The End Pt3

8/8/2019 The End Pt3

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TheEnd

By: D. Booyer

3Part 3: Marked



The EndPt. 3:

Marked

By: D. Booyer

Pain awakened Jim from a dreamless sleep. He was on

his pallet, but he couldn't remember how he had gotten there.

There was a dull ache in his knee and he had a headache, but

otherwise he felt fine. His pallet lay next to the cavern wall,

someone had hung blankets on three sets of stalagmite pillars

to give him some privacy. Trying to sit up caused his vision to

swim and pain to explode up his left side from his knee bringing an involuntary groan. The blankets at one corner of

the makeshift room parted and a small red haired young

woman holding a pink clip board with a cartoon cat printed on

its back walked in. She was wearing a white jacket and loose

fitting pants. Jim remembered her from the day before. Was it

the day before? Jim's head swam once more. She had been

sitting on the side of the road on an antique heater chestreading a thick book and taking notes on the clipboard she held

now.

“Ah, good,” she said, not looking up from the

clipboard, “you're awake. Please lie back, you took a nasty

blow to the back of your head,” she gestured with a pen topped

with the same cartoon cat.

Jim lay back gingerly, his leg throwing waves of pain

up his side as he did, “What happened?” he asked with a groan.“Well, we aren't exactly sure,” she said tapping her pen

on her clipboard, “The other Elders are...”

“The who?” Jim asked.

“Elders,” she corrected a note on the clipboard and gave

Jim a flat look, “that is what everyone is calling you anyway.”

“Why?”

“Well,” she said crouching next to Jim and checking his

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vitals, “you are older than the rest of us, with the obvious

exceptions of Bill and Sally of course, but they were with you

when you picked the rest of us up. Odd impromptu title aside,

the others want what happened to be kept quiet. Can't blamethem really, if the others knew you were attacked it could cause

problems. The gossip says that John was helping you out of

the van and slipped in the ash. Which is more than what is

known about what really happened. No one has any idea how

the rumor got started, but for now it would probably be best to

let them keep on thinking that.”

“So, what did happen anyway?”

“Apparently John interrupted someone messing with the

generator and you got knocked over when that someone

escaped. Nobody else knows this, I only know the truth

because I am your doctor. Well sort of, anyway.” the sort-of-

doctor made a few notes on her clipboard.

“Did John see who it was?”

“Possibly,” the young woman said, having him follow

her pen with his eyes, “he is still unconscious.”“Is he going to be alright?” Jim stared up at the roof of

the cavern wondering how something like this could happen,

“How long has he, well we, been unconscious?

“It is hard to tell,” she flipped a page in her notes, “He

was hit pretty hard. He lost a lot of blood, that is not

uncommon with a head wound, but I don't think he will have

any permanent problems. Other than making him as

comfortable as possible and giving him medication to counter possible infection and reduce swelling all we can do is wait.

We will know more when he wakes up. The two of you have

been unconscious for about eighteen hours.”

“So, what is wrong with my knee?” Jim asked

continuing his study of the cavern's ceiling.

“It looks like you cracked your fibula when you fell, it

is not that bad really. You can walk on it if you are careful, but

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I would advise against it. Try and stay off of it for a wile and

keep it elevated. You should be fine in a month or two. Well, I

have to see to my other patient,” she stood up and started for

the corner of the blanket.“Wait,” Jim said to her back, “What do you mean by

'sort of' a doctor?”

She paused with her hand on the blanket, “I was

supposed to finish my internship this fall. Any more questions

before I go?”

“Yes, what is your name?”

“Kelly,” she said, “my name is Kelly Green.”

“Well thank you for helping me Dr. Green,” Jim said

giving her a smile, “I don't suppose you could have a nurse

bring me one of those small ice creams in a cup could you?”

“Sorry,” Dr. Green said after pretending to consult her

notes, “we are out at the moment.”

“Out of ice cream, or nurses?”

“Both, sadly” She said, finally cracking a smile, “but

Sally hasn't finished talking to everyone yet, I hold out hopethat one may yet be found.”

The blanket had barely stopped swinging before they

parted again to allow Sally and Bill to duck inside.

“Good to see you awake,” Bill said, “We were worried

about you.”

“I'm alright,” Jim said trying to prop himself up and

wincing once more at the pain in his leg, “How is Jaime taking

this?”“She is pissed,” Sally shot a look at Bill and he

corrected himself with an uneasy cough, “She is very angry.

She had John's pallet moved near the mouth of the passageway

to the surface and watches both like a hawk. Joshua had a

couple of farm boys help him put up a temporary barrier at the

mouth of the passage. He put one up at the other passageway as

well, but it was clear which Jaime thought the more important.

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Not that I can blame her, I mean her husband is in a coma,” he

paused for a moment with a look at Sally, “Well, he is her

husband.”

“So I am guessing no one noticed anyone coming back into the cavern.” Jim's back was beginning to ache from laying

on the pallet for so long.

