But the Children Survived (15 page)

"Sorry, I thought it would be more fun.”  Andrew looked down at the girls.

"No, it was fun.  I loved that room.  And it was different.  Thanks for letting us come.”  As usual, Katie took the lead.  She and Alyssa turned and ran toward the center of the city.

"She’s right, Andrew.  It was fun because it wasn’t the same old thing.”  Mindy smiled at Andrew.  She motioned him to bend over and when he did she hugged him.  Maria Elena also hugged him.  Then the girls ran toward Mindy’s house, leaving Andrew far behind.

*****

Andrew walked to the cafeteria.  He went into the kitchen area where George was putting what they laughingly called lunch together.  He was opening can after can of prepared spaghetti.  He threw the contents of the cans into a big pot to heat up on the stove.  He looked up when Andrew walked in. 

George was a short, plump middle-aged man.  What little hair he had was tousled wildly about his head. George didn’t get much company when working in the kitchen and he welcomed Andrew heartily.

"Andrew my boy, what brings you to my humble establishment?”

"George, why do you do the cooking?”

"Why, it’s my passion, my boy.  Always has been.  My medical degree was my parents’ dream.” 

George had been hired as the biosphere physician, but no one ever got sick so he asked if he could prepare the meals.  His only regret was that most of the food the crew found on their excursions was already prepared. 

"What if I told you there was real food to cook located in a basement under Wilmer’s residence?”  Andrew waited for George’s reaction. 

George looked skeptically at Andrew.  He knew Andrew liked to joke.

"You wouldn’t joke with me about this, Andrew.  This is too serious to me to joke about.”  George was frowning at Andrew.

"I’m not joking, George.  Meat, vegetables, sugar, flour, you name it.  I’d like to punch Wilmer in his fat, ugly face right now.  How many weeks have we been eating that dreck?”

 Andrew pointed to the big pot simmering on the stove.

 “I was down there the first week I came here, but the basement was empty.  It must’ve been that special crew he sent down from Jersey.  They must’ve set it up.  The son of a bitch never told
us
about it.”  Andrew was fuming.

George’s face lit up.  He rubbed his hands together and smiled. 

“My boy,” he said to Andrew, “Stop frowning. Tonight we dine al fresco!”  He then asked Andrew to lead the way to the land of milk and honey.

 
Chapter 18

Mindy and the girls ate their lunch of spaghetti.  They talked about the virtual room and the kitchen.  They also talked about the basement full of food. 

"I bet we eat better tonight,” Katie   said.  “I hope we have a birthday cake.” 

Alyssa was staring dreamily into space.  "I wanted to grab some of that cheese.  I really miss cheese.” 

Mindy felt good today.  Surrounded by her friends and knowing that future meals would be made with real food, food she could share with Baby Girl, made Mindy’s heart warm.  Then she remembered that Mark was still missing. 

She also remembered that he wanted to leave the biosphere and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to go anymore.  These girls had become her sisters. 

Mindy said she had to leave and she dumped what was left of her lunch in the trash.  She put her tray on the stand.  She waved at the girls as she ran out the cafeteria doors. 

Mindy stopped for Baby Girl and then headed over to Mark’s house.  This time when she knocked, and Mark told her to come in. 

"You’re not going to believe what I found out there.  I’ve been trying to make a map.”

Mindy looked confused.  "What are you talking about?” 

"Oh yeah, I went outside this morning.  I just thought of it and did it.”  Mark grinned at Mindy.  “I couldn’t sleep, and it was really early.  I would’ve taken you but you were asleep.”

"Did you even try to wake me up?”  Mindy had her hands on her hips and her “Mindy” frown on her face.

"Well no, but Mindy, it was so interesting.  Out that back door is the way to the woods.  In the woods is this huge satellite dish that they must have used to find us.”  Mark was breathless as he spoke.  He was so excited.

"And there are wind towers and solar panels for the energy.  That Wilmer guy thought of everything.  Oh, and there was a body of some guy who worked here too.” 

Mindy made a face and sat down on the floor next to Mark.  She looked at his map.

"That’s the pasture,” she said, pointing at the area next to Mark’s drawing of the fence with the dead animals in it. 

"How do you know that?”  Mark asked.

