Dawn Of The Resistance

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. An apocalyptic city stood silently across the landscape. The streets and buildings were broken and empty, and beyond her father's office window, she could see the desolate world around her. Massive mech machines patrolled the city; they were designed to clean up the warzones and to test the atmospheric oxygen levels. That way, the underground civilizations could again live back on the earth's surface instead of the megalopolis bunkers in our subterranean society.

"Gabriella, come now. You know you're not supposed to be in here." her father's voice broke her from her trance.

Gabriella blindly followed her father to the elevator, and he took her back below the surface. She missed the days when her father would show her old films from before the war when the world still lived above ground. Those days now seemed so far away since her father had changed. Now he was always strict and only ever cared about work.

They reached the underground, where there was always a loud whirring of ventilation fans. Her father gestured her into the privacy of their soundproof dorm, roughly the size of a small cabin. The candles and wall lamps filled their fortress with a golden hue as her mother placed a bowl of freshly roasted potatoes on the dining table. Gabriella sat at the table when the evening news chimed in; it showed other countries under similar lockdowns with hundreds of military officers marching the streets with gas masks. They carried heavy artillery and patrolled the cities. Gabriella knew better than to ask questions, but she couldn't resist,

"Father, if I were to get a gas mask, would you allow me to go outside?"

Her father slammed his hands on the table, startling her and her mother, his eyes squinted with furrowed brows. "Get to your room. Now!" he pointed toward her bedroom.

Gabriella scampered to her room and stared longingly at the vintage beach poster her father had given her years ago. She sobbed quietly before she fell asleep.

"Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep." Gabriella rolled over to turn off her alarm, but she felt different. She sat up and looked at her alarm clock as it continually beeped at her. A strong sense of frustration grew within her. She realized she was tired of following the same rules, day in and day out. She had grown tired of being silenced by her parents and the government they lived under. Gabriella launched from her bed and slammed off her alarm. She strutted into the common area as her mother placed the same bowl of plain porridge on the dining table. Gabriella continued past the table and opened the fridge door, reaching for a can of soda.

"Gabriella! What do you think you're doing?!" her mother snapped.

Gabriella ignored her mother and cracked open the can before taking a slurp of the sweet, fizzy bubbles. She wondered why she'd never thought to rebel earlier.

"Gabriella!" Her mother grabbed hold of her arm and forced her to show acknowledgment.

Gabriella stared at her mother vacantly. Her mind raced with feelings of confusion, guilt, and anger. She was torn between her upbringing and where she wanted to be. She'd never felt so afraid of the life she'd been living until now.

"Why doesn't father allow me in his office anymore? Why can't I have my own views and opinions? Why do I always have to live by the rules of this society? It sucks! I'm over it!" Gabriella felt herself shake with anger.

Gabriella's mother took a step back; she was left speechless. Gabriella proceeded to slip on her coat and slide her phone into her pocket. She slammed the front door behind her as she stormed off to her father's office. Previous news reports skimmed through her mind.

'Due to nuclear warfare, the air is still too toxic for humans...',

'The government has spent millions, building life underground in an attempt to save humanity...',

'Mech machines have been designed to rebuild our cities and track atmospheric oxygen levels...'.

"Ding!" The elevator reached her father's office. She scanned the empty room, anticipating how she would confront him. Gabriella started towards her father's desk, which had documents sprawled across it. She sifted through the pages and noticed a folder titled 'Confidential.' Her curiosity forced her to investigate. She flipped over pages of diagrams and designs of mech machines and underground floor plans. She then landed on a page that would change everything. Her heart began to race as she read the words 'Bureaucratic Control' and 'World Collusion Agreement.' Gabriella shook violently with vexation as she heard mumbling coming from the next room. She crept closer to listen to the conversation behind the door. "Society will continue to obey us, so long as we feed their limited attention spans and silence them with fear." Her father proudly discussed other manipulation tactics with his colleagues.

Gabriella's stomach turned into knots. He was no longer the father she could look up to. She rushed over to the paperwork and began photographing the evidence. She heard the boardroom concluding as she ran for a place to hide. She snuck into the bathroom and rested against the door, trying to make sense of what she'd just witnessed. She questioned everything she was raised to believe. Suddenly, horror raced through her body as she noticed the bathroom window wide open. She gasped; as the howling breeze sang through the room. A small bird landed on the building's balustrading outside as it tweeted softly; she'd never heard something so calming. She soon discovered that the air wasn't toxic at all. It was a deception to keep people contained in the underground.

Adrenaline pumped through her body as she climbed out the window onto the balcony and breathed fresh air. A smile grew across her face as she reached for her phone. She started a live stream to millions of viewers across the globe.

"My name is Gabriella, and I'm currently in the outside world..."

Before she could continue, a nearby mech machine sounded alarms through the city as it spotted Gabriella. She began to run from the authorities that oppressed her freedom. She climbed down the ledges and ladders of the building and searched for a place to hide. She gazed into the camera as she huffed one last thing to her viewers, "It's all a lie! Don't let them control you anymore! Fight for your freedom!". She then uploaded the photos of the confidential documents online. She prayed society would also break free as she continued to run further and further from the life she was once forced to live.