Jason Luthor - Floor 21

This is totally detonating my mind. “Frowny face. Wow.”

“I’m sorry life is like this for you.”

“It’s okay. But what do we do now?”

“I don’t know. Your father wants to take you to the lower levels. There are people there that run away from Tower Authority. But right now it’s overrun.”

Life in the lower levels? When would I see my parents? “How is Dad supposed to get down here?”

“He’s dressed like Security. He’ll sneak through with them. Your father is very smart.”

“Yeah, I’m sorta figuring that out.”

We both glance away as a sound catches our attention. Before I can even turn, I see Security rushing in from the corner of my eye, so I whip out the flame gun Dad gave me and turn it at the guard, tightening my finger on the trigger. “Hold it, jerkface!” I scream as I point it in his direction. The guy jumps backward, raising his hands up and cowering against the door.

He whips his helmet off, and I feel terrible. Dad. Of course. I was about to barbeque my own father. He holds up his finger and points to the ceiling. I nod and turn to Mom, who passes us the tablets. He quickly taps away on his and flips it toward me.

“ Security is focusing on the lowest floors ,” it says. “Get something to defend yourself with against the Creep. We leave in twenty minutes.”

“Got it.” I sprint into my room and look around. I already know I don’t have much to protect myself with, but that doesn’t mean I’m entirely defenseless. My eyes take a quick inventory of what I could use. I have my shin and forearm guards, not to mention the knee and elbow pads. Hey, when you’re young you take whatever defense you can get in the middle of a creepy “living-muscle apocalypse” scenario. There’s a catcher’s mask from when I played baseball, but it scares me to think that I’d be limiting my vision. Instead, I just tuck on my baseball cap because if I’m going to die, I might as well look snazzy when it happens. Plus it matches my old baseball uniform, which I switch into before strapping a protective vest over my torso. Say what you want about the uniform, but at least the material’s tough. Well, it’s at least tough enough to keep any slime from seeping through onto my skin. Plus the “NY” symbol on the shirt looks cool. Wish I knew what it meant. Like I said, die in style.

A girl in a baseball uniform and body armor. Yeah, I look like a terribly conceived comic hero. I’ve still got the flame gun strapped to my hip for firepower, but as I sit there, I notice the bat I’ve had since I was a kid. Mom and Dad gave it to me a long time ago, before I thought they went crazy, and I just keep thinking… I might need something if any Creep gets close. Plus, it’s always been lucky for me. I know that’s stupid, but, come on. I played every game of my life with it. I hit some of my biggest home runs with it. Come on, all my best memories are attached to it. I mean, can’t I just… can’t I just want something with me that makes me feel… okay? With this incredibly messed-up situation?

Anyway, I thought this would be the last time to record before… I dunno. Before really bad things start happening, either because of Security or the Creep. So, future self, or anyone else listening, please excuse the really loud music blaring in the background.

I just don’t like it when people listen in on me without my permission.

A Creep growth pops like an overgrown zit when you hit it with a bat.

Freakin’ sweet.

Dad leads the way as we charge down the hall, his flamethrower igniting everything in its path. Around every corner we turn, we can see Security just lighting up with those things, that or firing with their guns into overgrown growths that are piling up in the halls. I know we have a lot of Security to take care of the Tower, but it’s becoming pretty obvious that, in a situation like this, they’re too busy worrying about their own necks to think about a girl like me. Especially since my dad looks like a Security guy himself, just out escorting someone home. Uh, well, an escort through incredibly violent biomass growths.

But, hey, who doesn’t go through that situation at least once in their lives?

The stairwell itself is nothing like I’d imagined. Seriously, the inside is just… gross. The Creep has been scoured clean, but it’s left this disgusting, ashy putty all over the place. Our stairwell is slick with gritty goop that slides down the stairs, and there are more than a few times that I nearly go flipping over my head and crashing to the ground. Can you imagine falling into that gunk?

Three showers for me, thanks.

Dad waves me on, leading me through the stairwell as he talks. “They’ve got men from Floor 17 down just swarming the place. None of them know for sure where the infestation is concentrated, but so far everyone’s stretched thin. They’ve deployed I don’t know how many Security to the lower floors, and they’ve completely sealed off Floor 1.”

“Sealed off?”

Dad stops, turning to me. “Final Resort Protocol. In case of total Tower infestation, deploy the majority of Security to the lower floors to regain control. As a final measure, seal off all vents, elevator shafts, and doorways leading into Floor 1.”

“Wait. What?”

“Jackie, Floor 1’s got its own gardens and power source. It doesn’t need the rest of the Tower. They can survive indefinitely as long as they can clear the floor of Creep, which they have.”

I can feel a lava flow burning through my cheeks. “They’re abandoning the rest of the Tower?”

“No. They’re telling Security to try and retake the Tower. If they succeed, well, I’m sure Tower Authority will reopen Floor 1. If Security fails… then, okay, Floor 1 stays sealed, and Tower Authority endures. Just with a lot less people.”

“Dad, this isn’t a joke. This is like, us, you know? People, the human race… the whole shebang.”

“Well, we don’t know that,” he says with a huff. “But that’s a discussion for another time.”

“Dad?” He’s already sprinting down the stairs again. “Dad, we have to do something.”

“What can we do, Jackie?”

“Why is everyone acting like I’m the crazy one around here? We have to try and stop the source of the Creep!”

He waves me off as he continues racing downward. “It could be anywhere, Jackie.”

“Dad, stop.” He keeps going, and finally I have to scream, “ Stop! ”

He pauses with a heave, but just barely turns to look at me. “What, Jacko?”

“You’re not stupid. Mom told me you’re, like, the expert on this stuff. I know you know where the source of this is coming from.”

“Jackie, it’s the largest single invasion of Creep we have on record. I have ideas, but I’m not about to get you involved with them.”

“Fine,” I agree, shrugging my shoulders. “Then I’m not moving. I’m sitting right here until the Creep gets me. How you like them apples?”

He tries to grab for me, but I raise my bat. Of course I’m not going to hit him. Duh. I just have to, you know, show I’m serious. “Dad,” I tell him, “I’m not going anywhere. We have to fix this.”

For a minute he looks at me, then back down the stairs, then back at me. Even behind his mask, I can tell he’s giving up. “What’s happening right now is what we call an emotional resonance cascade. The Creep feeds on human emotions, like I told you. Exceptionally powerful human emotions, though, can ‘resonate’ through the Creep. That causes a cascade in which, as one part of the Creep gets agitated, another part gets agitated. Normally it wears itself out. This one isn’t.”