Darkness

by Kyle West

  Unless I hadn’t passed this way before. Unless I had somehow gotten completely off course.

  I paused, breathing heavily out of both exhaustion and cold.

  It was a cold I was beginning to feel in an entirely new way.

  Chapter 10

  I dropped to both knees, my breaths escaping in clouds. My entire face felt frozen solid – my vision dimmed, and the snow danced in the sky ahead, falling.

  My gloved hands fell to the snow, holding up the rest of my body. I willed my legs to stand – to not die.

  And my legs weren’t listening.

  As if in a dream, I suddenly stood, walking forward. I kept walking, one foot after the other, feeling like I was floating...

  I opened my eyes. I had fallen asleep.

  I couldn’t tell how much time had passed – but I knew I didn’t have long. Despite how weak I felt – despite my desire to lie there and close my eyes – a thought came to me. Anna. I saw her smiling face, thought about holding her again – and how I would never have that again if I gave up now.

  I stood, forcing myself forward. I ran ahead. Within seconds, I came within view of the frozen lake. And far to my right, I saw the boulder where Grudge had fallen, and two forms standing beside it. I ran forward, stopping before them. I had trouble deciding whether this were a dream or reality. It became real when both Ashton and Anna stared at me with wide eyes. Anna ran forward, pulling me into her arms.

  “Alex...oh my God...”

  “We found it,” I said.

  Ashton looked me over. “He’s getting hypothermia. He needs to get inside right now.”

  I pointed toward the shoreline. “Follow the lake...you will find it.”

  Anna and Ashton helped me up. The cold was bad, yes – but the three of us had to move Grudge to the Bunker entrance.

  They pushed me against the boulder, out of the wind.

  “Is he still alive?” I asked.

  Anna looked at me, pulling me close. “I’m more worried about you.”

  “I know. But Grudge?”

  Anna nodded. “He’s still kicking. Obviously, he doesn’t have long...”

  “We need to go, then,” I said. “Michael and Julian are already working on the entrance. Let’s just pray that door opens.”

  ***

  After I had warmed a bit out of the harsh wind, the three of us dragged Grudge along the edge of the lake. I was still woozy, but I helped as much as I could. I had to do anything to burn energy and warm up. As long as we followed the shoreline, we would find the frozen stream, which we could follow into the canyon that led to the icefall. We did come upon that stream, but nearly missed it. It was so covered in snow that the only thing that gave it away was the slight depression the snow made covering it.

  We pulled Grudge upstream. Soon, both sides of the canyon rose taller and taller, blocking the wind. It was much-needed relief. A few minutes later we came upon Michael and Julian, desperately hacking through the icefall with a combination of large rocks and knives. They were working around the edges rather than the middle.

  Upon seeing us, Michael walked up.

  “We figured we might be able to get in the back way.”

  “The back way?”

  Michael pointed toward the right side of the falls. “It’s weaker, for whatever reason, on this side. The ice is thin right where it touches the mountainside. Julian and I have already taken a good chunk out of it.”

  I picked up my own rock – a gray, jagged thing that wasn’t very heavy, but at least it was sharp. I went to the falls and started pummeling the ice where Michael and Julian had already made a dent. Chips of ice flew through the air, and I could clearly see the rounded door of Bunker 84, blue and blurry through the falls. Getting the ice out of the way was the chief concern. The second would be opening the door – something I had no idea how to do.

  I wondered why the Bunker designers had decided to put the door here. I guessed it was very secluded and no one would have thought to look here. As far as Bunkers went, it was even more remote than the others – in the middle of the mountains, with no easy access. It made me think that there was something inside that they were trying to hide. The mountain was way too steep here for anyone to have reached this high-altitude valley without aircraft. It made me wonder if, perhaps, there was another entrance farther down. Maybe this one was just a back entrance.

  I hacked at the ice again. A large chunk toppled, and a web of cracks snaked their way upward.

