Friday Flash: In the basement

"Louise, will you marry me?"

His hopeful, earnest smile lost its lustre when she paled. "Tim, come and sit down with me, there's something we need to talk about."

"You had no idea I was going to propose?" He set the ring, still in its velvet box, on the table and sat next to her.

"None! And I haven't said no. It's just that there's something you need to know before I can answer."

He breathed again. "Oh. Okay."

"Actually," she took a swig from her wine glass. "It'll be easier just to show you." She stood, pulling him to his feet.

"Where are we going?"

"To the basement."

"I never knew this place even had one."

She couldn't help but smile. "That's the way I like it."

She led him through the double doors into the hallway.

"So you have a dark secret in the basement that might make me reconsider my proposal?" Tim said, only the slightest edge of nervousness in his voice.

"Something like that."

"Like Chunk in the Goonies?"

She laughed. "No. It's not a monster either."

"It's not a collection of creepy porcelain dolls, is it?"

"Stop it."

"I could forgive that. Oh God… it's not a secret passion for Take That is it?"

She stopped, wearing her most serious frown. "What do you take me for?"

They kissed, she took him through the kitchen and into the walk-in pantry. She lifted the rug on the floor, revealing the trapdoor.

"A secret entrance," he whispered. "This is so cool."

She flipped on the light switch, illuminating the metal stairs. Nerves burnt her guts. The contents of her basement had cost her the only other serious relationship she'd ever had.

She went down the stairs into the tiny space. He followed her down, slowing on the last few steps as he saw the reinforced door ahead of them, looking like it would be more at home in a submarine. His joviality faded.

She fished out the key from her pocket, then released the secret catches, making sure she was standing between them and him. Then she twirled the huge wheel, releasing the seal with a hiss.

After switching on the light inside, she beckoned him in and watched the expected dropping open of his mouth as he took the room in.

His gaze swept along the rows and rows of metallic shelving, filled completely with meticulously labelled supplies. Cans, vacuum sealed packets, military grade rations. He studied them all, before his eyes fell on the second door.

"What is all this stuff?"

"Supplies."

"What for?"

"The end of the world." When he didn't respond, she went over to the second door. "Want to see the rest of it?"

He nodded and she unlocked the door. Following her in, he took in the bed, the unlit wood burning stove, the racks of medical supplies, again all labelled, and the gun cabinet.

"You have guns?!"

"They're all licensed," she said defensively, unlocking the cabinet. "I have two shotguns, two hand pistols and-"

"A machete!" he gasped.

She shrugged. "I like to have options."

"There's another two doors!"

"One's just a fuel store, the other is more supplies and the bathroom. Oh… and the… well, that's probably too much."

"No, I want to know," he said firmly. "What else?"

"The dungeon."

He blanched and she burst out laughing. "I'm joking!"

Tim puffed out all the air he'd sucked in, smiled. "Show me."

She took him through to the third room. Piles of logs and bags of coal took up most of it, with the only clear floor space taken up by three locked metal chests. One was labelled "Zombie apocalypse", one "Vampires" and the third "Werewolves" each in the same neat hand as the rest of the labels.

"Okay," he said slowly.

She bit her lip. "I should point out that I'm not expecting a zombie apocalypse."

"You just like to be prepared?"

She brightened. "Yeah. Wanna see what's inside?"

"Not right now. Let's… let's save that for another time. I'm assuming there's wooden stakes… holy water?"

"In the vampire one, yeah. Silver bullets in the werewolf one." She picked at a sleeve. "I always wanted to have these. Since I was a kid." She searched his face for anything other than fading shock. "I was a weird kid."

"Is there anything else?"

"No, this is it."

"Let's go back upstairs."

They returned to the dining room in silence, sat back in their places, the diamond ring still glittered in its box.

"The basement must be bigger than the house."

"It's twice the footprint," she replied.

"I thought you self-built to create your eco-friendly lifestyle. Was it just so you could have that basement?"

"Both. They're both the same thing to me. Self-sufficiency is great for the planet, but for me it's all about surviving if civilisation collapses. Do you see? If Tescos was blown up tomorrow, half the people in the nearest town would be screwed. We're too dependent. The solar panels, the reed bed system, the vegetables and fruit I grow… it's all to remove myself from a system I don't have any faith in. Does that make sense?"

Eventually he nodded, but his silence elongated into something unbearable. She felt her heart crumple. She'd lost him.

"You don't want to marry me anymore."

He jolted. "What? That's not true! I was just thinking."

"I guess it's a lot to take in when you find out the woman you love is a borderline survivalist nutjob. I understand."

"It's not that," he said, taking her hand. "It's just that there are no books down there. Or music. If there was a nuclear winter, we'd want something to do other than… I dunno, make love."

She beamed. "We can extend it."

"Good. So, will you marry me?"