This place was damn sure not a rose garden

During the moon lit night I awoke from my uneasy sleep to hear an animal scratching at the nearest porthole window, and then followed by a howl in frustration. With a shrug I immediately return to my sleep since I knew that whoever or whatever it was they couldn’t reach me – they couldn’t reach me no matter what, given that my bunker was secure from intruders – man or unworldly creature. However, I shuddered at the very thought what or who was trying get inside to where I slept. I then realized they couldn’t get in and I couldn’t get out. That was my predicament! Later I heard in the pitch black night I heard a chilling scream that seemed to seek vengeance. I lay awake and listened to the almost demonic screams. Later, I awoke a second time during that first night with shooting stomach pains, I was incredibly famished. Listening I become aware that the humming sound of machinery had stopped and I had stopped coughing and wheezing because air now was fresher. I thought to myself as soon as the morning’s daylight shines through the windows I will look in earnest for food and clothes. Then settling my body against the concrete wall of the ancient bunker, feeling my muscles seemed to melt. After a few hours of well deserved rest I awoke worried and stiff with a chill. I kept his jaw clenched, my teeth began clicking. Setting there for a moment to get my bearings I looked at my surroundings. Stretching I got up, anxious with the feeling in my stomach that I had wasted time that might against me, and then set off in my exploration once again. Whatever had the place had been I asked myself; my only answer was at one time in the past the bunker was a former maximum security unit. My bare feet echoed on corridor floor. I was uneasy. I wanted to go outside – with a shrug I realized so far the place was disappointing. I knew from twenty plus years in the army; death and danger do not have to come with special trappings. I knew that death and danger might come on a beautiful sunny afternoon in one of Baghdad’s marketplaces. A draft of fresh air touched my neck. The empty bunker was eerie. This place was damn sure not a rose garden. Stopping for a pause I spied light switches on the wall to my left, I wondered how I missed them yesterday as flipped on the switches. Nothing happened at first and then the ceiling lighting seemed very bright in the shadows. The gloom was gone, the lights worked where people once had walked years ago. I felt a tingle of relief. I had to admit I was not a seeker but I knew it was essential to survive in this new world.