Free High Pressure System: First Season Underground by K.D. Kinney Page A

along each side of the stark white room. There was just enough space for us to stand together and walk to the end. The back wall was covered with cupboard doors and the room even had a small fridge.
    “I thought this was a closet full of cleaning stuff.”
    The music wasn’t playing in the room, but we could hear things shaking above like before. I was doing my best to subdue my panic.
    Micah squeezed my arm and he was concerned when I did look at him.
    “I felt my hair get sucked back.” My eyes watered again.
    “This is a safe room. There’s one on every floor and one of these fancy closets is where I go if we are in lock-down while I’m working.” He guided me to sit on the bench. He sat on the one opposite me. When he noticed Yodel trying to cower in a corner, he picked him up and set him on his lap.
    Dobbers jumped into mine. Rocky crawled out of my hood and curled up under my arm close to Dobbers.
    “Are you Okay?” he asked.
    I was trying hard not to cry and really wished I was in my apartment while dealing with my flashbacks.
    “Trying to be.” I nuzzled my dog so I could wipe my eyes.
    “You want something to eat?” Micah opened a cupboard and named off a few packages of crackers and cookies that were inside. He tossed me one and then gave me a juice from the fridge.
    The storm was powerful. Lightning strikes shook the building and the lights flickered off longer than I liked. I cowered on the bench.
    Micah stood up and turned on the dome battery powered LED light on the wall before turning off the main light. It cast odd shadows in the corners and bright light in the center of the fancy closet. The steady light sure helped. I sighed, releasing some of the tension in my back.
    “Okay, I know you’re nervous so I’m going to start talking. Jump in when you feel like it. I just don’t want you to think I’m all full of myself.” He waited for me to nod before he went on. “I lived in Boise all my life. I don’t have a wife or a girlfriend of any sort. Too busy working all the time. I do have a mom I care about very much. Dad never has been around. I have a couple of younger sisters and I’ve helped raise them. Also why I’ve worked so much.”
    “Are they here?” I asked.
    He shook his head, frowning at the floor.
    “Do you know where they are now?” I sat up a little higher. The frantic feeling I had over not knowing if my family was okay overtook me.
    “No.” Micah focused on petting Yodel and stroked the dog’s face with both hands. “I had hoped I could get them out here. I didn’t know I had to put in the request from the start. They were already assigned elsewhere by the time I tried to bring them here. That’s my biggest regret. That’s why I’ve been working so hard to preoccupy myself with other things when I’m not working or sleeping.” He sniffed, never looking at me directly.
    My turn to ease the discomfort. “I’m from New London, Connecticut. I came out here for college. I got some great scholarships and the lower cost of living out here made it so I could keep my dogs with me at an off-campus apartment. Well, as long as I had a roommate. My roommate got to go home though and I was stuck here. I talked to my family only once when I knew I couldn’t go home. My mom and dad are still together and I have a younger sister and brother. I really miss them. I have no idea where they are now. I can’t stand not knowing if they’re okay. Brandon told me he saw they were in a bunker over there, but he doesn’t know anything more.”
    “Yeah, well Brandon gave me some insight before the evacuation orders were sent. I only hope it was enough to save my family. He had no control over evacuation assignments and there was something regarding how that was worked out that really disturbed him. I never spoke to him much after I was able to arrange for my family to relocate before the evacuation day. I wish I knew how they’re doing now.”
    I must have been desensitizing from