Dark Sky

26 - Siege

Chapter Twenty Six

Candles burned with a warm glow casting soothing light around the living room. With the open fire burning too everyone actually felt quite cosy as they discussed the radio broadcast.

Leila and Joe sat hand in hand on the sofa with the biggest smiles on their faces. What had happened upstairs earlier was forever burned into their memories as one of the more positive things to have come out of this catastrophe. Had it have not been for the end of the world, they would never have found each other and Joe remembered his life before the bombs. Despite the devastation all around them, he was happier now than he had been for a long time.

Leila had allowed him to get out of bed and join everyone downstairs. She figured if he could do what they had done with his injury, he would be ok sitting on a sofa.

"So we are all agreed?" Floyd asked the room again. "These camps are the right way to go."

"I think so." Carl told everyone. "We will never have to scavenge again."

"What are these bunkers anyway?" Ryan enquired with a confused look. "I thought the bombs were unexpected. When did they build bunkers?"

"They were built during the height of the Cold War I think." Floyd explained a little unsure. "Back when governments were paranoid about these things."

"And the're still operational?" Ryan quizzed doughtful.

"They must be." Floyd shrugged. "I guess were going to find out."

Leila rested her head onto Joe's shoulder and squeezed his arm. She found it all rather exciting, a new start with a new man in a safer place than they were now. One more night here and they would be on their way.

"Well I suggest we all get a good nights sleep," Floyd advised, "we could potentially have one hell of a journey ahead of us."

"Who would like a drink to take up with them?" Carl asked standing from his seat.

He was replied with unanimous nods of approval and he checked the home made water boiler they had set up over the open fire. There was enough boiling water for them all and he just needed coffee and tea from the kitchen.

Heading out of the living room and through the hallway to the kitchen he quickly made his way to the tall larder cupboard on the opposite side. Opening the door he viewed the neatly stacked cans of food that Floyd had packed away after returning from the supply run. He smiled, even in the event of an apocalypse Floyd had took the time to put everything in it's rightful place.

He found the tea and coffee on the middle shelf and removed them, taking them to a tray on the counter opposite. He placed six mugs from the cupboard above onto the tray and began to place tea bags in three and a spoonful of instant coffee into the remaining. Standing back and scanning the counter he realised he had forgotten the sugar and made his way back to the larder cupboard.

As he swung the door open a faint cracking sound echoed outside the back door making him freeze to the spot for a moment. He listened intensely, trying to focus his hearing but all he could hear now was the faint chatter of his friends in the living room.

Carl was pretty sure it had been nothing but his curiosity got the better of him and he slowly made his way to the back door. Lifting the net curtain that hung over the window in the door, he peered nervously out into the darkness that blanketed the world outside. The candles that burned in the kitchen reflected awkwardly on the glass making it near impossible to see anything in the blackened world outside. He squinted for a few more seconds trying to focus on anything before breathing a deep breath and dropping the net curtain back into place.