Chapter 2

"Tin! Tin com'ere look!" 

Vivian pulled me towards our boarded up window, that faced the street. Through the breach in between the boards we could still see what's happening in the outside world compared to in here. 

"They're taking the Albert's! That's right next door!" 

Every cell in my body froze. I knew our deaths were inevitable. I knew they would come and get us eventually. I just wished they'd give us a little more time. A little more time for us to...

"What do we do?" Vivian screeched. 

Mother was already pulling her away from the window in a hurry not to be sought out. 

"They'll hear us for sure if you don't put you're voice down." she reprimanded her. "Now come on and help your sisters collect the food." 

Mom had slowly developed a ghastly pale tone to her skin over time. Deep, black rings circled her eyes no matter how much I try to ease the stress off of her. Looking into her eyes, resembled a black void of sadness and fear for us. And there was nothing I could do to lessen the fear in my mother and siblings eyes, but find away to survive. 

"Momma, the cellar. You'd be fine down there right?" I asked.

Momma smiled sadly. "Hopefully." 

Vivian had already left to help Lacy and Flora in the kitchen which is why mother came closer to whisper into my ear what she really thought about our current situation. 

"Tin, hon, They'll check in the basement. They've done it before. They know people will hide from them, that's why they have dogs with them." 

I rub my forehead frustratedly. "They won't find us."

Momma threaded her hands through my hair, an action she has always done to my silky black hair at which see claims is the softest hair she's has ever touched.  

"My sweet boy." She smiled sadly. 

This pissed me off. 

The expression on her face looks like she was just about to give up, to say goodbye. But no, I won't be giving up, I'll have faith for all of us. 

        Determined, I broke away from her grasp and stormed down the hall, towards the basement. There's gotta be a place. A place where we could all be safe, where we could all be..." I hurry down the stairs and look around my surroundings. The place is covered in cobwebs and dust bunnies that have been piling over for years. Storage bins clogged the corners and some of dads, possessions still laid untouched from when he first bought them but never used. I don't see any possible hiding place in this open basement room filled with nothing but junk. I look around anyway. I start from removing picture portraits from the walls to ransacking the junk from the floor.

Two hours later and to no avail. Nothing. I slump to the ground and bury my head into my hands. I stayed like that until I felt a tiny hand grasp my arm. I looked up and there Lacy sat with tears smeared on her face and a snotty noes. I rebuked and drew her in to my lap.

"Hey Lace-bug, what happened, why are you crying?

Lacy sobbed then hiccuped.

"Vivi said mean things to me again."

"Oh." I cuddled my six year old sister to me even closer and stroked her strawberry curls. Soon her tears and sobs subsided. She laid solemnly in my arms while I cried silently in my head.

Is this really the end? Did we survive all these months only to die tomorrow, by those evil Grey men? My little sisters, my poor mother, my deceased father, all for what? That Damn Kinin Guy! No. I will and never will accept it. 

"Lace, are you okay now?"

She nodded into my chest but then pointed to the a broken book shelf which leaned against the wall to our left. 

"Behind it." she pointed out. "Was that daddy's certificate?"

I got up and held Lace in my arms. 

"Where, show me?" 

I walked with her towards where she was pointing. 

"Over there." 

Putting her down, I struggle to push the splintering shelf to the side. Lace moved in to help to but I warned her to stay back. 

"I got this." 

In the end, I managed to only see part of the world, and just as Lacy had said, Dad's doctrine certificate hung there. 

"Oh, this?" I move to dust my finger over the fine print. "Dad got this last year, do you remember that?" 

I look to Lacy and caught her smiling. 

"Yeah." she answered. "But what it for?"

"Well," I chuckle to myself. "It's a leadership recommendation certificate, the one dad won for... wait."

Thinking about dad, I stop. Father's voice rings in my ears like church bells at an empty alter.

"In the middle." I recite to myself at dad's last words. 

"What middle?" Lace interrupts. 

I don't bother answering, in case of losing my train of thought. 

I pull the certificate down from wall, where it was placed. I remember dad putting this frame up here, saying that this was the spot it was supposed to be instead in the living room with his other certificates. I remember all of us seeing that as odd. We didn't argue and this is where the certificate stayed ever since. 

It was hard to see, but on the wall, a small press in button, no bigger than an infants pinkie, was visible. I wouldn't have spotted it if Lacy hadn't have left the basement door open. 

"Press it!" Lacy exclaims. 

I nod. 

With the press of the small button, cranking sounds can be heard, almost like a garage door being opened. The startling sound caused the rest of the household to flock downstairs. 

"What in the name..." mother started as she ascend the steps two by two. Flora and Vivi, followed after. 

I didn't even register them as the carpet terrain floor started to rustle ever so slightly in the middle of the basement floor.

Suddenly the cranking sounds stopped. We all looked around to spot what had changed. I still looked to the carpet that had move seconds before. 

"Under it." I slightly mumble. 

I race to the spot, and press my feet onto it. If not for the carpet, I would have fell through. 

"It's a trapdoor. It's open underneath." 

Mother held her hand to her heart. 

"Vivi, get me a knife, hurry." 

In seconds, Vivi, was gone and back with a steady, sharp knife in her hands. I didn't hesitate grabbing it out of her hands doing away with the carpet. 

I was worried about time. There was no definite time when the Grey men might show up. The fact that they had already evacuated next door, scared me even more. If this was a possible hiding place for us, that dad had created or known about, I don't want to waste it.

