The rain hasn’t stopped since the machines took control. Ha! Can you imagine that? Sounds like the opening of some new movie that’s bound to blow up in the theaters but have a predictable ending, right? Right? Where Will Smith, Keanu Reeves, Milla Jovich, or Angela Bassett are the star character hellbent on seeking revenge and eventually saving the world? Right? WRONG!!
It has been twenty-nine days since the first attack, or at least that’s how many tally marks I’ve remembered to etch into the steel wall of the community fallout shelter. There weren’t many of us left squatting here. Other families had headed out days after the first strike, in hopes that the government had gotten things sorted out and fixed. AGAIN, WRONG! Well at least we haven’t heard from them or seen them again, anyway.
I bet you’re wondering why we have been squatting and being diligent enough to stay still. So, I’ll tell you about it. It had been in the works for decades. We just didn’t see it or didn’t want to see it. We had become so reliant on technology that we hadn’t realized, they had become more life like than imagined. The fall of the nuclear bomb left us with showers of acid rain and no solutions to the problem. The food supply was running short and my younger sister was in need of her asthma medication and the air in this dilapidated building didn’t make things any better.
The explosion's aftermath still lingered, a silent testimony to the devastation. The acid rains had come as a result of the nuclear explosion. The sky continued to have an ominous shade a green, as the radioactive clouds bled with toxic fumes and liquid tears that fell in a relentless, rhythmic pattern, each drop sizzling the earth below. The buildings themselves, from what I had peeped on occasion, were like corroded worn down skeletons bubbling and cracking when then rain pounded against its walls. The ground itself gave off a greenish steam, after the rains, that when inhaled too long caused blurred vision, headaches, sometimes hallucinations, and labored breathing. Luckily, when needed, N95 masks provided temporary protection when doing missions to find necessary supplies. With every passing moment, the acid rain continued its cruel cycle, erasing the last traces of life from a world now swallowed by a poison that seemed to never fade away.
The rain may have halted the revitalization of the world by humans, but the robots continued to prosper, their cold metallic forms indifferent to the suffering . When the rains relented, they patrolled the grounds capturing any human whom were foolish enough to emerge due to dire circumstances. Those whom were unfortunate to get caught were swiftly snatched away. No one knew what occurred once they had been snatched away to the unforeseen. Of course, we all had our assumptions of what occurred: slavery, torture, experiments, and even death. Even beneath the ground, as we remained suffocating slowly in the cellar, we can still hear the occasional screams, and the desperate slapping of feet against the ground outside. The sounds of desperation were heard in the pacing of feet against the ground outside, as they hoped to escape to freedom in a revitalized area of untouched earth.
These were sounds I dreaded even more now in the last couple of days. Our dad had put me in charge of my siblings, while he ,are a run for the drug store across town. That was five days ago. I wanted to give up hope and fling myself to the ground crying, however I had to put on a brave face for my siblings. My face and words with my siblings were quiet different from what I was actually thinking in the moments of panic in my head.
“Lisa. Do you know how much longer before dad makes it back. Em isn’t looking too hot,” expressed my younger brother in a hushed voice to make sure we didn’t wake our little sister.
“She’s fine. Stop being such a scaredy cat, dweeb. Dad should be back by the end of today. He probably got held up somewhere.”
“You don’t think he got caught in a rain shower, do you? I hope he’s found shelter before the storm started back.”
“You know, Dad has learned to track the storm timings. Just like I have. He wouldn’t get trapped in something like that. So shut up, and go lay down for the night. I’ll keep first watch.” It took everything in me not to let the tears stream from my eyes while talk to Germ, short for Jeremy. Little did he know, I had had those exact same thoughts, along with other thoughts about dad’s late return. However, I couldn’t admit that to him; I had to maintain control of the situation , and telling him would only cause him to panic; I don’t have time or the mental capacity to care for two ill siblings at once. I just need dad to get back here, as soon as possible. We, fortunately, aren not more than five or six blocks from the local pharmacy, but he should have been back by now.
