06
Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage. Publilius Syrus
I took Louise with me today. I started chipping the ice with no hesitation. I tried to keep the note I saw a secret from the rest. But in an hour, I burst. "Schmitt has been giving away our water for his personal gain!" I shouted. About Fifty men heard me. "He's what!?"
"You heard me, Giving away our water." The men looked at each other and back at me. "Kiddo! You can't come here and gossip!" They scolded. I quickly took out the note and showed it to them. Reagan was among them. "This is Schmitt writing." He growled. The rest turned their eyes to Schmitt's private bunker. They all threw their lanterns at his bunker with no remorse, setting his place of living in flames. Some more who overheard added their candles to the bonfire. And that's when I noticed an attachment to the bunker. The men
then started to cool themselves down as Schmitt
and 4 others stormed out of the bunker with a pump
shotgun. All 5 of them shot warning shots and cut
the mining day short. Everyone was commanded to return to their bunkers and rest. But that didn't stop the men's anger towards him. Even though all of the miners were told to rest, all of the people who helped set flame to the governors bunker, were told to be "Isolated." Instead of sleeping with the rest, they were put in a bunker 3 miles from the rest of us. Locked from the outside. No one but Schmitt and the other 4 governors had a key. They wouldn't be allowed any water. They were to stay there for 24 hours. But 4 men who knew but didn't help with the fire stayed up all night, talking. "So. What are we doing about the garage." One said.
"I say we pry it open with a pick."
"But we don't have any, The governors have them all."
I spoke up. "I have one buried in the snow.
The men looked at each other and smiled. "What's your name kid," one asked me.
"Landon, sir."
"I'm Charlie. My African friend here is Somi, the bald
one is Rich and the one in the glasses is Oliver."
He reached his hand to me. I shook it. Somi stood up
and quietly tiptoed over and around the minefield of
sleeping bags. Oliver put me on his back and did the same. Rich and Charlie followed. "Lead the way,
Compass." I could tell Oliver was referring to me.
Outside I eyed the lawn chair that Schmitt sat on to
give out picks. Thirty feet away was my pick. Somi
insisted on getting it since he wasn't as tired as the
rest of us so we allowed him. We then waited at the
garage while Somi searched. "Ow!" Somi yelled in
the distance. "You good, man?" Rich yelled back.
"I hit my foot on something!"
"What!?"
"A pickaxe, that's what it is!"
Charlie slapped his hand against Rich's.
"We're at the garage! Be seeing you!" Charlie then
turned to me, "Thanks, Compass." He ruffled my hair.
Somi finally arrived at the garage, out of breath. Rich
