Free ToxicHaven by Gabriella Bradley Page B

bag.
    “Thank you. I hope to see you soon, Danielle. Take care.” Haven sent the woman a reassuring smile before she closed the door.
    “The high altitude glider is hidden behind the greenhouses in a barn. We must hurry,” Pierre urged them on. “We keep it well locked away because we don’t want our adventurous teenagers trying it out and going into the mountains. There are some dangerous creatures in the dark forests there.”
    Haven couldn’t help but chuckle. “Youth is the same everywhere, it hasn’t changed throughout the ages,” she said. From a distance, the greenhouses had looked huge, but she had never realized how truly big they really were. Each greenhouse was at least the size of a farmer’s field. She wished they had time to stop and peek inside. Maybe one day Pierre could proudly show off their crops. Not tonight. Darkness had fallen and the barn loomed before them.
    Pierre quickly opened its doors revealing a silver glider. “Come,” he beckoned, hurrying to it.
    The glider seated four. After climbing in, Pierre started its engines and waited for his passengers to sit and put on their safety straps. The dome closed over their heads and the glider silently rose and slid out of the barn.
    Once outside, the ship rose and Pierre steered toward the mountains, the glider’s bright beam lighting the way.
    Haven looked up and saw the three tiny specks had become bright stars in the sky. They had an hour, perhaps a bit more, to disappear from sight. “Will we have enough time?” she asked anxiously. “And how will you return, Pierre, without revealing the glider to them?”
    “I will stay with you,” he said. “We cannot afford to lose the glider. We have little enough equipment as it is.”
    His determination to help them surprised and gladdened her. She was touched because he was risking their very existence for them. They were, after all, three strangers who had landed on their doorstep just a few days before. The universe still had people in it that harbored kindness. Humanity wasn’t all lost. She was also surprised at how fast the glider moved, regardless of its age. Effortlessly Pierre navigated through the first mountain ridge. Before too long, they were far beyond civilization. Tall cliffs loomed ahead. They looked stark, dark and forbidden.
    “A change of plans,” Pierre said. “To hide the glider we’ll need to use the mine instead.”
    At first, Haven thought he was going to crash into the tall cliff straight ahead. Her heart climbed into her throat and she was on the verge of crying out when she spotted an opening wide enough for the glider to enter. It slowed. Its bright headlight displayed a long tunnel ahead. The walls, ceiling and floor resembled pink and white soap stone, darker rose veins creating an interesting network.
    Pierre landed the glider at the entrance to a large cavern. On the walls, sconces hung about every eight feet apart. The glider’s doors opened and Haven stepped out, surprised at the immense size of the cave. 
    “This is where we mine the stones from which we make the compound to detoxify the slag. The stones have other uses as well. We’ve made some beautiful ornaments and lamps from it,” Pierre told them while lighting a torch then lighting each sconce hanging on the walls. They were similar to his torch, but imbedded in holes in the walls.
    “I guess this is where we’ll spend the night, days, who knows how long we have to hide,” Josias said.
    “I just hope they leave the villages alone,” said Isan.
    “Don’t fear the worst, son. Have faith,” Pierre said while dousing the torch and setting it back in place near the entrance.
    “It’s really quite beautiful in here. I wonder what kind of stone it is,” Haven mused, running her palm across the wall.
    “Salt. The tunnels and caverns go very deep beneath the crust. I think this may have been a sea, hundreds of thousands of years ago.”
    “Wow. You could make a fortune selling it. Salt