The Underground I

"Think this could sell for a lot?"

"Are you kidding? It looks like junk to me."

"What?! C'mon, all this stuff has to go for at least something!"

Down below, several feet beneath the surface, would be what humanity grew to call "The Underground." All of humanity, at least those that survived, were forced into living down below, forcing everyone, including my parents, to dig through and create a complex network of tunnels and caves to help keep everyone alive and safe. Monsters swarm above ground, mercilessly killing those they see trying to scavenge for materials and bring them back home.

People still dig underground to find shelter, since after a while, some semblance of society returned as shops started to pop up. It was all a shadow of its former self, but the Underground started to become a home below home. People treasure hunt in order to make a higher living, as all that is used on the surface is meant to build more shelters and keep the ceiling from falling on our heads.

Shortly after turning eighteen, my family finally allowed me to work as a treasure hunter. They forbade me from ever becoming a scavenger out of fear of me possibly getting killed by whatever is out waiting for someone to come up just to get a can of food or a steel beam from a demolished building. After some time, I was helping out the older workers and even getting some people to help me out on solo runs. With all the random junk we find in the dirt and rock, having some helping hands that know what they're doing sort stuff out is great.

"While you guys figure that stuff out, I'll move on ahead a little bit more," I said, looking over at Teddie and Gale.

Those two are probably the best in the business when it comes to sorting out whatever we find and estimating the value of it. Cash has since become obsolete in a way, so everyone pretty much resorted to using whatever jewels or gemstones are around after the miners come back. Some of it goes to the shop owners. Since miners are the most common job now besides construction workers, they get the next share, then the men and women that do construction. Usually, they split the shares evenly between themselves, and it's usually more than what the shop owners get. Us treasure hunters keep what we find and sell whatever junk we find that could possibly be sold for an Agate or whatever.

Obviously, the most dangerous job and what pays the most is Scavenging for supplies above ground. Everyone unanimously agreed that they should get the most out of what the miners get.

The only reason this system was made was because of the other societies being discovered. Not only was trading a big thing, but so was using jewels and gemstones as a currency instead of cash and whatever coins we could find. It's a system that still has a few problems, but it's all we got for now.

Teddie and Gale would look at each other, with both of them now adopting worried expressions upon their features, their eyes reflecting their feelings well as they looked back at me.

"Ain't that dangerous? A lot of people have reported some hunters having the floor give way and falling into pits, " Gale asked me before I shook my head and held out a pocket knife. My dad found it and lended it to me for some protection. Luckily, the blade was still pretty sharp.

"I'll be alright. And last I checked, all those guys got out okay. If I'm not back in half an hour, come for me."

Although they were reluctant to agree on letting me go, they nodded their heads, then moved on to sort out what they had found already.

Besides the knife, I actually had a pickaxe and a small shovel, along with a small lighter. I use the shovel to clear the dirt, and when I reach hard rock, I take out the pickaxe and get to work. For some reason, I know the best spots to pick out when digging and mining in order to maximize progress and shorten the time it takes to move further through tunnels. My mom pointed it out to me when I was a kid and I had this little drill that was decent enough at getting through the rock. After a while, that broke on me and I moved to what I have now. If my mom didn't tell me what my talent was, I doubt I'd even be here digging and giving everyone a chance to branch out.

It makes us all wonder if everyone else in the world is going through the same hardships as us. We eventually found other societies underground from the cities nearby ours, but it's a whole different matter of whether or not whole countries are being taken over by the monsters. Of course, it'd be nearly impossible to find that out since we have whole oceans separating us. We all grew to hope that other people are doing alright, too. Scavenging is probably the hardest job now, with a pretty high mortality rate. It leaves us to constantly fill up exits and dig up new ones just so the monsters don't sniff us out easily.

But, a few of us back when it first started noticed that the monsters don't even bother crawling through the tunnels. Even if they're close to snatching someone, whenever we make it below ground, they halt their pursuit and just leave. If we see that they are held out at one of the exits, then that's our cue to leave and find a new spot.

It makes us wonder if they're being ordered to do this. Since they're feral creatures that rip through everything just to get to their prey, one would assume they'd follow one to find more.

Though, it does make living here a bit easier, that's for sure. We would definitely have all bit the dust before I was even born.

