Page 93 of Us Dark Few

Winnie gave a small smile that did little to alleviate the tension on her face. “Exactly. That is Timothy Talbot.” Winnie pointed to the painting of the white-robed man walking toward a strange structure. The mysterious art grabbed her attention the first day she met Winnie.

“This was painted by him before he died and passed down through the Talbots, along with his journal.” Winnie clutched the book so hard her knuckles were turning white.

“He was a great scientist before we all went underground. Winnie was told to keep this secret. Sworn not to tell anyone but family, and now…that is you.”

Winnie handed Khalani the black journal. A weird pressure centered over her body, like she knew everything was about to change. As if all the experiences in her life led her to this singular moment.

“What does it say?”

“The truth.”

Khalani’s muscles hung taut, and she opened the ancient text.

Journal of Timothy Talbot

Day 100 After Global Meltdown (AGM)

The United Nations declared a global crisis from the nuclear fallout, and humanity faces imminent extinction. We knew this would happen, but now, the whole world knows. Panic set in. Riots cover every continent, and our select coalition of the world’s top scientists must take our Project into hiding. We live at the base now, working tirelessly every day. There is no leaving, noturning back, for the fate of the human species rests in our hands.

Day 200 AGM

They killed Hunter and Brian today. They couldn’t handle the isolation and wanted to return to their families and tell them about the Project. I’m trying to hold tears back as I write this. They were my college roommates at MIT, my best friends. And now they’re gone, lost like so many people who have perished since the bombs. But I can’t let myself cave to those emotions. I now lead the Project and must carry on. I will not succumb to the daunting pressure holding me down. The future is what I need to think of. The future is all that matters.

Day 365 AGM

The United Nations announced a lottery for underground cities. Because of the Project, our families will have a secure spot in the nearest underground city. I wish I could feel better about it. They tell people they will be underground for only a short time. They say the earth’s surface will heal, and plant life will grow again. The air will be sustainable in no time. They lie. They have to.

For the lucky that win a spot underground, they don’t know radiation levels will take hundreds of years to decrease to a habitable level. Everyone alive at this point will either die from the fallout and nuclear winter, or they will live the rest of their lives underground, never to see the sun again. Life on the surface will cease to exist. Our only hope is the Project. We need to move faster.

Day 425 AGM

Saving the world is tiring business. I have started to engage with Alan. Preliminary tests look promising.

Day 460 AGM

The status of the Project looks better every day. The sequences are nearly complete, and I have presented to the President. I should be relieved and grateful. But I feel a weight in the pit of my stomach. Some of my conversations with Alanconcern me. I expressed those concerns to John, and he attempted to assuage my fears.

Day 475 AGM

We will complete the mission. There is no other alternative. John has doubts as well, but our minds won’t let us go there. If our fears are correct, we are doomed.

Day 505 AGM

Alan profoundly troubles me. Some things that have been said…does he truly have our best interests at heart? At this point, I don’t know anymore. I need to have one final talk with him. I pray that my instinct is wrong, but I cannot take the risk. Something must be done.

Day 531 AGM

Project Helix is complete. I never thought I would write these words. The team celebrates in the cave, but I don’t join them. They don’t know what I have done. We will join what family we have left in the underground cities of Apollo and Hermes. And now, it’s the waiting game.

When radiation levels decrease, Project Helix will begin its motor function, and humanity can return to the surface. Return home. This will be long after I am dead. I shall join my daughter and granddaughter in Apollo. Security closely watches me, ensuring no one spreads the truth of Project Helix. But this secret cannot die with me.

Final Journal Entry

Dear Maybell,

My sweet granddaughter. Seeing your smiles and beautiful face fills me with nothing but joy. A joy I thought I would never feel again. You look just like your mother did when she was your age. If your mother had lived longer, she would’ve been so proud of you. The radiation we’ve been exposed to on the surface hastaken a toll on all of us. Indeed, I feel my body growing weaker by the day. It’s time to leave you my journal.

I know you will have many questions, sweet girl, and I wish I had all the answers. The simple truth is that there may be some forces outside of our control that don’t want to see us prosper. After my time on the Project, even I questioned whether we were worth saving. All the wars, famine, loss of life, destroying our planet…how can we be trusted again? But I look at you and see all the goodness in the world in your eyes, and then I remember. Love is worth saving. Life is worth saving. Never forget that.

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