A standoff between law enforcement and a 65-year-old man holding a boy hostage began its seventh day on Monday and police say they're buckling down for the long haul.

Unsure of the amount of supplies currently in the bunker or what Jimmy Lee Dykes next move will be, authorities continue to communicate with him through a PVC pipe that runs down into the bunker, which we understand is a very small room, maybe about five by eight feet.

"It's basically a fortres up there right now," says WOKV reporter Jon Lewis in Midland City. "There are police everywhere, a command center set up at the base of this hill and you can't get any closer than that."

Lewis says police are just trying to keep spirits up right now, and that includes those of Dykes and his hostage.  People who know Jimmy Lee Dykes say he is a loner and very anti-government.  Neighbors say he had threatened to shoot anyone who came on his property, including children, and would patrol his front lawn at night with a flashlight and gun looking for intruders. They believe that in order to keep the child alive and have the best chance of convincing Dykes to release him, they need to keep Dykes from getting upset with law enforcement for any reason. With that in mind, Lewis says police are handling the situation as delicately as possible.

"They're taking an attitude of trying to calm his anti-government angst, and they're doing that by praising him."

Over the weekend, the mother of the 5-year-old hostage said in part in a statement that she wanted to thank Dykes for taking care of her son throughout the ordeal.  The Sheriff of Dale County also thanked Dykes for taking care of the boy, who police believe has Aspberger's Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

"If it takes two hours or two weeks, as long as this five year old is OK, that's all they care about."

As for the residents of Midland City, Lewis says they are constantly praying for the boy's safe release, but also for guidance for Dykes.  Lewis says there is certainly a sense of frustration in the community, but not hatred.

"They say that regardless of what he's done, in their words, he needs to find guidance to get out of there...they harbor no anger towards this, they just want it to come to an end and they are praying Dykes will do this."

Police know Dykes has electricity, food, and water in the bunker and has been known to stay down there for days at a time.