  “Get back!” Julian said.

  Everyone backed away from the icefall. Slowly, we watched as it disintegrated from bottom to top like a gigantic pane of glass. Shards tumbled down from the darkened sky and we backed away even farther. The ice crumbled, jangling almost musically as it formed a massive heap.

  We waited a moment longer, breaths heavy, to make sure the rest of the icefall held. After a few more seconds, I walked forward. I picked my way carefully over the large mound of ice, and down the opposite side. I found myself in front of the Bunker door.

  That was when I saw it was already open a crack.

  I motioned everyone over. Michael and Julian helped move Grudge, and Anna climbed over the ice, slid down, and stood next to me, our arms touching. She peered into the sliver of darkness of the partway-open door.

  Grunting, Michael and Julian pulled Grudge to where Anna and I stood before the door. Last of all came Ashton, who crawled with weary limbs over the ice pile. He slid down to the other side, not getting up once he had landed on the bottom on his rear.

  Anna and I helped him up. Finally, after all of this trouble, we were here. Bunker 84. And none of us had frozen to death.

  The door was open, ready for us to enter.

  But why was it open? Had it truly been abandoned?

  I raised my radio to my mouth. “Makara. We’re in.”

  I heard no response, so I wondered whether she had actually heard me. I stepped forward, wedging myself between the Bunker door and its frame. I squeezed through the other side. The others pressed in after me.

  Still, my radio sizzled with no response. I turned it off.

  When everyone was inside, Grudge pulled along by Michael and Julian, I clicked on my flashlight, scanning the interior. It was a wide tunnel, square in shape, leading downward into darkness. Maybe it would be warmer down there.

  I started walking forward. Everyone’s footsteps fell in behind me.

  ***

  As we descended into the tunnel, our lights flashing, the air did warm up. Maybe we had lost our ship, and maybe that dragon still plied the skies above, but at least we wouldn’t be dying of cold.

  Michael and Julian dragged Grudge behind as Anna unsheathed her katana. She had difficultly pulling the blade out at first – I guessed the blade had frozen to the scabbard. Ashton’s face was grim. He was not even supposed to be in here, but he faced this reality head-on. As a scientist, it was his job to face reality. He held a handgun in his right hand. If he had that gun out, maybe he had changed his mind about this place being abandoned.

  Soon the corridor widened into an open space, so large that I couldn’t see where it ended. Ahead, several trees stood withered in beds of soil. Had we entered their Hydroponics Lab? That didn’t make sense – if this was like any of the other Bunkers, the hydroponics would be on the bottom level. And this wasn’t hydroponics, because it appeared that these plants had once grown in actual soil.

  I paused, flashing my light toward the dead trees and plants. The foliage was as thick as it was lifeless. A disused, overgrown trail curved into it, disappearing from view. When the people had disappeared, it had given the plants time to run amok – before they, too, had died.

  Julian and Michael took the opportunity to lay Grudge on the ground. His eyes were still shut. Ashton knelt beside Grudge, placing an ear over his chest.

  “His heart is still beating, though faint,” Ashton said. “It’s a wonder how he’s still alive. This warmth will do him good.”

  My
attention was still riveted on the dead plants ahead. What was it? Why was it here?

  “Maybe it was decorative,” Anna said. “Like a park or something.”

  The amount of energy and water needed to keep something of this magnitude running seemed hard to justify. In the Bunkers, resources were stretched to the limits – and it was hard to imagine this Bunker having the luxury to support an entire park near its entrance. I guessed, however, it was possible. Whatever the point of these plants were, they were dead, now. This area had been offline for a long while – years, perhaps even a decade or more.

  On the ground beside me, Grudge stirred.

  “He’s moving,” Ashton said.

  I shined my light on Grudge. He winced as the beam hit his eyes.

  “Cut that out, will you?” his voice rasped.

  “Not too thankful to the people who saved your sorry life,” Michael said.

