Day 45: Friendly Conversation
The thunder roared overhead, making the tunnel walls vibrate with each deafening crack. Eli sat near the entrance, his back against the cold stone, staring into the darkness beyond. The acidic rain poured down relentlessly, hissing as it struck the surface above, filling the air with the sharp, metallic stench of chemicals and decay. There was no escape from it, and the storm seemed like it would last forever.
But down here, the world was quiet, save for the storm's muffled fury. His group slept—or at least, tried to. Cass had Ben curled tightly against her, her face still and protective, while Luke and Raya had drifted off into a restless sleep, their weapons within arm's reach. The strangers, huddled in the opposite corners of the tunnel, were much the same—tense but resting.
Eli shifted his position, stretching out his legs. He couldn't sleep, not with the weight of what was coming pressing down on him. Tomorrow, the world outside would be changed, and they would have to face whatever horrors the rain left behind. But right now, the storm kept them trapped together, huddled underground, all equally vulnerable.
His eyes drifted to the other groups. The man from the pair, sitting with his back against the wall, was keeping watch. His expression was hard, his eyes sharp, but there was an air of weariness about him, as if he had seen too much of the world's cruelty. Across the tunnel, one of the men from the group of three sat with his arms crossed, keeping a close eye on Eli's group while his companions slept.
Eli decided he might as well try to break the silence. If they were going to be stuck together until the storm passed, maybe a little conversation could ease the tension.
He shifted his weight slightly, making his presence known to the man in the pair. "Hey," Eli said quietly, trying to keep his voice casual. "Rough night, huh?"
The man glanced at him, his expression guarded, but after a moment he gave a small nod. "Yeah. It's always rough these days."
Eli offered a faint smile, though it felt strange on his face after everything they'd been through. "No kidding."
The man relaxed a little, though he still kept his gaze steady on Eli. "You got a name?"
"Eli," he replied, then gestured toward the others. "That's Cass, Luke, and Raya. And Ben—the kid."
The man looked over at Eli's group, his eyes lingering on Ben for a moment before he nodded. "We saw you come in with him. Tough situation for a kid to be in."
Eli felt a familiar knot tighten in his chest as he thought about Ben and everything the boy had been through. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Lost his parents. We found him… hiding."
The man's face softened for a moment, a flicker of sympathy crossing his features. "I'm Jay," he said after a pause. "That's Mae over there. We've been on the road for… hell, I don't even know how long."
Eli nodded, glancing at Mae, who was fast asleep, curled up against the cold stone. "How'd you end up here?"
Jay sighed, his eyes distant for a moment as if he was replaying it in his mind. "We've been wandering. Found a group a while back—tried to stick with them, but things fell apart. People get desperate. We left before it got bad."
Eli understood all too well. Groups like theirs could offer safety, but only for as long as the people in them could trust each other. Desperation could turn anyone into a threat.
"And before… all of this?" Eli asked, curious. It was easy to forget that everyone here had lived a different life before the world had broken.
Jay's face tightened slightly, as if the memory of the past brought more pain than comfort. "I was a mechanic," he said after a long pause. "Worked on cars, machines, whatever came into the shop. Mae was a nurse. She… she helped a lot of people when things started going south. But you know how it is. You help people as long as you can, but it's never enough."
Eli nodded, feeling the weight of Jay's words. "Yeah. It's never enough."
A brief silence settled between them, the thunder above filling the space. Eli thought about his own life before everything fell apart—his parents, the small, normal existence they had tried to maintain. He couldn't remember the last time he'd spoken to anyone about it, but the darkness of the tunnel and the relentless storm outside made it feel like the right time.
"I grew up on a farm," Eli said, his voice softer. "My dad was a quiet guy, worked with his hands. My mom… she was always the one keeping things together. I haven't really thought about them in a long time, but… I guess with everything happening, it's hard not to."
Jay glanced at Eli, his expression softening for the first time. "Your parents make it through?"
Eli shook his head, the knot in his chest tightening. "No. They didn't... Never had the chance."
Jay didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes told Eli that he understood.
Eli glanced across the tunnel at the group of three. The man keeping watch there had been listening, though he hadn't said a word yet. His eyes met Eli's, and for a moment, Eli considered just letting the conversation end there. But something urged him to try. They were all stuck in the same situation, and if talking helped, it was better than silence.
"What about you guys?" Eli asked, his voice low but friendly. "How'd you end up here?"
The man, who had been sitting with his arms crossed, shifted slightly, considering Eli's question. He was older than Jay, his face lined with years of hard living. "We've been moving from place to place," the man said after a pause. "Looking for something that doesn't exist anymore. Call me Dom. These two are Sara and Blake."
Eli nodded, appreciating the brief introduction. "Were you together before everything?"
Dom shook his head. "No. Met up on the road. Same as everyone else. People trying to survive, sticking together for as long as they can."
"What did you do before?" Eli asked, genuinely curious. It was strange, trying to piece together who people were before the world turned them into survivors.
Dom's eyes darkened slightly, but he answered after a moment. "Used to be a security guard. Not much use for that now."
Eli chuckled softly. "I don't know. Sounds like the skills would come in handy."
Dom's lips twitched into a faint smile. "Maybe. But there's only so much you can do when everything's falling apart around you."
Eli nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I get that."
Another crack of thunder rolled through the tunnel, louder than before. Everyone flinched slightly, though the conversation kept the worst of the tension at bay. Jay and Dom exchanged glances but didn't seem interested in pushing for more conversation. Still, Eli could tell that the brief connection had eased some of the unease between them.
They were all stuck down here, listening to the world rage above them, waiting for the storm to pass. It wasn't much, but at least they weren't alone.
As Eli settled back into his watch, the storm continued to pound against the earth, but for the first time since they'd descended into the tunnels, the silence between the groups didn't feel quite so heavy.