“How would we even get out in time?”
“Run.” Aerin shrugs.
“Really?”
“Run fast?” She glances at me. “I’m not sure you’re going to get a better answer out of me.”
“That isn’t much of a plan.”
“It’s a ridiculous idea,” she says. “What did you expect?”
“Something more helpful.”
“I’m willing to look at it,” Aerin says after a few minutes. “If I can find a better route back to the north shaft from the generator room, then it might be possible.”
We reach the northern shaft while we still have daylight. We rest, eat, and hydrate before heading inside, moving quickly and quietly down the hallway that leads back to the main corridor.
Though we both explored the maze of hallways while searching for the power source, Aerin seems much more comfortable navigating, so I follow her lead. We make it easily to the main corridor near the room that leads to the other shaft and then head toward the living quarters without running into anyone.
As we get a little closer, we see light in the distance and slow our pace. Aerin switches off the flashlight, and we continue forward in the dark. Soon, we hear voices.
“…should be all set for the president.”
“When is he arriving?”
“He might be here now.”
Close to the corridor that leads to the living quarters are two men, but they quickly move out of earshot, traveling away from the living area. Lights are on in the corridor, but when Aerin peeks around the corner, she indicates that no one is there.
“We should hurry,” she says softly as we get to the room.
All the furniture has been rearranged, and a large desk has been added to the room. Aerin immediately heads for the pantry and begins handing me boxes and cans to shove into my pack. When mine is full, we fill hers, too, and then quickly return to the shaft entrance to unload the items from the pack onto the travois.
“Let’s get some more,” Aerin says. “No telling when they’ll be bringing your dad to his new residence.”
We make another run without encountering anyone.
“We can manage one more trip,” Aerin says. “With Luther’s travois, we’ll be able to carry more.”
“Are you sure we can risk it? I feel like we’ve been kinda lucky, and I’m not sure I want to push that.”
“We have to go past there to get to the generator anyway,” Aerin says. “You still want to blow this place?”
I nod.
“Then grabbing more supplies makes sense.”
“Let’s do it.”
As we grab more supplies, including candles and batteries, we hear the voices returning. Aerin rushes to the door, then quickly backs away. She places her finger over her lips and then points toward the bathroom. We jump inside and quickly close the door.
“I don’t know why, but he’s the president, so do what he says.”
“It’s not a matter of will; it’s a matter of not having all this shit he says he needs. We’re not at the capital, and I can’t run to the store for what he wants.”
It’s the same two men from earlier. I can hear the shuffling around in the room, and I think they might be moving the desk, but I can’t be sure. I hope they don’t open the pantry and notice that it’s half empty.
“That should do it for now,” one man says. “He’ll have to wait on everything else.”