Chapter Text
How long has it been since I've been outside? Five days? Six? I can still hear the guns and the screams… I guess this is how it begins – the beginning of the end. When the time comes, I don't want to be here within these walls. I want to be somewhere far, far away…
Mia lay on her couch, staring at the glow that she could see from the afternoon sun shining through her window. Caesar was whining at her side, begging to be fed. But Mia felt too weak to get up.
"Mia!" Somewhere far away, someone was calling her name. "Mia!"
Mia sat up, wondering if she'd dreamt it. No, the voice was coming from the window. She pushed herself up from the couch; her legs felt weak. She walked over to the window and pushed up the heavy frame to open it.
"Down here!" A voice called from the street below.
Mia recognised his voice. "Eph? What are you doing here?"
"Can I come up?"
"Hang on." Mia reached for her keys sitting on the table beside the radio, and then carefully dropped them out of the window. "Here."
Ephraim caught the keys in his hands.
"Forth floor, last door on the right," she called down to him.
Moments later, there was a knock on the door. Mia brushed the hair off her face and straightened her clothes before opening it.
"I thought I'd still knock to be polite," Ephraim smiled, handing Mia the keys. "I heard about what's been happening here. I thought I'd come back to see if you were ok."
Mia appreciated his concern. She led him into the living room, and then she turned and stood in the middle of the room; she tried to remember the appropriate thing to do when a guest comes to your home. "Can I get you something to drink? I suppose I only really have water," she tried to smile.
Ephraim looked at her; she looked thin and tired, as if she hadn't eaten or slept in days. Her face was pale and gaunt with dark shadows under her eyes, and the look in her eyes appeared distant and troubled.
"You should save whatever food and water you have. Times are going to get tougher," Ephraim sighed. "I don't know what they're gonna do about the rations."
"They can't just starve us."
"Yeah well who knows? With everything that's been happening out there, it's too risky for them to open their doors. We might not get rations for weeks… That's why I brought you this." Ephraim handed her two plastic bags full of items.
Mia took the bags from his hands, then set them down on the dining table and rummaged through them. She could tell it was all food; more than what you would get in a week's worth of rations. "Where did you get all this?!" She exclaimed, her face lighting up.
Ephraim smiled to see some life return to her. "Well let's just say Fet has some connections…"
Mia looked up. "Connections… You mean Nemesis?" She had heard on the radio about the posters that started all this chaos. She knew there were only two groups that had the food - that was either the military or Nemesis, and she knew this didn't come from the military.
Ephraim felt guilty in admitting his connection to the group, even though he never had any contact with them himself. "We… we're not part of the group…"
"It's ok," Mia reassured. "We do what we have to to survive. And thank you for this."
"Well, I'm glad you're ok. Or, are you ok?"
"I'm fine. Why?"
"Well you look kinda tired. Oh I'm not saying that you look bad," Ephraim quickly corrected himself. "I mean… just a little tired, but you still look fine… you still look… nice." Ephraim blushed as he felt like a bumbling fool who didn't know what he was trying to say. And seeing Mia smile made him blush even more.
"Of course you're ok," he muttered with slight embarrassment. "Well, I should probably go. I gotta get back to the warehouse; Fet and Quinlan are probably waiting for me to…"
"Take me with you!" Mia suddenly blurted, almost stumbling towards him. "Please. I really need to get out of here."
Ephraim chuckled at her sudden strong reaction. "Ok, but please will you eat something first?"
They arrived at the warehouse in Brooklyn, outside of the residential zone, not far from the industrial area where Gus and the other hunters dwelled. It was a long walk from Mia's apartment, but luckily a quiet walk, as the majority of riots were occurring near the town hall, which was in the opposite direction. The walk had Mia exhausted. It would have been less than five minutes in a car; however, personal vehicles were not permitted, and being seen in one would have you arrested.
Ephraim led Mia into the warehouse through a small metal door around the side of the building. The warehouse was a large brick building where the inside was partitioned in two separate areas. The front of the building, which maintained the purpose of a workshop, was a large open space with steel columns that ran from the ground up to a network of steel beams across the high ceiling. The back section of the warehouse had been converted into a living space, with a kitchen and lounge area, minimally furnished with old and broken furniture. Next to the wall that partitioned the front and back was a large metal staircase that led to a second level, where there were four small bedrooms that had once been offices.
