Chapter Six

We were sitting in complete darkness. The area was unusually quiet and for the number of people present, it was eerie how no one spoke, not even whispers. I wanted my parents to turn the vehicle around and take us somewhere with the comfort of light. I’d prefer the chaotic fires in the streets of our old neighborhood to the blackness here.

My dad exited the Suburban and I saw the beam of a flashlight. He walked down a hall as if he knew exactly where he was. Suddenly the bursting flame of a match appeared as he lit a lamp attached to the wall. Everyone quickly shielded their eyes while they adjusted to the light. My emotions were still raw from the frantic way we left our home of thirteen years and my eyelids were heavy, begging for more sleep.

The other parents, who’d ridden with us, lit more lamps and soon there was a soft glow in the cavernous room. I climbed from the vehicle, noticing rows of other parked cars in this underground parking lot of sorts. Several families stood outside the Suburban with mixed expressions. Some faces looked familiar, but most were strangers.

The adults all knew each other and spoke in hushed tones. I stayed behind, clinging to Brian, afraid of being left alone. Luckily, he let me hold onto him, staying where we were, until summoned. My blanket, always one of my greatest securities, was clenched in my hands – separation from it wasn’t an option.

“Kids, we know you’re confused right now, but you need to follow us into the central room. We’ll explain everything to you there,” my dad said to the group with a soft authority in his voice. Everyone started trudging after him. There were hundreds of people in the huge cavern. I noticed some of the adults stayed behind as we passed through an archway and then walked down what seemed like an endless, narrow hallway.

Gas lanterns were lit every few feet, casting some light but more shadows than anything. It was like I’d awakened to a living nightmare. The long walk ended in another cavern almost twice the size of the first one. The walls were a scary, dark gray color and were moist to the touch. I felt as if we were going to suddenly be buried alive and no one would know it.

I saw my dad in the center of the room, and moments later a fire was going. Even several yards away, it didn’t take the heat long to reach me. I moved closer, trying to drive the lingering chill from my body.

“Everyone, please take a seat and we’ll explain everything,” my father said. We did as he asked. I was grateful for the added warmth and security of my blanket and ended up sharing it with Brian. His comforting body heat almost made me forget I was scared. As we sat down, I noticed several more people drifting into the room. I wondered if the entire place would be filled by the end of the night.

“Thank you for your patience.” my father said. “I know tonight has been extremely shocking for you, kids. Your parents and I have known for some time bad things have been happening in the world. We have friends who work in the higher ranks of the government and though they’ve done well to cover up what’s really been going on, we knew war could break out any moment.”

There wasn’t a sound in the room as he spoke.

“The possibility of war was undeniable, though we didn’t know when it would happen. The last six months we knew it was inevitable. The government didn’t speak of this to the public because there would’ve been mass panic, though I think it was more for their own selfish reasons. Three years ago we knew we needed to be prepared for the worst.”

He looked around the room to make sure everyone was listening.

“We found the safest location we could possibly think of, then pooled our resources. This cave is not detectable from the air or ground, unless you’re standing right next to it. The enemy’s infrared cameras can’t detect heat in here and we’re basically nonexistent to the outside world. We worked for over a year gutting it out and making sure the reinforcements for the interior were strong, preventing any weakening walls or cave-ins. We’ve created rooms and stocked everything we need to survive. We’ll give you a tour after we’re done talking.”

“How long are we going to be here?” a child asked, sounding as terrified as the rest of us.

“We don’t know yet. We hope it won’t be long but we just don’t know,” he answered, with despondency unlike anything I’d ever heard in his voice before.

“As I was saying, we’ve prepared this place well. It’s basically a small city. We have a huge garden with special solar-powered lamps so we can grow our own fresh produce. We have animals, cooking facilities, bathing houses, bedrooms, a library, school and so much more. Hundreds of us have put in our money, time, talents and various holdings to make this place a sanctuary. None of you will go without and we’ve also made sure to bring in some touches from home to make the long days ahead more bearable. If we all work together, we’ll be okay.” He finished with a tightness in his voice from holding back his emotions.

My eyes instantly filled and spilled over as I watched my dad nearly break down in front of a crowd. Many other children were crying as well. There was an unusual closeness among the gathered people that only a catastrophe such as this could create.

