We sat in the field and wondered how cold the wind could blow. After all, it was better than thinking about the blood on the snow. Was it Jacob’s or Amanda’s? It all happened so fast. That creature from the night. We were warned about such things. We should have listened.

We could finally see the stars again. What a pleasant sight after all those years underground. The air seeping into my coat burned my skin and reminded me of the brittleness of my bones. Maryel touched my arm and whispered her words of comfort. Something about starting a new life. It was so cold up here.

There was a forest in the distance. At least, I believed it was called that. I had never seen so many trees in my life. Maryel got closer and wrapped her arms around me. I shivered again, trying not to look at the blood. She was lifting me. Urging me to get up. Why continue, I wondered, but my body moved with her.

Another man ran across the field. It was Jacob. That must mean the blood is . . . I couldn’t bear to finish the thought. He was shouting something and waving his hands. His face was pale. In between the gaps of trees, darkness surged and Jacobs's feet stood still. Only his feet. There was blood on the snow, and I wondered how cold the wind could blow.

Archive of the First Settlers, Estimated to be over 800 years ago

----------------------------------------

In a town called Deepburrow, where stars and the sky are but a legend, Ezra could still recall his mother’s last words before she left. “We seek the beauty that has yet to be seen. With a hope that one day our souls can be filled. Till our humanity hungers no more. That is why we seek the surface.”

He wished her words were meant for him, but they were only mantras of self-encouragement. Ezra knew that now, but little made sense back then. When he was five, a white rose fell from the upper layers into the mining town of Deepburrow. His mother’s eyes had glittered with wonder as she stared up into the captive sky. Their little hole to heaven. And that day he knew one thing for certain. Her gaze would never return below.

Twenty years later, staring up at that same hole, the light he received down here seemed like a cruel blessing. Ezra’s pickaxe struck the stone beneath him leaving an almost imperceptible wound in the Morltin ore.

“We’re moving further down.” One of his coworker’s voices echoed along the stone wall.

Ezra sighed and let his aching arms rest for a moment until he felt a hand on his back. “What is he even thinking? The bald snake’s getting greedy.” The voice came from a young man with messy brown hair that nearly obscured his eyes.

“Milo.” Ezra’s eyes widened. “I thought you were off with squad three up in Jalpin’s cavern.”

“I was. Wish I still was, but it's hard to strangle profits out of a twenty-six-year-old mining site. If only the same could be said for us. White Rock will be choking money out of us till we’re sixty.” Milo laughed with a lightheartedness that betrayed his statement before slapping Ezra’s back. “Let's get going, don’t want to keep the bald snake waiting.”

He knew the boss would kill them both if he heard that nickname, but Ezra simply smiled. He couldn’t wait for the day the snake writhed in a hole it dug for itself.

The path down was treacherous. Ahead, the tunnel barely arched over their heads, and in some segments, the pair had to duck. Uneven ground didn’t help either. Stones constantly shifted underneath their feet, and Ezra considered himself lucky when Milo shot out a helping hand during a slip. As they approached the excavation site, turquoise and gleaming crimson minerals lit up the walls of the cavern in a spectacular display. Ezra would almost consider it beautiful if he didn’t know how hard it would be to mine the stuff. He wondered if ore glowed as beautifully on the higher layers.

“Do you think the sky-seekers have made it past the eleventh layer,” Ezra asked.

“Not this again. What does it matter to us? It’s not like we’re going to see the higher layers.”

“I know. You don’t have to rub it in. It’s all rigged. A recommendation, a patron, the fees for equipment, and then one of the guilds has to take you in if you even want to survive. Only the big shots and their rich brats get a chance like that.”

“You know that's not true.” Milo winced, expecting Ezra to lash out. The silence from him hurt more. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

The chance his mother got was one in a million, and she had taken it without a second thought. Ezra gazed at the ore again, wondering if she was still looking down and waiting for him to follow.

Other miners gathered below. A low hum of murmurs and concern spread through the crowd but was quickly silenced as a wooden crate scraped across the granite.

