by Nikki Lewen
Jose attempts to interrupt her, but Sadie halts him. He’s bursting with curiosity and questions, and at the moment, she doesn’t have the energy or heart for answering them. She just wants to be in bed, but they need to be taught how to use things, so Sadie musters the strength.
“Alright…I’m sure you’ve got lots of questions, but we’ll talk later. So,” Sadie makes direct eye contact with Jose, making sure he understands, “not now, first…let me show you a couple things.”
Sadie moves around the bunker’s small studio apartment while describing, teaching, and demonstrating how the place functions. She covers generating electricity, recharging the batteries, cooking, water usage, food storage, supplies they’re welcomed to use, the escape tunnel, and lastly, the composting toilet.
“Jose, you use this,” she says, opening a spare cot, “and Caleb…take the bed.”
Jose and Caleb, both attempting to respond at the same time, interrupt one another.
It’s Caleb who gets the right of way. “No, Sadie…you take the bed.”
“I’ll sleep on the floor,” Jose chimes in, “so Caleb can use the cot.”
Sadie doesn’t respond. Instead, slinging her pack over a shoulder, she slides a wall panel aside uncovering another hidden door. Both men are surprised yet again and shocked to learn there’s another area, as Sadie’s nearly gone.
They blurt out the same question. “Where are you going!?”
“To bed,” Sadie replies, without pausing.
The door shuts behind her and the panel automatically returns to its proper place, hiding the entrance. Caleb and Jose shift their stares from where she disappeared to one another. Shrugging his shoulders, Caleb moves to the bed and carefully attempts bending over to remove his shoes. Jose takes over for him and helps, as they exchange a concerned glance. Caleb’s tired, sore, and a little worse for wear, but he’s proud to have made it.
As he rests, Jose checks the food supplies and prepares a simple dinner. He opens and closes every cabinet, drawer, and container, partly in search of what he needs and partly because he can’t help himself. He’s talking excessively while inventorying, examining, and admiring absolutely everything. His brain is on super absorption as he observes at full throttle. The only time he pauses is to make a quick sketch in his journal.
Jose stops talking, realizing Caleb’s sleeping. He’s not exactly sure when the man fell asleep, but thinking back, he hasn’t spoken since first lying down. Trying to be quiet, Jose continues his exploration of the bunker while the food cooks. He wanders about the apartment in the same sequence Sadie used, which helps him recall each thing she shared.
It’s hunger that finally pulls Jose away from his powerful sense of curiosity. With dinner ready, he stops looking about and gently wakes Caleb. At first, he thinks about letting his friend sleep, but Caleb needs to replenish his energy and food will help. They move to the kitchen area and sit down for a hot meal. Jose rattles off a good deal of the information he gathered while Caleb slept. Several times, the boy leaves the table to show and point out what he’s talking about. Caleb says little in return, appreciates the boy’s effort, but is too worn out to absorb much.
After dinner, Caleb returns to bed while Jose examines things further. Making more drawings and taking notes, the boy fills several pages before turning in for the night. The following morning, he’s at it again, intrigued by the impressive feats of engineering the bunker offers. Jose has never seen or even imagined most of its features, but upon inspection, he finds they make sense. Anything that doesn’t reveal an obvious answer, Jose notes it, along with additional questions it conjures.
By the time Caleb wakes, Jose’s already eaten and is preparing to re-charge the house battery system. He brings a bowl of oatmeal and a mug of tea to his friend before hopping on the bike. He pedals away, talking the entire time, and after twenty minutes, the boy begins to sweat, but keeps up the effort. Posted on the wall next to him is the laminated protocol, complete with charts for energy conversion. He stands, leans his forearms on the handlebars, and pedals faster as the stationary bike whirls with activity.
While he’s riding, the wall panel slides open and Sadie emerges. She sees Jose at the recharging station and walks over, checking each connection and then the timer. He’s done everything correctly and Sadie appreciates the great job the kid does every time he’s given a task. Jose smiles, and when he reaches the required energy production, dismounts.
