--Point of View: Katie--
A long, dark, and forbearing stretch of stairs laid before me. An occasional breeze wafting up from its depths. What awaited me in these dark tunnels was one of the old abandoned subway stations that were scattered throughout this ruined city. They stretched for miles underneath these now barren streets. Its condition was remarkable compared to the rest of the area, but even then, I knew we were supposed to stay clear of the underground. I could hear Robert’s words echoing in my head.
“Under no circumstances are any of you to head underground. I don’t feel like rescuing anyone’s ass today.” Robert would always say.
It was a huge risk, but everything pointed to this spot. It must be here. I double checked my tools for the third time before hesitantly starting my decent. I could not believe I was doing this. The amount of paperwork I was about to cause was almost as terrifying as where I was going. It was like stepping into a black void. With trembling hands, I flicked on my flashlight and peered around. It helped but I still felt uneasy. This whole city gave me the chills. I always felt like we were all being watched, but that was just nerves. There was no food or clean water for wildlife, not to mention the radiation would slowly kill you over time. There was nothing in this barren wasteland to harm you besides your own stupidity. Unfortunately, I had a knack for that.
I made slow progress through the subway station, relying on my tools to lead the way. As I walked, that all too familiar feeling of being watched flooded back over me. It made the hairs on my neck standup and sent chills down my spine. Foolishness was all it was, but I could not shake it off. It was getting harder to breath, and I started stumbling over my own two feet. Fear was creeping into my mind like a disease, filling it with doubt. What if I never left this place? Would I ever be found? More and more questions sprung into my head until my eyes caught a glimmer of hope sparkling in the distance.
I stopped dead in my tracks and my gaze lingered down a hallway, a plague labeled maintenance glimmered as my flashlight passed over it. The tools on my belt were letting me know that my thoughts were correct. Beeping and whirling louder than ever, I reached down and clicked them all off, bathing the area in silence once more. I could handle it from here. I took a deep breath and made my way down the hall, stopping at the tee and heading towards the still conveniently labeled electrical / utility room. Everything would change if my thoughts were correct.
As I approached the end of the corridor, my enthusiasm dwindled as I caught sight of a heavy steel door. I gave the handle a quick tug, hoping by sheer luck it would open. Alas, the door was firmly sealed shut. With a sigh and a flurry of colorful words under my breath, I swung my backpack around, plopped it onto the dusty ground and began to dig through it. After a brief bout of rummaging, I retrieved my torch and powered it on, splashing the dark hallway with a bright blue glow. A quick trip around the deadbolt with a heavy flame and a swift kick swung the door open with relative ease. What awaited me was beyond my expectations. A single red light shined from across the room, beckoning me to come inside. Graciously accepting, I walked in and hastily scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary. Supply closets, breaker boxes, and various other equipment used to maintain the station were scattered throughout. The light though is what interested me the most. Where there was light, there was power. Something we have desperately been trying to find for years now.
After tearing the room up and down for anything else of interest, the only thing that remained was the red light and the computer terminal that sat beneath it. A press of the keys brought the screen to life. It blinked rapidly for a moment before a stream of characters flowed onto the screen. It showed a plethora of information for the whole station, and most importantly of all, the status of the reactor that powered everything. My face almost hurt from the smile that stretched across my face. It simply read "reactor state offline, down for 381,792 days. Main Breaker triggered. Please reset breaker and execute start command to resume operation."
“Damn. I’m happy if one of my tools lasts a year, let alone a millennium.” I whispered to myself, in awe at the fact that something this old was still functioning.
The main breaker was to my right, housed within a tall steel electrical cabinet. With a small bit of hesitation, I opened the front cover and prepared myself mentally. After wiping away a thick layer of dust, my hand found the main breaker, glancing once more to the terminal before giving it a tug. The handle came down with surprising ease, locking in place with a satisfying click. For a moment, nothing happened, but the silence was soon replaced by a loud humming that came from behind.
A door, previously unseen behind a pile of rubble, emitted a bright light that streaked through its small service window. Dashing over to peer inside, I was met with a small wonder. A lost reactor was spinning up right in front of my eyes. It was honestly breathtaking watching this lost technology doing what it was designed to do even after all these years. The reactor was no bigger than a standard transport vehicle but could power a small subsection of the city with ease. This is what we came here every day seeking. The lost reactors of the old ones. A minute passed before the terminal blinked and displayed a new line. It read "Reactor Online. Resume station activity? Y/N" I didn't even hesitate. Yes.