“No,” Bill said scratching his head, “whoever it was

must have found another way in and out. Unfortunately, we

still have no idea who attacked you, but I do feel sorry for

whoever it was. When Jamie gets a hold of him he will

probably wish he was never born.”

“I'd bet,” Jim said, “How is Josh, was he hurt?”

“He is fine physically,” Sally said with a concerned

look, “But he blames himself for what happened to you.”

“Its not his fault,” Jim said.

“He doesn't agree with you, he feels that he should have

been able to protect you.”

“He was on the stairs that led up to the walkway when

whoever it was knocked us over and he lost his balance,” Jimsaid shaking his head and making stars dance in his vision once

more, “he couldn't have done anything different.”

“Wow,” Bill said sitting next to Jim, “whoever hit him

must have been built like a bull. That or stone crazy. I couldn't

imagine even trying to knock Joshua over.”

“I should talk to him,” Jim said leaning back again, “it

might make him feel better if he knows I don't blame him for

what happened.”“It could help,” Sally said, “He has been keeping

himself busy since the attack.”

“I'd say,” Bill said with a laugh, “When he gets

motivated he really gets motivated. The bus has been totally

stripped. You weren't kidding when you said he was good

when it came to mechanics. He's brilliant really. It only took

twenty minutes for him to get the generator running again.

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Apparently your attacker put a large amount of ash in the gas

tank. He cleaned out the filter and replaced the gas in the tank.

We lost about sixteen hours worth of fuel.”

“That's not good,” Jim said, “we didn't have much leftin the first place.”

“Well, you did manage to bring some back from the

maintenance building, but we don't think there is more than a

few weeks left.” Bill said.

“Oh good,” Jim said with some relief, “it will give us

more time to find an alternate source of energy. We can't rely

on that old generator forever, and we need the electricity to

refrigerate our food. Which reminds me, how did the cheese

thing go yesterday?”

“Great,” Bill said with a smile, “we ended up with quite

a bit of it.”

“Nice,” Jim said returning the smile, “do you have any

ideas on how we can find more food? We really need to find a

way to get a steady supply or we will not last long enough for

the seeds Jaime brought to grow. Well, once we figure out howto get them growing, anyway.”

“See,” Sally said cheerfully, “that is why we need to

take better care of you.”

“What?” Jim asked with a laugh, “Because I ask silly

questions?”

“No,” Sally said walking to the edge of the blanket,

“You give us purpose, direction, and keep us motivated. We

need that too, almost as much as we need the food.”“Yea,” Bill said as Sally poked her head around the

blanket, “someone needs to keep us rolling.”

“Speaking of rolling, we have a surprise for you” Sally

said drawing aside the blanket wide enough to allow the young

Samantha to push a sturdy looking wheelchair into the

enclosure, “we can't just hide you away in here and we can't

have you on that leg yet. This way you can still see what is

5



going on and come up with more of those great ideas of yours.”

“OK,” Jim said slowly, “Where did you find the chair?”

“We found a first aide station in the back of the

generator chamber,” Bill said, “It wasn't much really, just thechair, a half empty first aide kit and a stretcher that looks like

World War I army surplus.”

“Funny,” Jim said with a laugh.

“No,” Bill said, “I'm serious. The date stamp said it was

made around the middle of World War I for the U.S. Army.”

“Wow,” Jim said, “what was in the first aid kit?”

“An outdated tube of burn cream, half a bottle of moldy

Aspirin, and a box of small adhesive bandages,” Sally said with

a sigh, “nothing really useful.”

“Well,” Jim said with a nervous look at the chair, “at

least we have the box and the chair.”

“The first aid box fell apart when we opened it,” Sally

said with a laugh, “The chair, at least, was added within the last

few years.”

“Well,” Jim said again, “at least we have the chair, Iwill be able to wheel myself around. That is a blessing, let me

tell you. I was dreading staying on this hard pallet for the next

month or so.”

“You won't be wheeling yourself anywhere,” Sally said

as she locked the wheels on the chair, “Sam here is going to be

your personal assistant. She will be wheeling you around.

Now let's get you into your chair.”

*****

From behind the barrier that led to the camp's water

supply Joshua watched as Jim rolled out of his blanketed

enclosure. He was glad Jim was awake, he felt bad that he had

not been able to keep him from getting hurt. He had also failed

to see who had attacked them in the parking chamber. It was

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morning, or what passed for it in this underground refuge, and

he had been unable to sleep. He had found ways of occupying

himself, however. After unloading the trailer full of tools he

had stripped the bus and put up the temporary barriers. Theyweren't much really. Just steel panels cut from the roof of the

bus with the acetylene torch. He had been thrilled to find

welding equipment in the maintenance shed. His treasure trove

had included two sets of tanks and an ark welder. He had ideas

for a more permanent barrier for the tunnel leading to the

surface. The back end of the bus, complete with it's

emergency door would be a perfect fit. He would need more

help getting it down the passageway. Perhaps some sort of

cart? That was a worry for later though, for now he was just

happy that Jim was awake again.

