ASUA

The Tunnel

initial print revised edition

Copyright © 2018, 2020 George W. Parker

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of George W. Parker.

Chapter 1

Back deep in the blackness of the wide tunnel a light flickered in a small, side tunnel.

The candle light from the metal lantern’s opened panel barely illuminated the smooth wall of the narrow tunnel. Larson, an averaged sized man, more young than old, panned the light along the wall to his left. The widening field of light followed the smooth rock wall until it reached out in front of Larson and found the opening.

“Damn,” Larson cursed and snapped the lantern door shut. The tunnel was thrust into darkness. Larson stared into it.

Behind Larson someone coughed. Feet shuffled around. There was a nervous electricity from the group following him.

“Quiet,” Larson whispered. “There might be someone out there.”

There was an uneasy silence as eyes adjusted to the blackness.

“There, see!” he whispered excitedly. “It's lighter out there. There's a house or something out there.”

“Maybe a farm,” a voice whispered

“Something to eat,” added another.

The thought of food started everyone moving.

Larson opened the lantern enough to allow a small slice of light to illuminate the rough ground leading to the opening.

“Keep it quiet,” he ordered as they moved forward.

Larson was the first one out into the large, main tunnel. He stopped; the others bunched up quietly behind him.

Seven hundred meters ahead the tunnel was filled with light from a pole mounted, incandescent lamp. In its warm, yellow glow was a small farmhouse, windowless with an ill-fitting roof and door. Around the door there was a line of light from inside. Someone was home.

Outside the house, running from ceiling to floor, were tentacle like roots. The roots formed a thick, white, gnarly forest around the house, filling the tunnel.

“It’s a farm,” Larson whispered excitedly. “I told you!” He made a swinging arm motion above his head. The men separated themselves from the women and children and moved into a wide arc formation centered by Larson. They moved out toward the farm walking slowly, quietly. The women, carrying various sized bundles containing the group’s possessions, formed into a similar, secondary formation and followed a few paces behind the men. Behind them the very small children were herded forward by a few older children.

Chapter 2

Crowded inside the house, in the single room, under a bare, harsh light bulb, Kate, her mom, her dad, and the Twins sat at the table eating. Off on two sides of the room were cots, on the third was the kitchen area, and on the fourth was the door.

Kate and her father wore home-sewn, brown corduroy pants, tan shirts, black work boots. The boots had once been store bought shoes. Their brown hair was the same color. Kate’s hair was only slightly longer than his.

Kate’s mother and the Twins were in home-sewn gingham dresses and were shoeless. They wore their long, black hair pulled back.

Kate's dad stood up and shouted to his wife, “Kay, someone is coming. Get the girls out of here! Run!”

“Kate, you're such a big girl now,” Kate's mother said with a warm smile.

Kate sat on her bed against the wall and looked up at her mother's happy face and she smiled.

“With the baby on the way, we need to practice going to the hiding places separately, okay?”

Kate nodded.

Kate's mother caressed her enlarged abdomen. “With this big, old tummy I can't even get through the tunnel. And when the baby is here, I'll have to carry him or her with me. Do you understand?”

“Sure, Mom,” Kate answered. “I know where to hide.”

“Good girl,” Kate's mother smiled and then she stroked Kate's hair tenderly.

“Your father is outside. He’s going to watch us practice and make sure we do a good, quiet job. Okay?”

Kate nodded.

“Where is the secret door?”

“It's under my bed,” Kate responded.

“And how do you get to it?” her mother asked.

“I dive under the bed and wiggle under the door like a worm. And then I close the door real quiet.”

Kate's mother smiled. “That's right my sweet darling. And what is there to worry about?”

“There is nothing to worry about!” Kate answered proudly. “We crawl quickly down the tunnel to the mouse hole,” she continued. “We pop up, look around, and then run to one of the hiding places deep in the field. And when Dad calls 'All clear,' we come in and have supper.”

