“How long are we supposed to stay down here?”
“Five years, maybe more. At least, that is what they recommended.”
“Who is they?”
“You know, the scientists and world leaders and stuff. We have talked about this before.”
“I know. I am just bored I guess. How much time do we have left?”
“Well, let's take a look”
We each lifted a corner of the small rug below our feet, pulling it back towards the wall. In the
center was a small beam of light coming from a pipe leading up through the ceiling. Surrounding
the light were hundreds of tally marks scratched into the floor. Together we began counting the
marks.
“One thousand, seven hundred and fifty-five. Almost there.”
“Do you think the world will be different out there?”
“If there is a world out there…”
“That’s not funny.”
“I'm sorry, I'm just kidding. Come here. It's almost time for bed.”
“Tell me a story”
“Which one?
“The one about how we started living here”
“Again? Why do you want to keep reliving that memory?”
“I don’t know, it helps me sleep”
“You are so weird, you know. Where should I start?”
“Start before me!”
“That's gonna be a very long story!”
“It's ok, we have time.”
….
Seven years earlier…
“Hey mom, did you hear about that comet or asteroid thing that is supposed to come super
close to earth?”
My mom gazed at me across the top of her coffee cup, her glasses began to fog from the
steam. Putting her cup down to clean her glasses, she stated in her most “matter of fact” voice,
“They say something like that all the time, it doesn't mean it's going to happen. Are you ready for
school?”
“Yeah I guess.”
I put on my backpack while my mom looked for her keys. I skipped out the front door and
teased back at her.
“Last one to the car is a rotten…”
Before I got to the end of the front porch, I stopped suddenly. The sky was dark, and many of
our neighbors lined the street. An eerie buzz of whispers and gasps filled the morning air. My
mom was a few feet behind me, talking about who knows what, and still looking down in her
purse before smacking into me.
“Emily! What the...Why are you just standing…” She looked at the dark sky and then up and
down the now crowded street.
“Claire! Claire, have you heard?” One of our neighbors, Marianne, still wearing her robe and
slippers, made her way across our lawn and to our porch. Her voice trembled and her hands
were shaking.
“Claire, they have declared a state of emergency for the whole world”
Marianne was known to spread misinformation around town. You could always count on her to
add her own twist of drama to any bit of gossip, making small stories into a big deal.
“Hello Marianne, what's the news this time?” Mom folded her arms and rolled her eyes shifting
her weight to her back leg.
“Everyone knows about the meteor. Well, they thought it was gonna just pass us by, no harm
ya’know. But they were wrong. It's gonna hit us, Claire!!!!”
Panic now painted Mariannes face. Her eyes teared up as she brought her hand to her mouth
to take a puff of her cigarette only to realize she did not have one between her fingers.
“Look at me, I'm such a mess. Y'all know I quit smokin last year. “
“It's ok Marianne.” Rebecca put her arms around Marianne and tried to calm her down. Julie
lived right next door between us and her. She had become a professional when it came to
dealing with all of her moods and eccentricities.
“It is kind of true though, Claire.” That meteor is supposed to be radioactive or something. And
it's so close, it's blocking part of our sunlight. That is why it is so dark today. It’s gonna send
waves of radioactive stuff square at us. They said it could take up to a year for it to get to us.
But that is why they want us to start preparing now.”
Mom knew Rebecca wasn’t the type of person to make up stories. She usually didn’t speak up
much, but when she did, it is a good idea to pay attention.
“How do we prepare for such a thing?” mom asked desperately.
Being just a kid at the time, I didn't understand much of what was going on. I remember hearing
about going underground and stocking up on food and water. They talked about bad air and
weird weather, and some radio stations for five years. Once I heard they had closed down my
school until further notice, I completely lost interest in the whole conversation.
...
It's been over a year since we heard about the meteor. Everyone has been busy stockpiling
food and water, and converting their basements into underground shelters. Our town was once
an industrial town with bustling factories. Now those factories were abandoned, but we were
able to use the leftover materials for building our shelters. Some people tried to leave thinking
they could escape the “impending doom”, however we were told it was global so there was no
point. Besides, there were now roadblocks at each end of the highway preventing anyone from
leaving. It hardly bothered anyone, though. Rarely did anyone ever leave, nor did anyone come
visit. Anyone that stayed after the factories closed down, never left.