The chair had been a lucky find. After the attacker fled

he had propped Jim's feet up on the walkway before making his

way to the generator chamber. The failing light showed John's

still form, his head lay in a spreading pool of blood. He was

still breathing, that was good. Joshua had used his shirt towrap John's head as best as he could and propped his feet like

he had Jim's to prevent shock. He had no idea why that was

supposed to work, but that is what it had said in the first aid

manuals. He had just finished when the generator died. He

had to drain the tank and clean the line and fuel filter with the

light of the small flashlight John always carried on his belt. He

had worked furiously to get the old generator running again. If

anyone was to coming help they would need the lights to get upthe passageway. He had forgotten about the flashlight Jaime

carried on her belt. She arrived with Bill not long after the

generator rumbled to life again. As he had suspected their

assailant had been dumping ash in the generators fuel tank. He

had cursed himself for not figuring out a way to secure the door

to the generator chamber again after he and Jim had started the

thing. It was Bill that had found the disused first aid station

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hidden behind the rusty fuel drums. They had reinforced the

rotting stretcher with tarps from the trailer to carry John down

to his pallet. Joshua had carried the unconscious Jim himself.

Joshua had met Jim in high school when he had been afreshmen. He and Jim had become friends despite Jim being a

senior. Joshua did not think of Jim as an old man, he couldn't.

Jim was only four years older then he was. They had become

friends, and remained so even after Jim had graduated. Jim's

limp had been pronounced even then, but he had always been

there when Joshua had needed a friend. He supposed that

living with such a debilitating injury for so long could make

one feel older then their years.

Joshua turned back to his work, heating and reshaping

the end of one of the steel pipes that had previously served as

one of the rails for the walkway. He had already Welded a

scoop that he had welded to one end of the pipe, just before an

'S' curve. Now he heated the other end, carefully reducing it in

diameter until he could attach the spigot attachment he had

scavenged from the maintenance building. The thing wouldserve to pipe some of the cold water to the main cavern through

rubber hoses. He and John had loaded everything they could

onto the trailer on their trip to the nearby maintenance building.

They brought back everything including, ironically enough, the

kitchen sink. Well, it would serve as a kitchen sink anyway. It

was a deep, squarish basin on metal legs. He had enough hose

to run water to that and to the other side chamber that now

served as a latrine. It wasn't much right now, just a bucket withno bottom sitting on top of a deep crack in the stone floor. If

he could manage to get running water for their camp it would

be one step closer to being home. Joshua doubted there would

be much pressure. Perhaps he could build a collection tank of

some sort. Their had been a metal toilet in the maintenance

shed as well. He had already made a makeshift base to mount

it on. Now all he needed was the water.

8



Joshua finished attaching the spigot and fitted the

contraption in it's bracket. He wrestled the thing into place and

locked it in with a pair of large bolts from the bus. Turning the

valve on the spigot produced a stream of water under asurprising amount of pressure. It was more than he had hoped,

true, but a collection tank wouldn't hurt. Joshua scratched his

back, a shower would be nice too. Joshua yawned deeply as he

attached the end of one of the hoses to the spigot and turned it

on to check for leaks. Having found no leaks, and feeling the

long hours drawing him towards his pallet, he left the spigot

on. He walked out of the side passage and pushed the barrier

back into place. Joshua made his way to Bills makeshift

kitchen where his two assistants were cleaning the surfaces

before breakfast. Jeremy was wiping down the tables with

water fetched earlier from the underground river while his

sister Cathy washed utensils in one of Bill's large bowls before

rinsing them in another.

“Hey Joshua,” Cathy said with a smile as he

approached, “how goes the inventing thing.”“Its not really inventing,” he answered, “more sort of

learning to do old things in a new way.”

“So how is that going,” she asked.

He turned on the faucet in the sink, “OK, I guess,”

the faucet gurgled a bit then water began to flow into the large

basin, “at least we have running water now.”

“Great,” she said, smiling again and leaning one hand

on the counter, “no more fetching water. That will make thingseasier on all of us.”

“Yea, I hope so,” He looked toward the small camp

Jaime had made near the passageway to the surface were he

caught site of Dr. Green. She was standing by the rail to the

walkway glaring in his direction. He suddenly felt bone weary,

“Well, I should go. I need some sleep.”

“Sleep well,” she said with another smile.

9



“Sleep well,” Jeremy chided as Joshua lumbered off.

Joshua heard the wet sound of a loaded washrag hitting

it's target followed by a curt “Shut up” from his sister.

Joshua couldn't help but laugh softly to himself as heheaded towards the latrine to check for leaks in the hose

leading to his toilet rig. The tank was filled by the time he got

there and flushed when he pushed the lever on its side. Well,

the thing seemed to work and the tank was filling at a

satisfactory rate of speed. After a second flush he made his

way to his pallet. A few hours rest and he would get back to

his work. He fell immediately to sleep and into a dream about

a nice hot shower.

Joshua slept soundly, his weariness gluing his eyes shut

until the smells of lunch pulled at his empty stomach. When he

opened his eyes there was a small paper flower pinned to a note

next to his pallet. The stem of the flower had been colored

green but the bud was left white. The letter was an odd thing,

short and to the point and written in a precise hand on a scrap

of paper.

