Dude, when they arrived.
Dude, when he saw the outside of the building was just a cover for what was built.
Dude, when they drove the Humvees up to the fourth floor via the interior ramps, around the stockpiles of firewood and generators.
Dude, when Darius told them that, once the snow started to build, they’d erect a ramp and drive up to the next level, until they could drive up no further.
John explained to his men their duties. And they worked with Darius to learn.
The others were situated on the home floor, second to top level. Bret assigned sleeping areas and informed them of ‘the plan’ while Darius took John to the floor below.
The lab.
The generator powered up, but they’d have to conserve that. John assigned Gus to the furnace. Fire it up.
The Bunker was already getting warm.
But not for long.
“Temperature’s dropping,” John informed. “We’re at 12 degrees now.”
“Expect it to get colder, really cold,” Darius said. “It was sixty last night.”
Pete peered out the only open section of window on that floor. “Looks like the water stopped rising,” he said. “Looks like the water’s freezing.”
“It is.” Darius clicked on the keyboard and turned the monitor to John. “This is where we are.”
“Storms still to the east and north of us. It looks like we’re only on the outskirts.”
Darius nodded. “Yeah, so can you imagine when it rolls in?”
John whistled. ‘I don’t want to. Bad?”
“Yep. Once it starts, then we switch into hunker down mode.”
“It’s quiet out there now. Calm before the real storm.”
Darius only nodded with a facial expression that stated, ‘you aren’t kidding.”
“Hey, guys,” Pete called out. “Sarge. We might want to hit that hunker phase.” He pointed to the window. “Here comes the snow.”
32. Buried
September 12th
The tiny window on the community floor was the only peek outside that Andi had. She watched out the window so much, that man named Harrison kept telling her she was going to get snow blindness.
She guessed he had a point. After all, every time she turned away everything looked green. So she put on sunglasses, even though there was no sun.
It was still snowing, and she watched the tracks from the Humvees fast disappear behind the falling snow, snow that was still accumulating after four days.
Her question of whether or not you’d sink if you walked on the snow was answered when the Humvees moved up one more level.
Darius told her that he didn’t foresee the snow reaching much higher, maybe another fifteen feet.
Fifteen feet.
Andi laughed when she heard that. The grown-ups were talking about how lucky they were that the snow hadn’t hit a hundred feet yet. But it was close. Darius stated he thought it would surpass a hundred and fifty.
But did any of them realize how much was buried beneath the snow they already had.
Telephone poles were buried. Any building that wasn’t more than seven stories wasn’t seen. The only tracks in the snow were those made by Darius. And those fast disappeared.
The world looked wide, white, and flat. The snow made everything even.
It wasn’t even playing snow. Darius told her that it was layered. Ice, snow, ice, snow. Hard like an ice skating rink and the temperature hadn’t risen above minus thirty. There went that old science theory that it could get too cold to snow.
As she traced circles in the window condensation, Andi imagined the feel of being off from school. Like a snow day. It was quiet and boring. She couldn’t take another movie or book.
She’d rather sit at the window and watch the world vanish beneath the layers of snow and ice.
***
Martin tried to contain his composure and not laugh when he heard one of the monitoring soldiers’ comment that the dome city looked like a big snow titty.
The comment wasn’t intended for his ears and the young solider apologized. Martin shook his head but didn’t let on that he found it amusing.
In fact, he had to agree.
The dome was completely covered in ice. Snow covered all around the circumference and everything but the top was white. The top, Martin supposed was warm enough to melt the snow, giving the appearance of a nipple.
The first two days were hell and that alone should have melted the ice.
If, indeed, emotion could generate the energy to do so.
People panicked, cried, screamed, fought. The minor children brought without parents were distraught. Thank God, they had counselors, but there weren’t enough.
There weren’t enough arms to hug the children. Well, there were but there weren’t enough adults who cared to hug the children.
To Martin that was a crime. They were the entire surviving race.
As the storm blew in, outsiders formed a riot and tried to break in.
How they found the GEP, he didn’t know.
But since the snow started to fall, things outside quieted.
People . . . froze to death.
After the initial panic, people calmed, but they didn’t adjust. They weren’t accepting the new living arrangements, the new laws.
899,788 people were supposed to occupy the GEP, a good number of them due to arrive on Operation Move day. Close to 27,000 never arrived.
They either ran or crashed in the storm.
It wasn’t bad for percentages.
But that was still 27,000 people who weren’t there.
The satellite images showed no sign of the storm letting up, not for a few days.
Martin guessed that once the snow stopped falling and the sun peeked through a little bit, those things would calm down and the residents would soon begin to adjust and live.
Of that, Martin hoped. He truly hoped.
***
“Nothing yet,” was the common response Colin often gave. Every time someone saw him, they’d ask. “Have you contacted Darius?”
