Within the Silo’s Grasp
by Star Zuniga
Star Zuniga is a senior at the University of Incarnate Word who is a double-major in Theatre Arts and English. Due to her graduating this Spring of 2024, Star’s story is that she is striving to continue her education with an MA in Creative Writing (and eventually a PhD), and aspires to continue writing for the rest of her life!
Council
We don’t go outside the containment zone. That would be treason. Our rules are simple: be civil with one another, reside in your assigned area, and don’t go outside. Our solemn vow is to protect the wandering adults and children who have not been shown the way. We have not been outside the silo since we were born, and we all live very comfortable lives as the council. We admit that our living quarters are neater and more organized than the others who inhabit the silo, but we feel as though we deserve it because of the difficult decisions we have made on behalf of everyone in the silo. Each of our assigned areas is elevated and isolated from everyone else, so we can hold private meetings that cannot involve interruptions by the others who live in the silo among us.
The council consists of four men and two women. Raymond, Arthur, and Henry have all reached the age where their joints pop and ache with most of the movements they do. Mabel and Fay have experienced the hardships of childbirth. They spent many years on the council while nurturing those children and watching them grow into the adults they are today. They watch them from our elevated area, but struggle with the thought of their children possibly hating us for the decisions we have made while living in the silo. We know that they want to go outside the silo, but the risk seems too heavy to bear. Samuel is the youngest of us and the newest member added to the council. His bones are more flexible, and his voice does not crack as much as the rest of us do, so we have taken it upon ourselves to elect him as the voice of the council. We believe that the others in the silo will agree with our decisions if he is the one speaking to them. We know how they view us, or at least how some of them do, but we push that thought into the back of our minds. We can’t let petty feelings become mixed in with our decisions.
Maverick
“High and mighty bastards,” I whisper to myself as I stare at the council who watches us from their assigned area. I think about flipping them off, but I figured it was not worth making a fuss so early in the morning. I turn my gaze back to my unmade bed and I cringe at the sight of it. My bedsheets had tears in them, and my single pillow lost its fluff a long time ago but that’s how it was for every single person living in here. Except for those lousy ass council members.
“Hey, Mav.” A voice shakes me out of my thoughts, and I turn to face my favorite person in the silo.
“Hey, Emma. Going around doing your daily check-ups on everyone?” I said with a smile, noting my appreciation of her presence. She nodded and looked towards my assigned area. I noticed the look of concern on her face but decided against asking about it, because the messy and worn-out area was overwhelming. Everyone’s area looked the same but still, it felt like we lived like animals. The silo walls creaked with every windstorm that blew through where we lived, and the ground we walked on was dried-up soil from the lack of rain. We had not been able to grow our crops for a few months already and people were getting antsy. Not to mention the lack of space our silo had, it was often that people would push past each other to get to their assigned areas or to use the bathroom. I had talked to Emma about hating the way we live and wanting to explore the outside world, but I tend to leave hating the council out of our conversations. However, I feel like she knows about my strong dislike of them already. She is the daughter of one of the women in the council, but she does not live in a fancy assigned area like her mother. No, she was forced to live like a dog just like the rest of us while her mother watches in her nice ass bed with her silk pillowcases. I was frustrated by Emma’s lack of resentment towards her mother and the rest of the council. She would always reassure me that she would want to live with the rest of us anyway, even if she was given the chance to live with her mom. Emma was the only reason why I didn’t mind living in the silo, and I wouldn’t admit it to her face, but she was the reason I hadn’t left this hellhole. I couldn’t leave her behind unless her life depended on it.
“How is everyone doing Emma? Getting hungrier?” I asked while I turned my attention back to my bed and continued to make it. She took a breath, and I could already tell by her demeanor that the answer was not a good one.
“Yeah. Our food supply is getting dangerously low, and people have begun to start hoarding food out of fear of it all being gone one day. I don’t know how to stop them from being afraid… Especially when I’m afraid too.” Emma’s words hung in the air as we both thought of the inevitable. Food was running low, and everyone was noticing. Well, everyone except the damn council.
“Everything will be okay Emma. I can help keep everyone under control- if you need.” I said, trying not to overstep any boundaries she may have. We shared looks and she thought for a second before nodding.
“Yeah Mav, I think it might have to come to that soon. People are starting to get rowdy, and I don’t think I have the strength to keep them from hurting each other—” Emma was cut off by a woman shouting and a few cans falling to the floor. We both looked in the direction to see two men fighting over a loaf of bread and some bottles of water.
“Get your hands off me! My family needs this food!”
“Mine too you bastard! Think of the rest of us and not just yourselves!”
Emma rushed towards the two men, and I followed quickly behind her, grabbing one of the men and pulling him back. I struggled but managed to hold back one of the men so they wouldn’t rip each other apart. Emma placed herself between them and tried to reason with them, but it was no use. Through all the commotion, Emma and I had not even noticed the crowd that surrounded us while we still struggled with keeping the men from hurting each other.
