Ten Days. John Sheppard

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      6:32 PM

      Sam was surprised to see several people enter the east entrance of the Annex. Three had entered as she rounded the corner from the square, and another four or five entered before she traveled the city block from the square to the door. She could see more people apparently heading toward the door from various points within her field of vision. What’s going on? she thought to herself.

      No sooner did Sam have that thought than she noticed they were all carrying instrument cases. Was there a concert coming up? As she mentally reviewed the museum’s schedule, she couldn’t think of any formal use of the Annex; after all, most of the government was in exile.

      “Good evening,” greeted an older gentleman as she reached the door, and he held it open for her. Sam’s self-appointed doorman was thin, almost to the point of being gaunt. The idea crossed Sam’s mind that maybe she should hold open the door for him, but he seemed to enjoy the opportunity to be of help. The man had a full head of hair which was snow white, and fell neatly groomed to his shoulders. Sam knew of a dozen women who would be jealous of his mane. Sam started to reach for her badge, but it didn’t appear that anyone else had shown one, and this gentleman wasn’t going to ask to see her ID.

      “Thank you very much, and good evening to you too,” she responded cheerfully. Sam was grateful. The door was massive, made of thick oak planks. While it wasn’t nearly the size of the front doors of the former cathedral, Sam appreciated the thoughtfulness.

      Once inside, she was a little taken aback by the grandeur and detail. It had not been expected in a back hallway. She had been in the main area of the Annex many times and had just assumed the non-public areas would be less grand. The hallway was very wide, maybe eight to ten feet. The floor was slate, the walls limestone. A great deal of the limestone was carved. Some of the carving appeared to be purely ornamental, while other carvings were possibly of some religious nature.

      She followed Dr. Spencer’s instructions, taking a left here at one intersecting hallway, and a right at the next. With the keen eye of an archivist, Sam noticed some details that others might have missed. It was apparent that in some locations in the various hallways, placards had been removed, or empty niches. In other cases, something had been sandblasted away. While Sam was curious, she was also on a mission and might investigate later.

      Dr. Spencer had boxes of documents and all types of other artifacts moved to the Annex, as his team determined what should be placed in the vault. These items had all been rejected; while they might have been deemed important in another time, there just wasn’t room for them in the vault.

      The basement of the Annex actually had three levels. While it had been built on the surface levels to be a neo-Gothic church, the basement levels housed more modern devices, like HVCA units, huge electrical panels, and a maze of storage rooms. Looking for her proof might be a little daunting, but at least Dr. Spencer was a man who believed in organization. The various sections were labeled “A,” “B,””C,” etc., then by aisle number and shelf number. He had told her that he thought what she was looking for was between section “JJ” and “MM” on the second level. With that information, Sam should be able to limit her search to a reasonably small area of the complex.

      CHAPTER 2

      Tuesday, August 31st

      2:02

      Oh, the flowers are so beautiful, thought Sam. I don’t remember them. Why so many? Flowers filled the nightstand and wall behind her headboard. There were also flower arrangements in almost every possible spot in her hospital room. Sam tried to read some of the notes attached to the flowers, but couldn’t make out what they said. The same thing happened when she tried to read some of the cards on her nightstand.

      Hospital room. Why am I in a hospital room? Could it be for the birth of my baby? Oh yes, the baby! No sooner had Sam thought of her baby than a nurse appeared at her bedside. Hm, I didn’t even hear her come in. With that thought, the nurse was presenting the baby to her. The baby was wrapped in a pink blanket. Sam kept trying to uncover the baby’s face, but couldn’t get the blanket off. Funny, I don’t remember the delivery. Where was Chad? Had he seen the baby? Why can’t I get the blanket off the baby’s face? Where did the nurse go? Could she help? Who can help me with the blanket?

      “We’re here, honey!” Sam looked up to see her parents. How she had missed them. They looked great, but why was her mom in her wedding dress, and her dad in a tux? For a moment, they looked so much like the picture that had always hung over the fireplace mantel in the living room.

      “Mom, can you help me get the blanket off the baby’s face?” inquired Sam. Her mother reached for the blanket, but also was unsuccessful. When her mom pulled her hand away, spots of blood appeared on the blanket. Sam also saw blood on her mom’s dress and her dad’s tux.

      Before Sam could say anything, Chad was in the room. She couldn’t clearly see his face because he was in full military dress, including hat. Strange, thought Sam. Chad always removed his hat inside a building.

      “Chad, what have we named the baby?” Sam couldn’t remember what name they had chosen. Chad picked up the baby, but didn’t reply. At that point, Sam noticed the newspaper on her bed. Something within her told her the paper contained very bad news. Again, as with the cards and notes on the flowers, she couldn’t tell what the newspaper said. It had something to do with Kirkmont. Sam knew that whatever the paper said, it would make her cry.

      The room seemed to be getting dark. It scared Sam. Chad was heading out of the room with the baby in his arms; her parents were leaving with him.

      “Where are you all going?” cried Sam.

      Chad turned slightly to face her. “Sweetheart,” he replied, “you know we’re all dead.”

      Sam knew it! She awoke, sitting straight up in bed, weeping deep, heart-wrenching sobs. Yes, Chad died defending Kirkmont. The Enemy surrounded the city and entered into what were supposed to be peace talks. After two or three weeks, they said they would let the civilians leave under a flag of truce. As the remaining civilians tried to leave Kirkmont, they were mercilessly slaughtered. Sam’s parents were among those killed. The small percentage who escaped alive reported what happened in horrific detail. Within days of hearing the news, Sam miscarried.

      When Sam felt like she could cry no more, she walked out to the living room, sat on the couch, and curled into the fetal position.

      2:45AM

      It didn’t take Jackie nudging him or whispering in his ear to make Carl aware of the sounds coming from downstairs. He had heard the sounds too. Since the Enemy had surrounded the capital, sleeping lightly had also become part of the new normal.

      Carl whispered back to Jackie that she should give him only a couple of minutes, then run and try to gather the kids. He kept a handgun in the top drawer of his dresser and the lock in another drawer, well out of reach for Kelly. A gun was something he had always said he would never have in his house, but the last year or so had changed lots of things.

      It was all Carl could do to get out of bed, and retrieve the gun, without making a sound that couldn’t be heard downstairs. The floors in the old house creaked with almost every movement. With his heart feeling like it would beat out of his chest, Carl reached the top of the stairs, eyes straining to make out any unusual shape. There it was, moving in the living room.

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