“Not yet.”
Even Colin was surprised he hadn’t made contact yet. Then again, the storm was still strong and lingering where Darius resided.
The best he could do was keep trying to get through, keep trying to get a signal, and stay busy.
For the first two days he did inventory and devised, with a mathematician, rations.
He played video games with Casper and Luke, listened to Perry play guitar, and never sat quietly for too long.
When he did, he worried. Even though he had every faith that Darius not only rescued Andi but had secured their safety in the Bunker, there was still a chance.
And Colin didn’t want to consider that, so he kept his mind busy any way that he could.
33. Better Days
September 25th
Colin dreamt.
He dreamt of sunshine and popsicles. Warm weather and his backyard. The Fourth of July was prominent on his mind, more so the last one and that’s what he dreamt.
Although subconsciously he knew he was cold, because someone in his dream kept saying, turn the air conditioning down.
But the dream was nice.
Darius. The kids. Grace.
The kids splashed in the pool while Colin grilled hot dogs.
Laughter.
Lots of it.
The whisper of his name in this dream caused him to awake and he sat up. He had fallen asleep at his desk chair.
So much time had passed. Too much. He hadn’t reached Darius and the pilot said the weather was still too unpredictable to fly.
Colin was ready. On a whim to go to Pittsburgh with the pilot to see.
He had to visit the bunker.
He had to know.
They went through phases. First hopefulness, then hopelessness.
Twenty-some days with no word. No break in the weather to try to reach them. How much snow was dumped up north?
He
stretched in his chair and looked at the clock. 5:00 a.m. Another day. Another day of drudging through, planning for a future and worrying about Darius and Bret. Another day of facing Bret’s kids and not having an answer.
Feeding the 44 people in the shelter and keeping spirits up.
He had become the leader against what he wanted.
A knock.
A knock at the door started Colin.
He assumed it was Casper. She had been suffering from nightmares lately, waking her and making her cry.
Colin did his best to assure her, but how well did he do when he himself was seeking assurance.
“Colin,” Virginia called out softly.
“Yes.” Colin, cracking voice replied.
The door opened.
At first, she was a mere shadow against the hall light. But then as she emerged, Colin saw she was smiling. He stood.
“What’s going on?”
She sighed out heavily then grinned. “The storm broke.”
***
They found an old movie and watched it, taking them into the late hours, and then Darius and Bret found a quiet corner and made love.
Being alone was difficult and they knew once they arrived down in Texas, they’d have a bit more privacy.
The tiny two-room quartered-off room that Darius deemed his and Bret’s was sounding like a castle after two weeks in the Bunker.
The temperature had risen to just above zero, and they were able to unblock windows.
The two spotlights on top of the bunker were the only light. No stars, no moon, total blackness.
Morning would break soon, another gray dismal day.
Cuddled under a down blanket together in a large comfy chair, Bret and Darius both stared out the tiny lab window at the reflection of the spotlights on the snow. A small lantern added romantic lighting.
“One time,” Darius said in a whisper, his lips close to Bret’s ear as her back snuggled against his chest. “Colin and I went hunting. A huge storm hit. Huge. We were stranded for four days. This reminds me of that only more severe.”
Bret chuckled. “Do you think animals survived?”
“Yeah. Many died. But, yeah, they found a way. Trust me they found a way. I believe they are equipped with an instinct to prepare, like us. They uh, stood more of a chance than people.”
“How many died, Darius?”
Darius shrugged. “I know so many were buried trying to make it back north, and those who went south. God, Bret, I don’t want to think about it.”
“They’ll survive.”
“Yep. At any cost. But I can tell you, they’re on their own.”
“The President?”
“The President is running the new civilization at the GEP complex, wherever that is.”
Bret inhaled deeply. “We’ll be fine, though, right.”
“Yeah, we’ll be fine,” Darius said. “And we’ll make it south, eventually. We have enough food and water here for months. Months. By then, things should warm up down south.”
“To forty.”
“Yeah,” Darius chuckled. “Maybe.”
His head cocked to the sounded of running footsteps. Both he and Bret sat up, bringing the covers over them.
The door opened.
“Mom!” Andi burst in.
“What’s wrong?” Bret asked.
Darius saw everyone in the hall. “Andi?”
Andi extended the satellite phone. “It’s Dr. Reye.”
***
The ringing of the phone woke everyone, an odd sound not heard in weeks. For as much as Colin had worried, those in the bunker did as well. Were their counterparts down south alive? Was there really a survival city in Texas?
All that was answered with the ringing of the phone.
“My God, Darius, am I proud of you,” Colin spoke with enthusiasm over the speaker. “You did it. You got that little girl. Did I tell you how excited I was to get a ring, and then when she answered . . .”
“Yes, yes, you did.”
