A Brave New World

A dawning sky has never shown itself so off-colored as the greyish purple hue that lines the horizon of the once blue. Even the clouds no longer follow natural patterns quite like they once did before the nuclear fallout. Sirens would carry a monotonous ring through the ambiance with a sky flooded as arial assaults and the dropped dirty bombs. The curiosity of who the victor in this game of death has yet to reveal itself, even after years of brutality. We the people are the true fallen in this, not the original antagonist of this raging battle.

Starla lifted her gas mask and inspected a rusted crescent wrench that she picked up off the ground. Anything could be of use if placed in the hands of someone creative as a means of survival. This tool’s original use was simply to turn nuts and bolts. Now the in the post-apocalyptic world, this item is now merely a weldable item used to for structure in her new makeshift ram-shackle shed of a home.

Certain regions of the area contain gases and radiation, more so than others. Starla is one of the most proficient warrior and trusted advisor when it comes to scavenging for parts, weapons, and survival gear. Her well-built physique and strong demeaner demands the respect of a true leader. She has raised to the ranks as a prominent leader by showing her worth at the camp. Her red hair in a ponytail was now showing grey streaks, possibly due to the fallout, or even stress. At a height of 6 foot 3 inches, she also towers in height amongst her peers. The camp consists of a crew of eleven that escaped the biome chamber after the bombing.

The camp can be seen as a crew that of under trained cadets in today’s new event. Speculations constantly stir on what is out there, after the 5 years of living in the chamber. Could there be new breeds of vile insects? Possibly new predator animals? The questions still remain. The only thing that they have are the memories of the past of a world that once flourished before human greed had infiltrated the atmosphere. Greed and vengeance were the nucleus of this war, the weaponry is simply the result.

Merick from the camp was an ex-triathlete that was built to the nines but had zero actual combat or survival training or experience. He had a massive brow-line scar that he never did say where he received his blemish of valor. Starla trusted him but wasn’t sure if he could co-pilot the missions of leaving camp in search for goods. His shaved head and remnants of a stibble filled close shaved beard, mirrored the image of a young boy, even in his ripe age of thirty-seven. What he lacked in battle experience, he made up for in wit and adaptability. A quality that shined in Starla’s eyes.

Starla had returned to camp tucked away in a rocky cliff edge cave, to find the crew sitting around a fire that been made of tires and rubble. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the day’s finds. She recovered a can of anchovies, a rusted crescent wrench, a golden pocket watch with a cracked lens, and a heart-shaped locket. Seemingly odd to the pre-apocalyptic world, this would be useless garbage. However, these new relics would be of great use!

The rusted crescent wrench would now serve as a replacement leg for the camp’s only coffee table that had the light that illuminated the cave. The pocket watch would now serve as a bullet for the sling shot, since time was only relevant to the daylight afforded. The anchovies as bait for the roaming creatures outside the cave that may serve as a meal, and the heart-shaped locket would serve as a hidden gift to Starla herself. The locket would be the one thing she kept sacred from the crew, something of a present to open up when she felt she was alone and able to see its contents when the time felt right.

Merick asked Starla if they could set up the anchovy trap to catch some food for the crew. Starla knew that there are at least rodents out there that could take the bait, and with enough anchovies, they could bring back enough food for rationing. With any luck, a larger animal may show up. Merick did have the only sling shot in the group and was a dead eye in the past hunts.

As the crew grew deeper in worry of food and survival, Cyrus kept the group’s morale up by purifying the radiated water with tablets and heating the water over the fire. Cyrus was the scientist of the group that with his coke bottle trifocals had the hands of a master when it came to medical and purification. According to his education, the human body went by the rule of 3’s. That meant that you could go 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 days without water, and a total of 30 days without food and still survive. His tablets were the only thing that he had to remove radiation from the spring, and the boiling killed any bacteria left in the water. This seemed to help keep everyone hydrated without radiation symptoms.

Starla and Merick gathered their gear and headed for the cave entrance. Merick asked “Why did you stash that golden necklace thing?” She replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He knew that even the smallest charms could lift a person’s spirits and let it be. Slight indulgences need not be shared with everyone.

