Chapter 2 – Acquaintances

With the soft scrape of rubber on stone, Eric descended the spiraling stairs with caution. Hastily built and poorly maintained, the faded lights of the tunnel hardly managed to illuminate the passage, turning the already steep staircase into an accident in waiting. Unlike modern shelters, this one had been mass produced during the Flood, when how fast a bunker could be erected was prioritized over the comfort of its occupants. With narrow walls and a low ceiling, the cramped passage more closely resembled a tomb than a refuge for the living. Turning the corner, the soft scrape of stone against stone broke the silence as Eric's foot brushed against a concrete shard, a testament to the structure's quality.

"Careful. A step's crumbled." Eric's voice echoed along the stone walls, the errant dust dancing within his breath as he used his foot to push the stone shard to the side of the staircase. As if eager for the company, the damp and mold reverberated with his words, the lonely mortar resonating before growing quiet once more.

"Only the best for Darlton, eh?" Breathing heavily, Derrick managed a weak chuckle as he spotted the damaged step, carefully bypassing the fractured stone.

"Seriously, why are there so many stairs?" A note of exasperation colored Derrick's voice.

"Be glad it's only thirty feet. Fifty foot is the standard depth nowadays." Shrugging, the two colleagues continued on in silence until Eric finally reached the bottom of the stairway where a second steel security door stood slightly ajar, allowing a curtain of light to pierce into the darkened stairway. Wincing at the soft glow trickling through the doorway, he raised his hand to shield his eyes before stepping forward and pushing his way inside.

As Eric's eyes adjusted to the light, the familiar features of the shelter began to come into focus. To call the shelter a room would have been too generous. Devoid of features save lights, support columns, and the occasional vent, what stretched out before Eric could be best described as a concrete box. Stretching three-hundred feet in either direction, the room was technically large enough to house one hundred people, though the low ceiling left the already cramped quarters feeling even more claustrophobic. Picnic tables and boxes of emergency supplies sparsely littered the mostly vacant room.

"So, did you get lost?" What little positivity his banter with Derrick had built evaporated as the arrogant tone reached his ears. Turning his head, Eric spotted an unwelcome figure sitting at the table nearest the entrance.

Seated reversed so as to use the table top as a backrest, Rick's every gesture oozed condescension. Slouched with his legs crossed and his phone resting on his knee, the older man stared down his nose at his coworker, his slips quirked into a sneer. On someone else, his white button-up and the neatly parted hair would have made them appear professional, but on Rick it managed to make him appear almost as insufferable as he really was.

Despite having worked as a drip insurance appraiser for nearly two decades, the man had never managed to get promoted to a management position, though that hadn't stopped him from acting as if he had. Despite having no authority, he felt obligated to correct any perceived mistakes of anyone less senior than himself. He strutted around as if he was in charge, giving all of the new hires advice, regardless of whether or not they asked for it. Unfortunately, the man was both competent and a workaholic, so despite regular reprimands from management, the only real punishment Rick had ever gotten had been to have his cubical moved to a remote corner of the office.

"Ah." As Derrick finally entered the shelter, Rick let out a small sigh of understanding, a note of amusement in his voice. Seeing the larger man breathing heavily, the smirk on Rick's lips twisting into a wry grin.

Almost immediately, Derrick noticed the situation and pulled himself up straight, clearly on guard. It didn't take a detective to notice Rick's ill intentions, nor the object of his silent mockery. Already flushed from his descent, Derrick's face grew a shade redder.

"You know we're supposed to be here in ten minutes, don't you? If I hadn't asked the doorman to wait, you could have been locked out." While Rick's words might have seem concerned, his tone spoke a different message. You were late, you could have been locked out, you owe me. This was the problem with Rick, the reason despite being a wealth of knowledge, nobody could stand the man. Everything was always about control with him.

"Sorry about that. Thanks." Despite Rick's attitude, Eric immediately apologized, hoping to smooth things over and leave already. Interacting with Rick was poison; you either had to confront him and deal with whatever passive-aggressive tactics the man felt was necessary to reestablish his perceived dominance, or placate the man. So, despite the twinge of anger in the back of his mind, Eric chose the lesser of the two evils, hoping to quickly appease the man and move on. However, Rick didn't seem so eager to let thing pass.

"You know these shelter's aren't just for show, right? There's a reason they're so deep underground. Being stuck on the surface during a leak could be serious." Rick's message was clear. I did you a favor, do you think you could get off that easily? Sure, during the Flood you might have died during a leak, but nowadays it was like worrying about lightning on a clear day.

"You're right, I owe you one. Tell you what, why don't I bring you a soda Monday as thanks?" There was no point fooling around. Rick was looking for someone to fluff his ego, and considering the size of the man's sense of self-importance, that could end up being a long process. Rather than wasting his time and energy on the blowhard, Eric offered the man a bribe.

"Well, it's not that big of a deal. You don't need to bring me anything." Even as Rick refused the offer, his lips twisted into a self-satisfied smirk. At the sight of the man's blatant disingenuousness, Eric felt a surge of repulsion.

"No, I insist." Swallowing his disgust, Eric pushed forward, his message clear. Take the bribe and leave us alone. Rick seemed torn for a moment, caught between continuing the conversation or quietly accepting the tribute and letting the two off the hook. However, before he could come to a decision, the doorman stepped into the shelter, interrupting them.

"I'll see you Monday." Seizing the pause in conversation, Eric quickly made his escape, waving Derrick along as they hurried towards the other side of the shelter.