The next few hours felt like an infinite loop where the only thing that changed was my posture and the increased beating of my heart that echoed through my ears causing a tear, every do often, to fall from my eyes. Every time the wind picked or the acid rain began its relentless torture tapping on the tin roof of my restless mind, I felt my heart leap out of my chest and onto the floor, losing hope a teaspoon at a time. My mind raced through the relentless scenarios of what was occurring in the world above the ground. Having no access to technology or communication, made things more uneasy than they already were. What is Dad had been caught in the rain? By the machines? By pirates? I mean in this day and age, I should expect the unexpected, right?
Forcing the negative thoughts to the bank of my mind, I glanced over at Em, curled up on the floor with her thin blanket pulled tight around her. I have always felt sad about the issues she’s had to go through. She never got to meet our mom due to her leaving us during childbirth. She has always had issues with asthma, as well as diabetes. Her breaths seemed shallow, and the pale skin around her lips was beginning to turn a sickly shade of something, I couldn’t see as clearly due to our limited lighting. I couldn’t lose her. I couldn’t. She had to get better. Our dad had to return, soon, I hoped.
My thoughts were interrupted by a soft cough from Germ. He was awake again, fidgeting on his side, clearly worried. “I’ve tried to fall asleep and stay asleep about a thousand times, since last night. Don’t you think we should go after him? Or do you think I’m worrying too much. I have a really bad feeling that won‘t go away like the time I got my grade back on my reading project? I’m just 12. How was I supposed to know that copying and pasting an entire article from the internet would get me a 0!”
“Germ,”I snapped, instantly regretting it. I could feel the fear pulsing from his pores, holding onto the tears he refused to let go. “We can’t got out there right now, not with the machines prowling consistently after the rains.”
“I know, but I know you see it to. Em’s getting worse we can’t keep waiting for dad,” he stated calmly, through a cracked voice. “What if we—“
“No. Absolutely not. WE are not going to do anything.” I gripped his shoulder hard, pulling him into me for an unexpected hug. “You and Em will stay here. I’ll head out and see if I see dad on my way to grab her some meds. She should have about five pumps left and a thing of insulin remaining after the one we gave her last night.”
Germ opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, I began packing a few supplies. “I’ll leave at first light tomorrow. I’m not risking it in the middle of the night, besides I need some rest. I need you to stay here and keep her calm. She’s depending on us.” My voice softened to release the fear in my tone, “I’ll get her the medicine. I promise”
As the hours dragged on, my eyes kept reverting back to the cellar door interrupting my sleep with nightmares of what may greet me outside. The slightest scrape of metal against the ground above me echoing in the distance caused electric chills to run down my spine. The rain didn’t bother me as much. I knew what would happen to me if a dropped landed on my skin. Sizzle. Yet, the machines. The machines I feared because I could always hear them patrolling and relentlessly hunting us down. What happened when they caught one of us was unknown. And the unknown can cause unimaginable fear, but I can’t think to heavily about that right know. I had to focus on Em.
Before I knew it, the first light of day came peeping through the cracks of the cellar door. I could feel the piercing eyes of my siblings poking through my skin full of fear, sadness, and pray for my return. I grabbed my essentials bag I had packed last night. It wasn’t too heavy, which helped reduce the chance of me being slow down if I had to run unexpectedly. The bag contained several items: N95 masks, a flashlight, a couple of cans of food, and a makeshift map Dad had drawn for me, in case of emergency. And well this was an emergency I had been prepared for, but at the same time, I’m not sure I’m ready for.
Germ tried to stop me before I left. “Please, Lisa. Take us with you. Don’t leave us alone.” The fear in his eyes, caused me to release a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. I kept my voice steady, as I assured him that everything would be fine and I’d return soon.
“If I don’t go, she’ll die. You know that. I know that. And I think she does, too.” I turned away quickly making sure my bag was secure and headed for the cellar doors. The sooner I left, the sooner I could get back and the easier it would be. Right?
