Stage 1 :The Bunker

" Everyone, we'll meet in an hour. The meeting place will be communicated to you shortly. As for now, you may do as you please." 

John relayed his instructions to the party before they had completely descended the sleek onyx steps. Despite their irritated expressions which relayed a silent discontentment, John, Evan, Tarid, and Alex had already left, missing the challenge their murmurs posed.

Tarid was not exaggerating in any way when he mentioned the futuristic bunker had all they would ever need. One of the scouts gave the group a quick ten-minute tour of the bunker. 

The bunker consisted of a lavishly decorated lounge, an expansive medical ward, an inviting kitchen, a bounteous larder and pantry, a sufficient conference room, a grand meeting hall, barracks, a power supply room, an enticing armory, a laundry room, a dining hall, a communal shower room covering most of the necessities. Furthermore, there were enough spare clothes for everyone to change once a day.

After their short tour, John directed the department heads to monitor their respective fields. By Alex's suggestion, he sent Tarid and the scouts to explore the land and return after thirty minutes.

While the department heads got busy, Alex selectively divulged flexible battle formations and possible base defense strategies to John and Evan. The three formulated likely dire scenarios and their optimal responses. 

At first when Alex discovered the surplus facilities of the bunker, a gnawing dread chewed at her mind. She could sense that something was twisted about the entire situation. 

Stemma, the ruthless deity, had made her standpoint clear. She would only allow those who were 'qualified' to live. 

Certainly, one could say surviving for seven days with the threat of lurking zombies was an accomplishment in itself. Whereas, with such a secure facility, the challenge posed would lessen considerably; this would permit the survival of the weak-willed and unintuitive. Directly contrasting the deity's intentions.

However, what if the deity had provided this challenge harboring that very motive, watering complacency? Then in their moments of disregard, they would face inadvertent destruction, a thorough elimination of the senseless ones. If her conjecture was accurate, the looming threat would vastly outclass what they had all previously assumed.

Alex despised very few things. High on that list was a lack of pertinent knowledge- ignorance, which she was experiencing heavily right now. At the very top, it was being controlled. The inability to steer one's own life indicated inherent inadequacy, voluntary submission, and a repulsive weakness. 

She stubbornly refused to be a pawn in anyone's game, and for those who did try to exert dominance over her, she had always ensured a morbid demise.

Consequently, she planned to arm John and the others with strategic knowledge to influence the deity's schemes, even if it would produce just a small ripple in a vast sea.

John passed through the opened glass doors of the empty conference room first. Evan prodded after, his steps light. Alex followed the respected duo with an empty expression on her otherwise attractive face.

John occupied his rightful seat at one end of the long mahogany table, a seat reserved for a leader. Evan sat at his right and I at John's left, directly facing Evan. At the other end of the table, there was no a seat

" The others will be here soon; Anthony will be informing them. But Alex is this meeting really necessary before the general one?"

" John, you previously stated the general meeting is to decide weapon distribution, food conservation and gather volunteers for the battle team, surveillance team, and scouts." Alex took a glance at the golden timer at the corner of her vision : 163: 13: 21

" I think it is best we hear from both the weapons department and supply department first. This allows you to know what to issue as extra benefits to those who volunteer and what you can reduce from those who don't. " 

" I guess that makes sense, thanks a lot mate, you've been a big help." 

John easily sent Alex his most grateful smile but was soon disappointed as she was not even looking at him.

Just then, Tarid walked in, waved, and took a seat next to Evan. The young department heads followed while sporting varying expressions and relaying different greetings. Soon after, all the department heads had arrived leaving seven seats empty. There was a board and marker behind the table. Additionally, in front of each seat existed a notebook and a pen. The people present numbered thirteen and they were ready to begin.

" Well, everyone seems to be here, let us begin." 

John scanned the faces of each present in the room before his eyes paused on a Spanish boy with messy black hair and undefined boyish features. He looked to be 17 years old.

" Terrence, I would like to hear from you."

Contrary to what many would expect, none of Terrence's movements hinted at fright or anxiety. Instead, he promptly stood up and began. His confident gait was undeniable.

" I am Terrence, the head of the maintenance division. As you have all probably witnessed the bunker has air conditioners, lights, a toaster, a water heater, a coffee maker, and many electrical appliances, these all rapidly suck power. This drains the battery at an alarming rate. We have been in the bunker for less than two hours, that is from the point of discovery, but the battery has already reached fifty percent."

Horror and worry quickly seeped into the minds of the adolescents in the conference room. Before any of them could voice their worries, Terrence continued.

" Luckily though, we have seven of these batteries, but wasting energy is not wise in our current predicament."

Terrence sat down with a cheeky grin on his face, overjoyed that the others had panicked.