"It's been almost two months, and we're all doing pretty good, even if we are all alone. There's a door that leads to a Vault, right here in the caverns. Every day we bang and bang, but they won't let us in. We can hear them in there! One time, a guy on the other side told us we were dead already. Fuck those grown-ups. Fuck them all. We don't need them ever again."

Nearly two and a half months had passed and everything was seemingly going well… as well as it could in a post-apocalyptic time. For a city run solely by kids, Little Lamplight was doing great. Jason was happy with the way he was running things and so were the kids. Jason worked hard. He made sure everyone was accounted for. If he didn't know one of the kids, he would introduce himself and become friends with that person. That was a key quality in Jason's leadership: being personable.

"Jason… can I talk to you?" asked Madeline, a fourth grader who wasn't as close with Jason as the rest of his class was.

"Yeah Maddie, what's up?" He could see a sort of nervousness behind her eyes.

"I know we aren't super close. But… but thank you for everything! I really mean it."

"Oh, not a problem."

"Are we ever going to get out of here?"

Jason stayed quiet. This was a question he dreaded to hear. This was the question he knew he couldn't even lie about. If he said yes, everyone would expect him to figure out an escape plan. At the same time, if he said no, some kids would freak out and it would be his head. Despite the fact that these kids had set up a city, expecting to stay down in this cavern for a while, many still wanted to see the outside world again, along with their parents. Jason, plagued by his thoughts, continued to stare at Madeline with heavy eyes. He finally answered, "We… are going to try our best. If we cannot… well, at least we have set up a great place down here in Lamplight."

He expected Madeline to start crying, but instead she took a deep breath. "You're right. I know, you're right. This is a great place and we are making the best of it. Thank you again."

Jason smiled. This went easier than he expected. "We will get through this together. You go and get some rest."

Madeline smiled and walked off. Jason continued to scout out his area. Though most of the cavern was discovered, Jason would still look for new spots to set up civilization. He, along with other kids, set up numerous spots for sleeping. Along with this, they found an area to gather around and eat food. The stream of water was continuously putting out fresh, pure water. It had not affected them negatively yet.

By nightfall, Jason decided to try and get a good night's sleep. After closing his eyes for ten minutes, he began to fall asleep. He dreamt that he guarding Little Lamplight from terrible group of monsters. He drew a stick that suddenly turned to a sword. He swung the sword and the monsters were terrified fleeing the scene immediately. He then heard a pitter-pattering of footsteps behind him. He had no time to react, but felt a hand grab his shoulder shaking him constantly saying his name.

"Jason… Jason… Jason…"

Alarmed, Jason woke up in a sweat. He saw Henry who looked quite excited. "What's up Henry?"

"Jason… we found it! We found our way out!"

"Wait, what?"

"Jason, we are getting out of here. We are safe!"

"What… how?"

"Vault door. There is a Vault door."

"You mean like the new Vault Tech doors they've been showing all over the TV set?"

"Yes! They're here! There's one not far from here! Come on… come see!"

"Okay, okay!" Jason excitedly got up. They were free. They were leaving this cavern for good. This was an amazing moment in his young life.

The group rushed to the door. It was so exciting. He felt like the movie characters he'd always seen in his favorite action films. They were always discovering cool things, meeting cool people, and going on amazing quests. This was Jason's amazing quest… a quest to find true safety.

He walked up close to the door. In the center illuminated a giant 87. He took a deep breath and touched the steel door. Rubbing his hand down the door, he shivered. It was cold, but he knew there was life inside. "We must call to the people inside. Henry, you get five others. Two girls and three guys. We will bang on the doors and shout. We need to get in there."

Henry grabbed a group and told them to get to the door. They began to bang on the door, shouting to the people inside. "Hey! Help us!" They cried. "We are just kids… please!" There was no response. The kids began to yell louder. "PLEASE! Help!" Still, no one responded. The kids pounded for hours.

Finally, Jason told the kids to get back. He would brace the situation by himself. "Excuse me… if there is anyone there… please! We are children, no older than 10. My name is Jason Grant. I am mayor of a little town we set up… Little Lamplight. If there is any safe haven you can spare us… if there is a way you can lead us to some safety… please…" It remained quiet. Jason and the group stared at the door, waiting on some response. Still, there was none. The group decided to turn around and walk away.

"Go away…" a voice finally called out. It was the voice of an adult male. This stopped the group dead in their tracks. "Just go!"

Jason raced to the door. He called out, "Please, we are in dire need. Please… please help us!"

"No… NO! Go away…"

"No, please sir… We need entrance into…"

"What's the point… you're dead… you're not real… I can't help you…"

"No sir… we are alive, we need…"

"YOU'RE DEAD… DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU ARE DEAD! Just go…"

Jason choked up a word, but swallowed it as he felt there was no use. "Let's just go…" Hope seemed lost.

Jason went back to his quarter. He was angry. How could this happen to their group? There was no reason for these adults to lock them out. They were kids! They needed help! How could they be like this? He pulled the recorder out of his pocket. He was about to let his emotions fly as he started to record. "It's been almost two months, and we are doing pretty good…"

Jason finished his second journal, took a deep breath, then charged to the living quarters of the cavern. "Everyone… everyone gather around! Gather around!" The group of kids moved in fast, startled for a bit. "Everyone, we are calling a meeting."

The group met in a side corner of the cavern. Newly hung lights dimly lighted the space. The kids were curious to why this meeting was taking place. Jason was stern. "Kids of Little Lamplight. We have been ostracized by the adults of 87 and abandoned by those who have taught and cared for us. We only have one another. These… these… Mungos have left us here to fight for ourselves! We will survive, though. We will survive and we will live to see the light of day again! Never let these adults get us down. These Mungos are nothing but trouble and will split us apart. Let this be a place for kids. Let this be a safe haven for all that are young. No more Mungos! No more Mungos!"

The kids began to chant. All were screaming, "No more Mungos!" It was official that this was a new derogatory term for adults, and ever member of Little Lamplight stuck by it. They continued to chant. Jason walked away from them all. He knew that this was a defining moment. No adult would be allowed to enter Little Lamplight, and no adult would control these kids ever again. In the morning, Jason would start writing the rules that would officially set up the city of Little Lamplight… a city without adults.