I shook off the lingering doubts, and lifted my hand to unlatch the bolt of the door. The door creaked open, the hinges seeming to protest my exit as much as my siblings did. I winced as the sound reverberated through the empty, damp space. As I stepped outside, a drop of acid rain fell from the canopy above our backyard, stinging as it burned through the sleeve of my jacket. I backed under the canopy some to ensure that I had m mask adjusted tightly around my face and adjusted the hood of my jacket. My breath came in short bursts through the mask that sometimes seemed to make breathing more of a struggle at times than easier and cleaner. I couldn’t let any of this deter me from my mission, I had to keeping going.
The streets were eerily quiet as expected, what was once a bustling neighborhood was now reduced to crumbling ruins. The rain made the pavement slick and rotten, and the air was thick with the scent of decay. Each step I took felt heavier than the last, I was moving further away from the safety of the shelter I had come to know over the past month. A short glance behind me at the cellar door, cause my breath to struggle and my body to feel weighed down even more.
A of whirring sound followed by a loud clank broke through the silence. I froze, turning my head slightly to the direction I heard the sound come from. In the distance, a large machine patrolled the streets, its metal frame was glistening in the greenish light spewing from the ground. The robot didn’t move like one of the toys you get at Christmas that waits for you to give it command. It moved with an unnatural precision, scanning the area with its glowing red sensors.
I couldn’t afford to get caught. Not now. The closest area I see I could make a break for is a small alleyway with several boxes and garbage cans lining the walls like a maze. My heart pounded in my chest as I ducked into the alleyway with my body pressed against the cold stone wall. I could hear the metallic stops of the robot increase, as if it might have heard me step on a loose piece of trash in the alleyway. The machine was close. Way too close. Em is depending on me. Germ can’t do this alone.
I held my breath hoping, praying, waiting that it wouldn’t detect me. The seconds ticked by, turning into what seemed like hours instead of minutes. Finally, it moved past the entry to the alley way, and continued down the walkway with its feet echoing through the shadows left behind. It would rain soon, and I needed to get where I was going in a shorter amount of time. I couldn’t waste another moment. I gathered up all of my fear and courage before leaving the alleyway, and ran full fledge towards the main road as quietly and invisibly as I possibly could.
I entered the pharmacy with hopes of meeting my dad on entry, except that didn’t happen. Instead I encountered shattered glass, unhinged doors, and leaning shelves upon entering the pharmacy. I stepped through the wreckage with the stale air still attacking my senses cause a little disorientation.I had been above ground too long, I assumed. The shelves were mostly empty, but there, in a far corner, I spotted what I needed: a box of inhalers. The exact kind that Em needed. As I picked up the box, a sheet of paper slid from the bottom of it.
A million thoughts raced through my mind, as I watched the paper turn I float as gracefully as a feather. My thoughts were interrupted by a muffled cough from a closed door behind the counter. My instincts kicked in and I grabbed as many inhalers as I could from the box haul, stuffing them into my bag. As I stuffed them into my bag, the door creeped open and a woman emerged.
“I think it’s her. She came,” whispered the woman. From beside her, a walking stick emerged from the door and a bandaged man peered from around the corner. I had found him. He was safe.
“Dad!” I exclaimed as I ran into his arms. He squeezed me as tightly as a lid on a new jar of jelly. He introduced me to Maya, and begin explaining what held him up from getting back “home” to us. The machines had evolved and were more strategic and sounded more life like then those on the runs he had completed before.
Just as we were proceeding to leave, we heard a sound. Footsteps. Not mechanical whirs and clanks, but actual footsteps. I could only think of how much protection we could have, or if a way to retaliate had been found and they were searching for survivors. As we picked up our belongings, we heard the footsteps again. This time when I turned to look at the door a pair of glowing red eyes peered through the broken doorway.
The machine had found us. In that moment, I realized we had no choice—either we fought, or we wouldn’t make it out alive.
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