Life Outside of the Bubble

Bump in the Night

Ethan looks all around him, enjoying the scenery of the world around him. No longer blurred by the massive enclosure he grew up in, he can see so much more detail in the grass that has become severely overgrown. He can see how tall and powerful the growing trees are. He can finally hear the sounds of the world. The birds happily chirping, the trilling of locusts, and other occasional noises. All of the new experiences are almost overstimulating for him. He barely resists the urge to remove his protective suit and frolic in the grass. He knows the environment is harsh, but he likes to imagine breathing fresh air without the filter through his suit. Fighting his desires, he decides to head forward from the entrance of The Bubble. 

After what feels like an eternity of walking, he notices his legs growing sore. His feet ache as well. He chooses to take a rest under the shade of a nearby tree, the summer heat making him feel sweaty and light-headed. "Maybe leaving in the heat of the summer wasn't my best idea." He thinks to himself. He exercises regularly in him home, but he wasn't used to walking for such a long distance. His suit does well at preventing the heat from scorching his skin directly, however, it provides no ventilation. He grows more and more faint as time goes on. There are several times he desperately fights his growing urge to free himself from the confines of his suit, understanding that he would be allowed to cool off much more easily. His father's teachings echo through his mind, telling him to never expose himself to the dangers of the outside world. He sits in the shady spot beneath the tree until he starts to feel tired. He decides a little nap couldn't hurt. Quickly, he drifts into unconsciousness. 

Ethan sleeps for hours, awaking only once the night envelopes the sky. He has stopped sweating as much, still covered in the residue from earlier in the day. Not intending to sleep so long, he jolts up to survey his new surroundings. After a brief moment, he continues his journey. He thought that if he travels at night, then the heat won't be as much of an issue. Thanks to the moonlight, he can still see well enough to know his environment. A couple of hours go by, his feet are feeling like they are screaming at him to stop. He decides to rest again, this time near a lake he sees in the distance. By the time he arrives, his body is thankful for the chance to relax. He never knew walking would get to be so exhausting. He also never imagined that life outside The Bubble could be so boring. 

While he relaxes, He has a brilliant idea. He would make a map. He brought a pen and paper in his backpack for just such an occasion. The limited light makes this a challenging chore, so for now, he makes a small line with an arrow to the west. He's unsure how far he's actually travelled, but he knows for sure he's heading west. Eventually he hopes to cross into what used to be Kansas, a state lying in the of the United States. He believes that places with fewer people may have been less affected, likely not as close to targeted cities during the nuclear warfare. His other belief is that a place such as California may have been perfect for survive such an attack, being near the ocean and including a large populace. Oversees countries have crossed his mind, but he would like to try some of the places within his own country first before attempting to travel so far. He would like to try to cover more ground while the sun is still in hiding, but his feet and legs convince him he should stay and relax for the night. Besides, he's got nothing but time since he left his home.

Hours go by, his boredom and fatigue nearly driving him insane in the process. He can't help but think that he should have brought a fishing pole or something else productive to occupy his time. He decides to eat a small snack he brought from home, a piece of cake from his birthday celebration. He removes the cake from it's plastic wrap, the cake being squished and deformed from being crammed so tightly in his bag with his other various belongings. Like his father instructed him throughout the years, he removes his mask just long enough to grab hold of his meal with his free hand inside the suit. The air felt incredible on his face, he never felt anything like it. The cool breeze blowing against his sweat coated fate. It was the closest thing to heaven he had ever imagined. He quickly remembers the danger of being exposed to the air for too long though, understanding he has a long journey ahead of him. He can't risk the radiation accumulating too early in his trip to ever accomplish his goals. He puts the mask back over his head, resentful that he must force himself to give up the joy of the fresh air that he so briefly treasured. He eats the cake with haste, not realizing that he was so hungry until he got a few bites down. He grabs a water bottle he had left secured in one of his pockets. He drinks it almost as quickly as the cake, only stopping to catch a breathe of air. Once he feels content, he sits back and enjoys the sight of the moon reflecting off of the lake.