The Darkness

I know that my eyes are open. All I can see is darkness. I feel dirt on my cheek. The smell of earth is in my nose. Slight pain in my knees and my chest. A small rock stabbing me in my rib. Are my eyes open? I am on the ground, flat on the ground face first. Why am I on the ground? I was walking and now? I pause a second to let the thoughts settle. I was walking toward the house. It is so dark I can’t see the ground. I have to be careful. I have to get up, what if I was heard? I reach with my left hand and feel the ground ahead of me.

Dirt, more dirt. A Rock and pebbles. And dark. Why is it so dark? Wait a minute? I was walking to the house. Where is the house? I lift my head a little off the ground. The pain makes my eyes squint. Where is the house? I try to open my eyes wider to focus, to see. The house, where is the house. Where are the trees? I was walking in the woods toward a small house, and then I tripped? Tripped, did I trip? My head straining to understand the last few seconds.

Rolling over on my left side, I can see a break in the darkness, the sky. There is the light. Hey! Oh no. I am in a hole? I must have fallen into this hole. How do you fall into a hole? I flatten out onto my back, looking up. My head reminds me not to move too quickly, and I lift my left hand up toward the pain. I can feel some wetness on my brow. Did I hurt myself?

Mentally scanning my body, Yep, head hurts, and knees feel a little sore. I can start to feel a little sweat running down my forehead. The air was not moving, and since the explosions a few months ago, the nights were much hotter.

Oh, I remember, I start to think. I quickly reach for my right front pocket. Relieved to feel the heart-shaped locket through my jeans. I let out a sigh, then quickly shutting my mouth, reminding myself that someone could hear me.

Well, if there is someone up there and I actually did fall into this hole, they probably heard me. I think. Well, if that is the case, why have they not, I disrupt my thought. Let me run through this again. I was looking for shelter, saw a house, and was about 20 yards from it when I must have fallen in this hole. I don’t remember tripping or falling. I also don’t remember this big hole. I sit up and quietly scoot myself back so that my back is against the side.

I start to crawl along the sides of my captivity. Feeling and trying to understand what is around me. It is so dark, Dirt walls. Dirt floor. Slowly moving, careful where I place my hand and not to use too much pressure. I find a couple of larger rocks and then finally, what feels like a tarp.

Ok, that makes sense. I did not see the hole because this tarp was over it. I reason. Is this a grave? No, if it were a grave, there would be a body. I look down toward the center of the hole, double-checking that there was no body. Stupid, I think to myself. I would have felt the body already. Maybe I am the body. Oh, Lord. My confusion finally gives way.

“Where am I?” I say quietly. The tarp was over the hole, and I walked right into this thing. Damn it, returning to my thoughts, I am in a trap.

Feeling the locket to reassure me. Damn it. What am I going to do? I cannot yell. I have no idea who is up there. Well, you also cannot just stay here. I antagonize myself.

There is a rumble in the distance.

Sounds like thunder. Well, Damn, Damn, If I'm in this hole when the rain comes, it won’t matter. Maybe I could use the tarp? Not sure, I think. Will the acid rain go through? Shoot, how to get out of this hole?

Scanning the hole as best I can in the dark. I think this thing is about ten feet around, and as I reach my hand toward the top, yep, about seven feet deep.

Well, shoot, maybe I can jump.

The first attempt failed miserably.

So how do we do that Gene, how do we jump and stay quiet simultaneously? Why am I trying to be quiet? I argue with myself, This is obviously a man-made hole. I could guess it would be to catch animals. No one sees wild game anymore. The meat is tainted from the rain. If you can find some game, most are dead. Shoot, I haven’t even seen a dog. Hole Gene, how do I get out of this hole.

With more effort, I make a second attempt. Oh man, so close. I said to myself as I landed back in the hole, just missing holding onto a patch of grass just over the top. Ok, I can do this. Come on, baby, I reach and rub the locket through my pants, come on, baby, help me out.

Alright, I congradulate myself as I secure my hands and arms on the top edge of the hole. My feet dug into the side, allowing me to see just out of the hole.

Shoot, is that a person? You have got to be; I release my hold and kick my feet out to land back in the hole.

Well, that wasn't smart. I should have gotten out of here. How am I going to defend myself in here? Well, If I try again, they will see me, maybe, I wonder.

“Ay down d’ere.” a voice. Should I answer?

“Ay, Ello, Ay down d’ere,” the voice asks again. “You know I can see you, right?”

