Disclaimer: The following chapter is the non-edited draft of what was written during NaNoWriMo 2018. My apologies in advance for plot holes and other inconsistencies.

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Lincoln felt as if his heart stopped in his chest and he gasped for breath as he stumbled forward as quickly as his legs would carry him. He called out Marie's name repeatedly while he scrambled up the ridge towards the spot where Marie had stood just moments ago. He threw himself on the ground as he neared the spot and crawled up to the edge with his heart beating like a jackhammer in his chest.

As he peeked over the edge, he exhaled forcefully and smiled. Marie sat on a ledge about twenty feet below him.

"Are you all right?" he yelled.

Marie gave him a thumbs up. "I'm good. I'll have a few bruises, I'm sure, but nothing is broken."

"Ok, good," Lincoln said and surveyed the ledge Marie had landed on. It was maybe six feet by four feet wide. It was covered with rock debris and gravel, likely from the fall. It didn't look like it was likely to cause any further problems. Now, it was just a matter of getting her up. "Can you climb up?"

Marie shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. I've got a rope in my backpack though. I'll throw up one end of it."

Marie took her backpack off and unclipped the rope from the backpack. She held on to one end of the rope and threw the rolled up rope towards Lincoln. The first attempt failed, the rope just out of reach of Lincoln. It fell down just beyond the ledge Marie was standing on and if not for her holding on, it would have been lost down the side of the mountain.

As Marie hauled in the rope for another try, a piece of the ledge just next to her foot broke lose with a loud crack and tumbled down out of view. She stepped back against the rock wall and gasped, her eyes turning to Lincoln above her.

"That was close. Are you all right?"

Marie nodded. "I'm fine but I think this ledge is failing."

"Haul that rope in, let's get you out of there."

With renewed energy, Marie continued to haul in the rope and gathered it up in her one hand. Another piece of the ledge gave way as she leaned back to throw the rope up to Lincoln. This time, his fingers just barely caught it and he pulled the rope in.

"I've got it," he shouted down over the edge to Marie, just as the sound of another crack reached him.

"Hurry, Lincoln, it's falling apart." Marie's voice had become more desperate and pleading.

"Are you holding on?"

"I'm holding on. Pull, Lincoln, pull!" There was desperation in Marie's voice together with the sound of more rocks rolling down the slope.

Lincoln braced himself against an edge and began to pull the rope. He heard Marie grunt below him as she climbed up the steep incline. Moments later, she emerge over the edge, dirt and dust all over her face and clothes. Lincoln reached forward and took her hand, pulling her up the last few inches. She landed on her hands and knees, breathing heavily.

"Are you all right?" Lincoln said as he offered her a bottle of water from his backpack.

Marie took the bottle and drank the water greedily, letting it splash over her face and shirt. "I am now," she said with a smile. "That was close."

Lincoln smiled and impulsively gave her a tight hug. "I'm glad you're ok." Marie returned the embrace. The sat down on the ground a few moments later. "How about we take a few minutes before we keep going?" he suggested.

Marie nodded. "I'm not going to say no to that."

About ten minutes later, Marie stood back up and picked up her backpack. Lincoln followed suit and they continued down the ridge. About fifteen minutes later, the ridge began its descent. They passed through another patch of clouds and then emerged with a view of the whole valley below.

The valley had the shape of an oval bowl, several miles long and several miles across. Lincoln could see a small lake on the far side of the valley and on the left side of the valley, a runway ran longways across the valley.

"There it is," Marie said with a smile and pointed in the direction of the runway. "The entrance is on the far side of the runway."

Lincoln squinted his eyes and tried to see beyond the far side of the runway. Nothing stood out as an obvious entrance to a shelter.

"Is it supposed to be visible?"

Marie looked at Lincoln and laughed. "Visible? No, that kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? Even the runway wasn't recorded in any official records to avoid curious visitors."

"That really doesn't seem like it would be realistic."

"Why not?" Marie said, her hands on her hips, suddenly defensive.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult for satellites to pick up on the runway and all the activity in the area when the shelter was built."

"Sure, Lincoln, but at the time, most governments were busy trying to build their own shelters. I'm sure many knew where this shelter was located. We just made it as hard to find as we could. Now, can we continue or do you want to argue about who knew what a little more?" Marie turned and began to walk down the ridge toward the valley.

"Oh, sorry," Lincoln said and raised his hands as he followed.

As they descended the ridge, the limited vegetation on top of the ridge gave way to brush and taller grass and eventually the number of trees increased to the point that they found themselves walking through forest covered buy a thick canopy of leafs and branches that made the ground level significantly cooler than the ridge had been.

About an hour later, they emerged into a clearing, the end of the runway fifty yards away. Marie didn't stop and continued in silence along the runway towards the far side of the runway.

They passed a terminal and parking area that looked like they had weathered the years remarkably well. Most of the structures, including the air traffic control tower, were still standing, although doors hanging on only one hinge and missing windows was the evidence that even this remote outpost had not completely escaped the effects of the disaster.

As they continued towards the end of the runway, the temperature continued to rise and by the time they stepped from the tarmac onto the gravel at the very end, they were both sweating heavily and helped themselves to water on a regular basis.

"How far from here?" Lincoln said after a moment's hesitation. He didn't want to sound like a whiny kid but at the same time, knowing how far they had to go could be helpful for a variety of reasons. Like, would a fifteen-minute break be in order or were they close enough that they might as well continue on.

