ACCUPATION 2 Pilgrims of The Post-Apocalypse

Chapter 1: "Welcome to Texas"

The elevator lifted up, gears turning and wires letting out sparks. We were unsure what to expect from the surface, this wasn't Florida anymore. The teleporter had taken us to an unknown location... hopefully a safer one. When the elevator stopped there was a loud rumble coming from outside. The door slowly opened revealing a horrendous windstorm complete with tornadoes, thunder, and lightning. We could feel the wind trying to suck us out of the elevator as we desperately hung on to each other's clothes. I opened the panel of the elevator hoping to be able to hack into it, but it was just too advanced. To my surprise the doors shut by themselves and the elevator started descending down on its own.

The elevator was quiet. Was coming to the surface a mistake? Everyone's gas mask stayed on for fear of whatever toxic chemicals were in the air, all the while the mutants did not need one. But one child took off his mask and smiled, taking a deep breath. "It smells... less thick!" His mother quickly put his mask back on fearing the unknown. Now we had to wait until the storm passed which took about a day. In the morning we reentered the elevator. The storm was now gone, and the legend of the sun was visible. It rose like a powerful orb of energy in the sky, and as it rose up the ground became warm and mud dried away. An infectious green life form was widespread, it was similar to the fungus fields underground except it obviously wasn't fungus.

Following an empty road, cars littered the street, their pastel paint faded from the sun, the glass itself had turned purple from the sun. Skeletons still laid silently covered in dust, their clothing eaten away by moths. We journeyed along the road 12,000 people in total. It was a miracle the elevator didn't break as it went up and down letting everyone come up to the surface. Now night was coming but we had no place to camp. So Anthony ordered that everyone forced one of the cars open and slept in it. I was tired from the long walk but used my strength to pry open a car door with a stop sign. Quite an adventure we have wandered into. One minute I'm living underground reading faulty history books about what the surface looks like, now I can officially say they were all wrong. It was not dead, or alive, it was both. Most trees struggled to grow, short with few leaves and full of mutated limbs. I layed in the car with a skeleton I was too scared to touch. One eye was on the open car door while the other was on Dexter as he ranted about all the things he wanted to build. Then a measure of calm set in. A woman cried out: "IT'S THE MOONS! Come look!"

Getting out of the cold car I looked up and shed a tear. Up in the sky were the two moons. Back in Florida we always saw the moon on the surface, but we never saw the sun. Seeing the moons made me feel safe, like I was home. You see at night everything looks the same. It's as if you never left your home. Feeling safer I went to sleep. Dexter though never really slept. He stayed up panicked looking for a threat to kill. Waking up I saw his hands clenching a spear he had made. His eyes were dilated with adrenaline, his hands shaking. Putting a blanket on him we talked about his wife and how she would be in paradise. When Dexter
started feeling peace from his loss I went back to sleep.

In the morning he was still the same. Putting my hand on his spear I told him: "you can relax now, the night is over" he then came back with the words: "it's never over" we now continued our journey. Everywhere we went there was a scar from the war. We tiptoed through minefields, walked around toxic sludge pits, and fought off mutants. But on the surface you must expect the unexpected.

Anthony halted everyone as a giant figure came closer and closer. He was an ugly thing, his hair going down to his legs. He walked with a slouch, occasionally stumbling in step. Anthony approached the giant, gun in hand: "do you speak?" The giant raised his head and collapsed from starvation. "Quick! Bring him water!" Anthony said.

The giant then grabbed Anthony's head and spoke to him with his last words: "don't let me be forgotten... I am the last of my kind." Anthony came in closer: "what do you want me to do for you?" The giant wasn't sure whether to smile or cry. This isn't what I'd expect from a monster. This wasn't a savage, this was a man, a man without a name. He finally spoke: "if you find king Sam... ask him why he did this! What did he gain?" Anthony replied: "I will do this for you" we then buried the giant on the side of the road and left.