Monsters Beneath.

The sky fell.

It's been a few hours since I've gotten to school and I only had 3 hours left until I had to go to the after school training program. My English class was on the first floor, it was down the hall from the basement where the entrance to the shelter was. For some reason something odd has been happening, a few others noticed and it even caused my teacher to step out of the class to ask what was going on.

Shelter staff were coming in and out of the vault rapidly, final preparations maybe? It had a lot of people on edge.

My teacher came back into the class and resumed teaching as if nothing was wrong. It caused some of the more tense students to relax but there was still tension in the air.

"Excuse me? Mr. Oswald?" A hand was raised in the air, the voice belonged to a familiar I was familiar with. We weren't friends but I knew of him and I knew where he came from, just like every other kid and staff member in this school did.

He was blonde, hazel eyes, pale skin, and tall.

Men who were older and more mature looking then him were featured on posters warning everyday citizens about Russian spies. We were encouraged to report them to authorities if they didn't wear a citizen badge, and even then they could still be reported if they behaved in a way someone deemed suspicious.

"What do you want Micah." The teacher snapped staring down at the boy in blatant disgust. Micah wasn't phased by the hate shown towards him by the Teacher and simply asked if he was allowed to go to the bathroom. The Teacher yanked a hall pass off a desk and slammed it down in front of him.

"If you take longer then 3 minutes you dirty brat I'll have you reported!" The Teacher looked like he was about to pop the vein in his forehead with how much it was bulging out of his skin. The blonde boy quietly stood and thanked the Teacher before taking the hallpass and quickly walking out of the class. The Teacher walked back to the front of the class ignoring when a group of 2 girls and 2 boys walked wear red arm bands walked out of the room after the boy.

They were Enforcers.

Our teacher discussed the meaning of a story called 'The Tale of Beatrice'.

It was about a woman who was sold by her parents into a program that would use her as a lab rat. Apparently it was meant to show the importance of sacrifice in order to advance our civilization.

Personally, I feel like it's a story about how children are seen as disposable pawns. However, saying that would land me in detention so I kept the thought to myself. The Teacher kept glancing at the clock above the door he seemed to be growing more and more impatient. Micah had less then a minute to return to class but I doubt he would make it on time due to the fact the Enforcers followed him out.

The Teacher began reaching for his phone, probably to report Micah, when the emergency radio installed in every classroom came to life.

"I am deeply saddened to announce that the following places have just been wiped off the map, Alberta, Alaska, Saskatchewan, California, Florida, Washington, and more. We are under nuclear attack and it is suggested that the evacuations procedures begin."

The room was silent as we heard the man on the radio take a deep breath before continuing.

"God bless our United Front, may many of you survive to see the new world."

Everyone was frozen in fear, no one even dared to breathe. I stood up and started to quickly head towards the door of the classroom and this seemed to snap the rest of them out of it. My heart was racing and I began running when the sirens began to go off. The sirens only meant one thing, we were going to take a direct hit in less then 10 minutes. Screams broke out and students were fighting eachother. I clutched my extra bag to my chest after making sure my backpack straps were secured. Too many people were fighting amongst eachother to get to their belongings that they stupidly left in their lockers as I ran down the hallway. A group of about 20 students were crowded around the stairs to the basement trying to push eachother out of the way to get down. I glanced around and noticed a splatter of blood on the door of the boys bathroom.

I felt my eyes widen and I froze. I could risk dying by trying to save someone who I was honestly pretty sure wasn't some Russian spy or I could try to force my way through the crowd. I felt someone grab my arm and yank me around. It was a smaller girl with chunky glasses that I could recognize from anywhere.

"Judy?" I asked in shock, I didn't know how she made it down here so quickly when she was on the top floor of the building.

"Where is Micah?!" She shouted over the screaming her face was serious and her grip was hurting my arm.

"Bathroom! Enforcers followed him in earlier!" I shouted back and quickly followed her as she ran towards the door. I didn't understand how she could make up her mind so quickly when I was unable to. Judy was a hero, and I honestly felt like a coward for not being as decisive as her.

"He knows a shortcut to get to the Shelter." She talked close to my ear, keeping the information to ourselves and stopping anyone else from deciding to interfere. She slammed the door open and I followed behind her. The scene we walked in on was terrible, Micah was on his knees, his face was bruised and bloodied. The Enforcer kids were struggling to kid their things together but one girl in particular was perfectly relaxed.

Her name was Amanda, an Enforcer Captain, her father was a military general involved with the Shelter project and she was the perfect child every should strive to have. She had Micah's hair gripped tightly in her hand and she yanked his head around while one of her feet was crushing one of his hands. Micah was visibly struggling to keep himself together, crying out always made the Enforcers mad.

Judy ran forward, she was smaller then Amanda but she didn't hesitate for even a second. She pushed her down and immediately went to check on Micah. She was asking him questions while the other 3 ran out of the bathroom with their bags. Amanda struggled to stand and when she finally did she grabbed something from out of her jacket pocket and went to swing at Judy.

It felt like the world was in slow motion. All I saw was the light shine off the blade in her hand and I tried my best to rush to stop her. I don't think I've ever moved that impulsively ever in my life. I grabbed the girls arm and swung her towards the door to the bathroom. The weight of her bags dragged her down and she landed hard on her rear. Her knife loudly clattered to the ground and I quickly swiped it up and held it in front of me.

I wasn't trained in handling weapons, but my brother showed me some tricks to holding some knives in case I ever had to defend myself. I never really thought I'd have to use that knowledge until I was enlisted. Amanda glared at me as she stumbled to her feet, she spat at us and booked it out of the bathroom, knowing she's wasted enough time. I turned around and packed all the remaining belongings on the floor into the emptied bags that belonged to Micah. Judy was helping him stand and giving the boy words of encouragement.

"Kei! We have to go now!" She shouted as they began to stumble as fast as they could out of the washroom. I grabbed one last picture, and shoved it into a bag before chasing after them. Micah's bags were slung over my shoulders and weighed me down significantly. But I didn't drop them, I knew that more then likely the belongings he had with him probably had meaning. I didn't want him to go into the Shelter with nothing from the lives we are currently losing.

The crowd at the states was even bigger then before, the Enforcers had shoved their way through as they ranked higher then the rest of us. They were given priority entrance to the Shelters. We ran in the direction of a side set of stairs.

I trusted that Micah was telling the truth about a faster route to the Shelter. If Judy was willing to risk her life for him then so would I.