Joshua,

Please pin this flower to your shirt. You willlearn why later.

Joshua scratched his head as he read the letter a second

time then turned it over to see if there was anything written onthe back. There was nothing but the printing from one of the

pamphlets found at the message board near the entrance to the

chamber. He put the note in his shirt pocket and pinned the

paper flower to it. Somebody obviously thought it important

that he wore it. What harm could it do? He stretched and

started toward the smells of warm stew and rolls passing a

small group of girls who were discussing something privately.

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They grew silent as he passed and didn't look in his direction.

“Hello,” he said with a friendly wave.

“Hello Joshua,” they said formally and turned back to

their conversation.Up until now everyone had been quite friendly with

him. He didn't understand, perhaps the group blamed him for

what had happened to Jim and John. He wished, not for the

first time, that he had been able to do something to prevent the

two men from being injured.

Joshua sat down at the table he and his friends ate at

and studied his hands. He wondered what Jim would say to

him, if he would say anything. He had failed his best friend,

how could he ever make it up to him. Perhaps Sally would

have some ideas. He looked over to were Bill was busying

himself over one of his large pots. He too had a paper flower

with an orange stem pinned to his shirt. Cathy, who was

buttering rolls nearby noticed him and avoided looking at him.

She put a roll on a tray that already held a steaming bowl and

hurried off toward the passageway where Jaime sat holding her unconscious husband's hand. He wondered about this, Cathy

had always had a friendly word for him. Joshua was brought

out of his thoughts by the arrival of Sally.

“Hi,” she said sitting down on the other side of the

table. She didn't sit opposite him as she usually did when they

talked, she sat as far toward the other end of the table as

possible.

“Wow,” he said with a frown, “do I smell that bad?”“Don't worry,” she said with a laugh, “We all are

starting to get a little ripe.”

“Then why has everyone been avoiding talking to me

lately?” he asked.

“Not everyone is avoiding you,” she giggled, “just the

girls.”

“Why?” he asked concerned, “Have I done something

11



wrong?”

“No,” She said indicating the paper flower, “You've

been marked.”

“Marked?”“Yep,” she said, “Someone has claimed you. Until the

other women make their choice they will have to avoid you.”

“You aren't avoiding me,” he said then noticed Bill's

flower again, “I am guessing the flower on Bills shirt is

yours?”

“You are a sharp one,” she said with a grin, “I pinned it

on him myself just after breakfast.”

“Wow,” Joshua said patting the pocket, “all I got was a

note, and that unsigned.”

“She will let you know who she is when she is ready,”

she gave him a conspiratorial wink, “don't worry, I think you

will like her. You have a lot in common.”

“Do I get any say in this?” Joshua asked, nervously

running a hand over his bald head.

“None, whatsoever.” Sally replied smiling broadly in asatisfied manner as she sat back in her camp chair.

“So,” Joshua said slowly, “I'm guessing you can't tell

me who she is either. Right?”

“You're dieing to find out, aren't you?” Sally teased,

then in a serious voice added, “But, seriously, I can't tell you

unless she gives me permission to. The only person that can is

her, new rules and all.”

“New rules?” Joshua was beginning to get the feelinghe had missed something.

“Yep,” She said proudly, “new rules.”

“So soon?” Joshua asked cocking an eyebrow, “I mean,

seriously, its been like two and a half days. We don't even have

a shower yet and there are new rules about social interactivity.”

“Well,” she said, smiling at Bill before turning back to

Joshua, “It was obvious that the way things were before

12



wouldn't work. I mean, for goodness sake the divorce rate was

getting out of hand, and most of the younger generation

thought monogamy was a kind of wood. With that in mind it

was agreed that we needed to lay the ground rules before thingsgot away from us.”

“So, what then?” Joshua asked, “Are we going back to

arranged marriages or drawing names from a hat. I seriously

can't see me being anyone's first choice. I mean, besides Jim I

am the oldest guy here, and there is the other thing. I mean this

being a small rural town and all.”

“Oh, come on Joshua,” Sally chided, pretending to look

shocked, “no, we aren't drawing from a hat, but the classically

arranged marriages don't work either. Classically most

marriages were arranged for political or social gain with little

to no regard to what is best for the couple getting married. We

meet and decide as a group which of the interested girls is right

for the man in question. As for the other, you know that no one

really cares about that anymore. I mean it, just because you're

bald doesn't make you a bad choice”Joshua couldn't help but chuckle at this, “That's not

what I meant.”

“Joshua, you are a sweet guy,” She said seriously, “You

are sensitive and intelligent, and a lot of girls like that. It took

us over two hours to decide which candidate was right for

you.”

“So,” Joshua said after a few moments awkward

silence, “What about Jim. I mean, with his wife and all.”“Yea,” Sally said solemnly, “that subject came up as

well. He and John are already married and therefore

unavailable for marking. I wasn't sure how he would take that,

but he was, well, relieved.”