As I cut, I start barking orders. 

"Momma, check outside for the Grey men, I need to know how much time we have left." 

Mom nodded and rushed up the stairs. 

"Vivi, Flora, since you two are the two oldest, go carry down the canned food, water and all that remains." 

"Okay Tin." the replied, and left shortly after. 

Only Lacy was left. 

"Okay Tin Tin, what about me?" she asked in her sweet, innocent voice. 

"Um..." I thought. "The blankets, be a good bug and get all the clean blankets you can find. bring them down."

"Aye-eye!" she saluted.

Lacy scurried away, happy to be of some help.

By the time I was done cutting the carpet into half a square, momma came back to report. 

"I see them, They're watching the house, but not approaching." 

I shivered. 

"Okay, Ma, get the lights, flashlights, candles." Momma nodded and left again. 

This was definitely a trapdoor. I shined my phone into the hole and found the jump down wasn't to long. Just in case, I swung my feet into the hole and jumped down. My footsteps echoed from the jump but other than that, nothing could be heard. That was when I knew this underground room was sound proof. This only strengthen my resolve. 

The sounds of Vivi and Flora's voice squeaked down to me. 

"I'm down here!" I yell up to them. Soon their faces float over me. 

"Drop the food down." I tell them. They do as asked. 

This routine repeats over and over until all the food was down here. 

Momma suddenly comes back with multiple lamps, flashlights, candles and batteries.

"They've move!" she tells me urgently. 

I nod. "Okay," trying to keep my calm. 

"Flora, get the radio, toss it down. Momma, help Lacy with the blankets." 

Momma runs upstairs once again. 

"Okay Vivi, jump down, I'll catch you." 

Vivi nods and doesn't hesitate to jump down into my arms. 

"Nice catch," she tells me. 

I ruffle her hair. 

"Nice drop." 

The radio is dropped next then soon, it's Flora in my arms. As my eight year old sister who is usually the quiet one grips to me tightly, I kiss her forehead to reassure her. 

"Help light this place up, give it a little home flare." 

She nods obediently.

When momma comes back with the blankets but not Lacy I worry.

The covers are tossed in before mother tells me, 

"I can't find her! I looked everywhere."

I don't even stop to ask questions. I pull myself out of the room, with the help of momma and start towards the stairs. 

Before I leave, I call out. 

"Momma, get in, watch Vivi and Flora." 

Mom tries to argue, but the look on my face told her enough. I watch as she disappears into the hole. 

Upstairs, I call out. "Lacy!" 

Nothing. 

I force myself not to panic. 

I ran up to the second floor from the main floor. 

"Lace!" I called again. 

"I'm in daddy's office. " I heard her tiny voice call out. Just as I made a step towards that direction. The door downstairs shook. 

I froze in utter terror. 

Windows, suddenly exploding everywhere, downstairs and up. The door broke open that same exact moment, and multiple voices are heard. The Grey men were finally here.

"Resident's of this house, don't bother hide, you are being evacuated. I repeat! You're being evacuated, whether by will of force!" Suddenly, chaos struck, and the sound of our furniture breaking and fire spreading shook havoc. 

It wasn't till the sound of Lacy feet pattering the floor towards me, shook me from my frozen state. 

"Tinny!" she cried. She jumped into my arms and I pulled her in tight. "We'll be fine." I promise, we'll be fine." 

Already my brain was cranking for idea's. Deciding on instinct. I run, with Lacy in my arms into the closet, closest to the stairs. Stupid, maybe? Seeming that closets are the first thing they would check, but I chanced it. 

"Check the second floor, we'll search for door's down here." Mechanic voices declare.

It wasn't soon until footsteps in multiples marched up the stairs and thankful past us. Not wasting a second, we dashed out and down the stairs.

I wasn't surprised when one of the Grey men screamed out, "We got a fleer!" 

Dozens of feet ran after us, but I didn't chance looking back. I chanted the same thing over and over in my head. 

"We'll be fine, we'll be fine." 

Lacy held tightly to my chest, not making a sound." I ran dodging Grey men like the plague itself, making sure to conceal Lacy. The basement door suddenly appeared before me and I pulled it open, hoping to God, that a Grey men hadn't already gone down here. I bolted the basement door before jumping the whole length of the stairs and rushing to the hole. 

The Grey men pounded heavily on the door. I knew they'd break it open just as fast as they broke the front door. 

"I know your down there, Kid!" they screamed. 

I don't pay them any mind as I quickly handed Lacy down to mother in the hole. 

"They're here." I tell them rushed. 

"I know. We heard, get down here fast." 

I falter. I've been thinking about this since I found the hole with that button. 

"Momma, the button." I say sadly. 

Momma looks at me confusingly. 

"I need to press the button, in order to close this." 

Momma's eye's grew another size. 

Press it and hurry down!" she exclaimed wildly. 

The door shook from above the stairs. 

I look back down to my mother and three sisters, who were safe in the safety of this secret room, father built. I realized a large weight had been lifted from my shoulders. As long as they were safe, nothing really mattered. I smiled at that. 

"No!" mother wailed in anguish, reading my mind. "Tinsel don't!" 

But it was too late, I had already raced to the button and pushed it. Hanging dad's certificate back up, I listened in agony as my mother and sisters cries echoed around me. Before the hole had closed completely I forced myself to take one last look at my family. 

You could say that then, was when I died.