Before my fingers even left the keyboard, lights flickered on above me, nearly blinding me for the few moments it took for my eyes to adjust. It was nice to see well again. The room, now fully lit, was in far worse disarray than I had originally thought. Desks overturned, garbage everywhere, and an assortment of documents scattered on the floor. I scooped a few papers up, curious, but was met with nothing but jargon. A few more minutes would pass as I looked around, excitement overtaking me. I had really done it. I should radio back and tell the others. I brought the radio up to speak but was met with only static.
“This is Katie, can anybody hear me? Over.” I said, talking into my suit microphone.
There was no signal underground, but that did not stop me from trying a few more times. These old radios were shotty even at the best of times. I was going to try once more, it was then that everything they told us in training came to pass.
Everything shook, throwing me to the floor as a deafening boom echoed all around me. I dived under one of the desks as the first section of ceiling fell around me. The iron rafters supporting part the ceiling came shortly afterwards. It was raining stone all around me. With my eyes clenched shut and knees drawn in, I waited for what felt like a lifetime. Never go underground they told us. A cave in or collapse could render you dead in an instant if you are lucky. Otherwise, you would simply find yourself trapped, alone and without any way to contact the outside world. It was a slow death. A painful death.
Minutes passed as bits of rock continued to fall from above, bouncing off the desktops and forming a pile around me. Even after everything settled, I could not bring myself to move. I was utterly terrified. I had almost just died, and I could very well still be dead. Was the hallway still passable? Would I be able to escape or was this my grave? All these questions raced through my head until a loud crunch snapped me back from my trance. I whipped my head around, expecting, almost praying, to see one of my colleagues standing there to rescue me. What I saw drained away what little hope I had. Despair washed over me. Red like blood and towering towards the ceiling, a beast stood before me. It’s cold, lifeless eyes stared me down. I did not dare to even blink.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The creature remained motionless, simply watching me from across the room. It was not until it started its advance that I found my voice and began to scramble away.
"Stay back! Get away!" I screamed, desperately crawling out from under the desk and making my way hurriedly to the only other doorway in sight, the reactor room.
I struggled, pulling the door with all my strength, but it was blocked by all the fallen debris. I started tossing what I could aside, trying to clear a path, the jagged stones digging into my palms. Adrenaline was the only thing that kept me moving as I heaved everything aside, glancing back at the looming death that approached. It just kept walking slowly and menacingly in my direction until I could feel its breath upon my neck. A brief shimmer of hope flashed in my head as I reached for my belt. A gun, we all carried one but seldom, or never in my case, had to use it. I felt for it, but it was gone, along with several of my other tools.
As I turned around slowly, I was met with its terrifying gaze, face to face. I sank to my knees, shaking uncontrollably. Why did I come down here? I should have just followed protocol and got the others. Fame or glory? What did it matter if I just died in the end?
I clenched my eyes shut and waited, hoping it would at least be over quickly. Seconds passed and then minutes until I wondered if it was simply toying with me. Curiosity was getting the best of me as cautiously opened one eye to peek, but it was short lived. Another thunderous boom would reverberate through the building, the lights flickering off moments later as everything went dark. Crashing could be heard all around, but as suddenly as it started, it vanished and was replaced by a steady, rhythmic breathing. I realised there was something soft pressing down on me from above. I struggled to push it off, but it would not budge. It did not take long to piece the puzzles together though as I relented in my struggle. It was protecting me. This creature I was sure was an enemy, was now my savior.
I remained still, not that I had much of a choice in the matter, as the beast remained motionless. It was not until the final bits of rubble finally fell into place, the chaotic rain of debris finally coming to an end, that it stirred. The beast lifted itself up slowly and stepped over me with the utmost care. I laid frozen for a minute before reaching up to flip my flashlight on once again, its light bringing me some comfort in this otherwise precarious situation. The beast walked to the middle of the room and stopped, turning back to look at me, almost as if they were beckoning me to follow. I was honestly baffled by the whole ordeal, but if by some miracle this creature was trying to save me from my own mess, I would let it do so.
I started to stand, but pain would quickly wash over me, my right ankle buckling beneath me. I must have injured it during my panic-fueled antics earlier. Looking around, I dragged myself over to a desk and attempted to pull myself up, but to no avail. I was simply not in any condition to be moving around right now.
"It doesn't look like I'm going to be moving all that fast." I said nervously, wincing as I tried to drag myself over the various rubble. It nodded. Did it just understand what I said?