“No need to go anywhere” they would all say, “...got everything we need right here.”-and no one
would ever argue to the contrary.
We started getting used to living in the partial darkness. When we were not busy with the
preparations, we tried to live as normal as possible. We even welcomed a new addition to the
family-my little brother Cody. It's almost as if we all forgot what we were preparing for, carrying
on as if nothing was going to happen- at least that is how it started to feel when the predicted
“impact day” had come and gone.
One morning, as dawn stretched sunlight from behind the hills, creeping its way into our
valley, it brought with it some unexpected visitors. In small waves they came, each with their
own specific tasks. The first ones resembled the military, but not with any badges we
recognized. They stood on corners, and near the borders of our town. They implemented and
enforced a curfew- no one allowed outside their homes after sunset. The second wave we
called the “hard hats”- a small group of men who laid pipes into the ground and strung cables
above our homes connecting them to multiple posts scattered around the inside and edges of
town. The third wave we called the “clipboards''- a strange variety of people sprawling the town
with clipboards, taking notes and measurements of all the buildings and roads. Once they all
had gone, minus a few military types, the town was quiet again. One final wave brought the
“suits and scientists”. They only came for two days. The first day they announced a mandatory
meeting for everyone to attend the following day. That next day, the meeting was held in the
town square.
“In exactly 24 hours…” the scientist started, addressing the entire town, “...the moment you
have been preparing for will be upon you. From this point forward you are to remain in your
homes. Please be advised that we do not recommend entering your shelters any earlier than 12
hours before impact. We have installed a ventilation system which will provide your shelters
with breathable air during your time underground. However, this system will not activate until
that 12 hour mark, and if you should close yourself in before that time, you will suffocate and die.
We hope you have adequately prepared, as your existence depends on it. That is all.”
The scientist and his fellow “suits” stepped down from the podium turning away from the crowd
and marched hastily out of town. The silence was deafening. No one moved, no one spoke and
not a single breath was heard.
“So that’s it? We just wait to die like that? What if something doesn't work right and we all die?
We are going to be trapped in our `death shelters' for five years and we cannot see each other,
or come outside??? How is this possible??? This can’t be true!!!”
“Sit down, Marianne!!!” a voice yelled from the corner of the crowd “The whole world is going
through the same thing. Don’t you think they know what they are doing? They can’t treat our
town special by answering all of our questions. They probably have a million other towns to give
that speech to tonight, so just keep your crazy ass quiet before you start freaking people out!”
After a few dozen agreeable “yeah’s”, the crowd dissipated leaving only a small handful of
friends.
“Well, if I am not going to see you guys for a few years, I say, Party at my place!!” Janelle raised
her hands in the air, waving them around as if dancing to music. She was known for her ability
to find the silver lining in any situation. It would just so happen that she would have the biggest
house in town. While some were reluctant at first, everyone agreed, and some even contacted
people who already left to invite them as well.
Within an hour, most of the adults were on their way to Janelle’s place. It was the only house
that sat on a hilltop, and it was situated in such a way that you could see it from anywhere in
town. From our window, they looked like ants running up a mound, racing against time before
curfew started. I settled on my couch just under the window, and began watching television. It
wasn’t long before my eyes got heavy and I found myself drifting off.
Out of nowhere I was thrust out of my restful state by a tremendous boom, followed by a
ground shift below my feet. Turning to the window, a bright light swallowed everything in front of
me. I could no longer see Janelles’s place. It's time, I thought to myself. But it's too soon. We
were supposed to have more time. What was going on outside? There were no sounds and the
light was still too bright to see past it. I have to go underground now. My parents would surely
be coming back soon and they would want me to get to safety. I grabbed my little brother and
raced to the entrance below our basement stairs. Two more booms, a bit smaller than before,
could be heard in the distance. I got inside, closing the door behind me but not sealing it yet. I felt
cool air coming from the pipes above-maybe this is the clean air system the scientist was taking
about. Maybe they had to start it early.