“Yea I was relieved,” Jim said with conviction as Sam

wheeled him up to the table opposite Joshua before going off to

retrieve a bowl of stew for herself, “I love my wife, there is no

13



way I am going to remarry. I will remain faithful to her

memory until death, beyond if I have my say. I know she still

loves me and is waiting for me. Wow,” he said pointing to the

green stemmed paper flower on Joshua's shirt pocket, “theydidn't waste any time before snatching you up did they? Who's

the lucky girl?”

“I don't know,” Joshua said, “But I can tell you who it

isn't. I think Dr. Green hates me for some reason. I don't know

what I did to upset her, but I caught her giving me the evil eye

before I went to my pallet this mourning. I could swear sh...”

Joshua was interrupted by Sally, who suddenly began

laughing so hard she tipped over her camp chair, “S-sorry,” she

stammered as she picked herself up and straightened her

rumpled sun dress and wiping away a tear from the corner of

her eye, “You are smart Joshua, but you can be so naïve. It

really is sweet.”

“What?” Joshua asked taken aback by the outburst.

“Oh, its nothing,” Sally replied still laughing to herself,

“We are still on for tonight after dinner aren't we Jim?”“Are you still sure that it is a good idea to do it so

soon?” Jim asked.

“Of course,” Sally said, placing a hand on Jim's

shoulder “It feels important for some reason. So tonight it

must be.”

“OK, right after the evening prayer.” Jim said as Sally

walked off to join Bill as he dished out stew for the others.

Joshua raised a quizzical eyebrow at his friend and Jimanswered his unasked question, “they are having the wedding

after dinner. They want me to preform it for them in front of

everyone. I'm nervous about it, I have no idea what to say or

do. Sally said that I will know when the time comes. I know

she is right, but still...” he let the sentence hang in the air and

looked down at the table.

“I'm sure you will do just fine,” Joshua replied, then fell

14



silent for a moment before asking nervously, “Are you alright?

I mean, you took a nasty fall... Look, I'm sorry. I feel really

bad about what happened...”

Before he could get another word out he was slapped sohard it made his ears ring and his vision swim. Dr. Green had

joined the men at the table and stood leaning with her fists

pressed against the tables surface, her emerald eyes blazed

enough to take the chill of the damp, cavern air, “I will hear no

more of this Joshua. It wasn't your fault that John and Jim were

injured. They would both be in a lot worse shape if you hadn't

been there to administer first aid. You did what you could, just

accept that and be done with it.”

“She's right,” Jim said eying the diminutive woman

warily as she took a seat next to him, “a bit violent, but right.

It is not your fault. Wow, that had to hurt.”

Joshua rubbed his cheek he could feel the welt

beginning to form where the doctor's full arm slap had caught

him. The small woman was surprisingly strong! He had to

work his jaw before he could manage to say, “Perhaps a slightchange of subject then. Any idea who attacked us?”

“No, nothing,” Jim said touching his own cheek and

wincing as he eyed the mark on his friend's, “We aren't even

sure it was someone from our group. No one was seen entering

or leaving the passageway to the surface before or after the

attack. We do have the possibilities narrowed a little. Sally

was talking to Dr. Green here and Bill was trying to teach

Jeremy and his sister the basics of cooking for a large group.That still leaves us with nineteen possibilities if it was one of

us at all. It has me spooked to tell you the truth. The uneasy

feeling I have been having has been a lot worse since I woke

up. I keep wanting to look over my shoulder to see who is

trying to put a knife in my back. It's terrifying.”

“Perhaps you should stick to the main chamber for

now,” Joshua looked around nervously, “We cant afford to have

15



you hurt again or worse. We need you.”

“Thanks Josh,” Jim said, “But we need you too. I was

told you stayed up all night last night. You need to take better

care of yourself. Nice job with the water by the way. It is goodto have a flushing toilet again.”

“I am going to try and make a shower next I think,”

Joshua scratched at his side again where his sweaty clothing

had stuck to his side while he slept, “and perhaps a way to

wash our clothes. Then I can work on electricity, that generator

really is on its last legs.”

“Good,” Jim said with a smile for his long time friend,

“sounds like you have things well on their way.”

“I am trying,” Joshua said looking at the passageway to

the surface, “My job will be a lot easier when I figure out a

way to get things down here easier. I am going to need the

material and equipment that is up there and carrying it down

the passageway is going to be nearly impossible. I think we

need the shower first though. It is already beginning to smell

like a locker room in here.”Dr. Green who, until now, had been happy listening to

the two men as they talked added, “Not only does it smell bad,

but it is dangerously unsanitary. If left too long people will

start getting sick. Running water is a good start, but I am glad

that Joshua is putting the shower and laundry so high on his

list. Now that Sally has found me an assistant I can put him to

work making alcohol to clean with, something in this cave

ought to have a decent sugar content. Bill has already come tome asking for help culturing yeast for cooking. We can use

some of it for that.”

“Alcohol?” Jim asked wrinkling his nose at the thought

of bathing in fermented fungus, “Wont that be a bit harsh for

bathing?”