Council
We looked down at the noise from our elevated area and scoffed at the sight. A large crowd surrounded the known rebel amongst our mist, Maverick, who was holding a man back from another. Maverick struggled to keep him in place. We saw the man gripping onto a flattened loaf of bread and a few water bottles that burst open, due to how hard the man was gripping. Everyone halted, all in silence looking at the puddle of water underneath the man until he broke free and fell to his knees. We watched as he desperately tried to scoop up the water in his hands and began to sob, looking around at everyone around him.
“Does anyone have any leftovers?! Please! My daughter… she hasn’t had a proper meal in days.” The man cried out as tears fell from his face and mixed into the pool of water beneath him.
We saw the crowd beginning to disperse, some murmuring about the sorrowful sight of the man sobbing while begging others for food. We turned our gaze to Maverick who was giving each of us a glare, but we shrugged off his behavior a long time ago considering he always disagreed with us and how we ran the silo. Every single one of us on the council had a distaste for Maverick and his boldness, except for one council member who had a soft spot for him that the others in the council noticed a while ago. Samuel was the first to confront her on these feelings, to which she of course denied but that did not keep the rest of us from being suspicious of her loyalty to the council. We all looked at one another after having witnessed the man sobbing for food and we felt it was time for another private council meeting.
We all traveled to our meeting table and sat in our assigned seats. Samuel cleared his throat and conducted the meeting as always. The topic of this meeting was rationing size and water limitations based on how many family members were in each family. The bigger the family, the more food and water they would be entitled to, but not so much that other families received nothing. We did not want to admit to the others in the silo, but our food and water supply was running dry because no one could have expected us to be kept in this silo for so long.
Years ago, before we were all born, the world completely changed. We know the stories because our parents told us about the horrors that they experienced and how they barely made it out with their lives. The story goes that some scientists in America created a very deadly chemical agent called Chemical Vex, which was meant to be contained and kept a secret from the public. The scientists wanted it to be kept a secret because this chemical agent was meant to be used in the case of chemical warfare, but things did not go as they hoped they would. After researching the chemical for a few months, the scientists became exposed to the agent, and slowly died off one by one. It didn’t matter how much protective gear they wore; nothing could save them. Then one day, someone did not close the containers to the samples that held the deadly chemical, and it traveled through the vents of the building, eventually escaping out into the real world. It took only a few hours for the death toll to rise to the millions in America alone, but the chemical soon spread to the rest of the world. Other countries had time to prepare, but it was no use, so many people still fell victim to the horrible chemicals. Our parents told us that they traveled from different cities, and all met here, in this old, abandoned silo that they fixed up and lived in until their deaths. We owe them our lives and we make sure that every other person in the silo understands the history of our world and the sacrifices that their ancestors made for them.
Unfortunately, our parents did not expect us to be living in this silo years after they passed on, so the food and water supply has become scarce lately. We acknowledge that our food and water may run out soon, but we still believe that staying in the silo will have a better outcome than trying to search for more resources out in the world that ended long ago.
Maverick
Four days had passed. I sigh after looking at my half-eaten bowl of canned corn and my empty cup of water that I gulped down a while ago. I can feel the tension between families in the silo worsen every passing day and it was getting to the point of being unbearable. I decided to join Emma on her morning check-ups for everyone after the incident that happened a few days ago, so I can be there to keep her safe if anyone tried anything. I had expressed to Emma how surprised I was that she was keeping a warm smile on her face, even after so many people spit in her direction because her mother was part of the council. So far, they have done nothing to solve our food and water problem, but I can’t say I’m not surprised. I was shaken out of my thoughts after seeing a hooded figure appear before me, I immediately reached for a bat that I kept hidden in my assigned area.
“Maverick please, I did not mean to startle you. I just wish to speak with you.” The hooded figure softly cried out and raised their hands in surrender. It took a second for me to realize that it was Fay, Emma’s mother, and a member of the council.
I glared at her, “What do you want Fay?” making sure my words were dripped with my anger. I kept my guard up as she walked towards my unmade bed, gesturing towards it.
“May I sit?”
“Yes, but only for a second. I have things I need to do, like help your daughter with supplying dying families with food.” I said as I push the worn-out curtains out to cover up my assigned area, so no one would bombard us while we talked.
Fay let out a deep sigh and took off her hood, then placed her head in her hands. She finally looked up and made eye contact with me, “I know the situation is grim, and that the people of the silo are suffering greatly.”
“If you know about it, then why doesn’t the council do something about it?”
“We can’t. The only solution would be if someone were to go get resources for us outside of the silo. However, we aren’t sure if it is safe for anyone out there. The chemical agent can still be loose in the air- that is the reason why we forbid anyone from leaving the silo.” She stressed, as she nervously played with the hem of her well-kept skirt.