For over an hour I waited for my parents to come. When they didn't, I made my way back up the
stairs. It was so quiet. Running towards the window, I expected to see swarms of people leaving
Janelle’s place to get home. Nothing could have prepared me for the view from my window.
The once lavish house on the hill had been reduced to a smoldering patch of land, like it was
vaporized and only the burn marks remained. The homes and small farms that once lined the
streets leading up the hill were flattened or had disappeared completely. Debris was scattered
as far as the most distant aster fields.
Am I dreaming? Where did everyone go? What is going on? Did anyone else make it to their
shelters in time? Is this what was supposed to happen with the meteor? I had no one to answer
my questions and lacked the mental capacity to even begin to try to understand any of it.
Turning with my back towards the window, I sat awkwardly on the edge of the couch. I was
overcome with shock, not able to move, I could barely breathe. A small cry broke the
nothingness around me. My brother!! I turned again to look at the window hoping what I had
seen moments ago wasn’t real. But, it was. Dashing down the stairs, and into the shelter I
sealed the door behind me. Resting on the cot, I held Cody in front of me. Are we the only one’s
left in this world?
...
This is one messed up bedtime story, I told myself looking down at Cody, finally sleeping. We
each had our own bedroom in the shelter. But instead, we had brought our cots to the main room
and pushed them next to each other. Looking around the room, I couldn’t believe we had been
here almost five years already. There was a small hole in our ceiling where a pipe lead to the
open sky. When the light radiated its way through the hole, we would scratch a mark into the
floor. Another day until darkness, and darkness until the light of another day.
Silently, as not to disturb Cody, I got up from my cot and walked towards the back of our shelter.
My parents did a really good job with this place, I thought to myself. I ran my hand across the
stone and steel walls. The entrance to the shelter was below the basement stairs, equipped with
the most inconspicuous of doors when it was closed. From the inside, it looked more like a bank
vault door. As you entered, you stepped directly into the main room. Three of the walls were
lined floor to ceiling with books of all types, from encyclopedias to children’s books. The fourth
wall had two doors. The door on the left opened into a small room, the kitchen, I suppose,
complete with a fully stocked pantry. Endless rows of cans next to a small table with a heating
element for cooking. At the back of the pantry, another small door led to a bathroom of sorts,
with a metal soaking tub and not much more than an open-bottom seat perched above a very
deep hole dug into the ground. The other door on the fourth wall opened to a small space with
very low ceilings and three “tunnels” carved into the stone. At the end of the tunnels were small
“caves”, large enough only to fit a cot, and a small shelf. These were our bedrooms.
Cody never liked his. He said he felt like the walls were too close to him and the echo made him
think there were more people in our shelter than just the two of us. We never went into mom and
dad's room. We have since abandoned all the rooms entirely when Cody was almost three.
They now served only as a scare tactic when my brother would misbehave, telling him he would
have to sleep there if he didnt act right. Worked like a charm.
We spent most of our time reading the books together. When he got a little older, we would
experiment mixing the contents of different cans from the pantry. It had been stocked for a
family of four for a period of five years so given that I had it all to myself for a while, there was
never any need for rationing. This also meant we wouldn’t have to feel guilty for our occasional
food fight. When all is said and done, although lacking our parents,any forms of social
interaction and a few desired luxuries, we really had everything we needed. Having no one to
give us any life direction, we just kind of figured things out as we went along.
I started counting the days from our second day in the shelter with the help of a clock dad hung
in the main room. One day it stopped and despite all my efforts, I had exhausted all ideas on
how to replace the batteries.Frustrated and fatigued, I flung myself in dramatic fashion onto the
small rug in the middle of the floor, quickly falling asleep. Morning arrived with the discovery of a
blinding intruder- a small, but sharp beam of light made its way through the ceiling. An
unexpectedly brilliant idea came to me from my morning fog. I positioned my cot directly below
it. A new way to keep track of the days and a reliable alarm clock all in one!
