The End of Refuge, page 16
“Linda?” Avery asked, identifying the cute blond.
“That’s the one,” Scott said leaning back letting out a sigh. Avery didn’t like Scott’s obvious admiration of the woman Avery himself was drawn to. In the end, girls always seemed to go for the smooth talking, tall, Virginia Tech frat boy. Maybe Avery didn’t have a chance.
“I saw her at breakfast in the cafeteria. She said there is going to be a briefing today at noon.”
“Yeah,” Scott said, “I heard the doctor talking about it. It’s at the center. Let’s head on over there and make sure we get good seats. I want to hear just how deep of shit we’re in.” Scott was able to get himself out of the bed and already had a set of crutches waiting next to him. They slowly made their way toward the center and found a seat near the front where the tables had been set up the previous day. They didn’t have to wait long for the briefing to start.
Avery kept an eye out for Linda but didn’t see her before Lieutenant Clark marched to the front of the center. He stood at a temporary podium that had been set up and began the briefing.
“Hello everyone. I am Lieutenant Gerald Clark and I am serving as temporary Captain of Subterranean Shelter 14, or SS14 for short.” Even though there was no microphone or speaker equipment, Lieutenant, now Captain, Clark was easy to hear throughout the center as he talked in a clear booming voice. “Before I go into details of the events from yesterday, I would like to go over some housekeeping details while I have everyone’s undivided attention.
“We have a total headcount in SS14 of one hundred ninety-four. Now, SS14 was built to house up to a thousand souls, so we have plenty of space and resources for everyone. That said, you all will still need to keep track of your own linens and meal tickets. I am not going to allow resources go to waste or for them to be squandered because, at some point, we are going to need every can of beans we’ve got.
“Although everyone was checked into a dorm with two beds for the first night, there are larger bunks available which all fared well through the blast. They are structured as three bedroom residences and we will have families and same-sex groups of three move to these bunks. I encourage you all, pick whichever arrangement will make you most comfortable. We may be here for a while.
“At 16:42 eastern standard time, a cargo ship carrying nuclear warheads for the North Korean military launched a series of missiles at the coast of the United States, right at Norfolk Naval Base. Our best guess is that the missiles were detonated just off the coast, and the impact started a landslide, which has relocated the entirety of SS14. Unfortunately, we have not been able to reestablish communication outside of our shelter. From the sounds of humpback whale songs last night, it appears the shelter has been relocated to the bottom of the ocean.”
The crowd listening to Clark had been super quiet so far during the briefing, but now they exploded with exclamations. No one wanted to believe they were cut off from the outside. Someone suggested they all swim to the surface. All the officers were standing around the room, blocking all the doors to the center, waiting for Clark to give the order for them to spring into action. Instead, Clark let everyone clamor for a minute before raising up his hands as a request for them to quiet down.
“We are airtight and watertight down here. Although we are unable to measure the water pressure outside, the shelter was built to withstand great force. All of the structures of SS14 are encased in cylinders of concrete reinforced with rebar, making it incredibly strong and able to withstand large sustained force. Right now, I can’t say what our current depth is, but simply swimming to the surface may not be a feasible option.
“Now, SS14 is a big place. It was originally constructed during the cold war and underwent modifications to make it fit for the current threat. We will all be able to continue to thrive while we’re waiting until it’s safe to leave. Right now, our most basic resources of oxygen, clean water, and food, will last us for about five months. Now, I don’t expect us all to be down here that long, but we won’t be out of here overnight.
“Since we will be here for a while, everyone who is able-bodied will be assigned work detail. I want to maintain a clean and safe environment. Later this afternoon at sixteen hundred hours, you will all get the opportunity to request bunk transfers and preferred work detail. If you do not request a transfer, you will stay in the same dorm you were assigned last night. If you do not request any work detail, I will make sure to assign you to whatever needs to be done, even if it’s scrubbing the toilets.
“I’m sure a lot of you have questions. I will not be addressing any questions right now in front of the whole group but will make myself available after lunch in this room to answer questions about our current situation. I don’t guarantee I’ll have an answer for you, but you are more than welcome to ask. Thank you all for your time and attention, and I release you all to the cafeteria for lunch.”
Scott and Avery agreed to share a bunk, but they still needed one more person. Avery immediately thought of Paul. The kid deserved a space larger than the tiny dorm they spent the first night in, and Avery doubted there would be any way for Paul to get his own room within a bunk and still stay with Wanda. Once they had their living arrangement sorted out, Wanda and Linda decided to move into a bunk together and found a third woman also in her mid-twenties who would move in with them.
The three men were visiting the women’s bunk as they were getting settled. Wanda and Paul were the only ones in the shelter who had packed their own items, and Wanda already had her comfy blankets and pink sheet tucked into her new bed. Linda was helping their third roommate Heather make her bed.
“It’s called hospital corners,” Linda explained as she showed Heather on the first corner how she neatly folded the sheet along the side of the bed before tucking the next side under. “It’ll hold the sheet down and make it look tidy.”
“Why didn’t they just give us fitted sheets?” Heather asked, flipping her long mane of wavy brown hair from one shoulder to the other before haphazardly cramming sheet under the mattress.
