Rap'On - Part 7

***

Three hours later, Ta'Ron and Paulo are walking down the stairs, together with other survivors, to the main lobby, where they have been called by the military personnel to come for an announcement. From this group of eighty-five people, Tomas was not there, which made Paulo and Ta'Ron seem concerned, but when they got down to the main lobby, their worried disappear after they saw him in the room with the military personnel.

"Greetings, everyone." says a man that is wearing a suit, with a label number 56 and with a small emblem with the flag of Albania. "I am Mr. Fifty-six. And I am going to give you good and bad news."

"What is the bad news?" asks a person from the group.

"We'll get there, my friend. But now, here is the good news. We have successfully acquired transportation to the nearest military outpost."

The people from that group cheered for this, clapped their hands and felt hopeful they will be saved, but then, the bad news came to them after a few seconds.

"But the bad news is. We are having limited transportation at this moment. Which means you all be leaving in groups." responds Mr. Fifty-six. "Now. We've made a list of every group that will leave this safe house. All groups leaving every twelve hours apart from each other. The first group will consist of twenty people. The other one will be also from twenty people. Six group of twenty people have been made."

"And where we can see from what group we are in?" asks a person from the group of people in there.

"Here." responds Mr. Eighty-Six to the group of survivors, who is ordering the soldiers to hand the papers of departure to all the people gathered here.

All the people gathered in this lobby have been receiving their papers hat displays their names and the number of the group they belong. The group that Ta'Ron and Paulo will depart is the one that will leave after two days. The fifth group. From that group there isn't the name of Tomas, nor on the other groups, which is making Paulo and Ta'Ron feel a little worried about him.

After all the papers have been sending to everybody in this room, Mr. Eighty-Six starts talking again.

"Now. That all of you have got your papers, and have been informed about your departure. You have any questions?"

"Where is the base we are going to live?" asks a woman from the group.

"That is highly classified and secret."

"Why?" asks a person from the group. "Why we cannot know the exact location where we are going?"

"Are you going to use as a lab rats?" asks another person.

"We are going to be used as zombie food?" asks a scared cracker from the streets.

"Enough." says Mr. Eighty-Six. "We will protect you. Got it. We will keep you safe. You, all, are the hope of humanity. Hope of Albania. For a better future that what we are dealing at this moment."

People in the crowd continued to feel anxious and scared because this person doesn't reveal the location of where they will be kept safe. Even if this didn't raise more question marks, the other question did.

"Where is Billie?" asks a person.

"Who?" asks Mr. Eighty-Six to that person.

"Billie. Was going to the check-up room. Then he never returned."

"Ah, Billie." says Mr. Eighty-Six, who knows at what person he is referring. "Yes, Billie. It has been already sent to the laboratory outside the city for further examination. He will be with us shortly, like the other twenty-two people."

Questions continued to come, about food, the electricity in there, the armaments, the soldiers, the heavy equipment, the houses and the base in general. These people tried to drag some clues about the place. Some of them have realized it is about a military base, but what military base are they talking about because Albania is having a lot of these bases all around this country.

When the questions have been all answered vaguely and completely, Mr. Eighty-Six leaves the lobby, escorted by the soldiers and leaving the people at this lobby to prepare for their upcoming leave. But for the group with number two and six, they'll be there for a while.

***

Later this day, after the first group left this hotel, Ta'Ron and Paulo are in the dining room, they have gone in there to grab a dinner they have been informed to take it. The two have entered the dining room, saw there a lot of people, who are sitting on tables and eating a fresh cooked dinner by the soldiers and chef people that have survived on this sudden apocalypse. The two people have noticed Tomas is in this room, sitting on a table, eating by himself a plate of mashed potatoes and peas with sauce.

Ta'Ron and Paulo decided to join Tomas table and ask him some questions who are bugging them.

"What happened, friend?" asks Ta' Ron after him and Paulo sit on the opposites side of the table of Tomas. "Why were you with Mr. Eighty-Six guy?"

"Believe it or not." says Tomas to the two guys. "This man hired me as a personal soldier."

"Really?" asks the two guys at the same time.

"Yes. The man offered me this job after I mentioned my brother. Apparently, he is alive and well. Now he is on an outpost in Sweden. I asked him if I can do a transfer in there, but he told me this can't be happening, but he let me call him on the video camera. Apparently, this said "The Organization" owns a bunch of satellites they are suing to communicate with other outposts all around from the world."

"There are many of these outposts?" asks Paulo.

"He told me there are about hundreds of these official outposts, artificial islands and safe zones for people to gather and survive together that are controlled by highly trained soldiers."

"That is great to hear." says Ta'Ron.

"Do you know why the man was so secretive about the location of this base?" asks Paulo.

"It is because of some circumstances that has happened to a lot of military bases all around the world."

"What circumstances?" asks Ta'Ron.

"I don't really know. They only told me this."

"Aha." says Paulo, feeling concerned about this. "They are hiding something."

"Yeah…" says Tomas. "And the less I know. The better."

"Right, right." says Ta'Ron agreeing to this, while Paulo doesn't respond to this, he continues to eat his mashed potatoes and peas.

The three people decides to resume their meals.

After the three, people ate their meals. They all decided to leave the room, and go to their rooms to rest because they are having two days to wait until their departure times. To the departure of Ta'Ron and Paulo, since Tomas will be a personal soldier of Mr. Eighty-Six.