“Not if we dilute it,” she said dismissively, “we can use

it until we come up with something better at least.”

16



“Sounds good,” Joshua said, “I will get started with the

shower after lunch. We scavenged some plastic rain barrels

from the maintenance building. I will have Mark and Greg

help carry them down. I think they will make good collectiontanks.”

“Who are Mark and Greg?” Jim asked.

“A couple of farm boys,” Joshua replied, “Sally said

they used to tinker with junk on the weekends. They both seem

to be very intelligent, and they know their way around a

welder.”

“Just curious,” Dr. Green said leaning forward in her

seat, “Why do we need collection tanks if we have running

water?”

“Well, we don't have enough pressure for one thing,”

Joshua answered scratching the itch in his side again,

“Collecting the water in tanks will provide us with a larger

volume of water to shower with. It will also give the water

time to warm up a little. That water is freezing cold, I for one

don't look forward to a shower in ice water. The tanks will alsomake it easier to heat the water once we find a more permanent

way to produce electricity.”

“Oh,” Dr. Green said, “I hadn't thought of that. I can

see why Jim wanted you working on this sort of thing.”

The three were soon joined by Sally and Bill carrying

trays with bowls of steaming vegetable stew. Bill sat trays

before Joshua and Jim before seating himself next to the large

man. Sally handed a tray to Dr. Green and seated herself opposite Bill to eat her meal. “Alright,” she said as she seated

herself, “I guess this is all of us. Jaime had her food brought to

her, I can't blame her really. I would probably feel the same

way if I were in her place,” she glanced at Bill before

continuing, “I finished talking to everyone just before lunch.

We have a surprising amount of talent in our small group, and a

surprisingly balanced skill set. Well, not all that surprising I

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guess considering how we were brought together. God

certainly provided us with some talented individuals to work

with. I have taken notes and after lunch I will start compiling a

list and assigning tasks. I am also going to start an afternoonBible study.”

“Great,” Jim said blowing on a chunk of potato to cool

it off, “Sounds like you have things well under control. How

about you Bill, any more ideas on the supplies?”

“Well,” Bill scratched at the back of his head as he

organized his thoughts, “I have been stretching what we do

have as far as I can. There is only so much that can be done

about the fresh vegetables. What we aren't going to use in the

next two weeks will need to be frozen. The kitchen staff and I

are going to start preparing it for freezing after lunch.”

“Kitchen staff?” Sally said with a laugh.

“Yes,” Bill said with a look of mock outrage, “what else

would you call them?”

“Jeremy and Cathy I would think,” Sally replied with a

mocking glint in her eyes.“Well, I thought they should have proper titles,” Bill

said playfully.

“What, head dishwasher and grunt?” Sally chided.

“No,” Bill said seriously, “they are culinary arts

students. They are doing well for their second day really. They

are learning fast. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, supplies. We

don't have very many glass jars we can use for canning, that

leaves us with the freezing or nothing. I am, however,concerned about meat. We really don't have any that is not

frozen prepared form. Of that we have what was intended to

last for a week feeding lunch and breakfast to around five

hundred preteens. I would estimate about a month, maybe a

month and a half worth for the twenty eight adults we are

trying to feed with it. I would also estimate that a couple

weeks after we run out of our small supply of fresh food we

18



will be tired of chicken nuggets and frozen, rectangular pizzas.

As I see it there are two ways to fix this problem. We can set

up the growth lights and plant some of the seed Jaime so

thoughtfully packed. That will take time, then we have to waitfor the crop to grow and then save some aside for seed. We do

have at our disposal a surprising number of young men and

women who were raised on farms. Well, not that surprised

really given the area. For our second option we are blessed

with two thirty eight caliber hand guns. I would like to put

some of those farm youths to work hunting a few of the wild

animals I am told have taken shelter in some of the outlying

tunnels. But that presents a serious problem. Do we really

want to take the chance of our mystery attacker getting their

hands on one of the guns?”

“You do have a good point,” Jim said scratching at his

back, bringing a wince as he jarred his knee, “We may need to

go with a combination of the two. But we do need to be

careful who we trust with the hunting party. For now, until we

can find out who our attacker is we should concentrate on planting the seed. I am afraid that we will have to see if John

can identify the attacker when he wakes up. It sounded like he

got a good look at whoever it was. How is John doing Dr.

Green? ”

“The swelling has gone down and there is no sign of

infection so far,” Dr. Green said pulling out her clipboard once

more, “I had to shave part of his head and give him eight

stitches to close a two inch long gash just above his righttemple. I have managed to get some juice down him using

some tubing from the medical supplies you brought. I think it

may be a matter of days before he wakes up though. It is hard

to tell given the nature of the injury and lack of equipment.”

“OK,” Jim said, “we are good so far. It sounds like Bill

has the supply situation in hand. Joshua has managed to get us

running water and a possibility of showers in our future. Sally

19



has taken a census and Dr. Green says John should recover

soon. Joshua, do you think you can spare someone to help

with the growth lights?”