Amnesia was a major problem for those that survived the nuclear bombings, oddly, nobody seemed to remember anything before the blinding light that changed their world. Names, childhood, and even precious memories had all vanished. However, certain skill sets had remained. Muscle memory and faded cloudiness of abilities and basic speech/human functions had been all that remains. Starla gave herself her own name, based on her only hope being the stars above.

Merick named himself after a comic book character from the comic he had found in the rubble surrounding the camp. Nonetheless, a hunt would need to ensue to bring about a meal for his comrades. He and Starla set out with the daylight burning their eyes. Gas masks donned they headed far enough away from the cave entrance, so not to bring the undesirables back with them.

They made it as far as the horizon would lead them, tracking trails of a mixed combination of footprints and animal signs to a cliff edge. How could these prints just fall off a cliff they wondered? How was it possible that they simply carried on without any stopping marks? Starla gazed below to find a small pathway that led them down a small trail. They moved silently together down the path to the rocky bottom below. What they saw, took their breaths away. It was an opening to another camp! Surely there would be food and supply in abundance here! But the most important part of it all, was that this could mean they are not left to their own devices for survival.

Merick then took the lead, his excitement overwhelmed him. He began to run towards where a camp would most likely be found. He pressed on with Starla close behind him. Their hearts were fluttering with joy. To think after all this time, they could have had help in this brave new world. Suddenly, Merick hit the ground, his foot had been caught in a booby-trap. He riffed in pain as the bone stook out. Starla began to feel anxiety as what to do next when suddenly, a spear had fallen from the darkened ceiling to dispatch the poor victim and end his agony. He remained silent. Starla was in a state of shock… Questions raced through her mind, “Would I be next?”, “Is he really gone?”, “Who set this trap?”

She obviously couldn’t carry him, as she had no idea where to go next. Merick was the one man of the crew from camp that had the burning desire to carry on with her on her excursions. Now, more than ever, she wondered he would be able to take his place. She carried on through the dark until she found a campfire that lightly illuminated the cave. She discovered an abandoned camp with food and supplies. An empty tent and a few sheds made from tin debris was all that remained. She rummaged through the items and found a note. She discovered that the note left behind was to tell others that they had moved on to the emerald city. It was explained that the city only lied roughly 30 miles away, and that they no longer needed to live in such rough substandard means.

She put her head down and began to think on how long it would take to get her there by foot. At a loss, she reached into her pocket and retrieved the heart-shaped locket from her pocket. She felt like a kid that had a secret stash of candy store licorice that only she had the privilege to enjoy by herself. She slowly opened it up to reveal 2 pictures on each side. One that of a little girl on a swing set. The other of a small boy carrying his air rifle BB gun. The photos were of a black and white, faded into a sepia tone.

She carefully removed the picture of the girl to see on the back image of the girl that read,” To my precious daughter Lucy. She carefully placed it back in the left half of the locket. She meticulously pulled out the picture of the boy, flipped the image over to see the other message that read, “ And to her brother, Ryan. I love you both!”. She slowly began sliding the photo back into the right side, and on closer inspection found that the boy had a scar on his brow line… She had tears in her eyes, knowing these two children could be dead now.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She reached for her combat knife and turned, only to find that it was Merick. He softly said to her, hardly able to breathe. “ I remember now that scar was from a motorcycle wreck into a fence. Yeah, I was a bit of a hellion I guess.” Shocked that not only had she recovered a trinket of her past, but more that Merrick was alive!

She was no longer alone! She felt the loneliness dissipate like quenched thirst when drinking fresh water from her tin. “Careful now, this thing hurts,” he said, pointing at his bullet hole sized wound in his side. “Whoever set that, missed sending me to the void by inches.” She knew deep down there was a strong connection with him, one that only her subconscious could define. They began gathering up supplies. Merrick would be of no use, trying to carry anything with a mangled leg and massive wound. She did what any survivor would do, she built a makeshift sled and made for the entrance once again, praying not to hit another trap on the way out.

They made it safely back to the daylight, following the fleeting tracks of the exodus into the horizon. There they would be able to find a new crew to retrieve their comrades from the camp and they would now have a fresh new start for living in this brave new world. It wasn’t so much that she had Merrick back that made her feel alive again. It wasn’t the new supplies and food either. It was that now she had hope. The only thing that could get her to press on, the heart-shaped locket and a new beginning to a world that seemed to only be filled with fear and despair.