by West, Lee
Through the mirror, he could see that all the men had scattered throughout the campus. Nothing else could be seen in the darkness.
Several torturous minutes passed. As time ticked by, Joe’s nerves became more and more frayed. Worry for the safety of his new companions stood solidly next to concern for himself and Meg as his mind swirled with worst-case scenarios.
“What are they doing? What’s taking so long?” she whispered.
“I don’t know. I can’t see too well with the mirror and don’t want to stand up. We locked the door to the tower, right?”
“I think so. I guess we did. Oh my god! I don’t know for sure!” she whispered loudly.
“You came in behind me—THINK! Did you lock it or not?”
Meg’s face looked crestfallen and stunned. Finally she said, “I don’t know.”
Joe felt bad for pressuring her, but the situation had unraveled quickly. He knew he needed to be certain if she had locked the door. Their safety depended on it.
“It’s okay. I’ll run down and make sure,” he said softly.
“No! You have to stay here. It’s not safe!”
“I’ll be fine. There’s no one down there right now. They’ve gone to other areas of campus. It’ll only take me a few minutes to go down, check the lock, and then come back up here. You hold the mirror and watch the grounds for me.”
He handed her the mirror with a shaky hand. He didn’t want to chance going down the tower. However, if the door to the belfry stood unlocked, they were in trouble.
“Be right back!” he whispered loudly, giving Meg a peck on the top of her head.
Joe ran down the interior of the tower toward the outside door. They should have locked the door behind themselves, as the other watch standers had recommended. He cursed himself for not double-checking the mechanism before going up the stairs.
Jumping the last few steps to the ground, he landed with a thud on the hard concrete. In the dark he could not see if the jamb locks on the top and bottom of the door were engaged. He would have to go to the door and feel for the locks, his hands able to feel better in the dark than his eyes could see.
Out of breath from the run down the stairs, he breathed heavily, fogging the glass door as he clawed in the darkness for the top lock. He moved his hand across the top of the doorframe to the lock. His fingers caressed the mechanism, confirming its secure position. The top had been engaged. He then bent to feel for the bottom bolt. A beam of light flashing across the grass caught his attention as the men moved in his direction. He lurched backward, away from the glass door, receding into the shadows.
“Get her over here! We’ll take her with us!” yelled one of the men.
“Who else is with you!” yelled another faceless soldier.
“No one! I’m here alone! You killed my only friend!” yelled a woman.
Joe immediately recognized the voice as coming from Sun, a Chinese exchange student. She did not use her given Chinese name, saying it would be too difficult for the English speakers. Instead, everyone knew her simply as Sun.
“Bullshit! We know there are more of you!” said one of the men angrily.
“You’ll never find all of us! You can’t win this battle, soldier boy!” yelled Sun.
“Get her in the truck!” screamed the soldier. “And gag her. I don’t want to hear any more of her commie crap!”
Joe remained still as the soldiers got back into their trucks and drove off. Once he felt certain that the last vehicle had left the area, he chanced a look outside the glass door to confirm his assumption. All clear. He bounded up the stairs to Meg, taking two at a time.
“Meg! They’re gone! They took Sun!”
“What? Sun? You mean the Chinese lady?”
“Yes. I think so. I couldn’t actually see who they were talking to, but it sounded like her.”
“No way! That’s terrible. Are you sure?”
“Not a hundred percent, but yes. She must’ve ditched the handheld before they found her. Otherwise, they would’ve known she wasn’t alone and would’ve searched more thoroughly.”
Ed’s voice, a mere whisper on the handheld, interrupted them. “Joe? Meg? You guys okay out there?”
“We’re fine, but we think the soldiers took Sun with them.”
“They did. We sent a team to confirm. I’m sorry. We weren’t fast enough. They got through one of the locked doors of the science building. They cracked the glass and forced their way inside to search the premises.”
“They were out there searching for what seemed to be an eternity.”
“I know. It seemed like a long time for those of us down here too. I’m sending two people to relieve you guys. I’m sure you could use the break.”
“Thanks.”
Joe turned to Meg. He stroked her face and then kissed her. “You okay?”
“Yes. I guess. Don’t you think it’s odd that they come at night and only do these limited searches?” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. It’s almost like they’re playing with us. Why not do a comprehensive search and be done with it?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Now that you mention it, their actions do seem a little odd.”
“Exactly,” she said.
“Something one of the men said about Sun struck me as odd too.”
“What did he say?”
“He told another person to put a gag in her mouth because he didn’t want to hear her commie crap,” he said.
“Commie crap? Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure. Their voices were a little muffled through the glass door, but I could swear that’s what he said.”
“What was she saying?”
“I couldn’t tell. Only something that sounded like ‘soldier boy.’ It was odd,” said Joe.
“That is odd. All I know is that I can’t do this anymore. I can’t just sit here and wait to be yanked out by them. I think we should go find your brother sooner rather than later. Maybe it’ll be better at the camp. Who knows?”
“Me too. I don’t know what we’ll find, but I’m guessing it has to be better than what we’re dealing with here. That scared the crap out of me.”
“Me too,” she said, hugging him.