The thin and pointed face of his superior was obnoxiously long, and his cheeks hollowed as he stretched his jaw to speak. “This is a great opportunity for each of you. Once this job is finished our division will have the opportunity…”

He droned on and on, but Ezra tuned out the rest of the man’s words. The supervisor's button-up shirt didn’t have a speck of dirt on it. He’d arrived only five days ago, but he was already pissing Ezra off. That man followed the bald snake’s orders, but he had more power than the rest of them to stop it or at least prepare better for it.

“We’ll get through this. The new guys always have a surprise waiting for them anyway.” A mischievous grin spread across Milo’s face.

Milo’s words shook him out of his brewing pessimism and Ezra sighed, wondering if participating in another of Milo’s pranks was worth getting in trouble. The supervisor began to split people into teams. Ezra followed Milo hoping he could slip into a group of his choosing.

“You there, young man with the yellow streaks on your helmet.”

Ezra froze and pulled his gaze toward the supervisor's cold stare. The people around him parted, and he accepted his fate.

“We need another man on the explosives team.”

“But I’m not trained in. . .”

The supervisor’s curt yet professional tone cut him off. “There must be ten people on the explosives team. It’s regulation. No more questions. Get to work!”

Nine others were already walking towards the far end of the cavern, and Ezra jogged to catch up. They all wore dark blue jumpsuits that were creased and coated with gray minerals. Five of them had wrinkled faces that told a story of the stress they endured in their careers. The other four all carried large backpacks. One of the younger men noticed him approaching and called to the others. The group stopped.

Ezra caught up, and the young man offered his hand as a greeting. “The name’s Owen. I got the impression that Darian didn’t care enough about regulation to send us another man. Glad to be proven wrong.”

“I’m not trained in explosive work,” Ezra said, wanting to get that information out of the way sooner than later.

A grumble of discontent rolled through the group. “He doesn’t give a damn about regulation,” one of the older men muttered.

Owen put his hand on Ezra’s shoulder. He was nearly a head taller. “Don’t worry, we won’t have you do anything too complicated.”

They got to the edge of the cave, and the younger members started unloading their backpacks. Spools of wire, deep-hole drills, control panels, and explosives all quickly appeared from the bags. The team had a routine and Ezra felt awkward intruding on it until Owen handed him a spool of wire.

“Start over by that wall and run it along the floor. Stick close to the corners.” Owen pointed to a layered rock formation a few paces away. “If you have any questions don’t be a stranger and just ask.”

Ezra nodded and went to work. As he lay wire, others drilled holes, and explosives were slotted into the excavated chambers. As he arrived at the end of the spool, a man with white wispy hair and a frown so permanent that it could have been carved in stone motioned him over.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“The name’s Albert. I’m the technician who makes sure nothing goes off when we don’t want it to.” His voice was lighter than his face indicated. “Hand me that wire, and I’ll attach it to the control panel when it’s time.”

Ezra gave him the end of the wire, and Albert bit off some insulating rubber to expose part of the copper. Assuming his job was done, he took a seat on the ground.

The day was going to be long and silence did no good to his inner misery. Words within him boiled up until he calmed the roar. “You enjoy your job?” He said.

Albert rolled the wire between his fingers. “As a matter of fact, I do. Wouldn’t have stuck with it forty-eight years if I didn’t. You?”

“It pays.” Ezra noticed a smile cross Albert's lips. “What are you grinning at?”

“I felt the same way when I was your age, kid. It’s because you think there’s more. You have some grand ambition and you think if you fulfill it you’ll be happy.”

“What was your ambition?” Ezra shot back.

“I wanted to make it to management. Change how things worked around here.” Albert's wrinkled fingers clenched the wire. “When you’re young, you think you can claim the whole world for yourself. I thought that too. But once you go up, you find out there’s always someone above you, and it just gets worse the further you go.” The other men were beginning to back away from the wall. “You know White Rock is just a subsidiary of Faulpher-tek, the corp that makes weapons for sky-seekers on the upper layers. You ever meet someone from Faulpher-tek?”