Kate's mother laughed. “That's exactly right, Darling. When it is all clear, we come in and eat supper.

“And what else?” she asked.

“Never, ever go up on the surface. It's bad up there,” Kate answered.

Her mother nodded and then asked, “Are you ready to practice?”

“Yes, Ma'am,” Kate answered and hopped off the bed.

“Slow down, Darling. I am going to run outside as fast as I can and go hide. You go through the tunnel and then to the left spot. Okay? Now, which way is left?” she asked.

Kate pointed out the direction.

“That's right, Darling. Now, are you ready?”

Kate nodded.

“Okay then,” her mother said seriously. “Ready, set, go!”

Kate dove under the bed, lifted the small door and wiggled into the tunnel. Her mother turned and hurried to the door as fast as she could move.

“Get out of here!” Kate's father finished.

Kate was next up from the table. She grabbed Kayla under the arms and lifted her sister up from the table and moved to the bed. She set Kayla down and shoved her underneath the bed.

“Kayla, get the door up and get in the tunnel right now! Get going!” Kate ordered.

Kayla scrambled to the secret door.

Kate turned to help her mother with Kaylie.

Kaylie was up from the table and half way to the bed with her mother right behind her. Kate's father was beside the door, lowering a heavy bar across it so it could not be opened.

“Kate, follow Kayla. Keep her moving!” Kate's mother ordered.

Kate did not hesitate. She dove under the bed and into the tunnel. Kayla was just sitting there in the wide spot below the hidden door. The air in the tunnel was cool and the dirt was hard packed and dry. It had been hard work digging the tunnel, but Kate's father had finished it even before he and Kay had married and moved into the house.

“Go, Kayla! Go!” Kate ordered as she started pushing her sister forward.

Kate felt Kaylie come up behind her in the tunnel and they both took off crawling after Kayla.

Kate's mother followed the girls into the tunnel. When she closed the tunnel door behind her, the tunnel went pitch black. Kate bumped into Kayla's bottom.

Kate whispered urgently, “Don't stop!” and pushed on Kayla's bottom.

“Keep your head down and your hands wide,” Kate ordered. “The tunnel is clear. You can move fast. Just like we've practiced. Go, go, go!”

Kate could feel Kaylie and their mother right behind her so she used her head against Kayla's bottom whenever her sister slowed down.

Chapter 3

Encased in black with a small backpack slung over his shoulder, One of One stopped within arm’s reach of the shimmering, emerald colored wall and looked up. As high as he could see the wall rose up into the sky. Above him a flock of drones hovered, watching him. When he looked to his left, his eyes followed the wall all the way to the horizon. With that perspective, he could discern the concavity of the wall. As he turned in a 360° circle he followed the wall in his mind, enclosing the lush green hills of the city space, defused with a soft warm light, until the wall reappeared on the horizon to his right.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Facing the wall again, One of One reached out and touched it. From the ground to the heavens it silently slid back into itself, opening a one-meter space. As he stepped outside the wall the drones overhead raced ahead of him taking perimeter monitoring positions above him. The wall silently closed behind him.

One of One scanned the land in front of him from left to right. Rolling hills, devoid of life, just brown, rolling, dirt hills as far as he could see. The air around him was hot and dry and the light had a harshness to it, which he found uncomfortable.

Back behind his right ear an implanted microphone recreated a man’s speech, “All clear, Sir.”

Leading with his right foot, One of One strode away from the wall.

The ground under his lightly clad feet crunched slightly as he tread on it. It was a dry, baked consistency. Once the ground had been sandy, but after eons of dry winds, every loose gain was long blown away leaving only a crusty surface.

He wore a thin, breathable, carbon laminate composite material with a great amount of elastic properties in it. It pulled on like a pair of socks but was puncture, compression and impact resistant up to one hundred fifty kilograms at two meters. The form fitting, soft armor encased his body from his toes to his fingers and face.

The voices from the left implanted speaker carried the chatter of the drone monitors to him. One of One paid little attention to them as the mission controller spoke through the right channel, and then only seldom.

