The Rabbit's Den

New Tunnels

Rhys had come through with taking Kaleb and Walter to the other settlement. These groups were all part of one, and they had come to find that there were several people who suspected that their missing loved ones were within the city. However, Rhys had not mentioned that the tunnel was not finished. The camp was just over a mile outside of the towering city walls. Kaleb felt that he may have misjudged how much explosives they were going to need. The tunnel was only halfway there, the plan was to get the tunnel under the wall and up into the city. Rhys explained that this would give them more time to scout the city out before explosions started going off and giving up their position. These people defiantly had a plan and had no intentions of going off halfcocked.

"How long did it take to get the tunnel a half mile?" Kaleb asked, dreading the answer. They had been introduced to Cicero when they arrived. He explained, "You have to realize we started in the winter, the ground was hard, and we didn't have very many working on it." Kaleb took a deep breath and asked, "How long did it take?" "About six months. But the ground is thawed, and we have more men working on it now. I think two, maybe three if there aren't any issues. We gotta move slow on this Kaleb, the tunnel has to be reinforced throughout as we go along, nobody can afford a cave in." He did understand that a cave in wouldn't only risk the lives of those inside, but could possibly give away their position. Cicero looked Kaleb up, "Another pair of hands wouldn't hurt."

He nodded, "Whatever you need." Walter chimed in, "I'll stay as well Cicero, that's our little girl in there too." Cicero smiled, "Well then, I'll introduce you to the boys. We have two shifts that work in rotation. One for the day and one for the nights, we try not to stop." Walter pulled Kaleb closer to him and whispered, "I want on whatever shift you go on, don't leave me alone with some of these guys." Kaleb gave him a questioning look, "These are your people." Walter smiled and nodded, "I know."

Walter and Kaleb added to the few on the day shift, turns out most the men were afraid to work during the day, more of a chance of getting caught. The entrance to the tunnel was hidden in one of the tents they had set up. The entire camp was men, not a woman or girl in sight, which kept WOLF away for the whole winter. WOLF had no need for a large group of men with a bitter taste in their mouths. It was slow work, hand digging with small shovels and picks; then men would haul the dirt out in buckets and dump it in the river. Every three feet or so they would build a frame out of whatever discarded materials they could find. The longer Walter and Kaleb were in the tunnel, the more they noticed some of the frames were merely for false peace of mind.

"I really don't want to die down here." Kaleb said while the group sat for lunch. Walter nodded slowly, "Amen to that." Walter kept his voice low, "If a cave in happens, you hold on to me, and I'll hold on to you. Who knows one of us might be luck help pull the other out." The dried meat in Kaleb's mouth suddenly got drier. He nodded at Walter, beyond the impending death a cave in would mean starting over or giving up. 5300 feet of tunnel would get them in the city, and they had roughly 2600 to go.

The twelve-hour shifts took tolls on all the men, Kaleb was still tender from the body blasts he had taken in the Den. There were some days when he lifted the wrong way or twisted, he was reminded of what he had narrowly escaped. They had been working nonstop for over two weeks, and it was showing on them both. This night as they were exiting the tunnel Walter turned to Kaleb, "So tell me something about Kaleb. Other than you're from Australia." Kaleb smiled, "Well that takes away a lot, got stuck here with my parents. We roamed around a bit, and then we met up with Jacque. He saved us from some Ferals; my dad was injured pretty badly but they gave us more time with him. It was already up and running at its best when we arrived. That's when I met Trixie and her little brother Ryan."

"So, Trixie was in the picture the whole time? Sandbox love huh?" Walter nudged him. Kaleb smiled and ran his hand through his hair, "I wouldn't call it that, she tolerated me for years, but it defiantly wasn't love." Walter smiled as he took a long drag off one of Sky's special cigarettes, "Not for her?" He laughed to himself, "Yeah not to her, that girl was always a hard one to crack. She lost her whole family just last year, it was horrible." Taking the cigarette from Walter's fingers he took a hit. "You know that when the shell is too hard to crack, you're supposed to polish it right?" Kaleb handed it back and smiled, "Where the hell were you ten years ago?" Walter laughed a deep boisterous laugh.

"So what does this girl look like? What does she love?" Walter asked, just enjoying the change in company. "She's hard, every time you ask her something beneath her, she looks at you with these angry gray eyes. And I swear she never brushes her hair; it hangs all black and tattered. Ryan and I would pick twigs and leaves out when we came inside at the end of the day. She's just a little thing, but when you talk to her, she seems ten feet tall. Stubborn as hell and spiteful, Jesus she makes me so mad sometimes. She has these amazing drawings that she never lets you see; you have to sneak when she's engrossed in them. And she's smart, she wanted to be a doctor. Man, she can throw a punch like nobody's business." Walter laughed, "She sounds invincible." Kaleb stopped smiling, "She's really fragile, she just doesn't know it." "If that's not sandbox love kid, I dunno what is."

Kaleb didn't know it, but Walter did this for a reason, he didn't want Kaleb to forget what he was fighting for. "Tell me, how was Petra?" "When she first came, just a little mouse. She was so attached to Trixie, thick as thieves those two were. She turned into quite the little pistol herself, and a fantastic mother. Those girls mean the world to her. And she's a great friend, she was getting supplies for me after I was shot when she was taken." Kaleb started blaming himself again. Walter put his hand on his shoulder, "None of this is your doing, and you're here now." Kaleb nodded.

Walter got up to settle in, he paused and turned back, "When we find her, just remember she might not be the girl that left home. She is trying to survive. We don't expect Petra to be the same, or even okay. It's going to be hard on all of us." Kaleb thought hard for a moment, "I haven't given up on her yet." Walter smiled and went inside the tent.