"I asked Andrew to take me outside.  He said he couldn’t, but he showed me all around.  He showed me a place where Wilmer would have lived.  It has a virtual room and movie theater in it.  And underneath it is all this food in freezers.”  Now Mindy was breathless talking about her morning adventures. But there was no stopping Mark.

"I went up the road to the highway.  It’s a pretty long walk if we go at night.  It might be too dark out there.  We should go during the day, and we’ll have to go soon because they’re going to set locks on the hatchways.”  Mark waited for Mindy’s reaction.  When she didn’t react, he looked over at Baby Girl.

"How much does she weigh?” 

"I don’t know.”  Mindy looked at Baby Girl too trying to figure out how much she weighed.

"There’s a ladder to the hatchway.  What if we can’t get her up there?”  Mark was petting the little dog. 

"Well, I’m not going to leave her here!”  Mindy stood up.  She again had her hands on her hips. 

"We’re going to have to figure out how to lift her up.  Maybe we can tie a rope around her middle.”  Mark put his hands around the little dog’s belly.  He tried to lift her that way and she yelped. 

"Well, that won’t work.”  Mark set Baby Girl down.  The little dog’s bug eyes looked at him and Mark could swear she had the same look on her face as Mindy.  “Maybe we could put her in a back-pack and pull that up with a rope or something.”

"I didn’t see any rope around the field.  Where would we get rope?”  Mindy was feeling frustrated.  This undertaking might be more than she and Mark could handle. 

"Mindy, I don’t give up easy, and now that I’ve been outside, I can’t stay in here.  You promised you would go with me.  Don’t give up on me.”

Mark looked so cute.  His eyes were so dreamy.  Mindy knew she couldn’t say no to him. 

"I think we should take a walk around the animal field today.  You have to see it.  We can sneak in.  There may be rope there.  Let’s put Baby Girl back inside and go there.” 

After they put Baby Girl in Mindy’s house, Mark and Mindy went to the field.  When they got in the door, Mindy took Mark’s arm and turned right.  They walked through the animal room door and down the stairs.  Mindy showed Mark the chickens and the screen showing the pasture. 

While they walked by the large animal pens, Mark spied a piece of rope tied to one of the walls in a pen.  It was just long enough to hoist a little dog in a backpack up a ladder.  While he was wrapping the rope around his hand, Mark looked up and saw Calvin watching them.  He came down the stairs and walked over to Mindy.

"So, who invited you in here?”  Calvin looked mad.  Mindy wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not.

"Andrew showed me this room today.  I just wanted to show Mark.”  Mindy smiled her sweetest smile.

"That sugar don’t work on me, little lady.  And I see you’re stealin’ my rope.”  Calvin was glaring at Mark.  “Now, just what do you need rope for?”

"To pull a little dog up a ladder.”  Mark was mad now himself. 

"What’s your name, boy?”  Calvin walked closer to Mark.

"Mark.  Mark Bennett.” 

"So that makes you Mark and Mindy, eh?”  With that Calvin burst into a big smile.  “Mark and Mindy, that’s really funny.”  Mark and Mindy looked at each other and then at Calvin. 

"You don’t get it, Mark and Mindy.  Well, I guess you’re too young for that one.  Anyway, Mark, what are you planning to do with my rope again?”

"I told you.  We want to pull Baby Girl up the hatchway ladder.”  Mindy was frowning again.  Why had he told Calvin that?

"And just why would that little dog need to go up there?” 

"We want to go home.”  Mark looked genuinely sad.  Calvin pursed his lips and looked at the floor. 

"Son, we all want to go home.”  Calvin walked over and squatted down to look Mark in the eye.  “We’re all tired of living in this place.”

"But we
can
live out there.  I had everything I needed.  I can live out there.”  Mark felt tears of anger welling in his eyes.  He didn’t want to cry in front of Calvin.

"Well, you kids did survive a long time out there.” Calvin thought for a minute.  “Where are you plannin’ to go?”

"My house is near St. Petersburg.  I live by the beach.  Mindy’s parents live there too.” 

Calvin’s eyebrows rose when he heard that.  He stood up and turned to Mindy.

"Little lady, you do know your parents couldn’t have survived.” 

Mindy balled her fist and punched Calvin in the stomach. 