He walked at a brisk pace and soon, where the green wall actually touched the ground, was visually replaced by the intervening hills. He never looked back. He only moved forward perpendicularly from where he had emerged.

As they got more space outside the wall, the drones above him formed in a broad arc around him. The chatter in his left ear was incessant as he surveyed the rolling hills in front of him. In the near distance he could see that the crests and troughs of the rolling hills were becoming more extreme.

“Continue on this line?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, Sir,” the mission controller answered. “It’s more up and down this direction, Sir, but easier walking.”

“You’re not doing the walking,” he replied.

“Yes, Sir. I understand. To the east it is cut with several deep ravines and to the west are arroyos and scrub trees, just like we discussed in the mission conference yesterday.”

“I am not holding you responsible for the earth’s terrain, Three of Seven,” he answered. “I am just wishing for a shortcut,” he laughed.

The mission controller returned the laughter, but it was brief.

One of the drone drivers said, “There is movement ahead, sir.” One of One stopped walking. From where he stood, between crests, there was nothing to see but the pale blue sky.

“Drone Three, increase altitude to two thousand meters and move ahead, flank speed,” mission control ordered. “Let’s see what that is. Two, pop up to four thousand meters and go infrared. Let’s get a big picture around us. Everyone else, tighten up and maintain security.”

Chapter 4

Larson stood at the front door. His men encircled the building. The women huddled a couple of meters behind the men, blocking the children from moving closer.

“Open up, Farmer!” Larson shouted. “We won't hurt you! We need something to eat!”

Kate's father stood against the wall beside the door. He clinched the worn handle of the butcher’s knife in his right hand. He did not answer.

Larson tried the door. It shifted back a centimeter or two from the door frame, then stopped solid against the door bar. Larson struck the door with his fist. “Open up I said!” his voice boomed.

Kate’s father stood quietly against the wall, waiting.

Larson turned to his right, “Bring me the ax,” he ordered. The man nearest him hurried back to the women where he sorted through their gear until he found the worn, single bitted ax. The head was rusted and the bit would not hold an edge. But it was an ax and carried a smashing weight behind it. He ran it back to Larson.

Larson snatched the ax out of the man’s hand and brandished it above his head angrily.

“Let us in now or I take no responsibility for what occurs,” he roared.

Kate's father stepped back from the door and prepared himself mentally for what was coming next. He held the knife tip out so he could use it in a thrusting fashion.

With both hands Larson swung the ax from high above his head down at the door. The head crashed into the door thunderously, shaking the door, but the bit barely cut into its surface.

“Arrrrr,” Larson roared, snatching the ax back above his head and striking it back down with a deep grunt. The ax head beat into the door with a thundering crash. The door shivered under the impact. Larson had landed the blow with a better angle on the bit and it dug deeply into the door.

Larson wrenched the ax out of the door and roaring again, struck powerful blows on the door. The door finally split in two with the hinged portion standing canted crazily, the strong bar behind it the only thing holding it up. The catch section fell forward to the ground. Kate’s father, wielding the knife, stepped into the breach.

Larson raised the ax and swung. The length of the ax handle made the difference in the fight. The thrust of the knife’s point fell inches short of Larson’s chest as the head of the ax struck Kate’s father. His body dropped to the floor. He died instantly,

The men near Larson surged past him into the house. The women behind him pushed toward the door.

“Stop!” Larson shouted. His voice shook the walls. He stepped over the body and inside.

The men inside the room cowered and those outside froze in place. The women and children drew back in fear.

“Look at that table,” Larson roared. “This shack had a family in it. From the clothes lying around there's a wife and some kids somewhere. Where are they? They didn't leave as we were coming up,” he instructed. “We would've seen them. Where’d they go? How did they get out of here?” he demanded.

The men in the room looked for help from each other. They found none.

