Look at the stars(see how they shine for you)

Denny, Ferris, Lonnie and Joe, were all present and accounted for. Thank the Gods! I don't know what I would have done if I had lost any of them! This world was already in a dark place and didn't need my grief added to the growing list of misery. It all began one starry night…

Someone seriously fucked up! And I know that I was just one of the many wanting to rip this arseholes head off! All he had to do was follow one simple instruction! For chrissakes, Talk about a total screw up!

"Momma you gotta let this go! He aint worth it!

Oh Denny, My oldest and somewhat naive son. You really don't understand what the consequences will be because of this scum! He has doomed us all!

Lonnie knew. She had seen the email sent to W.D Channing, being his secretary and all. She couldn't help but feel that some of the blame was on her too. After all, she had been occupying his undivided attention at the time he was supposed to be awaiting instructions from General Cooper.

Ferris felt sick to his stomach in disgust at what he had witnessed only hours before the self-destruct sequence was set in motion. His beloved Lonnie with her half naked body bent over W.D's desk as he. He defiled her! Ferris wanted to rip W.D's heart out and stuff it in his gob! But he had to obey his commanding officer, his mother.

Joe had been trying to catch a few "zzz's”, when the deafening sounds of the siren snapped her back to the present. She had been working double shifts at the local hospital. Hoping to get some extra cash to get the hell out of this God forsaken hole! That was not on the cards anymore was it!

"Fuck! Fuck! Farrrrk! Why can't I catch a goddam break?"

Mother tried to compose herself for the sake of her family, her troops. Truth be told, she was shaking in her boots! All of the months of training and preparation just didn't feel enough to stop the carnage that was rapidly closing in on them!

Denny looked over to his mother, his commanding officer. He knew she was putting on a brave front for them. As the eldest, he had to set an example for his younger siblings. All the while, he felt like an actor playing the role of a courageous soldier, and in a sense that is who he was.

W.D had wet himself. He knew that his mistake would not be something that could easily be forgiven. He was a coward. He knew this now. He only agreed to take on his position so he could get closer to Lonnie. The one woman he had lusted over since high school.

Lonnie couldn't look at W.D without giving away her feelings about him. It was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. She loved him and she was carrying his child. She had promised not to tell, for the sake of their unborn baby. His legacy.

Ferris almost felt sorry for him. Seeing his shame over pissing his pants like a frightened little boy! As much as he delighted in seeing W.D's humiliation, He chose to take the high road and display compassion instead. He hoped that single act would make Lonnie see that he was the better man for her.

Geraldine Baker paced back and forth, not realising she had been biting her bottom lip until the taste of blood filled her mouth. She was too numb to feel any pain. How she wished her husband Bernie was still alive! He would know how to handle such a delicate situation. And no-one would dare question his final decision. Because everyone knew he was a fair and just man. Geraldine felt they wouldn’t take her seriously or trust her enough to make the right choice concerning W.D’s fate. They still saw her as “Momma”, not someone who had been placed in charge of their sector (by default after Bernie’s passing).

W.D braced himself for the worst as Commander Baker ordered everyone out of the room, locking the door behind them. The look of defeat already visible on his face. Geraldine felt a slight tug on her heart strings as she walked over to the pathetic man she once felt respect and even a little fear for. The light had gone from his eyes. He was surrendering to his fate.

An almighty crashing sound followed by a high pitched scream, stopped Geraldine in her tracks! No longer concerned about W.D’s punishment, she released him from his bondage as she scrambled to unlock the door.

Everyone raced outside to find the source of the noise. They all stood in silence, mouths agape as they looked up towards the crumpled and tangled metallic mess scattered along the top of their sleeping quarters. Thick black smoke billowed out from the wreckage, causing everyone to gasp and choke! Ferris somehow managed to race back inside to grab gas masks for everyone, himself included. No one questioned why W.D was now free, standing amongst them, transfixed by the “alien-like” craft that had crashed into their base only moments ago.

It was in that moment, W.D saw this as his chance to make up for his earlier mistake. Perhaps save face in front of his colleagues’, his girl. He knew that this was no accident. “They” had planned this as a distraction to keep everyone’s attention from what was really going on.

Commander Baker felt a wave of nausea wash over her. Ferris, Denny, Lonnie and Joe seemed to be experiencing the same, as they all wrestled at the strapping on their gasmasks to avoid being splattered by vomit soon flying out of their mouths. This was soon followed by a sharp pangs in the pits of their bellies. Doubling over in extreme pain, no one noticed that W.D was no longer beside them.