Before I could even ask, it approached and stood over me, its golden eyes staring down at me before it took hold of my backpack, heaving me upward with ease. A scream would escape me, a mix of surprise and terror. I opened my mouth to protest, but quickly thought better of it. Dangling beneath the maw of this beast, I relented and allowed it to whisk me away.
We traveled back down the long hallway, pausing several times along the way to clear the tunnel. Watching this creature tear through the stone and rebar like it was wet paper was a real eye opener. I, let alone a whole platoon, would be no match for this beast if it got close. As we progressed, they would gently set me down each time the path needed to be cleared out before scooping me back up. It was a little jarring at first but was still far better than crawling.
After almost an hour, we emerged into the main subway terminal once again. It was a disaster. The source of all the commotion was spread out in front of us. Two large trains had derailed when they hit the damaged tracks and crashed into one of the main support pillars, causing the whole station to become structurally unsafe. The power being restored must have set them back on course, amazingly, after lying dormant for the better part of a thousand years. We both stared in awe at the destruction before continuing our way.
Zig zagging around, we would eventually arrive to the subway entrance only to discover it was completely blocked off. A short, almost annoyed gruff would escape the beast's maw. They must be annoyed too.
"Don't suppose you know another way out do you?" I asked, trying to look around as I dangled back and forth.
It nodded, tossing me about momentarily as it turned away and continued down the terminal. We would not go far until we came to an abrupt stop. I glanced around but saw no exit in sight. Were we lost? The answer was no, we were not. The beast would crane his neck back, staring straight up at where a ceiling should have been. Instead, it was replaced by a gaping hole, letting the sun peak down into the underground. I sputtered for a moment.
"You are not thinking of jumping are….” I started to ask, but was silenced as the beast reared back.
The beasts sank its claws into the pavement as it propped itself up onto its hind legs. I am sure a different sort of horror flashed across my face as I was propelled skyward an instant later. My eyes were clenched shut as the air soared past me. One, two stories maybe, we jumped. Seconds later, we were above ground and basking in the warmth of the midafternoon sunlight.
Once we were a safe distance away from the hole, the beast would gently plop me down onto a nearby pile of rubble before retreating a few steps back. It stared at me once again, its glossy golden eyes staring into my soul. I opened my mouth to speak but was instantly silenced. It lunged and snapped its fangs inches from my face, a horrifying growl rumbling from the depths of its maw. It caused me to fall back in panic and by the time I recovered and sat up, it was gone. What was that? Was that a warning? A threat? How else was I supposed to take this. I sat in silence for a moment before reaching for my radio.
"Katie here. I am going to need some assistance. I'm injured, non-life threatening, but I've found it. Come quickly."
An hour would pass before anybody showed up. Tom and Chris rounded a corner. They came rushing up and started bombarding me with questions, but I brushed them aside and told them it could wait. I needed my ankle treated. While they braced up my ankle, Robert came barreling down the street towards us, his face wrought with worry. With my ankle wrapped up tightly, I was helped to my feet and borrowed a shoulder. I sighed deeply before giving the crew a rundown of the recent events. I told them about the subway, the reactor, and the collapse. I purposely left out any mention of the strange creature, explaining that I managed to crawl my way back out. I was beat up enough by the ordeal, so they seemed to accept it.
“You can’t be serious, right? Here?” asked Tom, wanting to confirm what he had heard, very dubious. He probably thought I had hit my head and to his credit, I did have a rather large bump there.
“Yes, I am completely serious. I know I like to joke around but not about this. Down there could very well change everything, again.” I asserted, trying to stand up straight to seem more convincing.
“Enough, we can discuss it when we get back.” Interjected Robert, his look of worry slowly starting to become one of anger. “And we will also talk about just how stupid you are Katie. Lucky for you I don’t feel like yelling at somebody who can hardly walk on their own.”
Everyone was quiet after that remark, but you could still feel the sense of excitement. We all would start our trek back to our transport, the sun now setting in the distance. It would be dark by the time we gathered up all our equipment and drove back home. The normal drive home seemed to fly by after the events that occurred today. Upon delivering our report to our chief, his eyes would light up as he whisked us all into an empty room, telling us all to remain there while he notified all the higher ups.
We sat for nearly an hour, talking about the events I experienced down in the subway. I told them all about the reactor and how I had to flip all the breakers to get it started again. The lights, the train crash, everything. We talked up until the door to the room swung open, the chief returning with another man in tow. The commander. He gave us a slight nod before smiling.
"Good work you four. Your work today will spring humanity into a new era."