"Not far," Marie said over her shoulder as she gestured in the direction of the cliff visible up ahead. "Another mile, perhaps."

Lincoln nodded and they continued on. If she can handle another mile, so can I.

They followed a large cut-out area about thirty yards wide that took them through straight towards the cliff. It was as if at some point, a bulldozer had been used to cut right through the terrain.

"What happened here?" Lincoln said and gestured around them.

"It all used to be gravel. The more space, the faster they were able to move supplies from the airstrip to the shelter. I'm not surprised it's so overgrown."

"So what you're saying is that at the end of this, well, path, that's where the shelter is?"

"Exactly."

Marie was right. As they approached the steep cliff that shot up into the sky at a sharp angle, it was evident that the base, by the ground, wasn't a natural formation. The surface of the rock had been cut and through the dust and debris collected against the wall, it was clear to Lincoln that the surface was artificial in one way or another.

They approached the wall, stepping over bushes and tree trunks until they were right up against the wall. Marie reached out to touch it with palm of her hand and then slowly looked over the surface, a smile on her face. "This is it," she said over her shoulder. "This is my shelter. It's still here."

"It doesn't look disturbed," Lincoln said and ran his fingers over the surface. He brushed off some of the dust that had collected on it and beneath it, he felt metal.

"A metal door?" he said and turned to Marie. "Is this what leads into the shelter itself?"

Marie nodded. "There are multiple doors, actually. This is just the outer one. Let's see if we can get in," she said and walked towards the right side of the door.

"You want to get into the shelter?"

Marie turned and looked at Lincoln. "Yes, that's what we're here for, isn't it?"

"It is?"

"Well, I'm certainly here to check on it, to make sure it survived."

"I'd say it survived," Lincoln said and slammed the door with his palm. "The door doesn't show any signs of being opened."

"If you don't mind, I'd still like to check." Marie stared at Lincoln with a look that told him there was no point arguing. He threw his hands up in the air.

"Fine. How do we get in?"

"There's side entryway that was intended for use when it was time to open the shelter back up. Authorized personnel would use it to unlock the door, and only them. It's over here," she pointed and walked over to a section of the wall covered by overhanging rock.

"I don't see anything," Lincoln said.

"Help me out, it's covered by dirt," Marie said and proceeded to wipe the dirt off of the surface. Moments later, the outlines of a door became apparent. "Where is it?" Marie muttered to herself as she continued to clear the door off.

"What are you looking for?" Lincoln said as he took a step back and coughed as he tried to fan away the dust cloud that had gathered in the air.

"There's an electronic identification device here somewhere that reads the DNA of the person trying to open the door. It should allow me to open it."

"DNA lock?"

Marie straightened up and stretched. "Yeah, you know, to keep unauthorized people out."

"So where is it?"

"Right here," Marie said with a smile and pointed towards a barely visible square metal plate, placed right next to the door frame. She stepped forward and opened the plate, revealing a keypad. She punched in a number and a moment later, a green light appeared above the keypad.

"That's it?"

"No, that's just to get access to the DNA lock." A moment later, the keypad slid sideways into the wall and another device appeared from inside the wall. Marie put her whole palm inside it and waited a moment before she withdrew her hand and stepped back. "It'll just take a moment."

"So, what do we do when we get inside?"

"I'm not sure yet," Marie said and shrugged. "I'm hoping to find it all intact and know that I did everything right. Not to mention, it can be a refuge for us until we figure out what to do next."

"Isn't it a little odd that the place is still locked up?"

"Perhaps. I would have expected it to have been utilized by now, especially seeing how the outside is actually inhabitable in many areas, including in this valley."

The DNA locked beeped, a green light turned on and a dull mechanical sound emanated from within the door itself. The door then swung inward as it opened. The stale smell of air being trapped inside a space for decades greeted them.

Marie made a face and turned on a flashlight that she pointed into the darkness within.

"No lights?" Lincoln said as he did the same.

"There should be," Marie said, a concerned look on her face. "Let's check it out."

With the white fingers of their flashlights dancing across the walls and floor, they entered a ten-yard long tunnel that ended with another door. Another keypad code was required after which the door unlocked and swung open, just like the external door. They entered and Lincoln pulled it close behind them.

A few lights came on automatically as they entered, illuminating a circular reception area of sorts. A couple of desks with computer terminals were positioned on each side of the room. COnveyor belts on each side of the room disappeared into the wall.

"What this all for?" Lincoln said as they made their way across the room.

"A reception area for the last arrivals. They'd check in, not unlike for a flight, then put their belongings on the belts to be carried to long-term storage. It would only have been used by the last people to join the shelter, like myself, my dad..."

At the mention of her dad, she glanced back at Lincoln and they held an uncomfortable stare before Marie turned and continued toward a set of double-doors on the other side of the room. "Through here will be what I call the Great Hall. It's through which all residents of the shelter pass when they arrive. It was meant to be a reminder of what we left behind and what we hoped to rebuild once the time came," she said and pushed through the doors. Automatic lights came on throughout the hall and Marie and Lincoln both froze. Marie dropped her flashlight and gasped as her hands flew up to her mouth.

~~~

They made it to the shelter. What do you think it is that that caught them by surprise? Is it Colonel Hastings waiting with an ambush? Something good, something bad?

Let me know what you think!