He picks up an empty bowl and pours another mug for Sadie. Checking the pot, Sadie takes the last of the steel-cut oats and sits in the kitchen, where the boy joins her. Caleb, moving gingerly and careful to guard against the pain, stands and slowly moves across the studio. Joining the others, it’s obvious to them he needs at least a day or two of rest. Caleb’s been watching Sadie since she entered, but they’ve made eye contact only briefly. He inquires about her health, thinking she looks a little pale and maybe even a bit feeble. Sadie takes a deep breath, not exactly sure how to respond.
“I’m…not feeling so good,” she says, stating the obvious.
Caleb hesitates, leans closer, and brushes aside a piece of Sadie’s hair so he can press the back of his hand against her forehead. At first, she stiffens, but closing her eyes, she relaxes. Her fever has returned, and Sadie knows she should be in bed.
“You need to rest,” he says.
“I know, but…there’s a few things…”
“Sadie.” Caleb interrupts her mid-sentence.
Her eyes widen.
“You’ve done enough. Rest.”
Before Sadie gets a chance to finish what she tried to say, Jose joins them. She turns to him as he approaches. “Alright, kiddo, you ready?”
His smile widens. “Always!”
“Here…” she says, handing a small key over, “open the desk.”
Jose excitedly gets up to find out what’s locked inside. Caleb—feeling left out—pouts silently. Sadie ignores his looks, gives the boy more information, tells him which items to bring over, and then takes the notebooks from Jose. Grabbing a pencil, she tears an empty page out of a blank journal and begins drawing her property. While outlining the route they used getting here, she also adds the patrol she wants the boy to make. Sadie reminds Jose of the features she pointed out yesterday and provides estimations of time for traveling each section.
When she’s finished, Jose reiterates the information, asking only a couple of questions. Sadie’s a little apprehensive about not joining him, but feels reassured by his memory, willingness, and excitement at the chance to explore the area. So far, he’s been able to handle everything asked of him and this is fairly simple task. Sadie looks at Caleb. His face has softened and he too absorbed the information. When Jose finishes restating the directions one last time, Sadie’s satisfied, and moves to the next item. She grabs the top notebook, opens the cover and silently reads the opening introduction, hearing her father’s voice while doing so.
“These,” she says, fanning the pages and piquing the boys’ interest, “were my dad’s.”
She tries containing the emotions her father’s desk and notebooks provoke. She can’t look at them without seeing her dad sitting there carefully working. He was meticulous, diligently recording every detail, often spending hours at a time carefully writing. The notebooks are precious and represent a collection of work never before shared, but Sadie understands their importance and knows how valuable the information will be.
“These are final versions.” Sadie gently caresses her hand across the stack before continuing. “My dad carefully transcribed each of these from his notes…experiments…and test designs.” Feeling protective, she hesitates.
Sadie’s recently thought quite a bit about how to best spread the wisdom they contain. Her dad’s planning, preparations, and quest for sustainability play a vital role in her survival, and now, she’s in a position to offer help, and sharing this knowledge may be only the beginning. For years, she worried her father was on the brink o
f insanity. After the accident that took her brothers and mom, his compulsions were scary, and at one point, Sadie considered getting her dad professional help. Then, the world suddenly changed, and his excessiveness became their savior. He stored away a lifetime of goods, along with a bountiful supply of survival gear. Because of him, she has everything she could ever want or need, with more than enough to help others. Continued thoughts of her father, accompanied by a weakened state, strain Sadie’s emotional control.
“Jose…these will answer lots of your questions…and explain in detail how this place works.” She looks at Caleb and speaks softly, “You’ll find useful information, too.”
Sadie takes a deep breath. “Please be careful with ’em…they’re the only…copies I have.”
Sliding a notebook over to each, Sadie invites both boys to learn from them. Jose carefully turns the pages, interested in all it contains, while Caleb does the same with the one in front of him.
“I think it’s time…to share my father’s work.” Sadie slowly lifts her eyes from the stack of notebooks. “Will you help…me?”
