Free Final Dawn: Escape From Armageddon by Darrell Maloney Page A

because Mark had inserted a clause into the designs calling for copper pipes and double-insulated wiring to be used throughout the compound. Both of them were very expensive and subject to pilferage.
         The contractor didn’t even ask why. If he had, Mark would have made up some lame excuse for wanting such an extravagant add-on that his “patients” would never see or know about.
         In reality, Mark was planning for a worst-case scenario. That maybe, after the breakout, the area would be overrun with lawless survivors. Maybe they would roam around in bands, like outlaws in the wild west, and rape, pillage and plunder wherever they went.
         If that were the case, Mark knew, the group might have to stay in the compound for an extended length of time. Decades, maybe, until the outside world became tame and civil again. He wanted the buildings in the compound to last for a hundred years. Just in case. So he wanted them built with materials that would stand the test of time. And cost wasn’t a factor.
         All of the slabs had been poured, and steel fence posts had been installed along the entire west side of the property. Four hundred yards didn’t sound like a great distance, but seeing all those posts lined up almost as far as Mark could see brought it into perspective. This was going to be a very large compound. And it should be plenty big enough to accommodate the original forty, and a few new rug rats as well.
         He walked to the edge of a pit that was fifty five feet deep and ten feet across. This would be the state-of-the-art septic system. Raw sewage from the compound would pour into the pit, which would be covered with a domed plastic top. The sewage would then very slowly soak into the earth, through a series of filters. There would be ten feet of crushed limestone at the bottom layer, followed by eight feet of fine sand, and ten feet of earth containing live microorganisms. They would break down any chemicals in the mix from soaps and detergents. Above the earth would be a second layer of sand, followed by another layer of earth. Live earthworms would be introduced to this layer. The worms would eat any bacterial material which made it that far. On top of that, another layer of limestone, a third layer of earth, and a layer of pea gravel. The engineers who designed this system in Europe swore that the water which finally trickled out the bottom and into the water table would be as pure as the finest spring drinking water. They also claimed that their system would be maintenance free for a hundred years.
         Mark planned to periodically test the water coming out the wells. Just in case. And if bacteria ever became a problem, they’d treat it again. Just to be safe.
         He then walked over to the northwest corner of the property, where a drill rig lay parked, ready to bore into the ground. This is where the first of the two water wells was going in. The other would go into the opposite corner of the property.
         The construction foreman said he personally didn’t understand the need for the second well. But then, he didn’t know the true purpose of the property.
         Redundancy. It was the key to their survival. And if one well pump malfunctioned and couldn’t be replaced for awhile, the second one would come in very handy.
         Mark left the site and went to the mine. He had six more flatbed trailers coming in today. Each one would have two 5,000 gallon storage tanks made of heavy duty plastic . They would be added to the seventy which were already in place.
         There would be a total of 2 20 such tanks when they were all delivered. Eighty would be stored in the very back of Bay 20, a full two hundred yards from the main entrance. It would be a highly restricted diesel storage area. No smoking would be allowed in the area, and no sparking devices, such as hand trucks or carts with metal wheels, would be allowed either. Only two people would