  Grudge turned on his side. He winced in pain. “I feel sick as a dog.”

  “You’ve suffered a great deal of blood loss in the crash, and I suspect you are also suffering from mild hypothermia,” Ashton said. “You had a fairly deep cut on your lower leg, but I bound it up and used some congealer on it. With time, it will heal.”

  Grudge, with great effort, managed to get himself to a sitting position. “Anyone have water?”

  Anna handed him her canteen. He gulped from it greedily. Before he sucked it dry, I snatched it from him.

  “That’s enough.”

  Grudge opened one predatory eye, regarding me without emotion. I was beginning to wonder if we should have left him out in the snow.

  “Where are we?” he asked, voice still parched.

  “Inside Bunker 84,” Ashton said. “We’re glad you could join us.”

  Grudge said nothing. It seemed clear that this information meant very little to him. His face was completely impassive. Either that, or he was still exhausted.

  “Alright. How much longer until we get out?”

  “Makara is on her way with Gilgamesh,” I said. “It shouldn’t be long. We’re only in here to shelter from the cold and for a bit of recon.”

  “Odin...?”

  “Gone,” Anna said.

  Grudge nodded. Slowly, he moved to get up. To my surprise, he managed with little trouble on his hobbled leg. Everyone took a step back as if he were a viper about to strike.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “I wanted to help,” Grudge said. “I’m tired of you guys leaving me out of things. I knew Makara would never let me on, so I found a place to hide.”

  The fact that this was the reason Grudge came along was shocking – so much so that I had a very difficult time buying it.

  “You wanted to help?”

  I didn’t hide the skepticism in my voice.

  He looked at me intently. “It’s like I said at the gang lords’ meeting. I believe in this mission. After what’s happened, I’d be crazy not to. And I’m part of this team now, too. Why did Makara come to us if she didn’t want us part of the team? We need to work this all out, together. That’s why I’m here. I don’t care what you or anyone else says. I’m a fighter, and I’m willing to do whatever to help out.”

  “Well, we could use your help,” Ashton said. “But you damn near ended up getting yourself killed instead.”

  “It could have happened to any of us,” Julian said. “Besides, he’s right, isn’t he? We wouldn’t have let him come if he had just asked.”

  I guessed that much was true. I remembered the gang lords’ summit back in Vegas. Besides Boss Dragon, Grudge had been the one I was most impressed with. He seemed to be concerned with the xenovirus, and not with taking over Los Angeles as the others were. If I could have picked any gang lord to be here, it would have been him. Maybe this was his chance to prove himself.

  All the same, I wasn’t going to let my guard down.

  He chuckled. “No one would happen to have any food, would they?”

  “Eating might be a good idea,” I said. “Then we can plan our next move.”

  We all sat on the floor. I set my pack down, and rifled through it. Despite planning on being here for no more than twenty-four hours, we had enough food to last three days. I passed out our first meal – chicken sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, and onion, along with some apples. All the food had come direct from Skyhome, and was among the best we had. We needed all the calories we could get, especially after the cold we had suffered outside. The chill of that mountain air still hadn’t left me.

  As we ate our food in silence, I gazed at the lifeless plants in the park beyond. So far, Bunker 84 had been nothing like I had expected. It felt very different from 108 – definitely not as dangerous. It was much bigger than any Bunker I had seen, except perhaps Bunker One. It still needed to be explored to determine its suitability as a home. So far, though, it seemed like a good bet, if you discounted the killer temperatures outside. We needed to find water, and hopefully there would be a stash of food somewhere. Perhaps, like Bunker 108, the power still ran. Maybe even plants grew, further down.

  Within a few minutes, we had all finished eating. I found that I was still hungry. Even so, I felt much better with food inside of me. I wanted nothing more than to lie down and rest. The day so far had been exhausting. Checking my watch, I found it was only two in the afternoon. It felt as if it were two in the morning with all we had been through. The darkness inside the Bunker just made me want to sleep even more.