As Ephraim led Mia through the warehouse, Mia could sense a vastness around her that seemed cold and barren. She was able to tell from the way light hit the walls and the way sounds echoed. There were unfamiliar sounds all around her; sounds that she would never hear in the small room of her apartment. There was the wailing of the wind through the large open space, the clashing of a loose sheet of metal on the roof, flapping in the wind, and the occasional creak from the slightest movements in the steel structures within the building. Then, Mia heard another sound - a large metal roller-door opening at the front end of the warehouse. Soon after, a vehicle drove in, parked and turned off its engine, and the roller-door shut again. Mia wondered where the vehicle had just been; it would have been a big risk driving anywhere with the military patrolling the streets. The door of the van slammed shut and Mia heard heavy footsteps stomp towards her.
"What the hell is she doing here?" that man's voice exclaimed.
Ephraim quickly rushed up to Vasiliy, grabbed his arm and pulled him aside. "Come on, just let it go," he hushed. He then returned to Mia and took her arm and escorted her into the back section of the warehouse. "Here, make yourself at home," he said, as he ushered her onto the couch. "I just gotta sort out a few things."
As Ephraim walked out of the room, Mia could hear Vasiliy say to him, "I told you, she's trouble."
"She's not trouble; she was in trouble and she needed our help."
They spoke about her as if she could not hear, but Mia heard every word. The conversation then turned to something about a strigoi outbreak outside of the city, or something of the sort. Mia had stopped listening. Whatever it was, it sounded serious, but at least it was no longer about her. Then, her attention suddenly piqued again when she heard Quinlan's voice. The conversation was now further away, and she could not quite hear the words. She stood up and found her way across the room, and stood at the doorway of the partition, facing into the workshop. She could hear Quinlan's voice, but she didn't know where he was. She wondered if he had seen her. She felt a sudden anxiety, like a strange feeling of both excitement and apprehension. Since that night, she often imagined what she would say to him if she saw him again. But in her imagination, she was always speechless, doubting if he ever really wanted anything to do with her. But at that moment, for some reason, Mia expected him to walk over and greet her, and say… something. Anything. But he didn't; instead, he stood talking to Ephraim and Vasiliy. Mia listened to their conversation.
"Are you sure there were that many?" Ephraim exclaimed.
"There were hundreds, if not more," said Quinlan. "If we don't seal that tunnel, they will eventually find their way into the city."
"We're not sealing the tunnel," Vasiliy argued. "The whole point was to clear it out so Nemesis can move their cargo in and out of the city."
"Tell them to find another way," Quinlan asserted, losing patience, "or clear it out themselves."
"Goddamn it! I told them we'd get it done."
"No, you tell them," Quinlan snapped, pointing his finger at Vasiliy, "that if we do not seal that tunnel, hundreds of infected will flood the city. They will reach your friends first, and their little settlement will be nothing but a slaughterhouse," Quinlan hissed menacingly. "We seal the tunnel in two nights. If anyone objects, I will personally take them down there and show them what is coming." He left Vasiliy his final words and walked away without giving him a chance to respond.
Vasiliy and Ephraim looked at each other in silence. The look on Vasiliy's face told that he was unimpressed. Quinlan knew that Vasiliy wanted a different outcome, but it was one that would have devastating consequences. But then, Quinlan found himself wondering why he even cared. The strigoi outbreak at the borders, the riots, the famine, the inevitable war between man and himself – it was all foretelling of the end, but none of it made any difference to Quinlan. Perhaps it was only the human part of him that felt compelled to defend the illusion of civilisation.
As Quinlan walked around the side of the van, he suddenly paused when he saw Mia standing across the room. He did not expect to see her there; the sight of her caught him unguarded and he was suddenly locked in his gaze, unable to turn away. It was the first time he had seen her in daylight. Although it was dark inside the warehouse, shadowed by the tall walls, a ray of sunlight had fallen in through a window high above and landed upon Mia's face. The sight of her standing there, with the warm glow on her cheeks, her soft hair flowing down the sides of her face, and her small figure wrapped in her large red coat, was such a stark contrast to the harsh, grey industrial surrounding. Somehow, it made her look ever so vulnerable. As Quinlan looked at her, a surge of emotions tried to force their way to the surface. For a moment, for only a brief moment, he allowed those feelings to take form. What he felt, as he looked at her, was beauty, ever so pure, accompanied by a deep hopelessness. The beauty that he felt was not in the way she looked, but in her humanity – in the frailty of her mortal life, her human experiences of love and pain, and joy and sorrow, and her kindness and compassion that she extended to him even though she knew what he was. But the feeling of hopelessness that eclipsed that beauty was perhaps because Quinlan knew that he could never belong in her world, no matter how much her smile made him forget.
