It’s been awhile. I heard the bombs drop about an hour after my last post. The bunker shook so hard I thought it was going to collapse on me, but after the last explosion, the walls and the ceiling remained solid. Without Craig and his prepper tendencies I wouldn’t be alive right now. I didn’t know him too well, but I can’t let his death be in vein.
When I first got in here, the creatures continued pounding on the door relentlessly, but to my relief none of them had managed to make their way into the bunker before I did. After the final bomb dropped, the outside world went silent. From inside the bunker, it seemed like the creatures hadn’t even made a dent in the thick metal door that separated me from them. After hours of listening for any activity outside the door, I collapsed onto the bed. Craig had installed a single cot which wasn’t particularly comfortable, but with the sense of a seemingly safe environment to lay down in and the fact that it was a hell of a lot more comfortable than the wooden floor in the attic, I managed to fall asleep.
I had vivid nightmares of the creatures that night and woke up in a cold sweat. I opened my eyes and was looking directly up at the ceiling. I tried to lift my head, but something stopped me. My body was stiff and rejected every signal I gave it to move, it felt heavy, like gravity had increased 10 fold and I was stuck. That’s when I noticed in the corner of my eye, the dark figure that stood in the opposite corner of the room. Its shadow cast by the small battery operated light on the wall next to me, I struggled to make out who or what it was that had found its way into this safe place I thought I had secured. The figure started moving towards me and my heart skipped a beat. The figure’s face became illuminated by the light, and its huge sunken eyes stared back into mine. I wanted to scream. I wanted to jump out of the bed I was helplessly lying in and do something about the situation I had found myself in, but the closer the creature got to me, the less control I felt I had over my own body. Its tall form reached higher than most professional basketball players, with its head nearly touching the bunker’s relatively low ceiling. At this range I could make out more details about the creature. Tightly bound to its thin body, the creatures dark skin appeared charred, its huge eyes remained the only recognisable characteristic on its face, and its long, sharp, finger like claws taunted me. The creature arched its head down towards me and its face grew closer to mine. It felt as though the creature was sucking the soul from my body. The sheer terror I felt and the malicious force this creature exuded forced me to squeeze my eyes closed and wait for the inevitable to occur.
But nothing happened. Moments passed and I waited... still nothing. I opened my eyes again and the creature was gone, I tried to get off the bed and my body finally responded, the weight that held me down had suddenly lifted. Completely shaken, I examined the place the creature had been before I closed my eyes and found no trace. The creature had vanished… or maybe it was never there in the first place. But it felt so real. I’d never experienced sleep paralysis before, but those creatures had an unimaginable effect on my psyche it seemed.
I couldn’t continue sleeping after that ordeal, I got up completely and made the bed. I decided to take an inventory of what Craig had bought for this place. He wasn’t lying about the amount of food that he had stockpiled. While it wasn’t anything fancy or particularly tasty, it got the job done and beggars can’t be choosers. A huge water tank had been installed in the bunker which was completely full of potable water. The lights in the bunker were powered by rechargeable batteries, and Craig had obviously never wanted this place to go dark because there were enough in here to last a lifetime. I estimated that if I rationed correctly, I could live for at least a year in the bunker with these supplies.
I didn’t really have a clue on what to expect about the size and contents of the bunker before getting there, all that mattered before was getting to the bunker in one piece, literally. The size of the bunker was adequate for a single person, about 4 x 4 metres, consisting of a single living space with everything needed for long term survival located in the one room. From the bunker door located in the centre of the south wall, the bed I slept on prior was situated in the adjacent right corner of the room. The toilet was located in the opposite corner adjacent to the north and east walls, along with all the miscellaneous medical supplies. In the far left corner, adjacent to the north and west walls, was the large water tank, and next to that, was where Craig had stored the food supplies in countless numbers of large sturdy containers that towered over me. Additionally, the clothes located in the other corner, adjacent to the south and west wall, were my size so it meant I wouldn’t need to sit and bathe in my own filth while seeking refuge here. Fortunately, Craig was obviously a meticulous prepper as almost every container and compartment was labelled with exactly what it contained. After moving a few of the containers that lined the walls, to my surprise, I stumbled upon one labelled “WEAPONRY”.