“Yea,” Joshua rumbled, “hanging them will be no problem at all. Powering them, however, is another matter

entirely. The generator is stretched to it's limits as it is. I have

a few Ideas on how to get more power, but it will take some

time. I might also need some parts.”

“I don't think I will be driving my van again,” Jim said

sadly, “Is there anything you can use off of it.”

“Are you sure Jim?” Joshua asked stretching a massive

arm across the table to put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

“Yes,” Jim said with a reluctant nod, “I'm sure. About

the only vehicle that could possibly get around out there was

John's truck and the ash put paid to that.”

“Actually I think I can get that going again,” Joshua

said, “Just in case we need it later. But I will need the other

vehicles for parts down here.”

“Great,” Jim said with a smile, “About the only thingleft to discuss now is building material and where we are going

to plant our crops.”

“I can try to talk Jaime into helping me explore some of

the side chambers,” Bill said, “I have some experience with

climbing but I wouldn't feel comfortable going alone. Jaime

knows how to use a gun and the crops were her idea anyway. It

may help her get her mind off things for a while. It won't take

too long to get the vegetables frozen, if I can get her to agreewe can start tomorrow.”

“There are some nice straight trees close to the mouth

of the cave,” Joshua said after a moment's thought, “All we

have to cut them down with is an old axe though. The

chainsaw we found in the maintenance building would suffer

the same fate as John's truck if we tried it now.”

“I suppose it would be a good job for the farm youths,”

20



Jim said, and after a surprised look from Joshua added with a

grin “You have a lot to work on as it is and they have some

spare time. I hear school let out early this year.”

The rest of the meal passed with idle banter once theimportant busyness of running the camp was out of the way.

Before long Jeremy and his sister collected their empty bowls

and the group split up to be about their tasks. Joshua collected

his two helpers and soon lost himself in his work. Before long

two of the plastic rain barrels were secured on a natural shelf

high on the chamber's wall near the chamber that housed the

toilet. He set his two assistants to work digging a trench to

serve as drainage for the shower as he went about rigging a pull

string, The string was attached to an arm that, when lowered,

uncrimped the hose leading from the tanks. Passing the water

through a can with holes punched in its bottom showered the

user with cold water. By the time the warm smells of dinner

filled the cavern, Joshua had finished hanging blankets around

the shower and readied himself for a trial run. His surprisingly

high pitched voice rang through the cavern as the frigid water raised his voice almost four octaves and brought an involuntary

yelp out of the large man.

He toweled himself off and dressed hurriedly before

heading to join his friends at dinner. He was still shivering but

feeling refreshed as he sat at their table.

“F-freaking cold,” he managed to chatter at his friend's

bemused expressions, “N-n-needs t-to warm up a b-b-bit.” his

friends all nodded in unison as Jeremy and Cathy served them plates of steamed vegetables on some sort of noodles with a

whitish sauce. As the hot food warmed Joshua from the inside

his friends ate in silence, broken only occasionally by their

barely suppressed amusement.

“What?” Joshua demanded as soon as he was sure his

teeth wouldn't chatter.

“Nothing,” Jim said, “we just had no idea your voice

21



could go so high.”

“You have amazing range,” Sally chided, “have you

ever thought about singing professionally?”

“Funny,” Joshua rumbled, “very funny. The water wasreally, really cold.”

“So we heard,” Jim laughed, “At least we have a

shower now, even if it is a cold one.”

“I actually have a heating coil for the tank but I can't

hook it up until we get the power sorted out,” Joshua said with

a broad smile. He loved bantering with Jim and Sally this way,

and was glad that Bill was starting to join the group with a light

hearted quip on occasion. This time, however, Bill remained

silent, keeping mostly to himself, “What's wrong with Bill? He

seems distracted. You'd think he was nervous about something,

can't see why, you would think he just found out today that he

was engaged or something.”

“Funny man, our Joshua,” Bill said coming out of his

thoughts and tossing a smile Joshua's way before continuing,

“It could be worse. At least I know who I am getting marriedto.”

“Good point,” Joshua said with a laugh that sounded

like a drum rolling down a hill then turned his attention to Sally

“Could you at least give me a hint?”

“Nope,” Sally answered flatly.

“Just one?” he begged.

“No,” Sally answered just as flatly as before.

“Please?” Joshua said cupping his hands in a pleadinggesture as he tried to keep a straight face.

“Oh all right,” Sally said with a sigh and a wink, “Just

one wont hurt I suppose. She...” Sally paused for effect and

made a show of looking to see if anyone was listening, “is in

this cavern with us right now.”

“Aw, come on!” Joshua groaned as the table exploded

with laughter, then joined them in their mirth. He laughed at

22



the absurdity of the whole situation. He laughed at the thought

of marrying some woman he didn't even know. He laughed for

the true purity in the joy of laughing with friends. It was like

the tension of the last few days had finally come to a head, helaughed until his sides ached and he could barely draw a

breath. By the time the laughter calmed enough for him to

wipe the tears from his eyes his sides burned and he was

gasping for breath. He looked up from the table to see that it

was not just he that had been laughing so hard, nor even just

those at the table. The laughter had spread throughout the

cavern like a wildfire through dry brush. The tension and grief

had finally given way to the joy and absurdity of their situation.

