The door to the conference room stood open.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway—the sound of more than a dozen mayors leaving.
They walked slowly, the anxiety they had arrived with now gone. They no longer whispered amongst themselves.
Every one of them had their lips sealed, their hands clutching their briefcases tightly.
Ron Smith was at the front. As he passed by Leo, he paused for a moment.
He gave the young Mayor of Pittsburgh a deep, incredibly complex look.
In the end, he said nothing, merely tugging down the brim of his hat before striding quickly toward the elevator.
Next came Joe Byers of Scranton, followed by Bennett from the suburbs of Harrisburg.
Their expressions were all identical.
Dazed.
It was the look of a mind crashing from information overload. Their eyes were unfocused, staring blankly into the air before them.
With a DING, the elevator doors slid shut, cutting off the sight of those bewildered eyes.
The hallway returned to silence.