“Because,” Linda answered moving onto another corner of the bed, “flat sheets are more sanitary. They are easier to wash and dry and also fold and store. Plus, the elastic wears out quickly on fitted sheets.”
“You learn to make a bed like that in nursing school?” Scott asked leaning against one of his crutches in the doorway.
“Yes, I did…” Linda said, un-tucking the side Heather had just been tucking to make a third tidy corner.
“Oh, you’re a nurse?” Heather asked.
“Well…” Linda started, tucking in the final corner of the sheet.
“She flunked out,” Scott answered. “Too much…” he pinched his thumb and first finger together holding them up to his lips in the gesture for smoking, then dropped his hand and gave Linda a wink.
“Wow,” Linda said, “I’m not telling you any more of my secrets.”
“It’s okay,” Heather insisted. “I was in and out of college for 5 years just trying to decide on a major before I dropped out and started working on getting my associates degree in accounting. Most boring profession ever.”
“So what kind of work detail did you sign up for?” Linda asked.
“Well, there’s no accounting down here, so I figured I’m a pretty competent cook. I could start there.”
“If you all keep a lid on my nursing school failure, I think I’ve got the medical wing in the bag,” Linda said.
“I’ve got a good amount of my computer science degree under my belt,” Scott said, “so I figure they’d let me work in technology maintenance.” He turned to face the hall and shouted out to the others, “What work detail did you guys ask for?”
Wanda, Paul, and Avery were playing a card game in the living room, and Avery answered first. “I’m only seventeen, so I get to study and only work part time, but the only part time offering is janitor.”
“That’s lame,” Heather said as she, Linda, and Scott left her room to join them in the living room.
“I have my doctorate in agricultural engineering which gives me no advantage in an underground shelter with no sunlight,” Wanda said. “I didn’t sign up for anything and will just let the fates decide.”
“It won’t be the fates deciding, it will be that smiley Captain Clark,” Scott said. “I’m sure he’ll find something appropriate for you. Maybe bodyguard.”
The women all laughed at this, although Avery didn’t understand how it was funny. Wanda said, “Don’t know if we’ll need any of them down here.”
“I just hope they are able to give us enough to do. I really would rather keep busy than have time to dwell on what a shitty situation we’re in,” Scott said.
Wanda shot Scott a dirty look as Paul shouted, “oh, you said a bad word!”
“I agree,” Heather said. “Idle hands are the devil’s playthings. Good thing we’re only here for a month.”
“Well, that’s what Captain Clark projected,” Avery corrected. “I get the feeling the number of days we’re here might change.”
“And that thought,” Linda said, “is why we need to keep busy. Dinner should be up soon, and then the work assignments will be released. Why don’t we all head over there early?”
“Let me finish my game first,” Paul insisted.
“We will,” Wanda said. “Why don’t you three go on ahead? We’ll meet you at the cafeteria when we’re done here.”
Scott, Heather, and Linda agreed and the two women followed Scott as he sped ahead having already mastered his crutches.
After dinner, Avery read through the new work assignments posted on the center doors, even though he already knew cleaning crew was in his future. Scott and Linda got the work detail they wanted. Heather didn’t get a job cooking, but rather serving meals and cleaning up the kitchen. Surprisingly, Wanda got placed teaching. Avery felt it was nice she would get to see Paul every day in a classroom since they weren’t able to share a bunk.
With their new work details, life underground started to settle into a nice little routine. Yes, everyone was anxious to get any news on political developments as well as when they would be able to leave the shelter. Even though the military personnel consistently called the shelter SS14, everyone living there started referring to it as ‘Refuge’. They were away and protected from any warfare that might have broken out between the United States and North Korea but also isolated. Any cellular phone was worthless since there was no signal underwater. They didn’t have telephone lines or cable connection. Avery wasn’t sure they could even get radio here.
Yet, people continued on. Even though they didn’t know how their loved ones on the surface were doing or if there was anything left above ground after the blast, the residents of Refuge put on a brave face and continued surviving underwater.
16
Avery pushed the bucket down the hall and started mopping the next patch of floor. The sealed concrete floor stretched on and on behind him, glistening as it dried from the fresh cleaning. In front of him, he had just a short stretch before he reached the residences. Once he finished mopping the halls through the residences which were in use, skipping the halls where no one resided, he would be done for his shift today. Tomorrow he would clean the bathrooms and the day after, the center. The kitchen staff took care of the kitchen and cafeteria, and there was a woman with full time cleaning duty who cleaned the interior of the residents and also took care of cleaning the bathrooms so they got thoroughly cleaned twice a week. They had only been at Refuge for a little more than a week, and already Avery was used to his new routine.
Once all the halls in the residences were done, Avery was about to turn back and return his mop and bucket to the janitorial closet within the storage areas when something strange caught his eye. He saw the hall stretching between the dorms was wet. Of course, it was wet where he had mopped already, but it appeared to be wet further down where he hadn’t bothered mopping. He propped the mop against the wall, and slowly walked down the hall, passing the increasing numbered doors. The floor under his feet was now dry, but he could clearly see water ahead, and the line of water on the floor advanced toward him by a hair.
