The Shelter: The Aftermath

by Ira Tabankin

  “You’re not awake, you’re drifting between planes of existence.”

  “Is that bad?”

  “It’s not good. I told you to swim towards the light, what happened?”

  “I tried, I really did, I got tired and wanted to just rest a minute. Then I found myself back in the dark.”

  “Tell me something, do you remember your wife, do you miss her?”

  “That’s very funny, yes, I remember her and my girls and my granddaughters, but I don’t miss them, it feels like its okay for me to be here and them to be there. I don’t understand it and I can’t explain it.”

  “I’m afraid it may be too late for you. I feared this might happen. I need to leave you for a moment.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I need to talk to someone, I need to see if you can still be saved.”

  “Saved from what?”

  “From here.”

  “Where is here?”

  “Jay, trust me a moment, I’ll be right back. Whatever you do, don’t go anywhere, don’t listen to anyone who shows up and isn’t me. No matter who they say they are. Promise me, you will stay right here.”

  “I have no idea where here is, but I promise I’ll stay where I am.”

  “Good.”

  I’m sure that’s my dad, although, in order for it to be him, it means I’m dead. I don’t feel dead. How does dead feel? I wish I knew what’s going on. I don’t like it here, when he mentioned my wife, he didn’t use Lacy’s name, I wonder why. I remember her, I remember every moment of our life together, I can remember as if each moment just happened. Yet for some reason I don’t miss her. That’s crazy. How is it possible? I feel like I’m floating in a pool of warm water, but I can breathe, am I really breathing? If I’m dead, I wouldn’t be breathing. Damn it, Dad, where is here? When is here?”

  “Jay.”

  That’s not my dad, I know that voice, but I can’t place it.

  “Jay. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? You’re early.”

  Nothing but shadows, I can’t figure out who it is, the voice is familiar but who and what does he mean I’m here early. Shit, I must be dead. If I’m dead, where is Lacy? Where are the girls? What happened to the shelter? Am I the only one who bought the farm? Ha, ha, I did buy the farm, all 1,000 acres of it.

  “Asshole, you haven’t changed, you’re as arrogant as ever. I thought maybe dying would change you, it hasn’t.”

  “It’s true, I died?”

  “Arrogant and stupid, yup, you haven’t changed. Of course, you’re dead, why else would you be here?”

  “Where is here? I know your voice, but I can’t place it. Help me, please tell me who you are?”

  @@@@@

  Alarms sound over Jay’s bed, the nurse press the shelter intercom yelling, “Code blue, code blue!”

  Doctor Basco lifts his head when he hears the Code blue alarm, he looks at Lacy,

  “I’ve got to go.”

  “Is it Jay?”

  “Lacy, stay calm, I’ve got to go.”

  Doctor Basco runs down the hall, people jump into open doorways to give him space to run, everyone knows code blue means one of their own is dying. Most start to tear up, they know who it is and are falling deeper into depression, all but one person who smiles when he hears the code blue announcement. Ricky thinks to himself, perfect timing. If he never regained consciousness, he can’t dispute anything I’ve said. The families are going to be even more depressed, it will make my task that much easier. I’m going to strike while the iron’s hot, it’s time to approach a few more families.

  Sammi, Ricky’s wife, is confused, she asks, “Ricky, do you know what code blue means?”

  “Honey, it’s a medical alarm that means someone’s heart stopped beating.”

  “Oh my God, that could only be my dad, come on, we have to go there and give him support. Oh my, God, we can’t lose him. He’s our leader, he’s my father. What’s going to happen to us if he dies?”

  “Honey, maybe we need a new leader, fresh blood, someone who isn’t going to start a war every time someone steps foot on the farm.”

  “Ricky, this isn’t the time. It’s disrespectful to talk about that while he might be dying. Let’s discuss it later, are you coming with me?’

  “Yes, I’m ready, let’s go.”

  @@@@@

  “Captain, we have a rough map of the facility under the crops.” Said the Sergeant.

  “Great, let me see it.”

  The captain looks at the tablet and the diagram displayed on it.

  “Can you overlay a topographic map over the diagram?”

  “Sir, let me see the tablet, I’ll see if I can pull up our location and merge the two.”

  Handing him the tablet, the sergeant plays with it for a few minutes,

  “Sir, here you are, it’s the best I can do.”

  “Perfect. Damn, that shelter is huge! It also looks to be two different types of construction. The front side is different from the rear. How many people do you think it holds?”

  “Sir, depending on how crowded they are, they could easily hold seventy or more people in there, maybe even one hundred.”

  “Have we discovered the entrance yet?”

  “No, sir, we haven’t been able to locate it yet.”

  “It’s got to be right under our noses. It has to be close enough they could quickly enter it. There should also be an emergency exit. If I were building the shelter, I'd place the emergency exit on the other side of this hill, in the woods.”

