VD We're Stuck Here

Chapter 87

"Damn!" Kol said, scanning the underside of the dome. He turned and ran toward the porch.

"Use caution, Kol," Elijah called after him. What would happen if the spell the women were working so hard to perform was suddenly interrupted? Would the whole new dome disappear or remain incomplete and without ventilation except down by the creek.

After Kol disappeared inside the house, Elijah followed. He knew Kol was more attuned to magic than he was. Even as a small boy, the younger brother had been fascinated by the power and techniques of their mother. And yet he had never seemed to have the inborn skill to build on.

Inside the kitchen, Elijah found the three women sitting around drawings on the wooden floor. Other objects rested in the middle as well. Freya, Barbara and Rebekah were holding hands and had their eyes closes. All three were murmuring some chant. Silently, Kol knelt down carefully so that he could rest his hands over Freya and Barbara's joined hands. Then he too intoned a soft chant, but his words were "Air holes. Ventilation." He repeated this over and over, hoping to add these thoughts to theirs. And it worked. Elijah, standing quietly near the doorway, saw the kitchen curtains move slightly at the open windows. And he felt the barest hint of air moving by his right hand, his left being in his pants pocket.

Then he wondered if perhaps it was the movement of a ghost. He knew there were four dead bodies under the dome, but only one of them was still active. The ghost of Bear still resided in the woodshed, occasionally knocking wood down from the pile. To make sure a breeze from outside was getting through the barrier, Elijah quietly stepped out onto the porch and then down the steps to the ground. He looked upward at the frosted-glass appearance and spotted quite a few small holes. More holes formed as he watched. The group was not going to suffer from the heat and lack of oxygen.

In the kitchen, the witches sensed that the dome was complete and they "woke" from the trance. They were not surprised to find Kol next to them, for they had heard his voice, and little by little they had let the holes form. Although feeling stiff in their joints, they all stood up from their positions on the floor.

Freya looked at her younger brother. "Thank you, Kol. For some reason, we were oblivious to the need for outside air."

"I don't know if you are aware of what you created, but the dome is opaque."

Barbara frowned and asked, "What does that mean?"

"It means you can't see through it, like it is a window covered with frost," Kol explained. He rubbed his knee that was still sore. Kneeling on the kitchen floor had been uncomfortable.

"On no!" Barbara exclaimed. "How could that be? I never saw it that way while we were making it."

"I didn't either," Rebekah said, although her mental images were not strong like that of the witches.

"Nor did I," Freya admitted. "Somehow that thought must have snuck in somewhere."

The four people went outside to where Elijah was standing, looking around.

"Thank you for the ventilation," he said to Freya.

Kol, feeling he had done an important part, snarked, "And thank you, Kol."

"Thank you, Kol," everyone chimed in at the same time.

"That looks so strange," Barbara observed, staring at part of the dome. Narrow streaks of sunlight beamed though the many small holes, while the rest of the area was lit by diffused sunlight. "Do you think folks outside can see in, like we could see out before?"

No one answered because they didn't know. Kol moved toward the end of the stone wall. "I'm going to see if the animals are alright. The change may have spooked them." However, he soon found out that they were calm. Most of the chickens, however, had retreated to the damaged hen house and were slow to come out into the odd light. The rooster and some baby chicks were the first to check out the safety. The rooster, in particular, eyed Kol as if he were to blame for the change.

Wondering about the perimeter wall, Kol walked along the eastern fence line and down to the creek, where the barrier was very obvious as it blocked the north side from the south side. Luckily, the creek bed ran from east to west. Kol continued around, south of the barn and then north along the western wall, finally coming to the place where the access hole had been. He found the rest of the group standing in the area.

"It is gone," Elijah informed him. There was no opening in the frosted barrier other than tiny holes.

"We are really cut off from the rest of civilization," Rebekah muttered with a sigh. Looking at the other two women, she added, "You two are going to have to recharge so you can replicate everything we need. John isn't going to be able to hand us anything."

"Including a bottle of good whiskey," Kol added.

"We don't even know if John will visit us anymore," Elijah observed. He knew his confrontation with Alexander did not help their situation at all.

"I think he will," Freya said as they all walked toward the house. "He has spent four years becoming our friend."

Kol snatched an apple from one of the fruit trees as he walked by it. The tree did not look at all robust, but like everything else, it was producing as best it could. With one arm around Barbara's shoulders, he bit into it. He would have preferred a sweeter apple, but he had to be content with what they all had. He offered Barbara a bite, but she shook her head and tightened her own grip around his waist.

"I know you were hoping to be able to leave here if the wall fell down, but I'm sorta glad we have a new wall," the young woman admitted.

"Why?" He kissed the top of her head. Although she had grown into an adult woman, she was still short.

"I was afraid you would leave. Without me."

"So, you were happy to put up this new wall?" His tone was slightly accusing.

"I guess so. That was selfish of me, wasn't it?"

"It's okay, darling'. I'm not in any hurry to leave you. I'm kind of fond of you." He grinned at her and she grinned back at him. He knew she was in love with him, much more than he was in love with her company, but that was how it was at this point. His own heart still longed for Davina.

Elijah heard what the younger couple said and he too wished he was with a loved one, Hayley, to be specific. Although he had said that the group had to remain at the farm until they were sent for, he was also disappointed that the chance to leave was now gone. He could hear pieces of the old dome still falling, although there was little of it left, except near the ground. Should they have left the farm and gone to the village? It would have been a wonderful change of scenery. Or would he have clashed with Alexander again, thus alienating Sarah more?

"Hello! Anyone there?" came a voice from outside.

Those inside could not see who was there, but apparently the person outside could not see the group standing near the porch. That answered the question of whether or not the barrier was a "one-way" window or not.

Elijah walked over to within three feet of the eastern wall. "Phillip, is that you?"

"Sure is. You can't see me?"

"No. Not really. This new dome is protecting us from falling parts of the old dome, but now we can't see out."

"You all are more trapped than you were before," the man from another farm observed.

"You are quite right," Elijah agreed. "But this time there seems to be no new holes big enough for anyone to pass us anything."

"You need food?"

"No. Not yet."

Phillip stayed to chat a short while longer and then he got on his horse and left. Elijah went to the wood shed and proceeded to split more wood. He knew Freya had volunteered to create wood the proper size for the household needs, but the two men had told her they needed that physical exercise. For several reasons, he was upset and he now did the work until he felt somewhat less tense. As he stacked the chunks of wood, one piece kept sliding off the pile.

"Do not get me riled up," he growled at the ghost of Bear. He could almost hear the man chuckle. Elijah would not mind a fight with the ghost, but he definitely did not want the ghost to take over his body as Bear had once done. Finally, carrying an armful of wood, he went to the porch and set the pieces down. Indoors, he found no sign of the spell-casting except for the markings on the wooden floor, markings that were permanent because Freya and Barbara used them often for replications.

For the rest of the day, the individuals worked at chores and had little to say. No one else came to visit. They worried that they were completely cut off from the outside world. That night only Freya and Barbara had a hard time sleeping. The three vampires could put themselves into the "sleep of the dead" and were not disturbed by worry or dreams.

They all woke when the rooster annoyingly announced over and over that a new day had dawned and everyone had better get out of bed. They did so, knowing they would have to get used to the new dome that offered no view. Other than that, their farm work would be the same as the days before. For how long?

A/N I admire people who farm, either because that is the life they choose, or because it is what they must do. They are tied to the land and the animals they keep. I am not a farmer, but I sometimes think I am the servant of my three house cats – Guy, Mandy and Cinder.