Flux (NaNoWriMo 2014)

Chapter Two: Cool

 Collin

Cool is being able to explore a completely unknown world at any time you want. Cool is being received with arms wide open in an awesome colony and supported when you can’t remember anything. I’ll tell you what isn’t cool though, having your roommate throw your mining gear on your face while you’re trying to sleep. This is due to two main reasons:

A) I was dreaming about food.

B) It hurt like a bitch.

My groan could be heard throughout all of the room, good. I hoped Neil recognized how annoyed he had made me by disturbing my beauty rest. I didn’t get a reply after the groan, which immediately threw me into fear. He was going to hurt me somehow, and I preferred keeping my face in one piece thank you very much.

My options were limited, either keep sleeping in hope that he had already left or jump out of my bed in order to avoid whatever impending pain I might've received from his next attack. I picked the latter, better safe than sorry.

“I’m up, I’m up!” I surrendered by raising my hands and stepping out of my bed with my eyes closed. “Neil?”

I opened my eyes and scanned the room. The circular chamber didn’t seem different than usual. Clothes on the floor, Neil’s gear on the desk near our bunk beds, and the door closed. I dropped my guard for a few seconds, allowing him to jump from his top bunk and smack me with his pillow.

“Chill out you knob!” I slapped his back once I was able to stand.

“Good, you’re awake. Hurry up and put your gear on.” He handed me my gear from the bed and proceeded to grab his own.

“It’s late man, what are you thinking?” I spoke while throwing on my jacket.

“We are going to explore a bit at the cave system, and I’d rather it be empty than not. Any more questions?” He slipped his arm through the backpack strap and stood at the door waiting for me.

“No, ready.” We closed the door behind us quietly.

After only five days in this place I already felt pretty accustomed.

Listen, here’s how things work out over here. We live underground for one specific reason. Exploration. Our colony lies next to probably the largest cave system of the planet. The things some people have seen out there are mind blowing. I’ve been put in charge of you; that means I have to teach you how use your mining gear, explore, and especially stop being a useless nuisance for all of us. Got it?

Neil had definitely warmed up to me in the past few days, I was a pretty fast learner and successfully carried out the training process with the gear in about three days. He was a great teacher, which made my learning that much easier.

The Den consisted on a collection of carved out tunnels made to form a small underground city. Corridors led into one oval shaped opening that rose up a few dozen floors, each of the floors contained more corridors, tunnels, and rooms. They were very organized. I’m pretty sure most of them were empty, the colony was fairly new from what I was told.

After a few minutes maneuvering from the tunnels we found ourselves outside the entrance to the exploration areas. A girl stood right under the entrance facing the inside.

“Aubrey. You have to stop being such a coward! It’s been four damn months of you cowering at the edge of the drop. You have to do it for a change. Please.”

“Erin, why do you have to be so harsh? Relax on the girl.” Neil ran up to the girl and lightly slapped her back. “You’re fine Aubrey. Get up.”