They walked slowly down the stairs together toward the glass door. Joe held Meg’s hand and tried to calm himself.
— 7 —
Nancy paced the tunnel, unable to wait patiently for Meg and Joe to return. She hated that they’d volunteered to stand watch. It worried her to have their group spread out. Something about keeping the initial group together reassured her. They had successfully survived together for so long, she could barely imagine any other scenario. To her—splitting up could only result in the opposite. A disaster.
“Have a seat, Nancy. You’re making me nervous,” said Brett, trying to appear calm.
Deep worry lines in Brett’s forehead betrayed the level of angst he felt.
“I can’t. I’m worried sick about them,” said Nancy.
“Ed said they’re fine. Just sit. They’ll be here shortly. Besides, we can’t do anything to help.”
“I know. I’m just being a little paranoid. I guess I won’t be able to relax until I finally see them.”
The level of fear she felt for their safety surprised her as she tried not to imagine what things would be like without the young, vivacious couple at their side through this disaster.
A cool breeze moved through the stale tunnel. The air only circulated when someone opened one of the tunnel doors, which led to one of the main buildings. She jumped up out of her seat and began pacing.
“Did you feel that? Someone must be coming!”
“Yes. Or leaving. It could be anyone. Please, Nancy, just relax.”
A few minutes later, a couple walked into the small community area of the tunnel. She looked in their direction as they approached. The dim light in the tunnel prevented identification of those who approached until the person came close to t
hem. The lighting reminded her of a Rembrandt portrait. Just like the tunnels, his work showcased shadows and darkness, with only the individuals in the forefront of the work illuminated by soft light. Nancy did not recognize the couple. Hope quickly turned to frustration at the sight of them.
During the emergency, Ed had ordered all of the lights in the tunnels to be extinguished. He did not want to give the soldiers any reason to look further into the dark maze. They sat plunged in complete darkness, unable to see their hands in front of their faces. No flickers of light or ambient lighting reached them deep inside the bowels of the school. The darkness increased her anxiety tenfold. Sitting helplessly in the blackness, waiting for an unseen assailant to barge into the tunnels, felt excruciating.
Another cool movement of air flowed past her sweaty face. The fresh air felt tremendous.
“This has to be them!” she said for no reason.
“Maybe,” said Brett, sounding slightly annoyed.
Loud footfalls echoed through the tunnel, getting louder. Finally, as they moved within range of the dim light, their identities became apparent.
“Meg! Joe! You’re safe!”
Nancy jumped up from the couch and ran to Meg. She hugged the young woman tightly. A surge of maternal love and protectiveness enshrouded them as they hugged one another.
As Nancy hugged her, Meg started to tremble and then cry. The crying started as just a low sniffle but quickly became loud, uncontrollable heaving sobs.
“Shhh…It’s okay. You’re safe,” said Nancy softly.
Nancy held Meg tightly, allowing her to release all of the pressure she’d felt during the raid. Little by little, the wailing gave way to gentle quiet sobs as Meg’s tight grip on Nancy slowly eased.
“It was so scary! You can’t even imagine! They were everywhere and they took that poor woman Sun!” shouted Meg shakily.
“Oh my god. We knew something happened but didn’t realize they took anyone. Are you sure?” said Brett.
“Oh yeah. I heard most of it. I had to run downstairs to make sure we locked the door to the tower, when the whole thing occurred. It was scary as shit,” said Joe.
The two couples moved to the collection of couches and chairs. Meg settled down, taking her place next to Joe.
“We need to get out of here! This can’t last!” said Brett.
“What can’t last?” asked Mike as he joined the group.
“Where’s Frank?” asked Nancy.
“He should be down in a minute. He’s in the head. What about Marvin? Has anyone seen him?” asked Mike.
“Not for a while. Last time we saw him, he seemed pretty well entrenched in his office,” said Brett. “I’m thinking none of this can last. Eventually, the soldiers will find all of us.”
“We need to find my brother and the camp. Maybe it’ll be safer where they are,” said Joe.
“Or maybe we need to find the resisters. I’ll bet they’re hiding in a safe location. In any case, I can’t live like this! I feel like we’re sitting ducks,” said Nancy.
Someone cracked open a water bottle behind Nancy, prompting her to turn around. She peeked over the top of the sofa to a couch located right behind her. A man sat halfway up from a reclined position, guzzling water thirstily from a plastic bottle.
“Marvin? Is that you?” said Nancy, straining to see through the dark.
“None other,” said Marvin with a loud yawn.
“For crying out loud, Marvin. Don’t tell me you’ve been there all along!”
“What? I needed a nap! What’s the big deal? Did I miss something?”
Marvin came around the sofa to join the others. His face looked well rested and relaxed.
“I guess it’s true. Ignorance is bliss!” said Nancy.
“I wish I could sleep like that!” said Brett.
“Don’t we all,” said Mike.
The moment of levity broke Nancy’s tension, allowing her to relax ever so slightly.
“I say we go and look for the camp tomorrow. First thing. Anything has to be better than sitting here waiting to be caught,” said Meg.
“I agree. However, I don’t think all of us should go with you,” said Brett.