Bret spoke up. “How are my kids?”
“Great,” Colin replied. “Doing well. Missing you. You folks are good?”
The group answered.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Colin said. “How much snow did you get?”
“More than we thought,” Darius took the reins of speaking. “We got worried a few days ago when we moved the Humvee to this floor. But the snow never rose higher. We can actually walk right outside from the window.”
“That’s amazing.”
“But we’re safe, warm, getting along. Not too bored.”
“Hmm. Yes. As I overheard you are still finding time to take advantage of Bret to feign off boredom.”
Off speakerphone, Darius, with an embarrassed smile, grabbed the phone and lifted it. “Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome for that. In all seriousness, I am so glad you're fine.”
“Did you expect we wouldn’t be?”
“Not at all. What’s the temperature?” Colin asked.
“Zero. There?”
“A balmy 36.”
“Above freezing?” Darius questioned with enthusiasm. “That’s great.”
“And encouraging, yes. Now tell me something encouraging. When do you think we’ll see you?”
Darius looked about the faces in the room, then to the window. He knew the journey was going to be tough, long, and well planned out. “Soon, Colin. Soon.”
***
Colin hung up the phone and admittedly wanted to dance a jig right there in his office/room.
But Virginia and the pilot were the only ones there. Casper and Luke went to spread the good news.
“I’m very happy for you, Colin,” Virginia said. “You have to feel relieved.”
“I do. I do. I’ll be one hundred percent relieved once they arrive.”
“When will that be?”
“Who knows? He has to wait until weather conditions permit. Where they won’t use too much fuel to stay warm.”
“Do they have enough?”
“They have the two tanks on top of the Humvees. They should have just enough.”
The pilot finally spoke. “How many folks are there?”
“Nine,” Colin replied.
“If they can get to Kentucky I can fly there. I looked at the map.”
“That’s excellent.”
“Yep.” He nodded. “But we got one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“The chopper is in the hanger. The hanger is buried, right along with us under twenty-five feet of snow.”
“Yes, that does present a problem.” Colin rubbed his chin and smiled. “Good thing I thought ahead.”
***
Sun? Was that sun? The moment Martin received the ‘pass it on’ chain message, he looked at the monitor, and then had to see for himself.
He made his way from the interior of the mountain out into dome city.
Sure enough, people were cheering, wearing sunglasses, and dancing.
The sun was peeking through and the cloud-spotted sky was turning blue.
Martin smiled.
It was a new day and somewhat a new beginning. That was reiterated when he received a radio call from the President.
He led them to the GEP; he put it together, now Martin had another mission. He had to come up with a plan that would lead them to the future.
34. Uncovered
October 9th
No way did Colin expect over twenty feet of snow, but he didn’t rule it out. That was why he had that machinery in the west tunnel, a Bobcat and a tunnel digger. With a blade nine feet round, the machine would dig a circular hole eight feet in diameter, but it took a while. Through snow and ice, they made it a mere twenty feet a day. The barricade wall they put up at the tunnel kept the snow packed in.
It took five days to get outside, creating a tunnel of ice and snow all the way topside.
Then they had to dig out the hanger.
Colin knew or rathe
r guessed the odds of Darius and the crew arriving before the chopper was dug out were great. That was until he kept getting calls that they got lost. Fearful that Darius wouldn’t find the complex, they unearthed the flag pole and secured that on top of the hanger. The signal.
Two days earlier, he had a frustrating conversation with Darius.
“You’re not Moses, yes, I know,” Colin said. “And I understand there are no roads or streets signs.”
“It’s fucking frozen tundra out here. We’ve nearly hit a building.”
They relied on navigation and compasses.
No visuals. N0 landmarks.
“We think we’re in Louisiana. We think,” Darius said the day before. “What now?”
The best Colin could do was tell him go to the ocean and make a right.
That was the last time he heard from Darius. The check-in calls were thereafter made by a youthful sounding man named Gus.
Colin had just finished a cup of chicken soup when he got the radio call that they hit earth.
Which meant they’d finally dug out the hanger.
Sucking in that last drop, he donned his coat and made his way from the complex to the tunnel hall.
He heard it before he arrived.
That distinctive sound that was common over the last several days.
Laughter.
Whoosh!
Children’s screams.
As he got to the snow tunnel, he stopped. He knew it was coming, he heard it and waited.
Sure enough, full speed on a plastic sled came a young boy named Marcus, nine and fully padded in a snow suit. He screamed with delight as he not only rode down the ice, but also slid onto the concrete floor another fifteen feet before he rolled off another ten.
“You okay?” Colin asked.
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” He stood up.
“Did you ice up my walking path?”
“Um , , , no.”
“Um no.” Colin shook his head “I’m sure I’m gonna break a hip, thank you.”
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