The Siege

by Darrell Maloney

  They more resembled walking, talking snowmen than human beings.

  “Oh, laugh if you will, John. If you stayed in there for more than a few minutes you’d look like this too.”

  “No, thanks. I have enough trouble retaining my dignity already without looking like the Michelin man.”

  Then he got serious.

  “That’s quite a system you guys have going in the tunnel.”

  “Yeah. We’ve learned a lot since the first tunnel. The method we’re using now goes a lot faster, and it’s a lot less labor intensive. We’re moving right along at a pretty good clip.”

  “How long before you think you’ll finish?”

  “Maybe a month. Maybe a little bit less. We’ve got a big logistical problem we’re going to have to solve first.”

  “What do you mean, a logistical problem?”

  “We inventoried the railroad ties we’re using to line the walls and hold up the ceiling arches, and we’re not going to have enough of them. All the ones in the main part of the tunnel are flush up against each other. The ones in the new branch are an inch apart. That’ll reduce their usage by ten percent, without affecting the stability to a great degree.”

  “Is it safe?”

  “Well, Mark there says it is. He’s the engineer in the family, so I have to assume his calculations are correct. The problem is that even leaving one inch gaps between them, we still won’t have enough.”

  “Uh, oh. So what’s the game plan once you run out?”

  “We’re going to start gradually tunneling up, grading the tunnel by about five degrees, until we’re only about three feet or so below the surface. We’ll be underneath the woods by the time we get to that point, and the root systems for the trees will help stabilize the ground.

  “When we run out of ties we’ll start using pallets from the trailers in the yard.”

  John was puzzled.

  “Pallets? I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with the term.”

  “Pallets are the wooden frames that cargo sits on in the back of tractor trailer rigs. They’re forty inches wide, forty eight inches long, and four inches high. They put the cargo on the pallets so that it can be loaded and unloaded easily with forklifts and pallet jacks.

  “Anyway, some of the pallets are junk, but a lot of them are very well made, with doubled up stringers and hard wood. When we run out of railroad ties, we’ll start using those, doubled up on each side of the tunnel and standing on their ends.

  “The tunnel will be lower, going from six feet to forty eight inches high. So we’ll have to duck down as we move through it.”

  Mark added his two cents.

  “It’ll also be narrower. Since the pallets won’t bear as much weight, the last fifty five feet of the tunnel will be about shoulder width. That’ll reduce the amount of weight bearing down from the top. So when we enter or exit, we’ll be ducking down, single file.”

  “And you’re sure it won’t collapse?”

  “Not unless we want it to.”

  “Are you wiring the new part with explosives?”

  “Not the narrow part, no. But just after it transitions into the wider part we’ll have two sticks of dynamite hidden behind the ties to blow the tunnel if we need to. We’ve already got two sticks in the other end, just before it connects with the main tunnel. So if we get followed, we can blow the two and trap the bad guys like we did before.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Well sure, since you asked. We don’t need any more help inside the tunnel. It gets pretty crowded in there sometimes already with the four of us, and we try to choreograph everything so we don’t bump into each other.

  “But what we do need help with is gathering the pallets. If you can assemble a team of two or three helpers and gather them for us, we can focus on the digging instead.”

  “Okay. What do we do with the stuff that’s on top of the pallets?”

  “I started a project before, but then got distracted and had to abandon it.

  “When we brought all of those trailers into the compound, we put an empty one on the end. We took everything out of the trailer next to it and put it into the empty trailer, only we put the pallets off to the side. We stacked the merchandize from floor to ceiling, with an aisle down the middle for when we wanted to get access to the stuff at the front of the trailer.

  “Once the second trailer was empty, we put the stuff from the third trailer into it. And so on and so forth. I think we got as far as the fourth or fifth trailer before we got sidetracked and never finished the project.

  “But here’s the thing… not all of the wooden pallets are suitable for our use. Some are made of flimsy wood and not very sturdy. We only want the ones with multiple stringers, made of hard woods. They’re several times stronger than the cheap ones.

  “If you and your team can go through the trailers and stack all the pallets outside in a big pile, we can go through and select the ones we think will work. Later on we can dismantle the others and use the wood for other projects.”

  “Okay, Mark. I’ll do that. It just so happens a couple of the guys have been coming to me lately looking for something to do. We’ll get started this afternoon.”

  “Thanks, John. You’re a lifesaver.”

  Mark guzzled the last of his bottle of water and asked the others, “You guys ready to get back to work?”

  None of them said anything, but all of them got up and started moving toward the tunnel. Bryan grabbed one of the stacks of empty buckets to carry back in with him.

  John followed them as far as the new tunnel entrance, then continued down the original tunnel and exited through the feed barn. Once outside, he paused long enough to get a deep breath of fresh clean air. It never smelled so sweet.

  Chapter 39

  It was time to hatch Hannah’s evil plan. Like delinquent school girls up to no good, they giggled as they assembled in the lounge area at precisely four p.m.

