Project Holiday

Chapter Seven

The sun was beginning to rise as we made our way towards Darkthorn, our horses' hooves thundering against the earth. I stretched my arms, it was peaceful out here, exept for the mutants that went down with one shot. I hit a bullseye all of them. I don't know how I do it, but my body dose it automatically. The air smelled of dust and chemicals, making my body ack, but I had grown accustomed to it. I rode up to Leo, wanting to know how he got in debt to the mayor. "Hey Leo, I have a question for you." He tured his head, his brown hair blowing in a gust of wind, his green eyes meet mine. "What's up?""How did you get in debt to the mayor?"He smiled, "Well, thats a long story. One I intend to keep to myself for now. Why do you ask?"I shrugged, "Just curious." I didn't want to push it. I glanced over at Lara, who was riding beside Jack. "Hey, Lara, do you know how Leo got in debt to the mayor?"She shook her head, "No, and I don't want to know. It's better that way."I nodded, understanding. As we rode on, the landscape began to change. The plains turned to moutiants, and the air grew cooler. The rocks were a dark blue color, almost like the sky. I traced my bowstring along my leg, feeling the familiar weight of it. I wondered how the people built the underground civilizations here. How did they make in twenty years with the exspoltion. Finaily at nightfall Jack yelled "Its over here!" He pointed to two large iron doors. They were 50 feet tall and at least twenty feet thick. I could see a small eye slit in the middle of each door."Well," Leo said, "Here we are. The entrance to Darkthorn. Everyone ready?" We all nodded. Leo approached the doors, reaching up to knock on the iron. After a moment, a key pad came out and Jack punched in a code. The door make a clicking sound and slowly swung open, revealing a dark tunnel beyond."We should all stick together," Lara said, looking around nervously. "And keep our weapons ready.""Agreed," Jack replied, leading the way into the tunnel. The air inside was cool and damp. We slid our gas masks over our heads, relived that we could take them off. The horses started to move slower, tired from the long journey. I took out a torch from my pack, lighting it and using it to illuminate the tunnel. The walls were smooth, carved from the rock. The tunnel stretched on for what seemed like miles, twisting and turning as it went deeper underground."This place is huge," I whispered, looking around in awe.Lara nodded, "Yes, it is. But we need to focus. We don't want to get lost." We continued on, the torchlight flickering as we walked. After what felt like hours, we came to a town filled with people. They looked in awe as we rode through the town. We stoped at the government building. There was a man sitting at a desk."Good evening, what can I do for you?" He looked us up and down concerned."We are from settlement Lunaris.""How, no one has ever gone on the surface.""Yes, we are the first people to go to the surface since the nuclear war."He stood up, "I must speak with the mayor. Wait here." He disappeared into another room.After a while, the man returned. "The mayor will see you. Follow me." We followed the man down a long hallway, past several doors before coming to one that was open. Inside, a woman sat at a desk, her features hidden by shadows."Thank you," she said to the man, waving him away. "Now, you said you're from Lunaris?" She eyed us warily. "What is it you want?"Jack stepped forward, showing his dog tag. "See, Lunaris." The Mayor's eyes widened slightly, taking in Jack's words. "You're from Lunaris. What is it like on the surface? Is is habitable.""No, there's no water, no vegetation, and the air is toxic."The Mayor leaned back in her chair, her expression thoughtful. "So why are you here?""We need to get to seltemt Rose," Jack said. "It was our Mayors orders.""Why would you fallow them, you dont have to you know, were only here to make a leader figure.""We owe the man some dept, and Roman Helmfried isnt a man who likes people that disobey him." Leo added."Very well," the Mayor sighed. "You may shop, or do whatever you need here, but what are your names?""I'm Jack Marlowe, that is Leonard Valentin, there is Lara Rebeca, and she is Holiday.""Just Holiday?""Yes." I said. "Whatever, just get out of my office." The mayor sighed, sounding defted.We left the office and wandered around the town. It looked similar to Lunaris, but less advanced . We spent some time shopping for supplies and talking to the people. They were fascinated by our stories of life on the surface and treated us like celebrities.