“Think W.D. think! Lives are at stake here!”

W.D had sprung into action without having any real plan to follow. He was desperately trying to figure a way out for everyone. He knew that the second stage was already set in motion and time was of the essence.

The onset of nausea and pain dissipated as rapidly as it had appeared. Commander Baker let out a huge sigh of relief as she checked to see if all of her family were okay as well. W.D was nowhere to be seen. Not much of a surprise there! Geraldine really didn’t give a rat’s arse about that cowardly scumbag. All that mattered was that she had her family by her side, no matter what happens next.

W.D felt his heart racing as he fumbled to put the last security key in place. This had to work or they were all doomed! The walls of his office began to shudder and shake, causing anything affixed to them to fall to the ground. W.D felt all hope returning as the gaping entranceway, where the walls were once joined, appeared as if by magic. Only it was not magic of course. It was all a part of the contingency plan if his mission went awry.

Lonnie suddenly realised that W.D must have run off while they were all writhing around in pain, trying not to spill the entire contents of their stomachs out onto the ground! Could everyone have been right, when they had told her he was just a low-life coward?

 Geraldine was about to speak of her new plan to get everyone out of harm’s way, When W.D came running towards them shouting “ everybody, if you want to live come with me now! “Just as the dark smoke seemed to take on a life of its own, threatening to envelop them all with its deadly embrace.

The desperate urgency in W.D’s voice seemed to spur everyone into action. Running as though their lives depended on it, they all scrambled into W.D’s office as fast as their tired legs could carry them. They had all been feeling a little weak and shaky after being exposed to whatever that strange smoky substance was.

“W.D what in the hell?” Geraldine spoke without even bothering to mask her fear.

“Okay, okay! Everyone please try to remain calm. All of your questions, and I know you all have some, will be answered as soon as we hightail it outta here! Because you really don’t want to stick around for stage three!”

Despite their misgivings and utter surprise over how the tides had been turning with W.D changing from cowardly to courageous, they all wanted to get as far away from here as they possibly could! Even when the walls started closing behind them, they didn’t hesitate to keep on following W.D to wherever the hell this tunnel would lead them!

Joe was afraid of the dark. Ever since she had been a little girl after being “accidently” locked in her best friend’s basement at a sleepover. Suffice to say, they were no longer besties. As the walls closed in joining together the gap they had only just stepped through moments ago, Joe felt that familiar dizziness creeping up on her, sending her head spinning, thoughts clouded and mixed with fear. As if sensing one of her kin was in danger, Geraldine grasped Joe’s hands and held on tight. Joe immediately felt a lot safer and calm. In the meantime, W.D had found the light switch, lighting up the long corridor so they could see where they were going once more.

Above them, where the base once stood, all that remained was a smouldering pile of ash. Everything had been disintegrated as though it was all made of paper! The occupants below the base had no clue that they had come close to being incinerated too! Only W.D had an inkling, because he had been privy to the information pertaining to the “clean -up” months beforehand.

Lonnie wanted to reach out to him. To touch his face. To thank him for being brave enough to help save them all. Maybe when this is all over.

Felix spied Lonnie glancing forlornly towards her lover even as they walked on through the never-ending corridor. His heart felt heavy. She was lost to him for good, he could see this now.

W.D could sense the weariness of his travelling companions. It had been almost two hours since they had first begun there journey into the underground tunnels. If his memory served him correctly, there should be a side door coming up, leading into a room where they can rest their tired bones.

“Okay guys, heads-up! Just a few more meters to walk then we can rest up for a bit”

W.D’s voice sounded loud as it broke the silence of the past few hours. No one said a word in response. They just wanted to sit down and try to make sense of all of this!

The side panel by the doorway was imprinted with a palm. W.D knew his hand would match even though he had never before, set foot into this place. For a brief moment, Geraldine looked as though she was going to question W.D about this. But once the door swang open, everyone piled on in desperate to sit or lie down wherever they could.

Joe got all excited when she found a long cupboard filled to the brim with packaged and tinned food along with bottled water! Once everyone had their fill, they all clambered onto the rows of bunk beds hidden in the corner to the right of the bunker room. Expecting to catch some zzz’s for just a short while, they slept for 5 hours straight!

