Underground Darkness: Book 1 of the Powers Children Series

Introduction

It was the year 2026. Lily Floyd was out in Antarctica, studying global warming. She could get just one television channel, and one morning, she turned on the news and the broadcaster was furiously describing the events of what scientists were calling, "The largest earthquake in recorded history." A 10.3 quake, on the coast of California. It had been building up for hundreds of years. But it did more than anticipated. It was so strong, that buildings in Vegas were partially destroyed. Salt Lake City felt it significantly. And the Continent was shifted toward the right the distance it normally would over 300 years, causing the East Coast to suddenly lurch into the ocean and be flooded all the way to Columbia, South Carolina. Floyd began making travel arrangements home. 

In just 30 minutes, she had scheduled a helicopter to come pick her up in three days, with no intention to return. There were eight other people working there with her, so she passed off her job to her most trusted assistant. By the end of two days, she was set for the next day, off to return to her husband. 

But the next morning, a horrid news story greeted her sleepy morning eyes: "Nuclear Bomb Dropped on U.S." North Korea had provided ISIS terrorists with the weaponry, and now the U.S. had declared war on the Koreans. When she returned home, she met up with her husband. They decided to go to England, and they bought an apartment there. In a matter of days, several other countries joined the war. It was declared the Third World War. It was the Allies against the Hemispherians. The United States, in a desperate attempt to survive much of the bombings, began building mass underground living spaces and herding children of all ages into them, in the event of extinction above ground.

The Florida panhandle, 2027. A woman with matted blonde hair and poisoned cheeks is standing outside the gates of one of these spaces. A baby is in her arms. It pains her to know that the child will never know her father, the woman's husband. They spent their last months together before he was inevitably;y drafted. The baby contains such innocence. It laughs every time the mother looks down. She carries it down steps, surrounding by other infants and young children. The woman stumblers, nearly falling, but she rights herself and continues on. Somewhere, distantly above her head, a bomb makes contact. She no longer jumps at the sound. Her baby, however, begins to cry.

"Oh sweet Lyra, it's alright my love. This will all be over soon," the mother kisses her sweet baby.

She was wrong. It wouldn't be over soon. That woman wouldn't live to see the end of that war.

Her child, however...