They were twenty-eight people who had survived the end of

the world out of faith in the guidance of a God that, just days

before, most of them were unsure even existed.

“Well,” Jim said as he wiped the tears from his eyes, “I

guess there is no time like the present. Joshua would you mind

giving me a hand?” With Joshua's help Jim was rolled to a

natural platform in the center of the cavern.“May I have your attention please?” The cavern's

occupants turned their attention to the man in the wheelchair

and Jim continued, “The world as we once knew it no longer

exists. There are no schools, hospitals, malls, fast food,

Internet or even cell phone service. As far as we know, those

of us in this cavern are all that has survived. There may be

other small pockets of humanity who, like us, have been guided

to safety and given the chance to continue. Cheery as thissounds, we have been given a good start. We have shelter,

water, electricity, tools, and a great cook. We have even been

blessed with a talented doctor, she just needs to work on her

bedside manner a little,” Jim ducked just in time to avoid a

spoon that the small doctor had flung, playfully, at his head

with surprising accuracy, “Even if she has a temper we are

lucky to have her. We have managed to set up, if not a fully

23



workable camp, at least a camp with potential. There is

running water, and plenty of room. The people in our group

are surprisingly talented in a broad range of skills that I am

sure will prove helpful in promoting our survival as a groupand as a family. With God's love and guidance we will thrive

in our new home. We as a species will continue to thrive, and

we will continue to grow. Much of the way things were must

wither and pass from this world, and that which remains must

change to shape itself to God's plan. Some of these changes

have already begun. Sally has chosen this night to join her life

with Bill. Before they join together forever in an unbreakable

bond I wish to speak on the subject of love. Not the flighty,

ephemeral fantasy that most marriages were based on in the

past, but true love. True love is not an emotion, not a feeling

that you get when you are near a certain someone, It is a

choice. Sally has chosen to love Bill and Bill has chosen to

love her in return. Love based on this kind of choice has a

more stable base. Feelings will develop, in fact they already

have begun to as any who have been paying attention to themcan tell, and these feelings run deep. It is similar to the love

like that of long standing family, a deep familiarity that is

capable of sheltering them from any storm. I am sure they will

have arguments, those are all but assured in any human

relationship, but they will be as nothing beside the love that

fills them. Sally, Bill would you come stand before the

assembled remains of humanity and swear your lives to one

another?”Sally stood and took Bill's hand, she led him to the base

of the platform to stand before Jim nearly dragging him in her

excitement. Jim nodded encouragingly in her direction and she

squared her shoulders, smiling broadly and shifting excitedly

on her feet before beginning, “Bill, I love you and I choose to

love and support you through no matter what comes. I will

walk beside you where you choose to walk, stand beside you

24



were you choose to stand, and follow where you choose to

lead. None in my life shall ever be as important to me as you

and our children.”

Bill stood staring in disbelief for a few moments. Thiswas not what they had agreed to say, at least not the part about

her following where he lead. He opened his mouth to stammer

out the words they had decided he would say but what came

out was, “Sally, I love you and I choose to love and shelter you

through whatever may come. I will walk beside you where

God leads us, stand beside you were God tells us to wait. I will

lead you as God wills. No one may come between us and none

shall ever be as important to me as you and our children,” Bill

blinked as if just realizing what he had just said. He looked

into Sally's eyes as she smiled her sweet smile and felt a

warmth emanating from the depths of his soul. He realized he

was smiling too. God, but it felt good.

“What God has brought together,” Jim said strongly,

“let none put asunder. Bill, as a sign of your dedication to your

wife you will take her name as your own. May your livestogether be long and full of happiness. Let us all now thank

God for this blessing and celebrate the merging of these two

lives.”

Jason, seeming cured of his melancholy, produced a

fiddle from his belongings, and soon the cavern was filled with

the sounds of merriment and laughter. Joshua sat at the table

weary from hours of dancing and celebrating with his friends.

The group contained a startling number of young people whoenjoyed music and played one instrument or another. As he

caught his breath Dr. Green plopped down on the chair

opposite him. Her slight smile caught his eye and she stretched

her hand across the table to touch his and her smile slowly

grew to match the light in her eyes. Joshua touched his cheek

that suddenly burned as it had when she had first slapped him.

He then realized by whom he had been marked.

25



To be continued...

26

http://www.scribd.com/doc/38906216/The-End-Pt4




Stories in this series:

Pt. 1: Storm-frontPt. 2: Madness

Pt. 3: Marked

Pt. 4: Darkness and Light

Pt. 5: Guidance

Pt. 6: Salvation

Pt. 7: Redemption

Pt. 8: Preparations

http://www.scribd.com/doc/35749698/The-End-Pt-1




http://www.scribd.com/doc/44244474










The End Pt3

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Transcript of The End Pt3