Just a locket

The horizon was white as paper. If 6 year old Q (as her parents called her) had not been so distraught, she would have liked to reach out with her small hands and draw on it, just as so many times before she had drawn on her parents walls with her many stumps of crayons. She lived a happy wonderful life, until 20 minutes ago when the sounds began. Deep rumblings that seemed to shake everything that existed. Her parents were nowhere to be found, and this light, this brilliant white light was consuming the once black sky. Streaming from homes like ants from a hill were all her neighbors. Terrified gasps, petrified screams. What was this? As Q fell to the grass, her breath barely coming in stabs through her wracking sobs. She clutched at something warm in her hand. It was the only thing important to her now. Then everything faded.

Hailey watched the white light consume the world until she passed out. her lungs empty from her terrible cries. She didn't see the greater terror of that night... This was in fact, for the best. Had she seen the following events, she would not be here now. All who viewed the tragic events until their crescendo that night, had ceased to exist. Hailey however had been picked up by Rodney, her neighbor. He carried her, limp, into his basement. There, many other people, saved by the same, were sheltering.

Rodney was a short, but very intimidating looking man. A scraggly beard, and long black hair, arms like steel cables were perpetually covered in oil and scars. His appearance was deceiving however. He was a very kind man, a life of hard work had made him look rough and hardened. Many of his scars had been gained through helping others to repair things that they didn’t have the money to get fixed elsewhere. The basement into which these now refugees had been brought was filled with food, water, and tools. They sat, watching and listening as the light outside reached its climax. Heat like nothing ever before felt by any human swept the surface of the earth. Scorching everything above ground, Rodney’s home was obliterated, except for the basement in which they stood.

A week passed in the basement where Hailey was barely able to comprehend anything. The light slowly disappeared, leaving the night once again dark. She clung to the bit of metal in her hands, as if it were the only thing keeping her alive, willing her own light to fade and leave nothing in its place.

Six years later, Hailey was twelve. She had grown much from that 6 year old girl broken on the lawn. Rodney was long gone. His kindness, which she would never forget, was repaid with fighting and attempts at dominance over what the inhabitants of his home saw as the feeble remnants of society. He soon died at the hands of another man who had always beforehand been clean cut, and well groomed. Never a hair out of place, but considered by many to be the most cruel man in the neighborhood. Mr. Grossier, as no one had ever learned his first name, had determined to be the leader of this small group of survivors. He believed that it was his place over such menial men as Rodney. This depraved act which many have come, and will continue, to attribute to the darker side of society, happened only a week and a half after the blast. Half a week after Hailey had finally started to, in her own feeble way, recover.

Grossier, in that following week was determined to have only those who held desirable traits in his predecessor's basement. He unceremoniously expelled Hailey and three others to wander the unknown remnants of their former world. Taylor, a crippled boy with no movement in his left arm. May, a formerly rebellious girl with rainbow hair, and many piercings. Hailey had seen her over the last week and a half, praying non-stop on the floor of the basement. And then, Rodney's oldest son, Tony, who had looked up from tending to Hailey with food and water to watch his father die.

Tony was the only one of this weak band who had chosen to go voluntarily. Being a very thoughtful and wise man, he had chosen not to challenge Mr. Grossier. He had instead quietly buried his fathers body. Hailey thought he had been so willing to go above ground because he no longer minded the thought of being consumed by what they could only imagine was terrible radiation. But nothing had happened during his trip. On his return from mourning he did not speak a word, but with tearful eyes continued to tend to those who could not, or would not tend to themselves. When they had been cast out of the home, a 6 year old girl who would not have minded herself to be eaten alive by whatever dwelled above, a 17 year old young woman who felt that all this tragedy was caused by her own disobedience to her parents, and a 15 year old boy who to no fault of his own had been born with a defective arm. Tony had not hesitated. once again, without challenging Mr. Grossier, he stood up and said firmly:

“I will go with these. I will protect them. I will keep them safe.” Grossier, astonished by this show of what he considered utter lunacy attempted to persuade Tony to stay, as he was the strongest of all the men in the basement, and could in this aspiring tyrant's mind, be useful to keeping order. Tony declared that he would not stay, unless the rejects would also be allowed. They had reached an impasse. Tony took his little gang and left.

They had traveled a long way in six years. For the first fourteen months or so, everything had been white, and chalky on the ground. They obtained their sustenance from abandoned basements at first. They were the only ones who had thus far exited their places of hiding. They had no one to fear and no one to challenge for these items. Occasionally however, they found people hiding in these basements. Tony, with his love for the lost and hurting, invited the found to come with them. Their group grew, and with it, the world came back. The chalky white gave way to green. The basement scavenging, to growing crops from seeds they found in basements, soon discovering that Taylor had a gift for botany, a secret which he had hidden well. While they traveled, Tony became somewhat of a teacher to all of them, including those which had been harvested themselves, from what they thought would be their basement graves. Tony taught them not so much through words, but through his actions. He loved them.

Many of this wandering band would join Tony each night as he would study books he had brought with him. Through these books, May stopped being so distraught at her former life, and actually became somewhat of a surrogate mother to Hailey, even beginning to call her, as her parents had before, Q. Trust, blossoming through their group brought Hailey to eventually show that metal tether to life to her new family. 6 years had finally guided her to it. Out of her pocket came the now oxidized and worn smooth, heart shaped locket. Given to her when she was only a baby, engraved upon it, “Question all. fear not, only love.” This became their mantra as they finally settled in a valley with their once 4, now a thousand strong.

Question all.

Fear not, only love.