I scoffed, “It’s been years since you guys left the silo. How are you guys so sure that the air is still contaminated?”
“We are not sure, but we do not wish to take that risk and possibly send people on a suicide mission; The risks outweigh the benefits.”
“I understand but we either go outside and get resources, or we all slowly die here. You council people need to understand that. It doesn’t matter what happens, we are going to die in here unless you have some people go out and get some damn resources. You have people willing to do it.”
She pauses, “I agree with you Maverick. Just me stating that can get me in immersed trouble with the rest of the council. I’ve always had doubts about the way we ran things, but I was too afraid of them doing anything to Emma, so I kept quiet. I just want the best for her, you have to understand.”
“Look, I feel for you but the council lives very different lives than the rest of us who live in this damn silo, including Emma. Both she and I believe that there is a world outside of these shitty ass silo walls, and we know others think the same.”
Fay stood up from my bed and placed her hood back on. “I know your frustration but please do not try anything rash. It will not end well for you.”
I chuckled, “Nothing you say will phase me, Fay. I lost respect for every council member a long time ago. I love Emma, she means the world to me, so you aren’t the only one with her best interests in mind.”
Fay looked at me, clearly surprised by my sudden confession. “Don’t push her to do anything stupid Maverick. Her heart is too good to say no to you, so please don’t push her to do anything outrageous.”
I shook my head and opened the curtains, gesturing for her to leave. She left and I stayed there, playing back the conversation that we just had in my head. I was surprised to hear that she even agreed with me regarding our situation and that we needed to send people out of this silo, but that isn’t enough. Just agreeing isn’t enough. We need to do something because the council sure as hell isn’t going to do anything. Screw it, if those bastards don’t want to do something, then I will.
“Hey Maverick, everything okay? I saw someone come out of your area and they looked a little suspicious.” Emma said as she walked into my area, making herself comfortable on my bed where her mother had sat moments before. I sighed and thought for a moment, debating whether to tell her the truth about her mother visiting me.
I decided to keep the visit to myself, not wanting Emma to think badly of her mother. “It was just someone who had concerns about the food and water supply again. People have been coming up to me asking if I’m gonna do something about it.” That wasn’t much of a lie, considering people have been asking if I’m going to argue with the council for them.
Emma chuckled and patted the spot next to her. I sat and she placed her head on my shoulder, which made me tense at first, but I soon relaxed after. “They always expect you to do stuff for them huh?”
I half shrugged and said playfully, “I guess they see me as their leader.”
“I think you’re a great leader Maverick. You care about the people of this silo, more than the council honestly.” Emma said as she hooked her arm with mine.
The sudden physical connection made my heart race, and I held her hand gently as I spoke, “Thanks Emma, that means a lot. I do care about the people here. I care about you.”
She looked at our hands for a moment then met my gaze as she smiled at me. “I care about you too Mav.”
We stayed like that for a while after, just sitting in a comfortable silence. No whispered sweet nothings, nor cheesy pickup lines were muttered between us. Our actions spoke for us. It was the best silence I had ever experienced in the silo, and it only motivated me to fight the council to allow us to explore the outside world for the betterment of both of our futures. I needed to do something, if not for me, then for her.
Council
We were amid another private meeting about the food and water supply that was dwindling with each passing day when suddenly a voice cried out.
“Hey, are you gonna help us or leave us here to rot?!”
We all exchanged glances at each other, and each exited our seats at the table to look over the balcony from our assigned area. We looked down at a large crowd that formed, and our eyes immediately fell upon Maverick who was the voice that called out to us. Emma was beside him, and we noticed them holding hands. We tried to hide our annoyance as Samuel explained the situation to the crowd.
“We understand your concerns and we are doing everything in our power to help and accommodate everyone in the silo.”
“Bullshit! It’s been days and you guys haven’t done a single thing to help us! We need resources now or we are all going to starve to death in here!” Maverick cried out and earned some cheers from the crowd.
Our frustration was getting harder to hide as Samuel tried to reason with the crowd once more, “We have come up with multiple solutions that can fix our resource problem. If you fine people will be so kind to give us a few more days—”
“Hell no! We are done waiting! We want a group to go out and get resources, or better yet, they can see if the air is still contaminated outside so we can get out of this damn hell hole.” Maverick exclaimed to which we all scoffed. Well, all of us except for Fay. We all turned our gaze to her, and she sighed.
“What if our plans do not work? What if going outside of the silo is the best bet for everyone? I am as afraid of the outside as the rest of you, but I do not want my baby girl dying in here of starvation.” Fay whispered to us. We took a moment to think, but we were shaken from our thoughts when Maverick called out once more.