Caleb and Jose, touched by her sincerity and vulnerability, feel it’s the least they can do and nod slowly.
“Alright then,” Sadie stands and gathers her sense of control. “Jose…go patrol and…when you return, pick one that interests you the most and start copying it. Caleb…start with whichever one you think would help the colony the most. If Gus makes it back for you, I wanna be prepared.” She heads over to the hidden entrance. “I’ll be back for dinner.” Sadie disappears, leaving the boys alone.
Caleb looks through the collection of notebooks, while Jose prepares to leave. As the boy heads out, Caleb believes Sadie’s correct: her dad’s journals can definitely help. As dinner approaches, Caleb anticipates Sadie’s arrival. He’s spent the day copying a notebook, taking breaks only when forced to do so by the cramps in his hand. Jose, too, has been writing away and hopes to get the chance to read each journal. Both men have been particularly interested in the system used to generate electricity in the bunker, along with the research on alternative and biofuels. While they work, Sadie enters and takes a seat, looking over the journal Jose is copying.
“Good choice, kiddo,” she says.
He smiles, finishes the section, and then gets up to check the food.
Caleb closes his and looks at Sadie. “You feelin’ any better?”
Sadie leans to one side, shrugging her shoulders, and answers without speaking. She’s still pale, and Caleb fights the urge to re-check her forehead. Instead, he gets up, sets the table, and brings her a bowl of soup. While they eat, Sadie outlines what she’s been thinking.
“The cave needs restocking…and preparations for Gus’s arrival require lots of work…we also need to keep watch at Anna’s. I know it’s a minimal risk, but…if the Nation finds the cove…or the helicopter clearing…” She shakes her head not wanting to think about those possibilities.
Just mentioning Splitters brings up too many painful memories and images for all three of them. Both men nod in comprehension, understanding her concerns and wanting to do their part. Sadie’s responsible for saving them both and they’ll do anything for her.
“I’ve got most of the cave supplies ready.” Sadie turns to Caleb, “But…I’m not exactly sure what…or…how much to get ready for Gus’s arrival. I need to know more about the colony…the people livin’ there, what would help them, and all about the copter…especially, how much stuff can fit in it.”
Caleb, not exactly sure how much more Sadie has to share, doesn’t interrupt.
She turns to Jose. “I’m still counting on you to guard Anna’s place. Tomorrow, I’d like you to take supplies to the cave. Then, hike back here for another load before returning to the homestead to finish your work.”
Jose, as always, nods in affirmation while receiving his directives.
She turns back to Caleb. “While he’s gone, we’ll talk…I wanna be prepared for Gus. In another day…or…two, I’m hoping you’re able to start helpin’ with some of the lighter work. By then…I should be better, too. I also have to check in with the ladies…I told ’em I would. So…as soon as possible, I’ll head there.”
Caleb likes hearing he’ll be staying with Sadie and is anxious to hear what she’s thinking, but her health still concerns him. Obviously, she’s been able to take care of herself all these years, but he can’t help but worry.
“Sadie, you should just rest…at least a few days…especially, if you’re plannin’ on hiking to Clara’s. We’ll help with whatever you need. But please…you do too much. Rest. You’ve got…us…now.” His last words are just above a whisper.
Sadie’s touched by Caleb’s sentiment and concerned look. Besides feeling ill, her nightmares have returned, and they’re continuing to play havoc with her well-being. Unfortunately, it’s typically for this time of year and Sadie knows she needs to handle it better. Besides being near the anniversaries of losing both her father and husband, it’s nearing the holidays, which always make Sadie miss her family.
“Don’t worry…I’m plannin’ to rest. I’m stayin’ here…for a bit. And,” her eyes smile lightly, “I know I’ve got…both of you.”
There’s a brief silence, then Sadie stands and heads to the entrance of her place. The boys aren’t ready to see her leave and make attempts to stall her departure. They’re incredibly curious about where she disappears, but respecting her privacy, they don’t ask. Instead, the two of them inquire about some of the bunker’s features. After explaining a few things and staying longer, Sadie grows weary, says goodnight, and doesn’t return until early the next day.