  All the same, now that we were inside Bunker 84, maybe Makara could wait on picking us up. Since this place was apparently abandoned, it would make sense to take a look at every section we could. We definitely could not do that in the next hour or so, but we had to make the best of it, before we had to return to the entrance and try to contact Makara again. A full recon would take the rest of the day, and perhaps into tomorrow.

  “We have about an hour until Makara arrives,” I said, breaking the silence. “I know after what happened outside the last thing we want to do is recon this place. But we’ve made it. We’re here. And it would be a waste if we returned to the Exodus without solid intel.”

  Slowly, heads around the circle nodded. Grudge stared at me.

  “First,” I said, “I need to go raise Makara and let her know what’s changed. We still need to recon this place, so I’m going to tell Makara to hold off on picking us up for now. That should give time for the skies to clear. I don’t want her running into the same problem as we did.”

  It was hard saying all of that because I wanted out of here as much as everyone else did. But we had a mission to finish.

  Thankfully, no one protested. We were all on the same page. I had expected Michael or even Ashton to start taking charge when things went south. But so far, I had kept a handle on everything – even Grudge. It was something to be proud of, at least.

  “You aren’t going back by yourself, are you?” Michael said.

  “Grudge can come with me,” I said. “If he’s feeling up to it.”

  Grudge stood in a heartbeat. He favored his bandaged left leg.

  “Really, I’m fine,” he said. “This wound isn’t going to bother me at all.”

  Ashton looked at him skeptically, but said nothing.

  Julian, Michael, and Anna all looked at me strangely.

  “Grudge needs to get moving so he can warm up,” I said. “Besides...if he’s one of us, I should give him a chance to prove it.” I paused. “This shouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes.”

  “At least let the old man come with you,” Ashton said, standing up. “If Grudge gets to stretch his legs, then I suppose I need to as well.”

  “Maybe we should all go,” Anna said. “Even if this place is empty, splitting up is a bad idea.”

  “You’re right,” I said. “Let’s make a field trip out of it.”

  Quickly, everyone packed their things, and we headed back to the entrance.

  Chapter 11

  We walked up the incline tow
ard the entrance of Bunker 84. I just hoped I was doing the right thing. Despite what he’d said about wanting to help, Grudge was a loose cannon. I didn’t know his true motivations for stowing away on Odin. All the same, part of me felt he was being genuine. All we could do was keep an eye on him.

  Whatever the case, Grudge was here and we had to deal with that reality.

  The further we walked up the tunnel, the colder the air became. No one spoke. Grudge limped along, giving no sign that he was in pain. I could give him one thing: he was tough and tenacious.

  At last, the dark gray light of day appeared at the end of the tunnel. Upon reaching the door, I stepped outside into the frigid air.

  I raised my radio. “Makara?”

  It was a moment before her voice crackled back from the speaker. “Alex! Where the hell have you been?”

  “Sorry. We were underground. Listen...this place looks abandoned. We were in danger before, but we want to take a few hours to recon the Bunker and at least see what’s down there. We went inside, and there was nothing. Just some park.”

  “Park?”

  I paused. “It’s hard to explain. We need to explore a bit more.”

  Makara paused a moment. “Is that dragon still flying around?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t heard it but we’ve been underground.”

  “Now might be the best time to get you out,” Makara said. “While we still can.”

  “So we’re just going to move the Exodus here without a proper recon?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Makara said. “The area seems dangerous. Even if the Bunker is perfect, Odin has crashed and it’s extremely cold. We’re going to have to search for other options.”

  Makara couldn’t be serious.

  “Look,” I said. “There’s a lot of space here. And it’s warm inside. We haven’t scouted water or food yet, but it beats the hell out of Pyrite. Besides, it will be hard for crawlers to attack us up here. It’s in the mountains and you can’t get to it except by air. Dragons might be a problem, but those will be a problem anywhere we go.”