"There's gotta be something here, I can feel it," I muttered under my breath, still hacking away at stone, even finding some iron and coal along the way. That would definitely be good to have back at the shop. "Man. . . I need to get better tools."

I could see that my pickaxe was getting worn down. I haven't been able to get it refined so that it's back to top shape in a while since the old man back at the blacksmith is backed up with orders for more pickaxes and shovels as is. He relies on us hunters and miners to find the materials for him. Even if I could convince him to fix it before anyone else, I'd rather not go through the hassle of trying to convince a man who could break my neck just by flicking my forehead if I said the wrong thing to fix something I could easily just buy, especially since he makes extras just in case anyone needs them.

Through all the digging, I hit something that made my pickaxe just bounce off.

"Huh? What the hell?" My eyes squinted after the initial surprised expression had worn off, making me look closer at what I had hit.

"Just a bunch of symbols. . . but the rock is loose around it." I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice that I was just clearing out several inches of what was almost like gravel.

Sifting the rock with my fingers, it had the consistency of sand, but also had some loose minerals inside of it, with some small rocks too. But, it was nothing my shovel couldn't go through. I was able to even fit through the small opening between the object and the rock surrounding it. I kept seeing more symbols all along the surface. It was bigger than I thought, it felt like I was digging for a good ten minutes without even seeing a corner or some opening.

I had to see what this was, my curiosity was killing me. Hopefully it doesn't end up killing me, though.

After my persistent digging, I finally revealed what looked like a door, actually, two doors. They looked to be made of the same material as the walls. They were heavy, but not enough to require a helping hand. While I normally would have called for Gale and Teddie, I had this itch that told me to keep going alone.

Finally, I opened both doors completely. The inside was dark, so much so that I had to use my lighter just to see a few inches forward. I'm left wondering how this place wasn't found earlier. Though I can't see much of it, my footsteps allow for some echoing, making me think that it's a large hall of some kind. I could see torches on the walls after inspecting them, but the oil has long since dried out.

However, I eventually noticed some light at the end of the hall, except it wasn't anything natural. They were particles reminiscent of the stars in the night's sky, and each step closer made them more plentiful, right before I realized just what I was looking at in the first place.

"It's. . . a weapon?"

It had a long shaft as though it was a spear, but the blade at the end was almost like a sword. The shaft itself was red, wrapped in a black cloth that had symbols similar to those on the walls written on it in white ink. The blade itself was silver, untouched by the passage of time. It had been set into a small pedestal, one that was able to nearly fit the entirety of the blade perfectly inside of it.

I took a hold of the weapon. I didn't want to pull it out since I had no idea what would happen if I did. I just wanted to see what it felt like to hold it. It felt oddly empowering. Still, I stepped back a bit, admiring it before looking down at my watch, with a sigh escaping my lips.

"Man. . . I should get back home to see the others before searching for whatever else is here. And I'm definitely calling dibs on this thing," I spoke with a smirk on my face. I remember reading some old books about them. They weren't exactly popular, but the concept of having a sword at the end of a polearm's shaft sounded cool.

Despite my excitement, my sudden hunger made me consider waiting until dinner. It's a good thing we still got watches and clocks working so we can still tell the time. It's a little after five, and I told Gale and Teddie to wait for me if I wasn't back soon.

I doubt either of them had the guts to follow me, so I just walked out of the ancient hall before making my way back to where they were, and they looked to have just gotten done with their sorting, as they had a few things in several bags, some far larger than others.

"Oh, you're still alive," said Teddie, hoisting a bag over his shoulder. Despite his name, the guy had an intimidating aura about him, which only further complimented his huge stature, and his musculature was out of this world. I've known him since I was born since we're around the same age, but he was very much into these workout DVDs when he was kid, and has since then gotten into shape that would make nearly anyone jealous.

"Good timing, too. Your folks came by just a bit ago to say we're all supposed to have dinner together. Your dad found a huge freezer at some supermarket with a bunch of meat. He hauled as much as he could for everyone," Gale spoke as well, who was almost the complete opposite compared to Teddie. He was still pretty fit, but more on the skinny side. The only thing that really gave them away that they were siblings were their matching green eyes and black hair, though Gale's hair was a bit longer than Teddie's, who almost shaved it all off completely.

I grabbed a bag myself, leaving my equipment strapped to my backpack before heading off to the Den, where everyone built their homes.