  “Want us to look over there?”

  “First we need to clear these damn bobby traps and mines. Whoever laid these must have really wanted to be able to disappear without being followed. Even with our equipment, we have one injured, I can imagine how poorly others must have faired chasing these people. Sarge, bring me two of our Russian friends, maybe they can remember something of value. One other point, we know this group fought a couple of battles, there must be a mass grave somewhere with bodies in it.”

  “Sir? You want us to find the mass grave?”

  “Just be aware there is one. It might help to keep the men to be on their toes when you tell them there is at least one mass grave on the property.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Captain Black sits alone a minute thinking, how much did this thing cost? How long did it take to build it? How many people are down there? How do we communicate with them? Wait a minute, I don’t have to figure out how to communicate with them, they must have cameras up here watching their farm from below, all I have to do is make up some signs and place them around saying we’re friends. I bet they’re watching me right now.

  The captain didn’t know how right he was. John, Todd, and Tony watched the captain, Tony looked at John,

  “What do you think they’re discussing?”

  “Us. They have ground penetrating radar. They know we’re here. They’re trying to figure out what to do.”

  “Should we reach out to them?”

  “Not yet, let’s see what they do…”

  “Code blue, code blue. Doctor Basco to medical ASAP!”

  Todd looks up, “Dad!” He runs out of the security room towards the medical facility.

  Tony says to John, “Stay here and monitor what our new friends are doing up there, I’ll be with Todd.”

  “Tony, are you going to take over?”

  “He isn’t gone yet. I don’t want to hear such talk.”

  “Everyone knows what code blue means.”

  “Not yet. We both know he’s a fighter, he’ll pull through.”

  “Tony, keep me informed what’s going on.”

  “Will do.”

  Doctor Basco has to push his way through the hall to the medical facility, “Get out of my way.”

  He pushes people away from the door so he can get in, “What are his numbers?”

  The nurse pushing on Jay’s chest yells over her shoulder, “Flatlined, I hit the alarm, 110 seconds ago.”


  “Give me 30cc adrenalin and charge the paddles.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Come on Jay, fight you crazy bastard. FIGHT, it’s not time to sleep yet. FIGHT you sum bitch.”

  He jams the syringe into Jay’s chest, “Anything?”

  “Quick couple of blips then flat-lined.”

  “Good, he’s not too far gone yet, give me the paddles and stand back.”

  He places the paddles on Jay’s chest, “Now.”

  God Damn it, that hurt. Who’s trying to kill me? Shit, if I’m already dead, how did I feel that? Maybe I’m not dead, maybe this is all just a bad dream.

  “Jay, you know you are dead. You know there’s no going back, you’re here forever with us, there’s no escape. Why don’t you just accept the fact and move on?”

  “Who are you, where is my father?”

  “That asshole? Why do you want to talk to him? You never did want to spend any time with me, I was forgotten by you. You didn’t want anything to do with me or mom.”

  Oh my God! Can it be? My brother, here?”

  “Bobby?”

  “I never liked that name, why don’t you use my given name?”

  “I’m sorry, Robert, is this better?”

  “Much. Are you ready to go?”

  “Dad told me to stay here and wait for him. Did he send you?”

  “He didn’t send me, we didn’t talk in life, what makes you think we’d talk now?”

  “I thought you two would have forgiven each other by now, you’ve been here for a few years now.”

  “I don’t spend time with him, we’re not in the same place. My friends are waiting for you, are you ready to get up and come along with me? After all these years, we are both going to be together.”

  I stand and smile at my brother, my guilt for not including him more in my life covers me like a cold blanket smothering me. I can’t throw the blanket off or breathe through the blanket. The blanket feels like it’s stuck. “Robert, help me, I can’t take this blanket off, I can’t see or breathe. It smells like rotting meat under here.”

  “That smell is you. You’re rotting, soon there will be nothing but your soul. It’s getting late, the fools where you came from are trying to bring you back. We have to go before they succeed.”

  “Wait, you said there’s no going back. Which is it? Can I go back? Can I return home?”

  “That’s not your home anymore, you will stay here with us for eternity.”

  “I want to go home, my home, my real home with Lacy.”

  “Forget about her. You won’t be seeing her again and as soon as you take my hand, you won’t even remember her.”

  @@@@@

  Captain Black looks at the diagram of the underground structure, he turns to face an aide, “Bring me the sheriff, maybe he knows something about this structure.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Five minutes later Sheriff Grover is sitting in front of Captain Black, two armed MP Sergeants stand behind the Sheriff. Captain Black looks at the Sheriff, “Sheriff so you have any idea what Mr. Tolson was building under his property?”