After a quick breakfast, she sends both of them out on patrol with a two-way radio and instructions to check in at regular intervals. She’s never fully explored the handhelds’ ranges and for years they’ve sat idle. With their help, communication capabilities can begin to be tested. When they return, Sadie has all the necessary cave supplies and instructions ready. Sadie checks over Jose’s load, once he gets it packed, explains how often she wants radio contact, and sends him on his way. When the door closes, she sits across from Caleb, opens a notebook, and looks intently into his eyes. He swallows, almost afraid to break eye contact.
“Okay,” she says, with pen held ready, “let’s get started.”
THIRTY-SIX
Caleb’s exhausted, although it’s not from physical exertion, and he looks forward to getting out on perimeter patrols. They’re a welcomed break from the relentless inquiries Sadie’s leading, as her questions never end. Their days are divided into segments with specific times devoted to different subjects. They always eat breakfast separately and when Caleb returns from the morning patrol, the questions begin. It lasts through lunch, when they eat together, and then, Sadie retreats to her place, leaving Caleb alone to continue copying from the journals.
They meet for the second time before Caleb’s evening patrol. While he’s gone, Sadie prepares dinner, and afterward, the third and final session of the day takes place. Each evening, Sadie stays later, gathering information. Even though he’s tired of talking all the time, Caleb appreciates every chance to be with her. He just wishes it wasn’t always business and hopes soon she’ll be satisfied.
Tonight, as they wind down, Caleb decides to try and find some quality time with her instead of the grilling he faces three times a day. Sadie’s always serious, leaves when finished, and hasn’t shared anything about herself—although, he hasn’t asked. While she glances over the evening’s notes, Caleb takes advantage of her pause.
“So…how much more you gonna need?” Caleb doesn’t let her answer, “I mean, how much longer will…my…interrogation last?” he says, smiling trying to lighten the mood.
Sadie sees the softness in his eyes and the weariness in his expression. “Sorry. I’ve been…on…a mission.” Not exactly wanting to say more or sure about what she’s willing to share, Sadie quiets.
“A mission?” he laughs, “don’t
I know it! You always have a plan,” Caleb waves his arm signaling the expanse of the bunker, “and the means to do it…and comfortably, I might add. I mean…look at this place…it’s incredible! Fully stocked…electricity…and water! Sadie, your dad was…genius. His work…this place….” he trails off, absorbed in a thought.
Caleb remembers all those years ago when Sadie was forced to leave college and he grows solemn, reminded about his selfishness. When she needed him the most, he wasn’t there, and even worse, he added to her torment and heartbreak. Sadie, on the other hand, in his greatest hour of need, was there, and still, she’s providing for him.
Sadie, noticing the changes sweeping across Caleb’s face, grows worried. She’s been avoiding any personal topics with him since they’ve been alone and limiting their time together, making sure there’s isn’t any opportunities. It’s too unsettling of a coincidence being reunited, and Sadie’s not sure how to make sense of it. Whenever the subject breeches her mind, she quickly dismisses it, putting her energy back into all the preparations she deems necessary.
Sadie’s life has become full of new things, entwined with others, and now there’s the chance to help even more. It’s a new focus and a well-needed change to the emptiness of her solo existence. Her dad ensured she’d always be better off than just okay, and Sadie’s beginning to believe it means more than just her own survival. His legacy could be saving lots of folks and Gus’s arrival could be the beginning of helping many.
Getting back on track, and cutting off Caleb as he’s about to speak, Sadie finally replies, “If you can manage…I’ve got another question.” She takes his eye contact as affirmation and immediately asks, “When Gus returns, will others be with him?”
Understanding her concern about more people arriving, Caleb shrugs in a doubtful fashion. “I dunno know. I’m not sure what’s been goin’ on since I left, but…the plan was to scout ‘til spring, then he’d return, and fly us back to the colony. But…there’s always a chance things changed.”