"I don't know why you keep writing to her. She stopped answering you months ago, man." Art sighed, shoveling in a spoonful of questionable oatmeal. Everything down in the pits had a layer of soot that just didn't wash away. Even the shower water had a gray tinge. At least the surface sent down cases of water. Matter of fact, another load should be coming down the vents in the next day or so.
Landon frowned, folding the letter as his mind wandered. What if something happened to her and no one let him know? All the possibilities plagued him. When he worked in ground zero he thought about her. When he was lifting weights in the gym on the subfloor... always Abby.

Is she okay?

"What if they stopped sending the letters?" Landon countered. Art just grumbled, something about him being a hopeless dust covered romantic.

"Why would they do that?"

Landon shrugged, "Why would they cut our food rations and send extra of this gray gloop?" A blob fell with a plop in his bowl for emphasis.

"They said the company had to cut back on a few things due to what's going on up above."

"That's another thing... What is going on up there? I haven't seen Stewart in a long time." Landon looked up at the fluorescent light that dangled from loose wires. A fire hazard no doubt. But it still worked well.

The alarm for their lunch break sounded followed by a collective heavy sigh from all the men and women.

Slowly they all shuffled to the lift, shoulders slumped and eyes bloodshot and weary. When would they be able to return to their loved ones? No one really knows. Each of them signed the consent form in hopes to have a substantial check once the task had been completed.

That strange blue light shining through the rocks is the beacon of hope they dig towards. Hopefully in the next few days they can send it to the top and be free.

"How's Abby, Landon?" A stocky man with glasses and a dust filled beard nudged him. Landon's heart fell. He didn't know.

"I don't know."

The bearded man watched him for a time with watery eyes. Probably an effect from all the dust.

"My Mariah hasn't responded to my calls or letters in months now... I was hoping that wasn't the case for you."

"I'm telling you... she got tired of waiting for your boring ass."

Art dodged the hand swinging towards him and laughed.

"Come on! It's better than thinking she's dead."

The bearded man stared down at his boots. His wife very well could be dead. They weren't exactly spring chickens. Not nearly as young as the two men beside him.

"Don't let the darkness keep the light away." He nodded, more to himself than Landon. The lift fell silent as they descended lower with a lurch. The creaking cables nearly deafening as the cart slid along them.

"What we be working in the gym later?" Because asking tonight would indicate we knew it was night time. No one knows the time. Life moved with the sound of each alarm tone indicating breakfast. Work. Lunch. Work. Dinner. Gym. Bed. Repeat.

Some kept tally marks to know. Landon went by letters received from Abby. Well... he did until they stopped coming.

The lift hit the bottom with a thud followed by plumes of dust. No one coughed or complained, they just shuffled out onto the rocky floor. Outside the lift, a man with half rimmed glasses scanned a clipboard, humming loudly. His pointed nose twitched a bit when the dust rolled in his direction.

"Breakfast was riveting, was it not?" He smiled gleefully. Everyone stared at him like he formed a second head. No one was that cheerful down here. Maybe he was new.

"Put that cheer on a simmer bro." Whined Art, scratching the side of his head. The man looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Seems like this lot could use a bit of cheer. Besides, I'm the new lead for this area. So perk up."

He flipped a page on his clipboard before looking over them all.

"My name is Caesar."

"Like the pizza place? I mean it makes sense... you are kinda small." Art chuckles, the bearded man smirks, then quickly wipes his mouth to hide it.

Caesar steps in front of Art, the tension palpable. It's almost comical with how short he is, barely reaching Art's mid chest. He glared up at him with tiny rage.

"No you sniveling idiot... like the great Julius Caesar."

"Ah, well you don't seem to measure up to that name either." Again Art laughs. Landon elbows him in the ribs.

"Leave him be. He's got a job to do just like we do."

Caesar's eyes snapped to Landon. Glee filled the young man's eyes once more. His wrist watch sends a moving picture into the space between them.

"Caesar!!! How are the conditions on the subfloor? Do you see any progress?" A man with white slicked back hair spoke with a strange accent. Caesar appeared annoyed by him.

"We haven't even started the day, Philip."

"They are going to shut it down if the project wastes any more time." Grumbled Philip, disappearing from the air. The darkness swallowed the space aside from the tiny lanterns hanging from the walls.

"We've only been down here a little over a year. How is it wasting time? They said it would probably take close to two. If anything was down here to begin with." A middle aged woman with raccoon eyes whined.

"Does that mean we won't get paid?"

Panic rippled through the group as every eye fell on the man in front of them. Landon stared at the watch. Could technology progress that much in a year? Where did he get it? Even his clipboard was odd. There were papers, but beneath them was a faint light. Which often lit up Caesar's face when he shifted through them.

"Not a worry. Your wages have been managed." He chirped.

No one relaxed, no one moved. Something was very wrong.

"Okay... let's get started. Albert you are going to funnel the rocks up the vent. Margreet you will manage the water supply. Art you and Landon have pickaxe duty."

He continued on distributing the rest of the jobs. Landon and Art moved to the dark cavern with their head lamps. The faint blue light drawing closer with every step.

"Do you hear that?" Landon asked, a faint humming echoed through the cavern.

"Yea...."

When they reached the light. It appeared to have broken through more on its own.

"Wow..." Art stared wide eyed at the beam.

They both swung their axes at the rocks surrounding the pulsing light, chipping away rhythmically. Before long the cavern was pooling with the strange blue light, rivulets of silver white liquid trickled on the ground, through the cracks.

Gear prickled along the back of Landon's spine. This was unnatural. Whatever it was they were mining for. Warning bells range fervently in his head. Then the alarm for lunch rang true. Had they really been working that long?