Quinlan quietly walked away. Mia had sensed him from across the room, and she somehow felt it when his eyes were upon her. But she didn't turn around to face him until after she heard the metal door close behind him.
After Quinlan had gone, the conversation continued between Vasiliy and Ephraim.
"Look, if you ask me, I think he's got a point," said Ephraim.
Vasiliy shook his head. "Our job was to clear the tunnel; not block it. It's not just Nemesis who needs that tunnel; it's gonna affect us too. Where do you think we get our supplies? Our guns, ammo, food… and your booze?"
Ephraim considered the implications. "So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying we find a way to clear 'em out."
"You think Quinlan would've mentioned that if he thought it was possible?"
"Since when did we start putting our hopes in the hands of that half breed?! What does he care if our supply chain gets cut off? It's not like he's gonna die without the food. We are his food!"
"Come on…" Ephraim sighed at Vasiliy's dramatization.
"That half breed… You mean Quinlan," Mia suddenly interjected, as she had found her way across the room. "Is it so hard to say his name, or do you dehumanise him because you feel threatened? Is that what they teach you as a soldier?" Mia's words were cold and bitter.
It stunned Vasiliy for a moment, and then he laughed. "Dehumanize? I hate to break it to you, but he's not human."
"And how do you define that? Those gangs out there, raping and killing… is that what you call human?" Mia tried to supress her rage.
"Oh, you wanna get all philosophical about this?!" Vasiliy threw his arms up in frustration.
"Look, Quinlan is trying to prevent a disaster from happening here," Mia pleaded, with equal frustration in her voice. "You haven't seen what's down there; he has. Maybe you should listen to him."
"Since when did she become involved in this?!" Vasiliy exclaimed.
"Alright, alright. Guys…" Ephraim sighed. He took Mia's arm and led her away before things became more heated. "Maybe give him some space to cool off," he whispered to her as he led her back towards the living area.
"We can't ignore Quinlan's warning. You're risking the whole city for the sake of…"
"I know," Ephraim cut in. "Look, just take a seat here," he sighed as he ushered her onto the couch once again. "I think it's probably best if I talk to him. You know what he's like. Just… wait here. I'll be back."
Before Mia could say anything, Ephraim walked away. Anger and frustration brewed inside her as she felt she had just been dismissed and excluded. But what bothered her the most was how easily they disregarded Quinlan's advice. She could tell they did not accept him as one of their own. Vasiliy wore his distaste outwardly. But even Ephraim, who has never expressed his opinion overtly, still showed a cynicism towards Quinlan that Mia was able to sense. She was beginning to understand Quinlan's hesitation on the subject of his humanity.
Suddenly a voice spoke from next to her. Mia jumped as she didn't realise there was someone else sitting on the couch beside her.
"You cause trouble again?" Malaika sneered.
Despite her vindictiveness towards Mia from the very beginning, Mia somehow did not dislike her. Perhaps it was since learning that she was merely a girl, that her spiteful acts always had a sense of childishness that begged to be understood.
"It seems to be what I do," Mia smiled. "Although, I'm not going to stay quiet when I think someone's about to make a very bad decision."
"That man is a fool!" Malaika muttered in her heavy African accent.
"Looks like you and I have something in common – we both don't like that guy."
"We have nothing in common."
Mia smiled at her tenacity. "Well, we better start finding some common ground, otherwise we'll both be sitting here while the men out there decide the fate of the city. You know Quinlan's right about sealing the tunnel; why didn't you say something?"
Malaika laughed. "You want me to help you argue with them?"
"No, to make sure they do the right thing. Tell me, what do you think they should do?"
"I do not care what they do."
"Then what do you care about? Do you care about Quinlan?" Mia wanted to understand their relationship, however, Malaika scowled as she mentioned Quinlan's name. She did not answer.
"It sounds like he put himself in a dangerous situation the other night," Mia continued, "for a man who has never shown him any respect."
"All people are the same. They do not respect a monster – they fear; they hate!" There was a deep-seated anger in her voice.
Mia shook her head, cringing at the word. "He's not a monster…"
"You do not know him!" Malaika suddenly snapped, jumping to her feet. "Do not speak like you know him. You will never know him!"
Mia was taken aback by her sudden outburst – there was so much rage in her voice. Before Mia could say anything, Malaika stormed out of the room.
"Malaika, wait…" Mia called. But she had already gone. I just want to… understand.