Luke took a spoon and a can of the corned beef hash and said, "Meat and potatoes all the way." After the excitement that they had just experienced and the great descent to come it was moments like these that Luke appreciated. The taste of the hash wasn't perfect, but it had enough of certain spice to it that it reminded him of Sunday mornings just before church. It wasn't exactly homemade but it was enough to make Luke smile for a moment and devour it like it was his last meal

He said, "The hash reminds of Sunday Mornings back home in Crozet. Every Sunday morning before church either mom or grammy would whip up a batch of corned beef hash with eggs sunny side up for breakfast. That stuff lasted for a week and if we didn't have it on that Sunday it felt like the week was just off somehow." 

Luke heard Ryan tell him that he would be going first, and with a twinge of mock anger in his voice said, "Oh yeah sure send the old man down first." Luke chuckled and said, "You got it Ryan that's not a problem. " 

Luke looked down the shaft and said, "It's a long way down, but luckily those tapestries should do enough of the job that we should be okay." He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Probably. Just remember it's not the fall that kills you, but that sudden stop at the bottom." Luke shook his head and said, "That's where you can have an issue or two. Speaking of the bottom. Chances are pretty good that the door at the bottom is closed, so that'll buy us sometime to prep our weapons. If we open that door and there's a large welcoming committee we could be looking at pin-pulling time." 

Luke looked at Ryan and said, "Face it bud the descent is gonna take some serious effort on our part. When it's over we're gonna be exhausted, and I doubt we'd be very effective against an angry Boy Scout Troop to be honest. The actual physical climb is gonna be a bitch that we'll have to deal with, because we can't just slide down. We're gonna have to do a modified repel down the side, and we can't be but so loud either otherwise who knows what we'll attract if we're too loud. Not to mention one wrong slip and zombies will be the least of our troubles." Luke looked around and said, "And after all the work we've done in prepping I'd be a shame to buy it now. After all I still have to get you with an 'I told you so' I can't let Candice hang over my head."

Ryan offered to let Luke get some rest first, but Luke said, "Hold that thought." Luke got up went to the supply drawer got out a large zip-lock bag and filled it with ice. He then went over to the fridge and grabbed two bottles. He sat back down next to Ryan and placed the ice-bag on his ankle. Luke said, "That should help out with that, and this is because we don't know when we'll get another chance like this." Luke handed him a bottle of imported beer and said, "This stuff is almost impossible to get here in the states. You gotta know someone and go through three customs panels to get it." The two men took their beer bottles and Luke said, "Brothers to the bone." Ryan nodded and the two men clinked their bottles. Without a second thought they downed their beers.

Luke laid on the floor and said, "Get me up in about two hours. I'll let you get some rest then and after that we'll take our chances."