Albert gave them a thumbs-up and plugged the wire into the control panel. Ezra’s full attention was on him now. “No, I haven’t.”

“Good,” Albert said as he began to flip switches. “They’re a bunch of men and women so far up their own asses they’ve forgotten the world around them. Once you’re in management, you interact with them every day, and I just couldn’t stomach the thought of that. Fire, in three, two, ONE!”

The world stood still for an instant before a thunderous boom reverberated throughout the cavern, and pebbles came cascading down on them. The stones hit their helmets like a hard rain.

Albert continued as if nothing happened. “But I tell you, kid, don’t let it discourage you. If you feel you can make a change, go ahead and try. Even though I gave up on my chance, don’t let that stop you.”

Ezra stared at him as the last few pebbles hit the ground. “I’m not aiming for management.” He had gotten an old man’s sob story and the day still sucked. Yet something still pulled at his mind. His grand ambition. He was glad that the old man hadn’t asked.

“Everyone, come here,” Owen shouted before Ezra could get in another word.

Ezra pushed himself off the ground and jumped to his feet. The rest of the explosive team gathered around as the dust settled. A cough came from the now-obliterated wall, and the silhouette of Owen stood in stark contrast to a bright glow. As Ezra approached, the light grew brighter. He stared down at a brilliant display of crystals filling a small cave.

“We hit the jackpot,” one of the explosive specialists yelled. The joy spread throughout the group, and soon, similar shouts erupted.

“They look pretty, but what is it,” Ezra asked.

Owen wiped the soot off his face and placed a hand on Ezra’s shoulder. “They’re vibro-crystals, my friend, used by sky-seekers in the upper layers for their electromagnetic weapons. They can pierce the scales of a sky razor. Faulpher-tek pays a fortune for them.” Owen raised his hand and circled the air to gather everyone. “Listen up, we’re laying another round of explosives and transporting this entire stock today.”

Before he realized it, someone placed another spool of wire into his hands. Owen lept into the cavity and landed with a hollow ring that echoed with musical bravado.

“Hear that, boys,” Albert said, “music to my ears.”

The rest of the crew laughed, and Ezra began to lay wire. The crystals looked as delicate as glass. Curiosity got the better of him, and he kicked one of the protruding structures. A vibration shook him from the tip of his foot to his head. He could feel himself falling, and a hand suddenly held him up.

“Careful there.” Owen stood beside him with a drill in the other hand. “These crystals send vibrations through whatever hits them. Useful for weaponry but not so great on the body.”

“Thanks,” Ezra mumbled and quickly got back to work.

He continued laying wire, weaving through the crystals. Once he exited the cavern, Albert was already tinkering with the control panel when Ezra handed him the wire.

“Won’t the crystals vibrate against the explosions?”

Albert stared at him like he was asking if gold was valuable. “Yes,” Albert said, “when the explosives go off, most of the damage is caused by the air blast shock wave. When the shock wave hits the crystals, the air will vibrate and hit the crystals again, creating more shockwaves until the pressure is enough to shatter them.”

“But that’ll damage them.”

“It's inevitable, but we place the explosives in such a way to minimize damage. Haven’t dealt with vibro-crystals myself before, but I’ve studied up on the procedure. You’ll want to stand a bit further back for this one.”

Ezra stepped back and sat on the rough ground. Even after brushing a few pebbles away, it still felt uncomfortable. This is the only team I have encountered the whole day that seems to know what they are doing, and I’m practically useless to them. The feeling stewed in him as he tapped his fingers on his knee. I wonder how Milo’s doing. Probably harder work than this. What am I thinking? I don’t owe anything to this company. Minutes, and then what felt like hours, passed before the rest of the crew emerged from the cave. Owen gave Albert a thumbs up, and the technician started flipping switches.

“Fire, in three, TWO, ONE!”