I can see a small amount of light shining at the bottom of the hole, near my feet. A flashlight? Someone still has batteries? I look up at the figure. The flashlight is not very bright, almost a grayish light. Not for long, I think. I strain to make out anything of the person holding the light above me. Maybe wearing all black, I start to notice, then remember that my head hurts, and my hand comes up to greet the pain.

“Hey, Ay, Can you ‘ear me?” the voice asks again. “Do you speak English?”

I just look at the figure. I do not respond on purpose. My mind just has not put this all together yet, and now there is a voice figure above me with a faint flashlight talking to me.

“You d’ere. Ay!”

Sounds like an elderly man, I reason.

He waves the ill-powered flashlight back and forth as if to get my attention or to single me. “Ay.” He says one more time.

“Yes,” I start, “Yes, I can hear you.”

“Are you ok?” He asks.

Am I ok? I think. Is he friendly? Is he here to help?

“Are y-o-u O-K?” He says again, but slower.

“Yea,” I respond, lowering my hand from my head. “Yea, I am ok, I think?”

“You d’ink?” He responds, “Ya either are, err, you’re not. Are you OK?”

“Oh,” I start, “Yes, I’m ok, I must have fallen in this hole.”

“I see dat,” He responds. “Don’t see too many people out at night anymore.”

“Well, I,”

“I mean, when the whole thing went to poop a few months ago, there were looters.” He interrupted. “Then I s’pose looters turned to survivors, then well, I don’t see too many people around anymore.”

“Well, I.” I started again.

“But you’re ok d’ere?” He nudged the flashlight at me as if he were pointing.

I looked down my right leg to where he was pointing the dim light. I had not noticed during my self-scan, there was a small tear around my knee.

“Umm,” as I slid my hand down the leg of my jeans to the rip to reassure myself and my inquisitor that I was ok. “Yea, I am good. Didn’t notice the tear. Must have hit my knee when I fell in.”

“Yea, good thing. These rocks that we use to hold the tarps can hurt. Shoot, they could kill you if you’re lucky.” He moved the flashlight up my leg and then down my left.

“So you dug this hole?” I questioned. As I heard, If you’re lucky, repeat in my head.

“Dis en, about eight others.”

“Eight others?” I questioned, again hearing If your lucky, in my head.

“Yea, we have them all ‘round the house. Took us a good while to get ‘em done.”

“Well, sir.” Turning my manners on, perhaps even now, these will help me seem kind.”I was not trying to take anything or sneak around. I was not,”

“Oh, we use D’ese for hunting. They not for protection."

“For hunting?” I ask.

“Yep, they were doing great for a while.”

“Ok, well, sir, I would be grateful if you could help me out.”

“Yep, they were working almost daily, and then it seemed to slow up.” Not as much meat out ‘ere, anymore."

“The rains have ruined the game. You are not eating them, are you?”

“Oh, we were before, but yea, now not much comes ‘round.” The man clarified.

Well, good,” I commented, “Would you be able to help out?”

“Well, that d’ere depends.” He started. “In d’is new world, you gotta help each other. You know what I mean?”

“I understand, but I am not sure I have anything.” I pat myself a little as I raise my hands to reinforce, nothing.

“Yep, these holes just have not been delivering as much as d’ey had, and well, we is getting a little hungry.” He turned his head toward the right and continued, “ Ok, a lot hungry!” and snickers toward something or someone.

“Yes, sir, The game is all ruined and have either died off or killed each other.”

“Oh, we know,” He starts, “You have to grow yer own now.”

Grow your own? What is this guy talking about? I question myself.

Thunder rumbles again in the distance. The darkness continues to test my ability to see the man clearly.

Ok, Gene, we got to get to out of this hole!

“Hey, sir, Umm, that is thunder. Can you help me get out of here before the rain gets here?”

The man seems to look off on the horizon.

Maybe he can see the rain clouds, I quickly pounder. I need to get out of this hole, I refocus. Evaluating the sides, could I make it up? He seems to be an older guy. I start my plan.

“Hey, sir,” I start raising my hand toward him, “Would you mind helping me?”

“Yep, has been a while since we had any game. Damn rockets, Damn missiles, Damn!”

Thunder booms, still off in the distance. The man seems to turn toward the storm. His back appears to be toward me.

This could be something, I think. My hand comes down, and as it does, it finds the outline of the locket again. Ok, baby, help me on this one.

“You say you got, Nuttin.” He appears to be staring off toward the storm. “Well, if you ain’t got nuttin.”

My thought interrupts him. Now is the time. I start toward the side.

The man turned toward me, “It will have to be you,”

My momentum full force, two steps, one step, “grunt.” As I clear the ground, lightning blinds the sky. Darkness returns as I feel myself reach for the heart-shaped locket.