I didn’t know what to expect inside, but I prayed there would be something that could replace the pistol I so stupidly dropped at the bottom of the basement stairs before coming in here. Carefully lifting the lid, the contents of the container revealed itself to me. Inside laid a pistol, it appeared to be a similar model to the one I had lost, but guns were and definitely still aren’t my forte. A box full of ammunition was positioned next to the gun in addition to a decently sized sheathed hunting knife. I picked up the knife and removed it from its sheath, the sharp blade looked brand new and was about 6 inches long, not that it would be much use against the creatures anyways, I would be torn to apart before I could even get close enough to land a hit with it, but regardless, it was better than no melee weapon at all.
I definitely thought I had the mental ability to stay isolated for a long period of time, but after a single day I felt like those creatures were getting into my head. Humans are social creatures and I’m afraid I’ll go crazy in here alone, especially considering what I saw when I woke up. I would physically be safe here but staying here alone for a long period of time seemed just as bad as facing the new reality that was outside. If I can’t even go a single night without seeing those creatures, the bunker would be the end of me and my mental health if I wasn’t careful.
It was hard to tell what was going on outside the safety of the bunker, not only could I not hear anything, I also had no signal on my phone since entering and Craig obviously didn’t plan on contacting the outside world when shit hit the fan because I wasn’t able to find any form of radio that would work in a place like this. However, it was important for me to find out the fate of everyone else, I couldn’t be the only survivor. It was almost as if something was compelling me to leave the bunker, the dreams and the visions I’d had led me to believe that something didn’t want me to stay in the shelter and safety of the secure bunker. I convinced myself that I could always return here if necessary but getting to a bunker where there are other people and a community to develop would be an ideal situation.
I decided to wait over a week before making this decision, the days in the bunker dragged on and without a sense of day and night I constantly felt like I was on the edge of going crazy. An irrational fear grew inside me, the nightmares and visions of the creatures became worse but always ended before they offed me for real, something wasn’t right here, and I was itching to get out. If the creatures were waiting for me outside the bunker door I would be torn apart in moments, but I had to believe that the bombs that were deployed wiped a large portion of them out, however many there were to begin with. Regardless, I needed to know, and I had a firearm once again to back me up.
I found a high quality bug-out bag already pre-packed with essential equipment during my stay here which included: a portable water filter & canteen, fire starters, medical gear, a change of clothes, a few MREs, a torch, navigation tools, a multi-tool, and a tarp. Needless to say this made the choice of what to bring with me a lot easier. Additionally, despite the hunting knife I found earlier being a seemingly useless weapon against these creatures, it provided some piece of mind for whatever reason and I decided to carry it along too as well as the pistol and ammunition found with it. I was as prepared as I would ever be, and whether I stayed in the bunker or not, my fate would likely remain the same if those creatures still remained outside. If they survived those bombs, how the hell am I supposed to do the job. The plan was to get out of the bunker safely, find a form of transport, get to the nearest communal bomb shelter where I would likely find any remaining survivors, and when its safe, I would come back and take all the supplies from the bunker.
With the backpack on my back, a stomach full of as much food and water I could fit, and the pistol in front of me, ready to fire at anything that moved when I opened the door, I turned the handle and heard the bolts release. My nerves began to kick in, but what waited ahead of me, I needed to discover. Pulling the door, it cracked open and a cold draft hit me. Opening it further, I inspected the room which was dark but seemingly empty, I guessed it was still dawn outside and I looked at my phone to check the time, it buzzed in my hand and the vibration startled me. It was another emergency alert…
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Credits
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