W.D was the first to awaken. He peered over at the sleeping bodies wondering if he should wake them or leave them a while longer. They all looked so peaceful and it would be a terrible shame to pull them out of their slumber when they were not ready. But time was of the essence and they needed to press on. Lord knows what was waiting for them on the outside. But what scared him more was the thought that “they” would come looking for them in here. Especially once they learn there are no human remains amidst the piles of ash!

As if on cue, Geraldine, Ferris, Denny, Lonnie and Joe all sat up rubbing their sleepy eyes. The looks on their faces masked the thoughts that W.D had upon waking. “God let this just be a bad dream!”

But it wasn’t. It was all very, very real. On the up side, they were all very much alive and together!

After a quick wash up and toilet stop in the tiny but practical bathroom cubicle, they all gathered together food and water into the backpacks they had found under the bunk beds. W.D didn’t have a clue as to how far or how long it would take to get to the surface. So in his opinion it was better to prepare for the long haul. No one argued because they were just happy to have made it this far. And seeing as W.D was the one to get them there, they felt he had earned their trust. For now…

Their timing couldn’t have been more perfect. If they had dragged their feet for even ten minutes more, they may have found themselves in dire circumstances once again! You see, there was a timer on the bunker door which would be set in motion five and a half hours after being opened. Thus locking everyone in with no way to escape until it was opened manually from the outside. This time with a new palm print, not one easily matched by a human hand!

At the exact moment the bunker switched to lockdown, it was as though someone had walked on all of their graves! Everyone felt a cold blast of energy running down their backs! Still no one said a word as their steps quickened with a sense of urgency lingering in their minds.

They only stopped in small spurts, just long enough to sit for a moment as they ate and sipped their water. Saving the empties for urinating in if they urgently needed to go. There were no more side doors to open, to rest a while or two. The corridor before them, was narrow and seemed to stretch on and on with no end in sight. But they all had that glimmer of hope that kept them all from staying put in one place for too long. Their instinct to survive driving them forward with every step they took.

Back in the bunker, things were not looking good. Where their once tired bones rested, charred and twisted metal remained. If W.D, Geraldine, Ferris, Denny and Lonnie had still been asleep, they would have become a part of that tangled metal, like some grotesque sculpture made by a madman! “They” were incensed with rage at once again being outsmarted by mere humans! Their high pitched screeching echoed through the corridors, as they went in search of their prey.

“Who the fuck was that! W.D?”Is all that Geraldine could muster to say?

“Not Who, What? And I really don’t have time to explain right now! We are almost there I can feel it! And Guys, if we don’t keep moving, you will get to know firsthand who they are! And trust me when I say, you don’t want to know!”

No one had the energy to argue with W.D. They just wanted to get out of the depressing corridor and far, far away from that inhuman screeching!

All the while, W.D had also been planning how he was going to close off the exit once they were through. And the packs of c4 he had managed to find back at the bunker would hopefully help put his plan into action.

“Thank fuckin Christ! Finally I can see a goddam door!”

Denny had been ahead for the past twenty minutes and was beginning to think that the corridor had no ending to it! With what little energy they had left, Lonnie, Ferris, W.D, Geraldine and Denny clambered towards the door marked “EXIT”.

“After you!” Denny spoke to W.D as he saw the palm print on the side panel similar to the one at the bunker room.

W.D rolled up his sleeve, peering back at the eager faces behind him. He smiled as he placed his hand on the palm that of course matched his own. The click that followed was like music to all of their ears. As the door swang open revealing the dazzling light of the moon.

Ferris came up with the brilliant idea to smash the palm print screen, just as he was the last to step out of the tunnel. W.D wasted no time placing the bundles of c4 all around the now closed door, springing everyone into action to “Run!”

As they watched the door collapse inwards, piles of earth and steel folding in like paper macramé. Lonnie chose that moment to touch the face of her beloved W.D. Gazing lovingly into his eyes speaking the words “thank you!” before collapsing to the ground in a heap from sheer exhaustion!

Geraldine looked from Ferris to W.D, then to Ferris again before racing to her daughter’s aide. She knew better than to interfere in Lonnie’s personal life. But damned if she was going to stand by and watch two men who obviously loved her, do nothing while Lonnie lay on the cold hard ground!

In the instance Geraldine cradled her daughter’s head in her arms, Lonnie opened her eyes. She gazed up at the loving face of her mother, managing a feeble smile. No words were needed as Geraldine sensed the growing life that resided in her daughter’s womb. In that precious moment Geraldine began to sing …

“Look at the stars, see how they shine for you!”