SHIFT: Book One: HORIZONS

Eight: Michael

TWELVE HOURS TO RELEASE

IT WAS GETTING cooler very quickly. Many of the plants had already closed up their leaves and shrunk toward the ground in preparation for the night's cold. The black clouds of the night's storm could be seen on the eastern horizon. Michael checked his watch, which read eight past six pm. He had relented into going into the lake, and as a result lost track of time in the small bit of it that had elapsed since. None of them even heard the call on the radio announcing that the bunker's primary elevator shafts were opening, and they also didn't hear the loudspeaker call from the bunker itself. Thankfully though, Mia had complained of being cold, and Michael had realized that the twilight was overtaking the sunset. Quantre had told her it was because she had refused to put on anything other than a bikini, and when she responded by saying, "Well, it's not like any of you guys mind," Drake shook his head and said, "Oh, no we don't." 

Neither did Michael. She was a year older than him, but Mia was gorgeous, and had a fun personality. She took care of herself, kept herself clean even in a world like this. Almost all of the guys wanted her, mostly for her body, but he didn't think she had a boyfriend. He wished she did. He wished it was him. He didn't think she would choose him over all of her other options, though. She had a change of clothes with her, but she had removed them in the beginning of the day. She was now putting them back on over her swimsuit after the temperature started to drop even lower. Most of the others were dressing too. Michael returned into his shirt and began packing up all of the food, drinks, tools and even weapons that they had brought with them. The high-pitched buzz of an electric motor met his ears, and he stood up. 

Even in twilight, the now ten-foot-tall entrance to the bunker was still clearly visible. So was the black, yellow and gray electric dirt bike that some older looking teen was riding toward the open entrance. Michael thought he looked familiar. It was a shame not enough of those vehicles were in good enough condition for everybody to have one. It would make transportation out here a whole lot faster and also safer. 

Alexa came up from behind him again. "Stop gawking over things you don't have," she said. "It will only make you more depressed." She walked past him in the direction of the bunker and he followed. Drake put away his knife and climbed down from what Julia had named his nest, the place in the tree that he always sat. He put his project in the pocket of his desert camouflage cargo pants and grabbed his jacket off the ground. He put it on over his black tee-shirt. Xavier and Julia were about halfway around the lake as Shawn, Sarah and Mia finished dressing. Quantre remained only in his shorts and carried his dark green tank-top. Everyone was just about ready to leave. Good, because the announcements were going again. 

The computerized voice of a woman came simultaneously from the speakers of the bunker and from that of the large black radio that sat snugly in the side pouch of the pack on Michael's back. "Subjects of the Groom Lake Nuclear Bunker, exposure hours have ended. The primary elevator shafts are all open, but will be closing in twenty minutes. Please return to the bunker at this time." 

The message was repeated and ended with, "This announcement is now adjourned." Michael looked back at the others. Quantre and Shawn were carrying the cooler. Michael had the survival pack on and even Alexa had two handguns sheathed in a belt. It bugged him that Drake was empty-handed. Fourteen-year-old Xavier, the youngest male of the group, was at least carrying an M16 assault rifle in case anything was to go wrong between here and the bunker. 

Problems in that small amount of time weren't uncommon. Being in the open reduced the chance of attack from the six-eyed six-legged hexwolves, and made little to no chance of encounter with the carnivorous apes, but open fields were hotspots for attacks from above.