Finding Darren

At least the air exchange still worked. I got up and did what I do daily. Keep myself busy and alive.

My parents had spent years building this bunker and laying in supplies. They taught me to hunt, fish and build using raw materials. They taught me languages and encouraged my love of reading by downloading thousands of books, from medical to fiction. Cooking became second nature but sewing took a little more effort. The bunker had 3 levels. The first level was for plants and waste disposal. The second level was living and cooking space and the final level contained 3 small bedrooms and food storage, flint, charcoal and a water filtration for the 4 of us for 5 years. None of which they got to use.

The meteor approaching our planet was the cause of so much desperation. The Richardson family were anxious but in control. Saul and Jemma, my parents, January (don't ask), myself and my fiancé Darren Parker set out for one more trip to the mall. My parents dropped us off at the mall and left to search for fuel. I left in search of socks and leggings. Darren went towards the jewelry stores. I am nosey so I hurried my shopping, the went in search of Darren. Just in time to see him holding up a beautiful locket. I giggled to myself and ran to the bunker with my supplies. I had called Darren and told him to meet me there. While waiting for my family to get back, I curled up on the large couch with a good book about a female bounty hunter. It was funny, action packed and sexy. I fell asleep and was brought to my feet by the sounds of alarms. I stood turning in circles as the dome closed over the bunker.

I grabbed my phone. There were two voice messages. The first from Daren, "Hey baby, want to tell you I'm safe and I lo...". The rest of the call was lost. The second message was a frantic call from my parents. "Jan? Jan?! We are being car jacked!" Then two gun shots were fired. Silence followed. I stood there with the phone pressed to my ear, willing the sounds of their voices, their laughter, anything, but silence prevailed. I fell to my knees, screaming...their names. For them to speak to me, not to leave me alone.

I awoke hours later. Slumped partially on the couch, knees on the floor. My phone was still in my hand. I checked for cell service and WIFI. Nothing. The dome had closed over the bunker and would only open after 5 years. I still had no idea what had happened outside. The camera wasn't completely installed. That was on dads 'honey do' list. Which was now my list. Hopefully there was a book that could teach me what I needed to know. I remembered that mom had set the DVR for 9 hours today, so she could catch her shows. I turned it on. The Soaps came on. 3 hours later, News interrupted with information about the meteor. It was closer than projected. Before It struck, there would be some atmospheric phenomenon, EMP's, high winds and storms...then the signal was lost, gone. The solar panels inside the top of the dome would continue to work as long as they could collect UV rays.

My first order of business was to make a schedule. Breakfast, exercise, shower, hair and dressed, maintenance, gardening, lunch, education, waste disposal, composting, food prep (canning or drying), reading and bed. Which brings me to where we are now, 5 years later.

I still have plenty of food, thanks to my garden and I finally learned how to finish installing the camera. In 4 days, I will mark 5 years on my calendar. Time to turn on the camera. I feel like an IT specialist now. I turn on the monitor then turn on the camera. Wow! My first glimpse of the outdoors in 5 years. Trees, grass, blue skies, fluffy clouds and sunlight! This is great, but I long to see people, to see proof of life. An hour goes by. Enough cloud watching. I set it to record and get back to my routine. I will watch tonight at my book time.

The hours fly by. It's bedtime. I get the remote, my blanket, and lay on the couch. The recorded video is playing at 4x speed. Clouds are flying by. I feel giddy with happiness. Suddenly on the screen there's a locket. I sit up straight and fumble with the remote. Finally hitting reverse and pause. And there it is in all it's glory. The locket Darren had bought in the jewelry store. Tears were streaming down my face. As soon as this dome opened, I would find Darren for our new beginning.