Lost Locket in a Dystopian Future

The gas and dust debris are starting to settle. We’re aren’t prepared for what this new world looks like. There had been a war that caused a nuclear fallout but if that wasn’t enough there was asteroids falling from the skies when the war was just about over. It caused it to amplify the effects of the nuclear war zones causing more explosions and hazardous waste to fall.

When we went into hiding, I lost my heart shaped locket somewhere outside. My great grandmother had given it to me when I was a baby. I have had it for so long, I feel like I have let her down by losing it. We started opening up the curtains in the house and it was a very hazy, greenish/grey fog outside but you can start to see the surrounding houses. A lot of them look dilapidated from the fall out. The smell was so foul it was almost unbearable. We put on our gas masks and attempted to venture outside in this unknown world as we knew it.

The fog was still thick but it was a lot thicker before we went into hiding. Stepping out for the first time in months I looked around. All I saw was dismay and the tragic aftermath of the nuclear war. Walking slowly towards the front walk I find myself wishing this was all just a nightmare. I walk slowly and I am only feeling worse. I keep grabbing at my neck thinking that my heart shaped locket is there but I am only let down by the fact that it’s missing still. My heart is heavy and I am starting to have anxiety. I stop at the end of the walkway I look around very slowly. The world is definitely not how I remembered it being before the fallout.

I start to walk back into my house. As I look back, I see the sunset, beautifully orange, pink, red with hints of purple. It’s hazy outside but it still has an odd beauty to it. Its crazy to think that the world has suddenly been reduced to pretty much nothingness. It seems like old past times are a memory that won’t be relived for now at least. I can’t say that this new world transition will be easy but I can say maybe it will bring new adventures. I pace around my house trying to find ways to pass the time. It’s been nothing but darkness and silence for what seems like an eternity. I have always hated silence; it has always felt so cold.

I don’t even know if my family is okay. It’s just me alone in this house. My husband and my children were out on a trip to lake Hanz when everything started to fall to pieces. I miss seeing my daughter Elizabeth’s face, I miss hearing Alex’s laugh when he’d mess up in a video game. I miss hearing my husband sing the children to sleep when it was storming and they were scared. Now, now I feel all alone in this silent dark house, everything is a distant memory now. I could only hope that they have survived and can only hope that they will look for me as I would them.

I walk to my bathroom and try to turn on the water, and to my surprise there is running water. I let it run for a few minutes in the shower before I step in. The water is warm and it feels good. I feel like it is washing away my pain but I know when I get out of the shower it will come rushing back. I try to meditate in the shower to release my thoughts however it’s not working the way I intended. I get out of the shower and I get dressed into my pajama’s. I feel so alone, its quiet, a little too quiet for my taste.

I lay down in my bed and I start to drift off into a slumber. I know it was around 10:00 p.m. when I had fallen asleep and I woke up at 7:30 a.m., waking up alone is not something I imagined I’d do alone. The gas has fully settled down, maybe it’s safe to venture out further than my front lawn? I look for my house key and spare set of car keys. I forgot where I had left them but found them under the couch after tearing the house apart looking. I grab my gas mask and head towards the garage.

I look at my suburban and it still looks freshly washed. It still has a full tank of gas and I am hoping it will get me far. I start packing the SUV to prepare to head towards lake Hanz. I am hoping that my family has found safety and is alive and well. I prepare myself for the worst but have a small hope that they are alive. I start the car and open the garage door and head down the drive way. The GPS is routing the way to lake Hanz. It’s a 2 1/2-hour drive. I am ready for this; I need to find my family.

There is a lot of debris in the roads and it’s making this trip difficult. I just added an hour to my trip because I had to navigate around the blocked roads. I will be fine though; I will find my family and we will be reunited and happy… Happy as we could be at least. I haven’t heard any news on the radio waves. It’s just static, to me that raises so many red flags about the state of our world. I have to keep positive. I have to get to my family.

“Dad, do you think mom is still alive?” Alex said nervously. He responded with “If I know your mother, she is still alive and I can almost bet she is on her way here to find us.” Alex nodded to him and just sat back saying a prayer in his head. Elizabeth was still asleep, as she was extremely tired from being up all-night thinking about where her mom is.

It’s been rough for everyone all over the world. Alex and Elizabeth keep praying that their mom finds them and soon. They are stuck in town due to the roads being blocked from debris and cars being piled up. Thankfully they had found shelter in a hotels basement and the owners were nice enough to allow as many people as they could in to help protect them from the fall out. It hasn’t been easy trying to stay calm as they don’t know what is fully going on out there in the world.

Several hours had passed and I am almost to lake Hanz to find my family. I go through several cycles of going 80 mph and then 60 mph. I know that it doesn’t matter at this point because the government is probably obsolete. I hope my family is alive and waiting for me. I finally enter the small town of Lake Hanz. I quickly look around and I see a possible place where my family could have found refuge… I pull in the hotel driveway very quickly put the SUV in park and practically run to the front entrance.

I get in the building I am calling for Alex and Elizabeth. I hear a faint “Mom!! Dad mom is here!!” They emerge from down the hallway. We’re running towards each other and I feel a sense of relief. I hug my family and I tell them we should head back to our house and figure out a game plan. We get in the car and head back to the house. The drive again takes so long but it’s a joyful car ride because my family and I are laughing. I again go through the cycles of speeding. We’re approaching our street and the large willow tree in the center of our Cul-de-Sac is swaying beautifully. I see something silver and shiny swinging on one of the branches.

We come to our driveway, I park the car and start making my way to the tree. As I get closer, I can see a heart shape. Could that be my missing locket? I get closer and it is a heart shaped locket but I am unsure if it is mine. I reach the willow branch and I grab the locket and I open it up. There in the hearts, I see a picture of my great grandmother and I. I sigh in relief and shed a few tears. I grip the locket in my hand and walk towards my house. The sunsetting in the background, maybe the angels had left it for me to find, I don’t know but my heart is so relieved. I shut the door and life begins with a whole new perspective.