Out of the Earth

"Out of the Earth" by George Edrich is a science fiction story from the middle of the last century in a future where an overbearing government has sent people into the terrifying tunnels beneath the earth. It's about staying alive, inner strength, and trying to find hope when things seem really bad. Jon Farmer and a few others have been sent into the dangerous Black Passage by the State, which wants them gone. Things are rough down there: it's dark, there's not much food or water, and everyone's scared of the creepy Groles lurking about. As they run out of supplies and start getting on each other's nerves, each person has to deal with their own worries, and they begin to struggle with each other. In the end, the story ponders what it means to be human when all seems lost and how the hope of finding a way back to the surface keeps people going, even in the darkest of times.