Tim, a garbage handler in a post-apocalyptic bunker, loses the little he has. But then he finds Amy, the redhead with an attitude. Together, they will try to change the world they live in.
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Tim is one of those who shovel the shit and clean away th...
The Church demands and deserves your truth and allegiance.
The Manuals of the Bunker, Vol. 2, Verse 4
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The bishop glowered at us, still holding the shard in his hand.
Be true and honest, the Manuals said, and the Church will reward you.
"Sir, I'm sorry," I said. "It was us. But it was an accident."
"An accident..." He looked at the fragment, shaking his head. "Indeed, an accident, no doubt about that. And whose accident was it, if I may ask?" He raised his eyebrows, a faint smile pushing into his rounded cheeks. "Who are you two?"
"My name is Tim, Sir."
"And who is the girl who has appropriated la Joyeuse?" He pointed at Amy.
"Lash... what?" Amy smiled back at him.
"The sword you're holding." He gestured at her hands. "A king of old lost it, and a knight found it again, returning it to its rightful owner. Its name means 'the happy one, la Joyeuse.' It embodies obedience and loyalty at their finest, and it's at least as priceless as the Portland Vase." He held up the shard. "So, who are you?"
"I am Amy, Sir." She placed the tip of the sword on the floor between her feet, rested her hands on its hilt, and bowed to him. "And I'll guard lashwooze with my life."
The bishop's smile faltered, but then it regained its ground again. "And where do you two come from?"
"The lower cavern, Sir," I answered quickly, hoping to prevent Amy from dominating the conversation.
The man's smile broadened, digging its way deeper into the cheeks. "And your father's name is...?" He held up a hand. "No, let me guess. You're Abraham's son, right?"
I nodded. "Yes, Sir. And about that..." It was now or never. "I know he has been arrested because of the swamp that doesn't drain properly. But it's not his fault. It's one of the pumps, Sir. It has stopped pumping."
"Oh, a pump has stopped pumping?" He took a step towards me and tilted his head.
I had never been so close to the bishop. I had never seen the mole growing on his chin.
"Yes, Sir." I nodded. "The lights on it went all red. I've seen it with my own eyes."
"Oh, the lights on it? And where's that pump with the lights that you've seen with your own eyes?"
"It's..." I knew I was on dangerous ground now. Yet, there was no way but forward from here. "It's down in the tunnels below the lower cavern."
"Ah, the tunnels." He nodded. "The Engineers' tunnels, you mean?"
"There are no Engineers there. There are just some... people."
Amy huffed, but I put a hand on her arm, hoping it would stop her from commenting. I knew all about the Manuals, and they were the law here—the law we would be judged by.