“Please follow me and I’ll take you on a tour, after which your parents will show you to your sleeping facilities,” my dad said.

We followed my father down another long hallway. There was a loud gasp from the crowd as we entered a kitchen area. It was nothing like what we had at home, with microwaves and fancy ovens, but it was a huge area with clean counters, sinks and cooking ranges.

“We have solar power that provides us limited time to perform different functions,” my father said. “For example, we can cook for about four hours each day. We’ve piped in water from a lake, which is a few miles away and comes directly from the mountain. The water will be continuous year round and we have about twenty years’ worth of filters to make sure it’s clean.”

We left the kitchen and wandered through other rooms. The library was spacious, with tens of thousands of books. They ranged from history to fiction and everything in between. I couldn’t imagine how much time it would’ve taken to track them all down and how they would’ve kept track of what they had and what they needed. Someone asked that very question.

“We had a very elaborate system linking everyone who was purchasing items,” Greg answered. “When we got new items we’d enter them into the system, notifying the others. These systems also let us know what we still needed. Like I said earlier, we spent over three years preparing this place, so we were able to go over it again and again.”

“Let’s continue on,” my dad said, and we were off once more. We went through a large schoolroom with desks and endless supplies. “There are minimal computers, as they would take too much of our power and we wouldn’t have Internet anyway. We mainly brought in a few samples in case we really do end up having to start all over again, when the war is finished.”

I’d never thought there was a chance the world as we knew it could be changed forever. It was a sobering thought and one that didn’t sit well in my already nauseous stomach. The place was incredible, but to stay there forever didn’t seem appealing.

We continued through the seemingly endless tunnels and I was amazed at what they’d done. There were so many rooms and each one had a specific purpose. There was no wasted space. We went to another vast cavern, even larger than the meeting room. It had those fake sun lights hooked up everywhere and unbelievably, there was a vast garden growing. Every kind of fruit and vegetable you could imagine was in it and doing well.

In the next room was an orchard of fruit and nut trees. They hadn’t seemed to forget anything. When we stepped into the animal area I thought I’d been transported onto Noah’s ark. There were several different breeds of animals, all there to provide food or some other life-sustaining resource such as fur or leather.

“I know this will sound cruel, but please don’t get attached to the animals. They aren’t pets, they serve a purpose and it would only make it more difficult, as I’m sure you’re all already suffering great losses,” my father said sympathetically.

A few kids cried at the thought but he quickly moved on, hoping that getting the children away from the animals would help them gain the proper emotional distance. He led us to the shower area and I was actually quite impressed, even though it smelled strongly like rotten eggs. I was worried we were going to have to step back in time and start using outhouses. After living in a nice home all my life, that thought wasn’t appealing.

There were separate men and women’s quarters, with real shower heads, private toilets and changing areas. There was also a huge, steaming rock tub in the middle of the two rooms, with privacy walls around it.

“One of the things we liked about this area was the natural hot springs,” my dad told us. “One of those springs comes into the cave and we were able to lay pipes so you can take real showers and bathe. Now, I know it doesn’t smell the best, but you’ll get used to that and it will be well worth it to have the hot water soothing sore muscles after long, hard days of work. The spring has a constant supply of fresh water so you won’t have to worry about sitting in filth.”

We passed through every kind of room we could possibly need. Then it seemed we’d made a huge circle because we once again entered the cavern with the fireplace. The large fire chased the chill quickly from the air.

“We have doctors, scientists, vets, programmers, builders, engineers, soldiers and every other possible person we’ll need to make this community successful, due to our planning,” Dad said. “You’re safe. Remember that. You’re in good hands and though this place may take some getting used to, count your blessings each night that you’re able to lie down in your own bed and sleep. There are many out there who have it far worse. We have a lot to be thankful for. I’ll let your parents take you to your rooms now. I’ll see you here tomorrow, where we’ll meet every evening.”

Slowly, the room started to empty. I waited behind with John and Brian.

