“John, you down there?” The voice rang, shaking the sides of the cave. The caution tape had been pulled back to get through the entrance which had previously protected them from falling down said steps. Looking down, the light coming from the very bottom of the steps shined so fake that it gave new light to ways of falling down. There was always the possibility they would have toppled down becoming one with the old mine. “Where else would he be?” Laughs filled the air. “Are you guys sure it’s okay if I come? Is he accepting of strangers?” “Really, Claud, you have no worries. John is the kindest man ever, when we stumbled upon him he took us in without a second thought. He’s a shelter within a shelter,” Noe smiled. “Just tell him his inventions are cool, and he’s going to be begging you to come back.” She placed her basket of flowers down to gently grab his arm, reassuring the newest member. “When the Giglin on the path first appeared, we were traveling to get to the college,” Ernest, the self-born leader began, “and it appeared out of nowhere. We fought it as long as we could, losing a couple members in the process. John heard us from way down in the mines, and he risked his life coming up to get us down. Complete strangers in this time where you can’t even trust your friends, he did something good. We’ve taken care of him ever since,” he finishes, peering back down the steps. “What do you mean? Taken care of him?” Claud questions. “John doesn’t leave the cave, unless it’s to greet us. He lost his entire family in the beginning, in that house right over there,” Ernest pointed to a run down shack off in the distance. “Closest way to home and be safe.” They finally heard his cart start up, his hollars, and they now were able to wait with sanity for him to come meet them. John appeared, slowly trekking on the steps in a makeshift elevator, a cart taken from the mines in which he shelters. He looks unbelievably happy to see his friends, as it’s getting late in the evening and they had just passed through not even that long ago. He was used to waiting months to see them again, but a surprise visit always brings him joy. “You guys showed up at the perfect time! Night is falling, and I have something to show y’all!” He was a bright-eyed little boy, no older than twenty-four. His skin was awfully pale, living his whole life in the depths of an abandoned mine, only gaining bits of sunlight when he met his friends long enough to say hello. With the death of his parents, he found solitude in creating a fort in which he could live out his years. A system of tunnels that only he understood, with a whole functioning society with a population of one in the depths. He’s completely self sufficient, but he never turns down the sweets his friends bring from traveling the lands. That’s when he noticed the odd one out, Claud. “Who are you?” Claud stepped up, nervous, but he shot his hand out for a handshake. John looked uncertain for a moment, but Ernest urged him to take it. “My name is Claudio.” “John.” “John, Claud is Amira’s cousin, he’s studying at the college with her. She’s graduating, and she’s invited us all up.” His eyes went wide with excitement, but dread quickly replaced them. “All of us? Did she invite me? Oh, I can’t go! Who is going to watch Michigan? What about Boots, Tamaya? They can’t possibly go to the college with you? Amira is going to be so mad at me! Oh no! Is a card acceptable? I can make-” “No, no, no, John,” Tamaya cooed, jumping up off the ground to grab his hand. “Boots is going to stay with you,” she reaches down to pet her dog on his head and gives a tiny scratch, looking up to John. “Amira wanted you to stay here, she’s going to come see you once everything is done, okay?” He breathed a deep sigh of relief. “Should I still make a card?” “John,” Ernast jumps in, showing a slight laugh in his colder exterior. “I think we should get down to the base.” John was a very nervous man when it came to the outside world, his whole demeanor changed. His parents died when he was incredibly young, and he had lived his whole life during this tragic set war. He didn’t know the real world, his only doses had come from his friends. “The Giglin is coming out earlier and earlier, so we should get down, you’re right. Ladies first.” He helped Noe and Tamaya into the cart, scoping Boot’s up with what little muscle he had, passing them to Tamaya. Next went in himself. Their last counterpart, Lambert, climbed in to enjoy his relaxation down into the mine. Being deep down was the last thing he wanted, but who wouldn’t do anything for John. Ernest showed Claud how to hang on to the back of the cart, in a safe position that they wouldn't fall off, and John started the controls to get down. Every time they went down, it felt like a different path. Maybe it was the crazy look of it, or maybe John really created a different path each time, to ensure no one would be able to get in. Reaching the bottom took a good five minutes. Once down, the door inside was code locked. No matter how much he trusted them, he always made them turn their heads away as he entered it, which took a solid two minutes. Then the door spun open, and they were welcomed to their shelter for the night. Claud stared in disbelief, he was utterly blown away. Within the cave, was a world of its own. Set up with different structures to represent different needs. A grocery store which kept ingredients. A restaurant where John’s kitchen laid. Library, police station, houses, among countless other structures, clearly labeled. There was even a farm in the middle, with thriving animals and crops growing. He looked up to see the fake atmosphere, completed with a setting sun and graying sky. “You can have the tour later, Claud. For the rest of you, I’ve added a planetarium. I’ve been working on it since before you guys came last time! I kept it a secret to surprise you guys!” He led them down the elaborate road which had been carved into the ground. This was dedicated to the mine carts that used to roam, and he simply worked around them to create the society. Claud walked alongside Ernest, making up the back of the group. “How long has he been down here? On his own?” “Eighteen years. We helped him put a few buildings up, the new houses. Everything else was here when we found him three years ago.” They kept walking, following John’s hops to his newest building. He pulled the door open for everyone, which revealed a large screen in the front, and seats in the back. Everyone took a seat, while John made his way to the single seat in front of the screen. He tapped a bunch of controls, and they were able to see the space outside the mine's entrance. Everyone was amazed. That was, until they saw the Giglin crawl around on all fours, looking for it’s next victim. Seeing it again, clearly, not having to fight it unlocked feelings for all of them. They met John in the process, but lost members of their team, their family really. Noe held back tears, remembering when her husband was dismantled in front of her and all she could do was run to John. Ernest remembered losing his sister. He had vowed to protect her, but failed that night. Losing his niece or nephew at the same time. He promised for revenge, when he had the spirit and capability to fight this machine. “I think that’s enough, John.” He understood, and turned away from the creature stalking, turning the view up to the sky in which the stars shined bright out here in the desert. “I’ve named this one,” John spoke, drawing an imaginary line around a cluster of stars which made out a door. “Home.” Claud roomed with Ernest in his home. He had built it alongside a now dead friend, losing them in a fight with another group. One room shack, which had been decorated completely by John as they brought him cool things they found. Whenever they were out and seen something with no value, they’d haul it up here to John, which would create something beautiful. The beds in here were just that, junk that John had seen something in. Claud rested with his front to the cabin roof. His head was thinking a lot about all of this. How he ended up here, how his friends were doing back at the college. He had been on his own out in the desert for two weeks before he located the home base of the group, and he figured it would be another two weeks returning home. They so graciously took him in, helping him back home on his break before the end. Nothing about this place was simple. Claud had thought a lot about what he was going to do after college, he went to simply escape the crime. His parents were famous for it, but being exposed to it all your life, he wanted a way out. He saw a future here, with John, living a simple life in which friends stop by and you’re safe from the monsters that lay on the outside of the walls. He could get used to this.