Surrounded With Oddity

Olivia was having turmoil inside. She felt a mix of emotions that is making her want to throw up. It was not because Matthew was driving like a madman. His car is too fast and has been swerving left and right to avoid crashing into other cars. Others would think that Olivia was in labor and Matthew was in a hurry to reach the nearest hospital.

Olivia never had a problem with motion sickness.

Aside from the fact that Matthew was driving like a madman on an unfamiliar road, he has been silent ever since they left that club. It has been thirty minutes and his silence is already killing her.

And Olivia could not take it anymore. "Matthew…" She tried to call his attention because it seemed that Matthew had forgotten that she was with him, sitting next to him. When Olivia didn't get a response, she shifted in her seat so that she was facing him. "Matt…please talk to me," Her voice was soft and pleading.

"Liv!" Matthew sighed in frustration. He glanced at her and saw a broken look on her face. "Just…we'll talk. But not right now…okay?" He said in a softer tone.

Olivia bit her lip and nodded her head. "I'm sorry," She said, and then she lowered her gaze to her lap.

Matthew felt bad. He didn't mean to snap at her. But at the moment, he doesn't feel like talking or listening to anything. He was trying to come up with ways how to break the news to Olivia that he was the vigilante that she was hunting without making her feel angry or worse scared of him…without making her feel like running away from him.

Olivia remained silent throughout their journey toward somewhere she was uncertain of. She knows that Matthew is angry and frustrated because of what she did and what almost happened to her so she understands if he doesn't want to talk to her. But halfway through, she felt him reach for her hand and squeezed it. Since then, he never lets go of her hand while driving except when he has to shift the gear. And even after then, he would reach for her hand again.

It was enough to make Olivia's nerves ease but that was not enough for her heart to settle. She wanted and needed Matthew to talk to her. She needed to know what he was thinking. She also has a lot of questions in her mind that wants to ask him but it can wait until later.

As she looked outside the window, she realized that they were now outside of the city…two towns from where they have been. She wanted to ask where they are going and what they are going to do there but she remained silent and just waited for them to reach their destination.

That is…if they have a destination.

Olivia will not be surprised if Matthew was driving mindlessly with no destination at all. But that is until she noticed that they entered a steep road that would lead them to a mountain. She turned her head to Matthew in question but saw him looking ahead as if he knew and he was certain where they were going.

That leads to more questions in Olivia's head but she didn't voice them out. Until the steep road going to the mountain ended in front of a huge, tall gate.

Their car stopped and Olivia took that chance to ask. "Matt…what's going on? Where are we?" Her voice was cautious as she looked at Matthew. As far as she can remember, Matthew never mentioned their family owning that kind of property in the mountain.

But instead of getting a response, she felt the car move again. When she looked ahead, she noticed that the gate opened automatically for them to enter and once they were inside, it automatically closed behind them.

Olivia looked around and noticed that except for the odd gate that greeted them earlier, there was nothing unusual in their surroundings. There were lots of huge trees that she could tell were already years if not hundreds of years old already. Some were meters apart while some were standing close to each other. Other trees are even joined in their trunks.

The bushes were lush and everywhere making it impossible to see the ground or trail…if there is any trail at all. Because to Olivia, the mountain looks untouched by civilization if it wasn't for the well-maintained asphalt road that they are taking.

Olivia understands that they were just at the foot of the mountain but their surroundings seem as if they were already deep into the mountain. Then it surprised her when not too far away, she saw a log cabin. It looked small in her periphery since it was still far but she could tell that up close, it is a huge log cabin.

She wondered who owned that cabin and if it was where they were going. Her answer came when their car suddenly took a right turn which confused her because there was no road there, only a visible vehicle track.

Olivia glanced at Matthew to see if he still knows what he is doing or where they are going. She saw him focused on the trail ahead of them.

As they continued to drive, the woods became denser. The canopy of the trees was thick to the point that it seemed impossible for the rays of the sun to reach the ground. It was becoming darker around not because the night is coming but because the trees won't allow the sun to shine on the land. And for some reason, it was affecting Olivia's nerves.

"Matt…please talk to me. This is starting to scare me," Olivia said apprehensively as she looked around them. The car had already stopped but she couldn't see a house or any reason for them to stop there.

Instead of getting an answer, she heard the car door closing and when she turned her head, she saw that Matthew had already stepped out of the car and was walking around it to her side.

Matthew opened her door and helped her out of the car. Once she was standing beside the car, Matthew stood in front of her and cupped her face with both his hands. He looked straight into Olivia's nervous eyes and his face softened.

"Do you trust me?" Matthew asked.

Olivia was nervous because they were in a strange place and Matthew was acting strange. But that is not enough reason for her to lose her trust in him. So she nodded her head and said, "With my life,"

Matthew smiled faintly and then he leaned forward to kiss her on her forehead. His lips lingered there for a few more seconds making Olivia close her eyes and savor the moment. As if his kiss were magic, it took away her nervousness even when Matthew moved away, grabbed her hand, and interlaced their fingers.

Olivia looked at their intertwined fingers and then at Matthew's back while they were walking towards God knows where. She cannot see anything ahead of them except for tall grasses, trees, and bushes. She is confused about what is going on but she trusts that Matthew will explain it to her. All she knew is that she was impulsive, and he was pissed off. She almost got kidnaped and then Matthew came to save her.

All they have to do is talk but she doesn't understand why Matthew has to take her in the middle of the woods in the mountain.

Suddenly, Matthew halted in his steps in front of an odd-looking tree that was covered with vines. He turned around to face Olivia and said, "There is something that I want to show you," His voice sounded as if he was hesitant or uncertain. Then he added, "But before that, will you promise to let me explain after?"

Olivia stared at him. Despite the oddity of the situation, their surroundings, and Matthew himself, she found herself nodding her head. "Okay," She said.

Matthew stared at her for a moment before he turned around and let go of Olivia's hand.

Olivia watched as Matthew took a few steps in front of the vines. He pushed aside the vines and then Olivia's eyes went wide when she saw what was hidden behind it.

It was a door! A steel door with a biometrics scanner lock system. How come something like that exists in the middle of the woods? And how did Matthew know about that? Olivia's questions remained in her head as she watched Matthew place his palm on the scanner and then he leaned forward to scan his iris. Afterward, he talked to the automated voice of a woman who asked for his name and code.

It turns out, Matthew did not just know the place but he has access to the place.

Olivia realized that behind that door is an elevator when Matthew pulled her inside. Minutes later, she found herself in an underground establishment but she cannot make out what kind of establishment it is because she cannot see anything except for long hallways.

Despite being underground, Olivia noticed that the hallway was bright and well-lit. It looked modern, in fact, it was a little futuristic. It looks like the hallways of alien spaceships that she had seen in futuristic movies.

But what lies behind the walls of the hallways is still unknown to Olivia. She wanted to ask Matthew as he continued to hold her hand and led her somewhere but she just chose to wait for him to explain.

And it looks like the time for Matthew to explain had arrived when they entered a huge room that turns out to be the control room of the facility.