…
Thunder growled and cracked in the sky above us. The wind howled against the windows,
mimicking exuberant voices from far away… wait. What ??? Confusion and panic rushed over
me as I sat up, attempting to recall my situation. Thinking I was awake and hearing sounds I had
not heard in five years, only to then wake up again questioning if I was, in fact, still dreaming.
Looking around the main room as if for one moment it was somehow something new, my reality
came back to me. I must have been dreaming. Those sounds don't exist here anymore. Half
unbalanced and still dazed in utter confusion, I stumbled to the pantry. If I was dreaming, why
do I still feel like I can hear those sounds? I chalked it up to late onset cabin fever, and tried to
focus on creating the morning menu.
“Emily!!! What are you doing?” Cody called out from the main room.
“Trying to figure out what to make for breakfast” I yelled out from the back of the pantry
“Why are you making so much noise?” he yelled inquisitively
His question took me by surprise as I was literally just standing there half asleep doing nothing. I
looked around me trying to find any source of noise that I wasn't hearing.
“What?”
Now confused to a state of sheer bewilderment from the events of the day so far, and Cody now
hearing things, I postponed the can selection, heading back to the main room. As soon as he
saw me, he sat up on his knees with his ear slightly tilted to the ceiling.
“ Do you hear it??”
“You still hear something?”
“Yes! Listen for a minute. But you have to do your ear up like this or it's too hard to hear it.”
Since I was obviously losing my mind, I didn't hesitate to take crazy all the way and joined Cody
on his cot, sitting exactly as he was with his ear to the ceiling. Nothing. I closed my eyes and
tried to hear anything. Then, a distant thud, a faint crack and… Oh my god there’s dust falling
from the ceiling. I was definitely awake now.
“Are we gonna die???”
“Cody, be serious” I couldn't say for certain so I avoided answering the question all together.
Another thud, louder this time. A harder crack, and now actual pieces of stone were coming
down.
“OH my god they are going to get us!!!” Cody threw his body into my chest grabbing my arms to
cover his eyes
“Who, Cody???” His fear was now becoming my panic.
“I don't know. Those people... or things... that get other people.”
The pure innocence in his answer for really not knowing what, but knew there was “something”
actually made me laugh and forget about the wall for a moment.
“Why are you laughing?? Aren't you scared”
“The way you answered just struck me as funny becau...:”
CrACK!! A large portion of the wall crashed down, littering the floor as the room grew dark from
all the dust it created. Then it was silent again. Something disturbed the fallen rock sending an
eerie echo through the shelter. I held my breath as I pulled Cody close to me. Then, it
happened…A human-like figure emerged from the cloud of dust. The figure coughed and I
screamed so loud, Cody almost fell out of my lap. All I could do is close my eyes and hold Cody
tighter.
“Emily?” the sound filled the room, as if it had caused all the dust to clear.
Reluctantly, I opened my eyes, still reeling with terror and feeling almost vulnerable. My gaze fell
upon a boy, about my age, and hauntingly familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.
“Oh my God, I thought you were dead! It's me, Toby.” Toby lived in the house directly behind
ours. We pretty much shared a backyard due to the lack of fences separating the houses in our
neighborhood. Both of us moved there before we were born, so one could say we grew up
together.
Memories flooded within me. Drowned by the sudden rush of emotion, I threw my arms around
him and sobbed uncontrollably. He embraced me with such compassion and understanding,
holding on until I let go first. We just stared at each other in such disbelief, smiling, but still
crying, and consciously knowing exactly how the other person was feelling.
After finally regaining composure, I prepared breakfast for the three of us and we started talking
about the last few years. He said his parents had also attended Janelle’s party that night, leaving
him home as well. Having never been allowed to go into the shelter before, he snuck in after
they had left. He was playing around and accidentally backed against the door slamming it
shut, activating the auto-lock. Within the next few days, he had no choice but to accept that his
parents may never return. All alone, it wasn't long before boredom got the best of him. He
began chipping and picking away at the exterior walls of his shelter, eventually breaking through
to the one next to his, and then the next one, and continued along the row, only to find they were
all empty. At the end of one row, there was a long, narrow hallway. It eventually split into more
hallways until coming to a dead end or ending up back where he started. All except for one. He
walked for miles before deciding to turn around and go back. In all his explorations he said he
never had the courage, nor the desire to go above ground.