  “I saw holes in the back yard, we both know about the trench, I have to assume they built some type of shelter somewhere in their yard.”

  “Do you remember anything about this shelter? Did Mr. Tolson ever mention anything about any of the details of his shelter with you?”

  “No, if he had, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you.”

  “What do you think Mr. Tolson owes you?”

  “That’s between him and I.”

  “Is there anything you want to share with me?”

  “I want you to release me, I’ll find Tolson and deal with him my way.”

  “Sheriff, thank you. Sergeant, please escort the Sheriff back to him holding area. Don’t let him get lonely.”

  Smiling, the sergeant replies, “Yes, sir.”

  Chapter 11

  The darkness is split by a bright flash of light, I feel the flash, like an explosion’s overpressure blast wave, there’s no sound, just the whitest light I’ve ever seen, an angry voice booms out of the light “What are you doing here?”

  “I come and go as I please, I do what I want. I don’t answer to you. My days of listening to you are long gone. I only answer to the supreme one.”

  “Your supreme one isn’t supreme. You have been ordered to leave your brother alone.”

  He’s laughing so hard, dark sparks are lighting up wherever we are. “He doesn’t belong with you. Look at what he’s done in his life, he belongs with me, he’s killed hundreds, he’s lied and stolen. He’s ours.”

  “Why don’t you do me the first favor you’ve ever done and leave him alone? He doesn’t belong to your kind. Whatever he did was done to help others. He belongs to me in the light.”

  Why is my father arguing with the person who claims to be my brother, I know I’m dead because both my brother and father are dead. If I’m not dead, then this is a hell of a dream. I’m dreaming I’m dreaming. I need to find a way out of wherever I am so I can find my way back. I’ve decided I want to go home, I don’t want to stay here. I don’t know who I can trust. I want to be with Lacy and see my grandkids again. I have to find the path back to the light, dad said it’s up, he told me to swim up. I hear voices in the background, but not who they belong to. I want to move, but I can’t find the way. Maybe I don’t have a body, maybe, I just have to will my way up. I always thought the tube of light was something one walked into, not something that had to be found. I can do this, I can will my way up, or at least what I feel is up.

  “Why don’t you go back to where you belong?”

  “I will as soon as I take my son with me.”

  “He’s never going with you.”

  While they're distracted, I’m going to slip out of here and find my way home. If dad was right, all I have to do is find the light and swim towards it.

  @@@@@

  “Doctor, his blood pressure is stabilizing as is his breathing, I think he’s coming back.”

  “Great, let’s see if we can help him along, get me 150mg of amantadine.”

  “Yes, doctor. Should I start the IV now?”

  “Yes, let’s see if we can help him find his way back.”

  “Doctor, his vitals are improving. He’s fighting.”

  “It might take him some time to make his way to the surface, why don’t you get yourself some coffee or something to eat, I’ll sit with him.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, on your way to the mess hall, why don’t you stop by and tell Lacy he’s improving?”

  “Doctor, she’s sitting outside against the wall.”

  “Is he okay?” Asked Lacy standing in the doorway with a tear stained face.

  “Lacy, he’s fighting to come around. I gave him a drug which has been shown to help people come out of comas.”

  “Does that mean he’s back?”

  “Lacy, not yet, the drug helps him, it doesn’t wake him which could be dangerous, this process takes time, we can’t rush it, we have to let him find the strength to wake.”

  Where am I? Why can’t I move? I can see, but everything is blurry, it’s like looking at something through a window covered in Vaseline. At least I don’t see or hear my father anymore, that must mean I’m still alive. I see the light, I’m going to make it this time. I’m going to go home and get out of this crazy place.

  @@@@@

  Rumors spread through the shelter faster than a wildfire, this rumor was exactly what the people were waiting for, Jay was coming out of his coma. A heavy weight was being lifted off their shoulders, people’s moods immediately changed for the better. People stopped petty arguments with their neighbors, hope filled the shelter that they would soon return to the surface. They made plans how they would repair and improve their homes, they discussed which crops to plant and how to increase their crop yields, Tony’s people met to plan how to improve the group’s security so they won’t have to retreat to
the shelter again. Fred and Randy took inventory so they knew what needed replacement so the shelter was always ready if needed.

  The one person who wasn’t pleased with the news of Jay’s imminent return was Ricky. He wasn’t ready for a head to head confrontation with Jay yet, he needed three additional families to support him in having Jay replaced as the shelter’s leader. Ricky didn’t wait for the facts on Jay’s condition to spread, he checked his list of families who he thought were his best options to see things his way. He smiled to himself thinking he knew just the rumor to spread to offset everyone’s good mood and enhance their inner doubt. He went to the mess hall to wait for people to show up, it being the one place everyone usually meets to discuss the news and rumors.