Disclamer: In 300-some years, Stephenie Meyer's works, like Shakespeare, will be probably be public domain. Until then, she owns them, and I can only wish that I did….unless I live 300 years or go into cryogenic suspension.

See, nice and prompt. Next chapter. Among the cave inhabitants, there will be some unfamiliar names, mainly because SM only provided about 25 names in the book. So I get to make some people up…heck yeah.

Welcomed

The sun was fully up and the sky was a brilliant blue when Jeb pulled the car into a dark recess hidden in a craggy hill, one of the many in the mountainous desert we had been driving through.

"Out of the car, boys, we've got to cover up the car before I introduce you to the gang." Kyle and I exchanged a glance, not of fear this time, but almost disbelief that what Jeb claimed was actually true. It was unbelievable to us that 21 people had actually survived, let alone that they had found each other. Before Jeb, Josiah was the only human we had met. Jeb grabbed a flashlight out of a safebox in the back of the truck, and helped us unloaded the supplies we had gathered from the house. We then helped him throw dirt-colored tarps over the truck. We stood back and observed our work. I couldn't help but feeling a little uneasy, anyone who looked too close even from the air might see it.

"We have a more permanent place to keep the truck. We have a sedan as well, and I normally take that out for quick supply runs like this, but it's on the fritz. Either of you boys a mechanic?" Kyle and I smiled; our father had loved rebuilding old cars. He taught all of his children, even…….even his daughter how they worked. I'd hotwired a few cars the past few years, but actually getting down and dirty in the motor of a car was something I hadn't done in a long time.

Jeb noticed our reaction and smiled his crinkly-eyed smile in return. "I'll take you with me when I drive it out to the hiding place this evening so you know where it is, and you can have a look at the sedan while you're there. But now I imagine you're excited to see the last of the human race. Come on." He flicked on the flashlight and we followed him into the black tunnel that continued into the hill.

The entrance to the tunnel was low, and I had to duck. Kyle didn't. His low cursing followed me through the darkness. The floor sloped suddenly down, and even with the light of the flashlight bobbing ahead of us, I stumbled on the rough ground.

"Steady there, little bro," Kyle jibed. Idiot. The treacherous downward slope continued for who knows how long. In the darkness, time seemed almost suspended. Almost as suddenly as it had dropped, the path evened out again, veered to the left, and sloped upwards. Before much longer, the path flattened once more. Now things got complicated. Tunnels branched off in every direction. Jeb took the second one, which led to another set of tunnels, and there he took the one on the right, and then another fork appeared. I tried to memorize the combination as we followed the twisting and turning path that Jeb took. In the distance, a faint light appeared, reflected on the wall of the cave. It grew stronger, and as we approached the source, I could hear the murmur of voices. More humans! Jeb wasn't lying after all. We rounded the last corner, and were at the end of our journey. A vast cavern opened up in front of us--daylight emanated from above us and temporarily blinding me. A group of people milled about in the cavern, ten or so. More humans than I'd ever thought I'd see again. There was a large dark square in the center of the cavern, where small green sprouts were shooting up. Most of the people, a women and men alike, were working there. Tunnels branched off in every direction, leading to even more wonders, I was sure. I looked up at the ceiling of the cavern, puzzled. Light poured from it, as it would from the sky. All this couldn't possibly be outside, they would have been caught by now. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I could see the light was uneven, brighter in some places than in others. It must be coming from some sort of vent. I'd have to ask Jeb about that later.

Everyone in the cavern looked up as we came in. Looks of delight crossed their faces.

"New arrivals!" Jeb called. Everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed towards us, forming a throng of eager faces.

"This is Ian, and this is Kyle." Jeb indicated us as he spoke, introducing us to the beaming crowd. "Well, what are you waiting for! Introduce yourselves to them!" Kyle went around and started enthusiastically shaking hands. I'm not exactly the type for large displays of emotion, and don't really do well with new people either, and hung back. However, someone from the crowd approached me. She was a young woman, about my age. Pretty, too. She smiled brightly, holding her hand out to be shaken.

"I'm Ellen."

I took her hand. "Ian," I replied. Stupid, she already knew that. I was always awful at talking to girls.

"Well Ian, welcome to our home."

I scanned the vast cavern. More people had come into the cavern, news of our arrival had spread. Another person greeted me, and then another. Soon I had met just about everyone. They all were asking questions, talking, welcoming. Surrounded by this happy tumult of human life, I began to think that maybe, just maybe, this could be my home too.