We spent some time trying to figure out what to do next, until finally agreeing that we should start
with that long hallway. Toby wanted us to be prepared for a long walk, so we needed to gather a
few supplies before we left. He guided us through the maze of shelters he had broken into,
collecting what we needed from each one. When we returned, we made the plan to go the
following morning.
…
As the end of the school year drew near, the senior class swarmed around campus like frenzied
bees trying to complete the final projects and assignments before graduating. Cody had only his
history report left and decided he didn’t want to write about anything that could be pulled from the
class text book. He wanted something unique and interesting. His counselor recommended a
library in the next town over, and assured him:
“If there was anything that ever happened in the history of the universe, it would live there.”
Cody picked up a few of his friends and they set out towards the library. For some reason, this
drive made him flashback to his last real adventure: The Endless Hallway. The three of them
walked for more than two days, before reaching the end, or as he prefered to call “the
beginning”. They had come to clearing with steel ladders stretching way above their line of site.
They joked about having “nowhere else to go, but up” from that point before making the climb. A
heavy, round “cap” topped the ladder, which they pushed up and out of the way before pulling
themselves out of a hole and into the middle of a very busy street. Dumbfounded by the
realization that the world had not come to an end, they tried to gather their thoughts, and eagerly
began asking those around them about what had happened. Most people just stared at them
like they were crazy, ignoring them and walking away. Others claimed to have no idea what they
were talking about and had never heard of Asterville. They wanted nothing more than to attempt
to begin living normal lives again. As impossible as it was, still having no answers, they vowed
to not talk about it to anyone and to leave it all behind them.
Cody arrived at the library a few minutes later and wasted no time looking for the perfect subject
for his report. In one of the far back corners of the library, there was a small unlabeled section
containing books about events in history that were never intended to be public knowledge..
Many of these books were based on journal entries from someone’s first hand account, who
either died as a result of the event, went missing, or was murdered. He thumbed through most
of them quickly before a red, paperback book, smaller than all the rest, caught his eye. He
flipped the book over to find the title. He felt the blood leave his face, as his hands grew heavy.
He choked back tears not knowing where they came from. Coming from the overwhelming
emotional moment, he quickly grabbed his friends and sped away from the library. Halfway
down the street he lived on, he began taking off his seat belt. Pulling into his driveway, he almost
forgot to put the car in park before rushing into his house leaving his car door open.
“Emily?! Emily!!! Where are you?”
“I'm right here, I was in the kitchen, what's wrong? Are you ok?”
“You need to see this” He extended his arm clutching the red book in his trembling hand.
Emily kept her gaze on Cody until he had handed her the book. Looking down she could see
part of the unobstructed title between her fingers before looking back at Cory with complete
disbelief. As if in slow motion she stiffly sat down while flipping to the first page…
“Asterville was founded by the Fairbrights, a small family of settlers, in 1789. Located in
the Sunflower Valley, it is surrounded by three separate mountain ranges, arranged in
almost a perfect circle.The valley sprawls an extensive and exceptionally remote area.
When the valley was discovered, it could only be seen from the ridge at the top of the
third range. What they saw before them was endless fields of various colors of the Aster
flower. In honor of the beauty these flowers created, they named it “Asterville”
. The town began to grow over the years and with the textile industry in full bloom,
Asterville began the production of colored paper and fabric, dyed using only the aster
flowers. Business boomed and with new residents arriving daily, it grew to be almost
entirely independent of neighboring cities and townships. It was a close community of
families, farmers and skilled laborers of all trades. Although the business was
flourishing, the cost to transport the Aster-paper and fabrics from such a remote location
proved to be more difficult and more costly than anticipated. Combining these costs,
with long shipping times, many companies began to look elsewhere. After the last
company stopped doing business in Asterville, the factories were shut down, leaving the
Fairbright family in a financial crisis.
