Aria and Samuel collapsed onto the soft couch, exhausted from their long three hours search for the soil. They had searched every inch of the room, the tunnel, and even the hidden compartments, but to no avail.
"I don't get it," Aria said wiping the sweats out from her forehead. "We've looked everywhere. Where could the soil be?"
"Maybe it's not here," Ryan suggested but Samuel shook his head vigorously. "No, it has to be here. The person who built this place thought of everything else."
They had even discovered the kitchen that was hidden behind the wall at the opposite side of the sitting room. The modern kitchen had given them hope, but the absence of soil was a glaring oversight.
They had closed the opened wall to the tunnel, during their search, the wall slide shut, sealing the still lit on tunnel. They didn't dare turn it off, as it was connected to a single switch that powered the entire facility, so they left the tunnel with its lights on.
Aria leaned more against the couch in exhaustion, she had been limping to every corner with her injured leg and her supporting stick.
Ryan paced around the room with his mind racing with potential solutions and Samuel sat with his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor as if searching for answers.
Ryan moved to the couch tiredly, his weary body sinking into the cushions. He sat down with a deep sigh, running his hands through his disheveled hair. The only solution in his head was for them to venture out of their underground heaven and retrieve soil from outside, but he dared not speak it aloud. They were all exhausted from their long, fruitless search.
They had been searching for what felt like an eternity and if they could calculate correctly, they would estimate around eight hours had passed since they first entered the tunnel. Outside, the sun would be so high in the afternoon sky.
Ryan's thoughts drifted back to their discovery of the tunnel. Sunrise had been approaching before he fell to the ground but now, the memory seemed like a very long time.
The silence was too high, like they weren't even breathing, they needed soil to grow their own food, but venturing outside that was posed with those dangerous creatures was no play. He knew they had to be cautious and to plan carefully.
The stillness and quietness in the room was a stark contrast to the turmoil of their situation.
Samuel exhaustion had finally caught up with him as he slumped back into the couch, fast asleep. His chest rising up and falling down with slow, steady breaths
He had not slept through the night, and the fruitless search has finally taken its toll on his body, Samuel's body slid sideways, his head coming to rest on the couch cushion. the tension on his face was eased out and his breathing slowed, deepening into a peaceful slumber.
Aria and Ryan both exchanged a weary glance in exhaustion. "Let's rest," Ryan suggested with his husky deep voice . "Tomorrow, or later, we'll plan how to get soil." Aria nodded silently, the tension in her shoulders eased slightly as she surrendered to the need for sleep.
Samuel, already fast asleep, lay undisturbed, his gentle snores was the background hum.
The light above was a reminder of the artificial world they had created beneath the earth, Ryan's thoughts drifted to the challenges ahead because securing soil was very crucial but the risks involved were daunting, those dangerous creatures were still lurking outside, He pushed aside this worries and closed his eyes, taking a much needed rest on the soft couch.
††††††
A flash of light illuminated a devastated land and a helicopter swiftly dropped to the ground, whipping up clouds of dust and dirts. The aircraft's metal cover was filled with bullets holes but that didn't stop it from operating.
Two figures urgently moved out from the helicopter, their movements were swift. They were wearing tactical gear aka military uniform.
"Go, go, go!" one of their seniors shouted at them from the helicopter and they rushed towards a motionless body lying on the ground.
The body was battered and bruised, bleeding heavily from wounds inflicted. The two rescuers quickly lifted the injured person with concern.
They hastened their pace back to the helicopter and the aircraft lifted off, its engines roaring loudly as it vanished into the sky, leaving behind a trail of swirling dust and chaos.
They quickly and carefully dropped the injured body in helicopter and one of them began administering CPR, their hands moving swiftly and precisely to compress the injured chest.
The other rescuer, slowly ripped open the captain's shirt, revealing a mess of blood soaked fabric and bruised skin that has two bullet holes on it.
"Captain, Captain!" Rescuer 1 whispered as they checked the injured body that we now know is their captain's vital signs.
"Come on cap, don't give up on us!" Rescuer 2 pleaded, while continuing their CPR.
The captain's body was still laying limp, the rescuers moved in perfect sync, their training kicking in, one trying to stop the captain bleeding and the other administrating CPR.
The helicopter thundered through the sky, the turning rotors slicing the air, generating a deafening roar, Inside, the tension was so high, the air was thick with anxiety and sweats.
"Move quickly!" one shouted to the pilot with urgency, their eyes fixed on the captain's dieing form.
"Almost there!" the pilot yelled back, gripping the controls firmly in his hands.
Rescuer 1 continued administering CPR to the injured captain, "Come on, Captain," they whispered barely audible over the din of the engines from the helicopter.
The other injured individuals in the helicopter held their breaths, praying for their captain to respond to the CPR. They were all lined up along the sides of the cabin, some with bandages wrapped around their heads, others with casts on their arms or legs, they gave space for their captain.
"Please stay with us," One private said with tears welling up in their eyes, their voice trembling. "Please stay with us, Captain."