"The hell is this?" I ask as the boys stand with me at the top of the stairs. 

Josh crosses his arms as Felix and Sparrow shift nervously, Sparrow picking at the hem of his leather jacket as he stares down the hole. 

"Another part of a fucked up mystery," Sparrow mutters. I glance at him, my brows furrowed in confusion, and when he glances back at me, he gestures down the stairs. "Don't worry, it's safe," he says, then his mouth twists. "Well, I think it is anyway." 

"Just come and take a look," Felix says, leading the way down the steps. Lights line the stairs as they take us quite a ways down, our footsteps echoing, and at the bottom is a large concrete room with a massive set of metal bunker doors that spans the room's back wall. Painted on the doors is an eerily familiar symbol of a man holding a globe on his shoulders.

My heart sinks, and I step back. "What the fuck? Is this..?"

"An Atlas bunker?" Sparrow finishes, his voice harsh. "Yeah." 

"Have you...?"

"No, we don't know how to open this one," he answers, gesturing to a keypad on the doors. "I don't think I want to open it if I'm being honest." 

"This is the second Atlas bunker we've seen," I mutter. "You don't think that... they knew about this, do you?" 

Felix shudders at the thought. "Maybe it's just a coincidence?” he offers, sounding unsure of his own words. “They were a pretty well-rounded company, maybe they got into bunker building, too." 

I stare at him. "They were a pharmaceutical firm. They developed medicine." 

"So wouldn't it make sense, then?" Josh asks. "I mean, you said it yourself that your mom knows about the locket, and she works for the CDC." 

"Well, yeah," I admit. "But she worked for the CDC, not Atlas." 

"Not according to Leon," Josh reminds me. "Remember what he said about your father and uncle?" 

I seeth, nodding. Leon had mentioned when we first met that Uncle Tommy and David worked for them and, by extension, Leon himself. They knew our mother worked at the CDC, and I mentally kick myself for not realizing it sooner. 

"Leon knew about the locket all along, then!" I exclaim, pinching the bridge of my nose. "That slimy fucking bastard knew what this damn thing was the whole time; he was playing us!" 

Felix gasps. "That must have been why he wanted to leave as soon as possible when you and Sparrow got caught! He must have known what the locket was when Tavia dropped it back at camp!"

"But if he works for Atlas, wouldn't he have known about the bunker the cannibals were in?" I ask. "Do you think he knew they were there?" 

Felix shrugs, and Josh and Sparrow look uncomfortable at the thought. "There's no telling," Felix says. "When we asked him for help in getting you two back, he looked pretty worried when that Jersey lady told him they were cannibals; maybe he wanted to bring us to a different Atlas bunker? Or maybe a facility?" 

Josh sighs, rubbing his temples. "But what would his goal be, then? If he knew the locket had something to do with the infection, and if it was in Cass's possession before the outbreak, then that would mean the infection was premeditated, right? Why would he want the locket after the apocalypse?" 

I pull the locket from my pocket, hoping to glean something from its smooth surface that holds the answers to this ridiculous riddle. "Maybe it's a cure, maybe it points to who started it, or maybe it just has company secrets that would ruin Atlas even after the end of the world," I say. "There are just too many variables to consider right now to narrow down what exactly is going on." 

"If it was premeditated," Josh continues, looking over at me in worry. "And this thing has that sort of information in it, how can we be sure that this wasn't just a ploy to put the cure right in the hands of the people who caused this mess to begin with?" 

"Our mom wouldn't do that," I defend. 

Josh gives me a sympathetic look as he rests his hand on my shoulder. "Dani and I thought the same thing of Leon until you came around," he says. "I just want to consider all options before we rule anything out." 

Mom would never do something like this, I'm sure of it. David would, but he never struck me as the evil scientist type. Evil, for sure, considering his treatment of Mom and Felix before we went to live with our uncle, but he wasn't a mad scientist. Mom was kind to us before we left; a little strange and quirky, but I've always attributed it to how she grew up. She adopted Felix, brought him into my and Octavia's lives, and protected him when David was a tyrant. She was never the kind of person who would willingly do something like this, not if she knew my siblings and I would be in danger. 

However, a tiny seed of doubt starts to take root, and I frown. Mom is risking our lives, though, by having us deliver the locket to her. For all we know, Mom could be dead already, or if she's alive, she probably thinks we're dead by now. 

A light shuffling from the top of the stairs catches my attention, and I glance up the stairs to see a silhouette of what looks like my sister standing there, but something seems wrong. 

"Octavia?" I call, and the boys turn as well, stiffening. "Is that you?" 

I take a step towards the stairs to her, but she walks away, her footsteps nearly silent as she disappears from view. I hurry up the steps with the boys hot on my heels, but she's gone when we reach the top. 

"Octavia?" I call, my hand gripping my knife as I glance around. 

"Maybe she went back inside?" Felix offers, sounding unconvinced of himself. 

"Maybe if she fuckin teleported," Sparrow comments, his grip on his katana tightening. 

"I'm going to check out the house," I tell them. "You guys check over the perimeter." 

With a silent nod, I briskly make my way toward the farmhouse, walking the perimeter and checking the windows and doors for signs of forced entry, but instead, I find my sister on the back porch, curled up on the porch swing with red, puffy eyes. 

"Tavia?" I call, and she jumps. "Were you at the barn just now?" 

"What? No, I've been here for, like, half an hour," she sniffles, wiping her eyes. "Why, what's wrong?" 

"I thought I saw someone just now," I tell her, taking out my knife. 

"A Widow?" She stands, her shoulders stiff. 

"I don't know, I'm going to check on Dani and make sure no one got to her, I need you to help me check out the house." 

Octavia nods, grabbing her bat from next to the swing as we carefully creep into the house, splitting up so Octavia can check out the downstairs while I head up and ensure Dani is still safe. The door to Dani's room is still closed like I left it, but I can't help wondering if Jessica has somehow managed to find us. 

Quietly, I open the door to Dani's room, my knife up as I prepare for a fight, but the room is clear, and Dani is lying down, her eyes closed. The closet is clear, under the bed is clear, the window is still closed, and there's no sign of anyone inside. I sigh in relief, glancing down at Dani. 

Something's wrong, though. Her chest isn't moving, and I can't hear her breathing, and worst of all, the corners of her mouth are stained with dark blood, and the blankets are a mess, as though she had been thrashing in her sleep. 

Or having a seizure. 

"Dani..?" I whisper. 

No response. 

"Stop fucking around, Dani," I say, my voice tight as I approach, my knife raised, and my heart beats a million miles a minute. 

She doesn't move. 

Her mouth is slightly open, and her hands look stiff and lifeless, curled into the fabric of her blanket. I creep closer, straining to hear whether or not she's breathing, but it's impossible to hear anything over the roaring of blood in my ears. 

"Dani, you better open your fucking eyes and be you, so help me God," I mutter, gently shaking her shoulder. 

Her eyes fly open, and she grabs my wrist with an iron grip. I yelp, thrusting my knife down on instinct, but she juts her bound hands up and smacks my wrist, the knife clattering to the floor. 

Both of us are panting, and she coughs, her eyes wide and concerned, and relief floods my limbs. 

"Hey," she rasps. "I'm not gone yet." 

"You stupid fucking son of a bitch, don't you ever do that shit again." 

"I was just taking a nap-" 

"I don't know if I should kiss you or hit you." 

She blinks, an eyebrow raised. "Do I get to pick?" 

I frown, my face hot. "No!" 

SMACK!