“If you damn people do not make a decision right now, we are all going to tear down your little made-up empire!” His threat did not phase us, but we began to feel uneasy as the rest of the crowd grew wilder with Maverick’s threats to us.
“Yeah! We’ll end your reign of terror!”
“You never helped us at all!”
“Why do you get to make all the decisions for us?!”
“LET’S GO GET THEM!” Someone cried out, which created movement in the crowd. Men and women began pushing through to where we were located and started climbing anything they could to reach our height which always stood above them. We all backed away from the balcony as some of the crowd finally reached our area, trashing everything they could find. Some angry men were pinning down some of the councilmen and beating them senseless, and it was clear that most of them were fighting to keep themselves alive. Maverick was one of the few who made it up and saw the chaos unfold before him. Maverick saw the beaten council members and shouted while slamming his fist on the council’s desk, trying to gain control over the crowd once more.
“ENOUGH!”
The crowd stopped in their tracks, and everyone looked between one another until all eyes landed on the pool of blood in the corner where council member Henry lay lifeless. No sound was uttered even after witnessing a dead body, other than the other whimpers and groans from the other council members. Maverick scanned the crowd until his eyes landed on Samuel, he walked towards him, grabbing his shirt collar.
“We are going outside of this silo for resources. Though you might not think it, we are smart enough to run things in here on our own. We are going to send a small group, which I’m going to lead to get resources for everyone. Including your ungrateful asses.” He hissed, shoving Samuel away, and made his way back down.
Maverick then gestured towards the crowd to make their way down, “Enough of this chaos for tonight people. Go be with your families and prepare to meet at the silo doors to see off the group that will go outside soon.”
Fay pushed her way towards the balcony and cried out, “PLEASE DON’T TAKE HER WITH YOU! DON’T TAKE MY DAUGHTER!”
Maverick
I looked up at Fay and chuckled, “Don’t worry lady, I’m not letting her go with me.”
Emma looked at me in disbelief and I held her in my arms, “I can’t let anything happen to you Emma. I know you want to go, but please… for me, don’t go with me. It’s dangerous.”
She gripped onto my shirt, “So it makes it okay for you to go but not me? Like you said, it’s dangerous and… I don’t want anything to happen to you either.” We both held each other for a few seconds before I let go. I didn’t have the heart to tell her my bag had already been packed weeks ago, and I had been planning on leaving this silo with or without the council’s consent. I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing her begging for food and water like that man the other day.
“Let me do this for you Emma. Let me go and get resources for the rest of the people in the silo. Who knows, maybe the outside world will be better than we were told, and we can leave here… together.”
Emma smiled softly and wiped away a few tears. She gave me one last long hug before letting me go. “You better come back.”
“For you? Always.”
…
It only took an hour or so to get the group packed and informed about our plan. The fate of the people in the silo weighed on the shoulders of five men led by me, and I wasn’t about to back out now, even if I was a little uneasy. My men and I approached the silo doors, then looked back to see the crowd from earlier standing behind us, watching us with support and pity. I was surprised to see Emma and Fay hugging each other at the front of the crowd, looking at us and waiting for the doors to open.
“We will bring back resources for everyone! Don’t worry, we will be back soon!” I exclaimed to the crowd, trying to ease their anxieties as much as I could.
I turned my attention to my group and checked with them if they were okay. After receiving nods from all of them, we all gripped the silo doors and began to pry it open but only enough for us to fit. After a few moments of struggle, we managed to get the doors open and each stepped out one by one. I was the last to leave. After saying goodbye to Emma, I closed the door, cutting myself off from the world I was so used to. The weather outside of the silo was breathtaking, but the landscape before us was disastrous. Buildings were overrun with moss growing on the sides, and there was not a single window kept in tack. We walked a bit before one of my men began to cough violently. One by one, we all began to cough and struggle with our breathing. I tried to help my men, but I began to cough up blood and felt my chest aching as though I was being ripped apart. We all made our way back to the silo doors and started to bang on them as a last resort but each of us knew our fate. I thought about Emma and our future together, or what could have been, and I felt tears begin to form. Still, I’m grateful that it’s me who is dying and not her. I looked around me and saw every one of my men dead, and I felt that my time was almost up too. I reach for the silo doors once more before I finally met with eternal darkness.
…
The crowd inside of the silo heard the banging on the doors and knew that the men were faced with danger. Some women and children began to sob as their husbands and fathers comforted them, but everyone knew that once silence fell upon them the brave men who traveled outside were dead. Emma couldn’t control her sadness as she fell to the floor and banged on the ground, wondering why Maverick had to be the one gone forever. Fay held her daughter as she cried and screamed yet remained emotionless. This only solidified her worst fear. The fear that she constantly brought up to the other council members, but no one cared to listen. The fear that every person inside of this silo was going to be in the grasp of it, trapped for all of eternity.
