

“I know that. But I’m worried it’s less about that and more about ignoring everything else.”

He didn’t need to elaborate on what everything else entailed. Orwho. Dropping my hand from his chest, I went to step around him, not wanting to have this conversation before I met with Caroline. It’d be hard to take someone seriously if their face was red and swollen from crying.

Of course, Murphy didn’t let me walk away, grabbing my hand and pulling me into an embrace. “I’m sorry for bringing it up. But eventually, you’ll have to accept it. To allow yourself to feel the loss.”

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