Hollow - The Herculean Challenge

Final Round: The Story

Hollow

"Is everyone in?" Eli asked as she looked over the group of people in the bunker. "Has the head-count been done?"

The low wail of the air alarm outside was still audible through the thick concrete walls making it almost impossible to hear what people were saying.

Finally, someone stepped out of the crowd. "We counted three times, but we're missing someone!"

The middle-aged woman frowned. "Who?"

People looked around frantically and after a minute a single name kept being repeated.

"Sasha?"

"Have you seen Sasha?"

"Okay, everyone: calm down!" Eli raised her arms to get everyone to go silent. She turned around towards the entrance of the bunker. "Sem, how much time do we have left?" she asked the old man who was sitting in front of a large metal door.

Sem combed his fingers through his grey hair while his eyes were fixed on the tablet in his other hand. "Not much... According to my earlier data, maybe five minutes. Let me refresh."

Eli nodded.

"Okay, making connection... Loading data..." He tapped and swiped on the screen, clicked his tongue, shook his head, and made eye-contact with Eli.

Eli sighed and turned towards the control panel that was to her left. The deafening silence that followed after she flipped a switch told everyone enough.

"But ... she's still out there," a woman said, sadness dripping from her words.

"The storm will hit any minute," Sem explained as he joined Eli in front of the crowd.

"We will leave the door unlocked, just in case she is still on her way," Eli stated. "Let's hope the siren's silence will make it clear to her that she's out of time."

The mood in the cramped bunker was grim and as time went by it only got worse. After half an hour—and still no Sasha—Eli moved towards Sem.

"How bad is this storm?" she whispered.

Sem took his tablet out and flicked through several apps. "The last data I collected suggests it's the worst we've had yet. The storm is currently blocking the signal, so I can't tell much more." He went to another app and added in a hushed tone, "The radiation inside the bunker is still within safe limits, but it is leaking through the walls."

Eli clucked her tongue. "So we need to thicken the walls even more?"

"If we keep getting storms like this one or worse: aye." He looked over his shoulder towards the entrance. "Might be good to get a second door too—the highest ratings I'm getting are there."

"What are the odds for Sasha out there?"

Sem remained silent for a bit. "Not good, but it's hard to say for sure. We will just have to wait and hope for the best."

-

The beeping of Sem's tablet woke him from a nap he didn't realise he had drifted off in. The others in the bunker looked up at him, hopeful. Not bothering to cover his mouth as he yawned, he silenced the alarm and flicked through the various apps. "I have connection with outside again."

People rose up, their collective anxiety made the air buzz.

"Okay everyone, I know you all want to go out and look for Sasha, but wait for Sem to give the clearance," Eli stated.

"The storm is dissipating," Sem stated as he stared at the graphs and figures dancing on the screen. "Radiation levels are dropping fast." He scratched his short, grey beard. "It should be safe to go outside in ten minutes or so. If however anyone here desires to try their luck on getting superpowers, the current dose might just be right for that."