Everyone braced for the thunderous explosion. Ezra covered his ears with his palms and held his helmet with the tips of his fingers. Black filled his vision as he scrunched his eyes closed. He waited for the ground to shake, rubble to start raining down, and for an all-clear from Owen, yet nothing came. He opened his eyes to the same sight they had closed to. The other men glanced at each other as if communicating telepathically.

“I’m missing continuity along one of the wires. No voltage,” Albert said. “Who wants to go in to check?”

Several hushed whispers came from the men until Ezra shot up. “I’ll go.” This is my chance to be helpful. It was about time he showed them his skills.

“You said it yourself. You’re not trained in explosive work. Someone else should go,” Owen said.

“I’ve got this. I used to tinker with electronics in my father’s shop. I know how to check continuity along a wire. You have a multimeter?” Ezra held his hand out as Owen pulled an orange brick from his back pocket.

He placed the device in Ezra’s hands and stared him straight in the eyes. A stare that held the weight of his entire crew. “Be careful. Anything other than a busted wire, you get out of there.”

Ezra nodded and stuffed the multimeter into the back pocket of his jeans. Albert unplugged the wire from the control panel and gave him a thumbs-up. He lept into the hole and landed with a harmonious ring. Both wires near the entrance looked undamaged, so he proceeded further in. Starting on the left, he made his way around, taking care to avoid the crystals. Near the back of the cavern, he spotted a wire slotted between two crystals growing from each other. It looked completely fine, but perhaps the vibrations from the crystals were messing with the flow of electricity. Standing over the crystal, he carefully pinched both sides of the wire like a delicate strand of cobweb. He raised it away from the crystals and suddenly felt his world shake.

The wire fell from his hands, and he ducked and covered his head. Everything spun. Air slammed into his side and pushed life out of his lungs. He gasped for breath, but a rock from above struck his back. He wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go. He wanted to scream, but no one would hear him above the explosions. He wanted to live, to one day follow his mother, but then everything went black. He could feel himself slipping into a dream. Warm air caressed his skin, and an orange ball of light, he had only heard legends of, hung in the air. Ezra began to lose a sense of himself as his consciousness gave way to something else.

✵ ✵ ✵ ✵

The wind blew through the tall grass and into the evening sun. A woman in white robes stood silhouetted against the orange twilight. Her lips curled into a sad smile that did nothing to detract from her beauty. She uttered unheard words and stepped towards me. I ran my hand through her golden hair and held her close.

This peace was all we had. I gazed at the gleaming towers in the distance. The structures sparkled like a vast ocean. The one where we once saw paradise. If only for a moment. Why did we ever leave?

Her hands pressed against my chest, and I glanced down. As her fingers drew back, she revealed a flower. White petals as bleak as the two moons above, crowded together as if seeking warmth. Even empty of color, the petals had more life than any other living thing, more life than the lush blades of grass, more life than the rosy-colored cheeks of the woman before me. After all, it still looked the same as centuries ago.

“It’s time we let it go.”

I was afraid she would say those words. This flower contained all the hope I had left, or perhaps it was just memories of hope. I pulled back and clutched the stem tighter, even as its thorns stabbed my skin.

“That dream is long gone. Let us find paradise here. Together.”

“We must go higher.” The words had slipped from my mouth many times and had always pulled her along, but this time I could tell it would not work. Tears began to well up in my eyes, and she put her hands over mine. “Why now?”

“I’ve seen that longing in your eyes since the day we found the flower. I admire you for it. I followed you because of it. But now it poisons your soul. You need to rest. We’re happy here.”

“You’re happy here.”

“I know you’ll find the same happiness I have. One day.” She slid my hands away as if her words had put a spell on me. With the flower between her slender fingers, she stepped back. “This is for you and our future.”

The petals burst into flames, and I could feel my world growing dimmer. I couldn’t move as the crown of the flower withered and twisted in her hands. The knots in my stomach wouldn’t unravel, and for the first time since so long ago, I wondered how cold the wind could blow.