Nancy wanted to handle the conversation delicately. She did not want the couple to feel abandoned. Yet she knew if the slower people in their group stayed behind, Meg and Joe would be safer in their trek to the camp.
“I don’t want to split up,” said Meg.
“We don’t either, but we’ll only slow you guys down. You need to be able to move quickly and be ready to hide at every turn,” said Nancy.
“I’ll go. I need to get out of here. I hate sitting around. I need to be doing something. Maybe someone at the camp will have information about where my family is located. I have to at least try,” said Mike.
Nancy considered Mike for a moment. She had been so concerned about Meg and Joe that she’d simply forgotten the man. Looking at his gentle face, full of anguish over his family, broke her heart.
“I agree. You should go. But for heaven’s sake, Frank stays behind with the old people. The man is slower than Marvin,” said Nancy.
“Me? Slow? I like to think of my movement as purposeful, not slow,” said Marvin.
“Trust me. There’s a fine line between purposeful and slow. You passed into the slow category more times than I can count!” said Nancy.
“You’re not kidding! Sorry, Marvin. I agree, Frank and Marvin stay behind,” said Joe.
“We’d love to have you with us, Mike,” said Meg, turning to Mike.
“How many people will go with you? Maybe a few from here would be able to help you?” asked Brett.
“I think it should just be the three of us. Like Nancy said, we need to move fast and be able to hide quickly. The more people in the group, the harder that will become,” said Joe.
“You’re right. I just don’t like to think of the three of you out there alone,” said Nancy.
“We should be fine. First thing tomorrow, I’ll get with Ed about a map. I’m pretty sure he mentioned he has a map of the area,” said Joe.
“We should grab bikes. That way we can cover more ground,” said Mike.
“I agree. That’s what we planned. There are more bikes here than people. A few missing won’t raise any alarms,” said Joe.
“I’m beat. All of the excitement drained me,” said Meg.
“Let’s get some rest so we can get out of here as early as possible,” said Joe.
He extended his hand to Meg, pulling her off the couch and to his side. The couple moved away from the couches and into the dark corner of the tunnel that they’d claimed for themselves. Nancy felt another pang of worry swell in her at the sight of them retreating. Brett took her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. He seemed to instinctively know when she needed comforting.
— 8 —
Joe ate his breakfast quickly and unenthusiastically. Leaving the relative safety of the campus worried him. Even if the campus could not provide a guarantee of safety, he assumed hiding in the tunnels would be better and safer than riding a bike in the open.
“Penny for your thoughts?” he asked Meg.
She appeared just as freaked out as he did. Her usual upbeat mood had been replaced by a somber, unrecognizable version of herself. “I’m worried about leaving the campus. It’s not great here, but has to be better than being out there.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing. We could skip it if you feel it would be better to stay put,” he offered.
“No. I’m freaked out but know we’re doing the right thing. Besides, we’ll go slow and hide when we need to. We should be fine.”
“I hope so,” he said.
They continued to eat the overnight-soaked oats the kitchen had prepared. The thick creaminess of the oats combined with dried fruit felt comforting to Joe.
“Here comes Mike!” said Joe.
Mike joined them with a large bowl of the oats and another bowl of canned fruit.
“
You sleep okay, Mike?” asked Meg.
Joe admired Meg’s ability to unfailingly look toward the well-being of others. Her nearly unconditional kindness had drawn him to her when they first dated.
“I slept as well as anyone can sleep in a pitch-dark tunnel surrounded by strangers. You?”
“Same. Being down there feels like a coffin to me,” said Meg.
“Have you seen Ed?” asked Joe.
“Not yet. He always seems to be on the move. I’m not sure where he goes,” said Mike.
“We’ll need to find him soon. I want to get a good look at a map before we head out.”
“What do you think we’ll find at the camp?” asked Mike.
“I don’t know. Maybe nothing. Maybe we won’t even be able to find the camp.”
“It’s worth a shot,” said Meg.
“I agree,” mumbled Mike through a mouthful of food.
The three friends continued to eat; then Frank walked into the room and said, “Hey, guys!”
“Frank! I feel like we haven’t seen you in a while. Where have you been?” asked Meg.
“I’m trying to see if I can take some spare parts from the science lab and mechanical engineering department to create energy.”
“You mean like solar?” asked Joe.
“Yes. They have some photovoltaic cell panels. I just need to hook those to a battery. My goal is to light up the tunnels.”
“I’d like stadium floodlights down there! Although even if the tunnels are well lit, I still think they’d have a sinister feel. Something about being underground freaks me out,” said Meg.
“I think we all would like bright lights down there. The place is creepy, that’s for sure. By the way, I’m sorry not to be going with you guys. I think I need to rest my ankle a little before heading out,” said Frank.
Frank had twisted his ankle when they’d evaded capture during their initial run to the campus from Brett and Nancy’s house. Dr. Lordes had looked at it for him and determined the injury would heal quickly if he stayed off it. Joe suspected the man used his injured ankle as an excuse to avoid going with them—which was fine by him. The ankle excuse allowed Joe to avoid the uncomfortable reality of asking Frank to stay behind with the others. Frank could only slow them down and jeopardize their safety, as he had repeatedly done in the past.