Instability

※ 27 ※

The last time I saw the emergency ladder, I didn't have to climb it. My boss had me glance at its plain rungs and surrounding pit of darkness as he told me its purpose. I was convinced I'd never have to use it.

At the time, I though that I'd be stuck at the juvenile agency for the rest of my life. The ISA type of living was so engrained in me that I never even considered its downfall.

Heck, I never even considered being a supporter of the downfall.

I carefully descend the ladder, making sure one foot is secure before moving the other. Every time the ladder wobbles, I gasp and freeze in place. Turbines and propellers beat overhead. Missiles continue releasing.

Daniel offers no comfort, and he tells me to hurry the hell up at least five times. Naturally, I tell him to shut up and hold on. I don't feel like falling to my death today.

The farther I travel underground, the darker it gets. Once I finally reach the last rung of the ladder, I cautiously feel the ground with the toe of my sneaker before stepping down. Pieces of something crunch under my feet.

"Your turn, Daniel!" I yell, my voice echoing. I step away from the ladder, and a light sense of paranoia sweeps over me. The pitch black emptiness does not sit well with me.

Within a few yards, my back bangs against a wall, startling me. I use my senses to figure out if the shelter will hold up against bombs. Deep in the ground, concrete mostly likely fortified with a strengthening component. We should be safe.

Daniel claps the door shut above us, closing off the outside world. The sounds of aerial fights are gone. Either we're too deep in the ground to hear it or the shelter is soundproof.

It barely takes a minute before Daniel jumps down from the ladder next to me with a dull thud. He shines his flashlight/compass to the left and right, revealing a concrete, pipe-like hideout that extends maybe ten yards each way.

"That's it?" Daniel remarks, shining his compass around some more. "I though there'd be a whole network of passageways down here."

I shoot him a glare. He doesn't see it due to the darkness. Waving his flashlight around some more, Daniel paces around the shelter. Just barely, something on the ground reflects his light.

"Do that again," I command Daniel, searching the the floor.

"Do what?"

"Shake the flashlight."

With a suspicious look, Daniel waves the compass. Light twinkles on the ground a yard to my right. I walk over to the spot and run my hand over the ground, churning the dirt and tiny rocks. My fingers skim over something smooth.

"I got it!" Keeping one hand on the smooth metal while I use the other to sweep, I pull on the shiny metal. Daniel aims his light at my hands, and the brightness increases as he squats next to me.

"Really, another door?" he asks rhetorically as an old-fashioned, round handle is revealed. I kneel and yank the handle harder, opening up another room. The flashlight's light is cast down yet another hole, but this time, there's no ladder.

"I guess we jump," Daniel remarks as I let the door bang onto the ground. He swings his feet into the hole, ready to leap. Just as his arm muscles flex to lift him up for his jump, I yell. His arms relax.

"What?"

"I just freaking saved your life, that's what. Now help me get the ladder. We can use it again, you know."

Daniel mouth hangs open. Shutting it slowly, he helps me lower the ladder into the hole. The tall ladder aligns perfectly with the opening, confirming that Daniel would have died if he jumped.