Even with the economy at its worst, Asterville was considered a prized gem by a
powerful outside group, who wanted nothing more than to obtain the small town. After
hearing of the founders’ current situation, a few representatives paid a visit to
Mr.Fairbright. They proposed a deal to purchase the town and all of its land, by offering to
him a considerably generous cash offer. He agreed with the condition that no one was to
ever know about the deal, and the current ideology that the land belonged to the
community remained in place. No one could take it away from them, nor could they ever
be asked to relocate or be displaced in any way. They finalized the deal, with the
conditions of both parties being satisfied.
Asterville was purchased by the Alternative Energy Commission, a sector of the
government responsible for the projects involved with researching alternative energy
and its environmental/human impacts. “Project BrightField”, was the long awaited
research study idea, to be initiated only when all elements of the “perfect situation” were
present and all conditions perfected. It was given the highest classification ranking of all
time.
The following information was taken directly from the most classified files of Project
BrightField.
Source Document: Project Brightfield briefing dictation
Dr. B. Howard, Phd, Chief Director, AEC Research
“Project Brightfield is a dual research study conducted simultaneously (PB1a and PB1b)
PB1a studies the effects of radiation on human behavior and health effects
PB1b tests and detonates different sizes of “pure fusion” bombs. Pure fusion bombs
are the first and only non-radioactive nuclear bombs in existence
PB1a procedure summary as follows:
---Begin false news broadcasting to Asterville (AV) warning of a potential meteor collision
or similar. Advise residents to build underground shelters. Replicate conditions
associated with close proximity of meteor by deflecting sunlight via reflective paneling on
nearest satellites creating partial darkness. “Clean air ventilation” ducts to be installed
above all shelters. CCTV cameras are built into and hidden within the ducts, as well as
high grade piping for chemical delivery. Enforce curfew at night to obscure the sensitive
tasks. CCtV cameras installed strategically to capture all areas of AV. A 24 hour impact
warning will be delivered. Chemical preparation will commence and a chemical control
station will be set up. All chemicals will be delivered through hidden piping built into the
ventilation ducts. All shelters will receive one of three chemicals at one of three rates:
1-a series of regular doses, 2-continuous flow, or 3- one initial high exposure dose.
Chemical agents being tested: Uranium-235(g-gas), Plutonium-238(g), Iodine-131(g) .
PB1a duration: 5 years
PB1b procedure summary as follows:
The first and smallest of the Pure fusion bombs-PFB1 will be detonated at the 12 hour
mark to mimic meteor impact, intended to drive residents into their shelters. Following
the confirmation of all residents being sheltered, testing shall commence. Stabilize
remaining 3 PFbs in designated detonation areas. PFB2 will be detonated- all effects
including blast zones, impact size and and chemical testing will follow for a period of no
less than one year. PFB3 and PFB4 will follow the same protocol in order. No radiation or
radioactive effects are anticipated.
END OF DICTATION
Source Document: Final dictation following unintended termination of Project Brightfield
Dr. B. Howard, Phd, Chief Director, AEC Research
“Project Brightfield starting implementation successful up to the 12 hour mark. PFB1
detonation initiated.
Unanticipated effects as follows:
Spacial clearance between the PFBs was miscalculated. Detonation of PFB1
destabilized the holding platform of PFB4 (largest) causing premature detonation
of PFB4.
***Note: all AV residents were advised to remain out of shelters until after 12 hour mark.
Results:-Structural damage 95%-catastrophic
Environmental impact- 75%-severe-uninhabitable
Casualties: 100%
Conclusion: Project Brightside and any documents in which it is mentioned is to be
removed from all records, files, and official reports are to be destroyed- inclusive of the
vault records. Highway entrances and exits into Asterville are to be permanently closed,
fifty miles in both directions.Project Brightside is to be erased from existence indefinitely.
All advisements effective immediately
END OF DICTATION