"STOP SAYING THAT!  THEY COULD BE ALIVE! THEY COULD BE!”  Mindy’s face was on fire.  She was so red she looked like she would burst.

"Calm down, calm down, okay, it’s alright.”  Calvin leaned against the pen wall.  He looked like he was in pain.  “When are you plannin’ to leave?”

"They’re going to set the locks soon, so I guess we have to go tonight.”  Mark stood up holding the tightly wound rope. 

"Not a good plan.  It’s too dark out there at night.  You wouldn’t find your way to the highway, and even if you did, it’s pitch black.  Better to travel during the day.”  Calvin paused again.  “What if I were to take you by car?”

Mindy and Mark looked at each other.  They felt a spark of excitement.

"You would do that?”  Mindy said.

"If you’re determined to leave, I would.  My conscience would never stand it if you got lost in the woods.  At least this way you’d be safe, the dog would be safe, and I would know where to find you.”

Mark wasn’t sure he wanted Calvin to know where they were going.  But he could always have him drop them off a few blocks away. 

"I like the idea.  What do you think, Mindy?” Mark asked. 

Mindy thought for a moment.  “I like it, too.” 

The three shook hands on their alliance.  Calvin told them to meet him at the back room behind the field tomorrow morning at 6 a.m.  He told them to bring some food and water in their backpacks, and any clothes they could fit in there. 

Mark and Mindy went up the stairs and out the field door.  They walked to Mark’s house where Mindy said goodbye.  She wanted to spend this last night with her friends.  They shook, hands and Mindy walked to the cafeteria to look for Maria Elena, Katie and Alyssa.

 
Chapter 19

The next morning, Mark knocked on Mindy’s door.  She was awake and dressed, and she had grabbed an extra backpack at the store the night before for Baby Girl.  Mindy opened the door and let Mark in. 

"We’ve gotta get going,” he said urgently. 

"I know. I just have to make sure I have enough food for Baby Girl.” 

Mindy looked in the backpack for the umpteenth time.  She had put several sticks of beef jerky in there along with all her clothes, cans of dog food, shampoo, and soap.  Her pack was heavy. 

"Will you hurry up?!”  Mark was trying to control his temper.  “Calvin told us to be there at 6.”

"Do you think he’ll go without us?”  Mindy was looking down her nose at Mark.

Mindy took one more look around the room.  She had no more excuses to stay.  She had packed everything she needed. 

"Okay, I’m ready.” 

She made a kissing sound to alert Baby Girl to follow her.  When Mark and Baby Girl were out the door, Mindy followed, closing the door tightly behind her.

The trio walked to the back of the building to the door leading to the field.  Mark opened the door and hurried inside, followed by Baby Girl.  Mindy hung back, taking a look at the city she was leaving behind, along with her three best friends.  Mark grabbed her arm and pulled her in. 

"What’s the matter with you today?”

"I just wanted to say good-bye.  I’m going to miss my friends.” 

"That’s why I didn’t make any,” Mark said as he turned left and went down the stairs to the field. 

Mindy and Baby Girl descended the stairs slowly.  As soon as their feet hit the floor, they began to walk faster to catch up to Mark, who was sprinting to the back room.  So far they hadn’t seen anyone who might ask where they were going.  When Mindy reached the back room, she could see Mark talking to Calvin, who was getting one last cigarette in before donning his hazmat suit.

"Hey, little lady, glad to see you could make it.”  Calvin smiled wide when he saw Mindy.  “You ready?” he asked as he put out his cigarette.  “Last night before it got too dark, I took the truck to one of the parking lots and picked up a nice Mercedes to take us to St. Pete.  Has a full tank and everything.  I’m hopin’ I get back before anyone notices the truck is missing.”

Calvin opened the first set of double doors and they all walked through.  Then he closed them and opened the next set.  When they were all in the last chamber, Calvin secured his hazmat suit by lifting the headpiece over his head and closing all the zippers and Velcro closures.  Then he climbed the ladder to the top and pushed the button that opened the hatchway. 

The hatchway flew up and Calvin climbed out.  Next Mark went up the ladder.  He had the piece of rope in his hand.  He climbed out of the hatchway and turned around to face Mindy.  He lowered the rope.