She explained how this pre-natal nurse had come to see her everyday in the hospital, since she refused to leave the babe and insisted on a private room. He was handsome and did everything he could to appease her. He wasn't supposed to keep helping the bab…

The houses here were like high rise apartments lining the steep walls of the caldera. The buildings in the bowl were community buildings. I took my friend to the hospital, on the trail of his wife and the baby she risked it all for.

His name was Charlie.…

Operations came in the night. They gathered up those who were gaining entry to the caldera and led us through the giant steel doors. The tunnel was dark and dimly lit by torches. The pair of uniformed men at the rear of the procession snuffed out the torc…

"I will help you find your wife. I promise. I will not let your parent's sacrifice be in vain." Tears sprang to my eyes then. I thought that I was incapable of feeling after so much time spent distrusting, pushing people away.

"We're definitely getting i…

They gathered around me, wide-eyed.

"I told you that once you enter, you cannot come back out, right?"

They nodded.

"It's true. Unless you are a Seeker. I've been inside. I helped build Operations. I put people in place and I set up the rules. But I re…

We reached the bottom of the mountain the next day. It's steep sides were impossible for climbing. the entrance was dug into the base. Operations had been notified of our number waiting outside. The tunnel entrance was blocked by a steel door, sealed, imp…

When the storm abated, we emerged to tie things down and try to get a fire going to dry some clothes. I carried chunks of wax in paper egg cartons for fire starter and we found plenty of downed sassafras, which burns when wet. Mom and her covers were stil…

The journey was tough on the elders. His mom had the worst time. She needed to stop and rest often. By the time we reached the base of the mountain the summer evenings had begun to cool. It would turn to fall soon.

We had made camp and were settling in. …

He looked careworn, faded. His face was slack, his posture slouchy. He didn't say much after I answered his questions. He missed his wife. Even though they had argued and she left impulsively.

"She didn't leave you," I tried.

"She wanted that baby more …

I had no choice but to bring her. We hiked over hill and valley, across ravines that grew deeper as sides grew steeper. We had to stop and rest more often as we neared the mountain.

"We go up that waterfall." I pointed.

"We go UP a waterfall?!" She thou…

She took to the baby. Held it, rocked it, cooed at it. I gave her the supplies I had, but they would only last a week. I told her that the baby had to go to the hospital inside the caldera. I told her it was temporary, but I knew she'd make it permanent.

…

My job was to escort the right people into the caldera. If I came across the wrong sort, well.

As a 'leader', I carried a radio for contact from Operations inside. I got a distress call. Midwife needed, several miles away. Leaving the hometown crew, I hi…

She wanted something more than anything in the world. I saw the hungry desire in her eyes. She had tried to have one of her own, but the time was just not right. I saw the resentment in her eyes as she looked at him behind his back. She didn't show him th…