  Sami’s father John and his crew were outside going through trailers. They’d made a lot of progress in recent days and would be done with the project soon. But for now they were tied up, and much too busy to ask why Hannah, Sarah and Sami might be sneaking off into the tunnel.

  Everyone else seemed to be busy doing their own chores or projects, or enjoying some leisure time.

  It seemed like a good time to go.

  Helen, on the security desk, saw the three walking toward her.

  “Well, hello, ladies,” she said. “What are you three up to today?”

  Sami said, “Oh, not much, dear. We just thought we’d head to the mine and look through the library over there. There’s a book that Sarah’s been looking for that she can’t find in the library here. So we’re helping her look for it.”

  Helen was nothing if not helpful.

  “Oh? Which one, dear? Maybe I’ve seen it.”

  All eyes turned to Sarah, who didn’t perform well under pressure. So she named the first book that came to her mind.

  “Um… Gone With the Wind.”

  “Oh, that’s a great book. I’ve read it several times myself. But I haven’t seen it lately, I’m afraid. I think you’re right. It’s probably part of the collection we left over there.”

  The three breathed a collective sigh of relief. Helen seemed to be buying it.

  “Well, you girls have fun over there. And be careful in the tunnel.”

  “We will, Helen, and thank you.”

  Helen watched on the monitors as the girls came into view in the tunnel. As they snuck past the intersection where the new tunnel branched off, she wondered what they were really up to.

  She strongly suspected they were on a mission to pull some kind of prank on someone. But their hijinks were always harmless and no one ever got hurt.

  Everyone else in the group had come to expect these three to get into mischief every once in awhile. It was just part of who they were.

  In the back of Bay 24, about two hundred yards away from the main par
t of the mine, Mark and Bryan set up portable showers. The showers dated back to their early years in the mine, when they started digging the main tunnel. At the end of every work day, they were covered in a thick layer of powdered salt. They obviously had to have a way of washing it off before they returned to the mine proper and resumed their daily lives.

  The problem was that water for showers was strictly rationed back then. And they certainly didn’t want to alienate anyone or hear cries of “how come they get to shower every day and I can’t?”

  The solution was to set up showers at the back of the bay where the tunnel started. No one other than the tunnelers ever came into the area, and the showers were far enough back and hidden behind a huge mound of tunnel debris. So they couldn’t be spotted by anyone just strolling by.

  And it wasn’t like they were showering in luxury. It was nothing fancy at all. Basically just a series of water hoses attached to a two by four on the wall, with shower heads screwed into the ends of them.

  But they served the purpose.

  Hannah and the girls had discovered the showers during a rare visit to the area, and were just a little bit peeved at their men for keeping it a secret from them.

  So out of revenge, and perhaps a bit of curiosity, they hid in the darkness at the end of the bay and watched when their men came out of the tunnel to clean up and change.

  That had been three years before now, and they’d done a very good job of keeping their secret. They’d discussed it many times over the previous three years and debated whether it was the proper thing to do. Sami and Hannah always viewed it as good clean fun. And no different from the dozens of pranks the guys had pulled on them over the years.

  Sarah went back and forth between the “good clean fun” argument and feeling guilty.

  Lately, she’d been able to convince the other two that it wasn’t a very nice thing to do, and they all felt just a little bit guilty for having done it.

  But not so guilty that they wouldn’t do it again.

  Chapter 40

  They were surprised at how little had changed in the previous three years, although they shouldn’t have been. There was no real need to change anything.

  The bank of showers was still in the same place, of course. So was the huge mound of salt debris.

  The last overhead light in the bay hung directly over the showers. Beyond the showers, the bay extended another hundred yards into the darkness of the mountain, but the bulbs had been removed from the light fixtures. There was simply no reason to waste electricity lighting a long corridor that wasn’t used.

  Just inside the dark area, though, were several pallets of construction supplies for the mine and the tunnel. Stacks of railroad ties and arched ceiling supports, miscellaneous lumber, boxed light fixtures and the like.

  The darkness, combined with the stacks of assorted supplies, made it easy to hide, with a clear view of the open showers.

  The girls had been friends even before Saris 7 struck the earth seven years before and rendered them all captives of the underground. Now they’d bonded into something more akin to sistership. They shared the same sense of humor, the same need for laughter, the same love of practical jokes.

  This, in fact, was merely one in a long line of pranks they had pulled on their men during the course of their stay in the mine and after.

  It wasn’t all one-sided, though. In fact, the guys had started it not long after they all came into the mine after the disaster began.

  “It’s to lighten the mood,” they’d said after the first couple of pranks. “It’s to try to make you laugh and forget all the ugliness that’s going on in the world outside.”

  After the third or fourth prank, the girls finally figured out they were being played, and were the victims of pranks done solely for the boys’ amusement.

  So they started striking back.

  On that day, so long ago, they stole every left shoe the men had. Every single one. And in a note tucked inside the favorite right shoe of all three of their men, they left the same written message:

  “This means war.”

  When their men complained, the girls said simply, “Hey, it’s to try to make you laugh and forget all the ugliness that’s going on in the world outside.