Once everyone else cleared out, I approached my dad and waited for him to finish talking with Greg. They spoke a while longer, then he turned as if remembering we were waiting for him. We were scared and he was supposed to comfort us, but we were quickly learning he was the leader of this new place and he had many others to comfort as well. We would have to share our mother and father, even if we didn’t like it.

“I’m sorry, kids. I’m sure you’re exhausted. Your mom is already down in your rooms with some others. They needed to make sure there was light. Follow me,” he said and put his hand on my shoulder, which instantly reassured me.

He led us down a hall where I saw door after door. A few were open and I could see families inside, some crying, some lying down but none laughing or smiling. It was too soon for that.

“Here’s your door, John. We labeled each room with the occupant’s name because each door looks the same and this makes it easier for us to maintain privacy.”

“Sounds good, Dad,” John said, sounding more grown up than he should. He ruffled my hair in reassurance when I peered up at him. He was staying strong for my benefit. John leaned down and gave me a big hug, warming me from my head to my toes. It was just what I needed, but I still wanted to cry when he disappeared inside his door.

“Your room is right next to his, Phoenix,” Dad told me, sensing my distress while he opened the door. The small, rising panic gave way to delighted surprise as I scanned my new room, noticing that the posters missing from my home were now here on the walls, as well as my albums and books on a shelf. I looked at my father and the lump in my throat was almost painful. I could no longer stop the tears.

“I knew this would be scary for you, so I tried to give you a small piece of home. I’ve been sneaking things from your room for a long time. I’m just glad you never noticed and asked me about it,” he said with a half grin, and wrapped his arms around me.

“Thanks, Daddy,” I told him, reverting to what I always called him as a child when I was scared. I spotted my favorite stuffed animal on the bed and felt like everything might be okay for the first time that night.

“Sadie is three doors down from you, and your mom and I are right across the hall. If you get scared you can come to our room any time. We’re all together, just like at our old home, just in a new place,” he said with a quick squeeze of a hug, and then stepped out to let me settle in.

I shut the door to my room to give myself a moment. As I sat on my bed, surveying the diminutive space, the tears began to flow freely. I would allow the tears for one last night, then I had to accept what was happening and deal with it. There was no use in feeling sorry for myself.

I turned off the small light by my bed and lay there in the dark, too scared to sleep. It reminded me of a trip my family had once taken to the Timpanogos Caves in Utah. We were deep in the earth when they turned off the lights and the blackness settled around us. I was thankful that my mother was holding my hand, because it was the only thing that assured me I wasn’t sinking into a deep, black hole. My hand was stretched out before my face and I couldn’t see it. I heard whimpers in the darkness, which increased the eerie feeling.

I remember the tour guide telling us that in that kind of blackness, your eyes will never adjust because there is no light source anywhere to adjust to. I was glad my room wasn’t quite that pitch black, as the elders had solar lamps strewn through the hallways at night. One of the chores would be for people to take them outside during the day. Dad said we couldn’t waste fuel to keep the lanterns lit twenty-four hours a day. The light from the solar lamps would seep in through the bottom of the bedroom doors. It was enough so I could just barely make out the shape of my hand, but not enough to give me comfort. Shudders ran through me as I fought not to panic.

An eerie creaking sound came from the door. I froze where I sat. To my great relief, light from the hallway poured in and I could make out the silhouette of Sadie stepping inside. I could tell by the stiffness in her shoulders she was as terrified as I was.

“I thought I’d come and sleep with you,” she barely whispered. I scooted over and she climbed in beside me.

“I’m so glad you came. I don’t think I could get to sleep without you. How will we even know when to get up?” Phoenix asked as Sadie snuggled down next to her.

“My mom said there are intercoms in all our rooms and they will beep at us in the morning. She said it will stay so dark in here, we won’t know what time of day or night it is and we’ll have a really hard time adjusting our bodies to it. They know it will take a while to get used to it,” Sadie whispered. We were both talking quietly, afraid they’d come in and make Sadie go back to her own room if they caught us.

“This all seems like some bad dream, like we’re going to wake up in the morning at my house after a slumber party with too many scary movies,” I told her.

“I hope so,” Sadie answered fervently. We snuggled deeper under my comforter, the scent from home drifting around us, still lingering in my bedding. We managed to fall asleep in hopes of a better tomorrow.