He rushed forward, splashing down the wet hall. The water would be coming from somewhere. He didn’t know the layout of Refuge too well and was unsure if the leak could be from an exterior wall or the interior plumbing. Still, either situation was bad. They couldn’t afford to lose all of their fresh water, but in the other case, the shelter would certainly fill up with seawater and drown everyone. He sniffed the air and could already smell the salt. Avery wasn’t sure what to do. He needed to act fast. Leaving the mop and bucket behind, he ran towards the main hall, recalling there was an area near the center where Captain Clark had set up as his office.
Avery turned into the command area and found the door with the neatly hand-written sign marking it as Clark’s temporary office. He didn’t bother knocking and threw open the door. Officer Monroe was there meeting with Clark and when he turned and saw Avery, a grave expression took over his face.
“What’s wrong?” Monroe asked, standing up out of his chair.
“There’s a leak in the residences. I saw water coming into the hallway.”
“Show me,” Monroe ordered, grabbing a large loop of keys hanging on the wall and checking to see if he had his radio attached to his belt. Monroe was easily able to keep up with Avery as the pair jogged down the hall back toward the residences.
As soon as they got to where Avery left his mop, Monroe started talking into his radio. “There is standing water in residential hall E. The water level has made it up to dorm door… 863. No apparent cause or leak. I’m going to start checking rooms for the source of water and we can find and stop the leak.”
Monroe used the large ring of keys to let himself into the first dorm with water at the door. Right after he walked through the door there came a loud crash echoing from the end of the hall. Monroe jumped and sprinted back to the hallway where Avery still stood.
“What happened?” Monroe asked. Avery didn’t have a chance to answer as the water line trickled closer and started speeding up, making waves as it quickly splashed closer and closer.
Monroe started yelling into his radio. “We have an emergency leak. We need to seal off residential hall E now!”
A minute later Officer Perry and Captain Clark came running down the hall pushing a cart loaded with tools. They took off an item which looked like an emergency raft used on airplanes in case of a crash over water, but in bright orange. Monroe helped Perry unfurl the deflated sack and the pair held it up in the air as Clark gave a hard yank to a cord attached to a red handle. Instantly, the empty sack came to life inflating with a hiss.
“There’s another over here,” Perry said, indicating a second red handle. Clark pulled that one, and the hiss became louder as the sack grew even faster. The orange device would seal off the entire hallway. The leak, where ever it was, let in water too fast for them to take the time to find the source, and sealing the hall was the best fix.
Avery jumped as another large crash came erupting down the hall. The orange bladder blocking the hall let a spray of water come through along the wall half way up on both sides.
“Get the foam!” Clark shouted. Perry took a device, which was two large canisters connected together and strapped it on, wearing it like a backpack. Each canister had a tube leading from it, and the two tubes met at a nozzle. Perry ran up to the leak between the bladder and the wall and with a jerk of the lever attached to the nozzle, started spraying a light gray foam. A lot of the foam got immediately washed away by the water, but some of it stuck, and once he had sprayed enough foam, the water flow became less. He worked along the floor and up the other side, slowly sealing the orange bladder to both walls, floor, and finally the ceiling.
“Good work, men,” Clark said once the immediate threat was over. “We need to install a new cinderblock wall in front of the emergency block. It should hold for 24 hours, but let’s not push our luck. Monroe, I want you to stay here and report any changes. Perry, go get some men from maintenance to start constructing the new wall. And you,” he said, addressing Avery, “good work alerting us to the leak. Another minute and we may not have been so lucky.”
“Thank you,” Avery muttered. After returning to the hall with Monroe, all Avery had done was stand back and watch the three men work. He didn’t feel like any congratulations were warranted.
Monroe nodded at Avery who stood motionless, even after Perry and Clark had marched away. “Hey, kid. Don’t look so glum. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? You’ve earned it.”
“Yeah,” Avery said. It was already late, and mopping had been the last thing he needed to get done before turning in. He turned to walk over to his bunk, then came back to grab the mop.
“Don’t worry about that,” Monroe said pointing to the mop. “I got it. Get some rest. Thanks again.” Avery turned back towards his bunk and walked away. He could already hear the loud clatter of the first cart of cinderblocks getting pushed down the hall to build the new wall.
“Hey, did you guys know that Avery’s totally a hero?” Paul announced to Avery’s friends at the cafeteria. Paul usually sat with the few other kids during meal times, but he was so excited to tell Avery’s story about the leak. He was sharing the news with everyone.
“I know buddy,” Scott said, mussing Paul’s hair with his hand. “I was there when Avery told you. Go tell the other kids.” He took his box of milk and tossed it onto Paul’s tray. “Here, have some more chocolate milk, kid. You need to beef up.”
“Thanks!” Paul said as he ran off to sit with the kids.
“What’s this about being a hero?” Wanda asked.
Avery really wanted to impress Linda but she seemed pretty preoccupied picking at her food.
“Oh it’s nothing,” Avery said, smoothing his neatly combed hair with his hand.