  Turnabout, it’s been said, is fair play.

  The one unique thing about this plan was the inclusion of Jason in the prank. Sarah wondered aloud a couple of days before whether it was fair to include an outsider in the equation.

  Hannah said, “I don’t know why not. He’s hanging out with our men now. They’re all becoming great friends, and it’s just a matter of time before they start including him in their pranks on us.”

  They looked to Sami for her opinion. She simply commented, “Who cares? He’s dreamy.”

  And with that the matter, and Sarah’s concerns, were put to rest.

  The girls were in position, hiding together behind a high stack of railroad ties, and Hannah checked her watch. It was 5:02. It wouldn’t be long now.

  And sure enough, on the far end of the lighted part of the bay, four figures emerged. Encased in white, they seemed to be jubilant that another workday was coming to a close. They were laughing and carrying on, and debating whether John Elway or Roger Staubach was the better quarterback. And which one would have won the Super Bowl if they’d played in the same era and their teams had met there.

  The men disrobed, not having a clue they were being watched.

  The girls jockeyed for position as the men turned on the showers and stepped beneath the water.

  Sarah remarked first, whispering, “Oh, my gosh, Sami. I am so jealous of you.”

  Sami giggled and said, “I know, huh?”

  Hannah said, “You two hush and check out Jason.”

  Sami just sighed.

  Hannah said, “And I hate to admit it, Sami girl, but I’m jealous of you too. That’s something I never thought I’d say. Being jealous of Sami, of all people.”

  Sarah asked, “Okay, who’s hotter? Brad or Jason?”

  It was Hannah’s turn to giggle.

  “It depends on where you’re looking.”

  Sarah said, “I think we should draw straws to see who gets to take Brad home tonight.”

  Sami shook her head and whispered, “Me. End of discussion.”

  Hannah turned and looked at her and said, “Hey, the two of us can take you in a fair fight. We can tie you up and gag you and tell Brad you ran away. Then we can console him to soothe his broken heart.”

  Suddenly the men froze.

  Then the girls did too.

  Bryan said, to no one in particular, “Did you guys hear that?”

  “Hear what?”

  “Turn the water off.”

  They turned off two of the showers, and waited for Mark to finish rinsing the shampoo from his hair before turning off the third.

  “What did you hear?” Brad asked Bryan.

  “I don’t know, exactly. It sounded like voices.”

  The men looked around in all directions, and almost chalked the incident up to Bryan just being crazy.

  Almost.

  But then Jason caught a glimpse of movement in the darkened part of the bay, behind a stack of railroad ties.

  “There!” he shouted, and pointed toward the girls.

  Sami and Sarah instantly took off like scared rabbits, bolting blindly into the dark abyss of the interior of the mountain.

  Hannah cowered as best she could in the shadows of the railroad ties, hoping to blend in.

  It didn’t work.

  The men bolted after them, discovering Hannah immediately.

  Bryan picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

  “I’ve got one of the little twerps!” he shouted as Brad, Mark and Jason chased Hannah’s accomplices into the darkness.

  It didn’t take long to catch them. The darkness was their ally, but they were both giggling so hard they gave themselves away.

  After a minute or so, Brad came back, c
arrying Sarah under one arm like a sack of potatoes. She was laughing and making inappropriate comments every time he took a step.

  Sami was the only one who put up a fight. She kicked and squirmed and said she wasn’t going anywhere, until Mark grabbed her feet and Jason grabbed her hands and they carried her back into the lighted part of the mine.

  As she came within view of the other girls she smiled and winked at them, and all three began laughing uncontrollably.

  “What do you think we should do with these clowns?” Bryan asked.

  Mark led Jason over to the showers with Sami and said, “I think only one thing would be appropriate. After all, they seemed to have an interest in the showers.”

  Sami squealed, “Oh, no! Don’t you dare!”

  Mark let go of one her ankles just long enough to reach up and turn on the first of the showers. Sami was instantly blasted with a deluge of icy cold water, and spit and sputtered while trying to catch her breath.

  But they didn’t stop there.

  Mark deliberately walked backwards, pulling Sami out from beneath the water.

  But her reprieve was only temporary. As he walked backwards, Mark turned on the other showers, soaking her again and again.

  Brad and Bryan took their prisoners and stepped beneath the showers, turning slow pirouettes until every inch of their bodies were soaking wet. The girls never stopped laughing through the entire ordeal.

  When they finally had enough revenge, the men backed away, leaving the girls looking like drowned rats in a writhing, giggling heap on the shower floor.

  The men dried themselves and dressed in dry clothes while the girls shivered and made rude comments.

  Mark said, “We’re going back now. You can come with us if you want.”

  Hannah, by now slightly indignant and regaining her cockiness, said, “No way, Jose. We’ve got towels and dry clothes in our RVs. As soon as you boneheads are out of sight we’re going to go change.”

  “Suit yourself. Just don’t take too long. We’re going to wait about two minutes after we get to the feed barn. Then we’re going to lock the trap door from the outside. For security purposes, you understand. John would have our heads if we didn’t.”