“Idiots,” Larson shouted. “Take everything out of this shack and stack it outside. The women can go through it all. If they find anything worth keeping, it's mine. Have my woman watch over it.”

Larson looked at his crew, searching for an argument. There was none. The men pulled the body out of the doorway and began to gather up everything and carry it outside.

Two men picked up the bed Kate, her mother and sisters had scooted under. They pulled it away from the wall. The trap door was revealed.

“Boss,” one shouted. “Here's a door! This must be how the woman and kids got away.”

“They might still be down there now,” a second added. He dropped his end of the bed and moved to open the trap door.

“Don't touch it!” Larson ordered. “It could be booby trapped.”

Every man in the room froze in place.

“Everyone out of the room,” Larson ordered.

Outside the shack, Larson looked over his people. He found what he was looking for, a small girl, standing alone.

“Sweetie, come here,” he called and motioned to the little girl.

She walked over to him.

Larson squatted down to talk with her.

“What is your name sweetie?”

The little girl was small. Her clothes were even more tattered than the others.

“Dorothy,” she answered with an unexpected grimness from someone so small.

“Where is your mother?” Larson asked.

“She stopped walking with us,” Dorothy answered.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Larson responded. “It's not always easy, is it Dorothy?”

Dorothy did not respond. She just stared at Larson.

“Well, who watches after you then?” Larson asked.

Dorothy looked around at the group and then pointed to a woman at the back. The woman had several little children beside her. The woman looked away from Larson and Dorothy.

“I see...I see,” Larson said quietly. He looked Dorothy in the eyes and asked, “Do you know who I am?”

Dorothy nodded her head and answered, “The Wolf.”

Larson smiled. “Would you like to stay with me and my woman, Maude? You know who Maude is don't you?”

Dorothy's eyes got big and round with excitement. She nodded her head repeatedly.

“Well, I need you to do something for me before that. Okay, Dorothy?”

Dorothy nodded and smiled.

“There is a door in the floor of that house,” said Larson. “That's a funny place for a door isn't it, in the floor?”

Dorothy nodded.

“I need you to open that door and see if there are any children like you there. They would like you. You wouldn't scare them like I would. Do you think you can do that for me, Dorothy?”

“Sure, Wolf,” Dorothy grinned. “I can open doors.”

Larson smiled. “I'm glad, Dorothy.” He stood up. “Let's go take a look at that door.” He held out his right hand to Dorothy.

She hesitated, but just for a second. She took his hand and he led her inside the house.

Chapter 5

The tunnel seemed longer in the dark. It was taking forever to get to the end. Kayla stopped again.

“Go!” Kate whispered urgently.

“But we're here,” Kayla answered.

Kate looked up and she could see a lighter shade of black above her. They were at the end of the tunnel.

Kaylie and their mother squeezed up beside Kate and Kayla.

“Kate, take a quick peek,” her mother ordered.

Kate rose up on her knees. Her mother and the twins sat motionless as Kate raised her head up slowly through the opening in the ground. When her eyes cleared the ground, she was looking at the house. She froze. There was a circle of men around their home. The nearest man was only thirty meters away. And then she saw a man swing an ax at the door. She heard the ax hammer into the door. Kate ducked back down into the hole.

“Mom,” Kate whined quietly.

“Hush, I don't want to hear it. Stay focused. Was there anyone between us and the field?”

“I...I didn't look,” Kate answered.

“Well look! We can't stay in this hole.”

Kate again rose up slowly through the hole until her eyes were just above ground level. She saw the men surrounding her house and saw the man again swing the ax against the door.

She took a deep breath to put the image away and then slowly made a 360-degree examination of the area immediately around the tunnel exit. There was no one close. No one between the hole and the fields. Everyone was between the exit and the house. And they were all watching the house.

Kate dropped back down into the tunnel.

“There's no one between us and the hiding spots,” she whispered. “They’re all watching the house.”

Kate looked at her mother's face closely as she asked, “Will Dad be okay?”

