Depthless: Under The Library

Chapter Thirty-Five// Alex

Alex's POV   

People are, more often than not, at one point of their lives, wrong. In fact, I could list the number of all my achievements in the past year, no problem. But when asked to state my failures... Some people could hang onto their mistakes like grasping onto roots right under the edge of a cliff, as one false tug could send you sprawling.

Me? I'd rather let go of that root than to continue hanging onto the haunting mistakes of my life... at least, I could search for a better life, a new beginning. You'd say I'm a big risk taker.

Which is why, I suppose, I decided to head on over to the base anyway, where I'd convince Kale to the moon and back, to alter his mind.

I pass the endless scurrying of people as they hurried around, carrying out their various tasks. A man in a long, black coat nods to me as I pass, then absorbs himself once more in the voluminous leather-bound book he must've checked out of the library.

Which makes me wonder how my librarians are doing. What Group is in charge today? Oh--- Caleb's. My heart twists in disgust as I recalled the unkempt shelves and haphazard books strewn all over the tables during my last visit to the library. When was that now? When I first led Stella to my office?

My mind plays back to the tense conversation, and I grimace as I realize what this all could possibly mean to her. Being dragged out of the Organization... especially since we'd lost touch with them a decade ago... that must have been a pretty dramatic turn in her life.

Especially now, since I'd be seeing Kale off to the very place she was either brave enough, or just foolhardy, to venture down into.

When at last I arrive at the entrance to the base, I pause to survey my surroundings. Checking to make sure there was no one behind me, I straighten to face the enormous hidden entrance. The Base, strategically designed, with all its high powered security and around the clock surveillance, is extremely easy to miss.

As its name clearly states, it's located at the very last level of our tunnels of rock. Basically, the top five levels (The Library) are the only parts of this place which could be accessed to from the outside. The Library serves to be our connection to the outer world, a world no one seeks, on account that everyone living here had been taken in to escape life above. Most of our populace, especially the younger ones, had been granted life-long protection here Under the Library.

Almost a decade ago, a severe attack had been launched in the world above. Those few of us living under the protection of the Library, who could actually sense a disturbance, were cowering in fear. There were explosions like never felt before... deep, long tremors that reverberated even down into our quarters.

Our foundation, thankfully, had been built to withstand heavy forms of attack, and almost all of our population survived. Almost 98 percent lived to tell the tale, me being part of that, and my father being the unfortunate two percent who was tragically killed in that attack.

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I still remember the fearful nights, when I was still a mere child. My father had taken it upon himself that in order to fulfill his duty to instill peace and harmony upon the people walking the earth, he'd have to make a decision. And it was that decision that bade him to trust his heart.

My father believed he could save the world, put an end to the attacks threatening to blow over our peace. No one could ever forget that night. A night, with all it's miserably details of hostile wind and looming shadows... a night that consumed my father...

As it had with my mother, years ago.

I could say that that tormenting past had forced me to grow beyond what my years should've branched into. Now, the weight of the world has been slid onto my shoulders, and it seems that the end of it is to occur, as it had in my father's time... now it will, as I continue to administrate.