Flashes of lighting flash and flicker and dance form the heavy clouds full of rain. A bolt of lightning crashes against the dome and a childish cry erupts from a small boy no older than 6 sitting in an older girls lap in a cold brick alleyway. The lighting makes the young boy quiver with fear and the girl peers up at the dark night and the rain hitting the dome. 150 years ago the earth was poisoned with toxic pollution and mankind was almost wiped out. If not for the protective domes set up by SINNER mankind would have been erased. The survivors have had to live beneath enormous protective domes in cities ever since.
She opens a small tattered bag and pulls out an old looking book with burned edges. She lights a match and carefully opens it at the dog-eared page showing a picture of a beautiful rose and tears roll down her cheek as she whispers to herself 'I will not fail you mother'. Her brother is sick and none of the medicines supplied by SINNER are working. Her illegal book, which survived 'The Burnings', tells of an ancient herbal remedy that might just save his life. Whispers have begun to circulate that the earth has regrown its green forests and oxygen may have replenished beyond the dome. "Could this really be true?' she asks herself and if it is, why is SINNER lying to them?
Suddenly dark figures appear in the same alley as the children and one approaches and asks for the girl's name. "My name is Rose and this Hamish" she says with a brave voice pointing at the younger boy. As the rest of the group approach Rose, she notices that they are all teenagers except for an older women holding a new born baby wrapped in old rags.
A teenage boy steps closer, his orange hair covering half of his face, 'come we must go now, we're running out of time', he says with a nervous voice as he pulls Rose and her brother from the cold bricked ground. 'Welcome to the Revolution' he says as he pulls a pistol from his filthy pants, and directs them down the alleyway towards the edge of the dome.
They quietly approach the SINNER military exit and as they enter the guard station the red-headed rebel draws his pistol and spits out ammunition at the surprised guards. Cheers erupt from the rebels as they storm the base, the age of the dome was over! Rose's brother Hamish was small and light enough to carry on her back. She could care less about the revolution; she just needs to get beyond the dome and save her brother. Screams ring out as SINNER guards surge forward, their gunshots firing down the alley way hitting the crowd of people gathered including the women and her newborn baby. Rose looks over her shoulder in horror to see the woman crumble to the ground.
Chaos breaks out and Rose sees her opportunity to run past the lifeless bodies of the guards at the exit. Unwelcoming iron doors suddenly confront Rose's escape plan. She reaches into her saddle-bag and grabs the dynamite sticks that she purchased from the black market some time ago. She lights them with one of her matches and throws them at the gateway. The dynamite explodes with enormous force and rips the iron doors from the dome. She nervously steps forward and breathes the bitter cold air blowing on she and Hamish. Her lungs fill with oxygen and to her excitement she sees that the earth has regrown and all Rose could think was why had SINNER lied?
YOU ARE READING
Under the never sky
Short Story150 years ago the earth was poisoned with toxic pollution and mankind was almost wiped out. If not for the protective domes set up by SINNER mankind would have been erased. The survivors have had to live beneath enormous protective domes in cities...