Her mother's expression did not change. She was strong, focused on accomplishing what she and her husband had planned, saving their daughters.

“Good,” Kate’s mother replied, ignoring Kate’s question. “Kate, you go to the left and I'll take the twins to the right.”

“Mom, I can take Kayla with me,” Kate offered.

“Don't argue with me, Kate,” her mother snapped at her, “You'll be safer alone.” Then her mother's eyes softened. “You are a beautiful, young woman Kate. There is no telling what those Raiders would due if they caught you. These little ones will be fine with me. You hide and stay quiet. You stay quiet no matter what! Do you hear me?”

“But...”

“No buts. Now get out of here and go!” Kate's mother ordered.

Kate was up and out of the tunnel instantly but she did not go. She reached down and helped get Kayla and then Kaylie out of the tunnel, keeping her eyes on the circle of men around the house. Then she helped her mother.

In the weak light from the farm's pole lamp Kate's mother squatted down beside the tunnel opening with her three daughters. She looked lovingly at Kate.

“Darling, you need to go.”

Her whole life Kate had been a good daughter. She had always done as she was told, even when she did not understand why, and like now, even when she did not agree.

“Yes, Ma'am,” Kate answered. She rose up into a stooped position. She hugged her sisters as though they were one. She pressed them tightly to her body and kissed them each on the forehead. The twins squirmed and tried to get free but Kate's hold was strong. When she finally released them, she moved over to hug her mother. The twins watched and giggled.

Kate's mother pulled Kate tightly to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Be brave,” she whispered. “And go!”

They released their hugs on each other and Kate darted into the dangling roots of the field.

Using the roots like stepping stones Kate made her way quickly away from the escape tunnel. She moved silently, wraith like through the field, unseen but listening. She heard her mother and sister move out into the field and she heard the mob of men break into her house. She did not hear anything from her father. Kate kept moving swiftly, carefully away from the house and its light until she finally reached her hiding place. She dropped to the ground and wiggled under a tangle of roots into a wide, dry burrow.

Her home away from home, the left burrow had been hers for years. With her mother’s guidance Kate had turned the hole into a home with enough food and water to last a week, a change of clothes, chamber pot, cooking utensils, candles, matches, books and a weapon – a short, double edge knife with a bone handle. When her father had given her the knife Kate had asked about the handle. She had never seen any bones larger than a rat or raccoon. Her father just laughed and said, “It’s just a bone. Don’t worry about it.”

“Kate, this is a good spot,” her father stated.

Kate stood up tall and proud. Her head nearly reached her father’s waist.

“Did you pick it all by yourself?” her father asked.

Kate shook her head. “Mom helped me,” she answered.

“Don’t you go blaming me, Kate,” her mother laughed. “Jerome, Kate found this spot all by herself,” Kate’s mother said to her husband.

“Well Kate, it’s a great spot, however you picked it,” Kate’s dad added with a laugh.

Kate smiled up at her father and mother.

“Well, now is the hard part Kate,” her father stated. “You have to dig out the hiding spot all by yourself. Your Mom and I can help out here. We’ll move the dirt away from the entrance and spread it out over the field. But in order for the spot to be as safe as possible for you, the entrance needs to only big enough for you to enter. Does that make sense?” he asked.

Kate nodded her answer.

“Of course, as you get bigger, the burrow and the entrance will have to get bigger also. But the important thing is, never make the entrance any bigger than it has to be. You don’t want anyone bigger than you to ever get inside. You have to be like a badger. Does that make sense?”

Kate nodded again, though she had no idea what a badger was. That was a word her father had brought down from living on top.

“Well then, let’s get to work,” Jerome stated taking Kate and her mother by the hands and pressing them tightly.

Kate did not make a light. She was comfortable in the dark and knew where everything was in the room. She moved over to the books and reached above them, finding the knife. She took it by the handle and held it tip out and brought it close to her leg. She slid over beside the burrow entrance and listened and waited, breathing slowly and deeply, calming herself.