Getting there wasn't too long either, just a quick walk led us back to our home, the Den. It was a largely dug out cave that supported the lives of about ten thousand people. With the help of the construction workers, the ceiling was supported by steel beams. Homes were constructed out of sheet metal, with all of them being various sizes in order to shelter families.

In the early days, we found some hidden springs underground, giving us the water we needed that didn't just come from the surface. The leaders here definitely did a lot to help out, my dad being one of them. He's someone everyone looks up to in some way, and I'm no different.

When we all got back home, we dropped our bags so we could deal with them later.

"How was work?" My mom asked with a smile on her face as she cooked the last of the meat needed to finish dinner. She was still pretty young, though her all white hair would lead anyone to believe otherwise. I'm no different, since mine ended up the same way after growing up a little bit.

"Good! I actually got something to tell you guys after dinner. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's actually really cool," I answered, returning her smile with my own as I helped dad set the table. We actually have a larger family since Teddie and Gale's parents are really close with mine. Though they aren't related to us by blood, we still call them family because of how close our parents are. Their baby sister needed all the help she could get, too. New lives in the Underground were more important than what everyone initially thought.

Despite that, everyone still helped each other, not just us. Everyone in the Den gets along well enough not to cause any issues.

"Think after you tell us, you could finally get a haircut?" My dad spoke up, teasing me about my long hair that's gotten pretty wild. It's starting to reach past my shoulders, too. I just don't bother with it because I don't have a problem with it, so I just scoff at his question before shaking my head with a smile.

"As long as I can do my work like I normally do, I'm fine. But I'll think about it."

Not long after that, we finally got the chance to eat. Everyone got a choice on what type of meat they wanted. Dad was able to get stuff like steaks, pork chops, ribs, hamburgers, pork loin, even some fish like salmon. We even got some potatoes to go along with it or some corn. Regardless of what it was, it was still good thanks to my mom's amazing cooking. She was well recognized as a great cook, along with Gale and Teddie's mom, who helped out with the cooking.

It usually gets pretty rowdy inside the house. Everyone tends to have a lot of fun just talking and laughing, but it often gets a little too loud for everyone else. It's a good thing dinner is where we get the loudest, and afterwards things get calmer after some time. We still talk, but not like before. Since everyone wanted to wait until I told them what I found after clearing the table and idle chatter trailed off before all eyes set on me.

I'd be lying if I said the pressure was more than I expected. I normally don't get this chance to be the center of attention, despite the fact that I'm recognized for my talent with digging. I still get embarrassed whenever someone comes to me for help or when I get people to help me.

My chest felt tight, and this weight on my shoulders was heavier than any boulder. It was harder to breathe, and yet I felt like I was being suffocated by their staring, like their judgment was coiling my throat, becoming tighter with each passing second and patient tapping of the dinner table. Still, I knew I had to clear my throat to signal that I was finally ready to speak. I was really hopeful that they too found what I saw interesting.

Especially since I was really the only one, at least that I know of, that was this passionate about treasure hunting.

"W-Well, I-I've got some news, like I said," I was stuttering, fumbling with my words and struggling to find more. None of this was rehearsed in my head, I was just basing it off of a feeling, nothing more. "I f-found this, um. . . weird hall looking place, and it-"

Just as I was about to explain to them the best part of the discovery, their looks of intrigue were replaced with ones of shock as a ferocious roar could be heard above ground, strong enough to shake the Underground. Everyone braced themselves for a cave in, but despite the shaking, nothing sounded to have been damaged.

All that followed was the crumbling of rocks. Most walked out of their homes to see what was happening, only to see a young man falling down from a ray of light, illuminating the Den more than anything we could produce. They wore an outfit that could make anyone assume he was royalty, but it had a mix of something more military as well. It was all black with red lining throughout and the buttons and cufflinks were all gold. He had long black hair that reached to his lower back, with bangs framing his face as cold azure eyes scanned those watching from their doors.

"Filth. All of you have been graciously given the chance to continue your pathetic lives below the dirt by the High Order, but due to your foolishness, they have decided to purge you all. Pray to whatever God you wish to. None of them will listen to you."

He spoke with such authority that it was hard to breathe, like we were waiting for him to give us permission to even take a breath before he was brought back up through the light.

In the midst of it all, from the way he spoke, it made me wonder. . .

Was this all because of me?