Alma was devastated. Everything she had tried so hard to build had crumbled. But she had to stay strong for her little brother. Okay, maybe they were twins, but she was still older by a few seconds. And now, after a near death incident, they were finally safe. The bunker might not be as big or comfortable as their apartment, but it was safer and much more well protected. The bunker was completely made of metal and shaped like a 3-D trapezium with a circular window parallel on both sides. A simple wooden bunk-bed was pushed to one side of the bunker and on the other side of the bunker was a table with two chairs and an electric stove. The washroom was at the end of the bunker, its closets filled with daily necessities. A rusty fan hung from the roof, making a screeching sound while it whirled around and around. Not exactly how she would design it but it was good enough. All that mattered was survival, and the fan certainly wasn't about to kill her. Then, without any notice, there was a knock on the door and the door swung open. In the doorway stood the army person that had saved them earlier. He nodded to the startled kids "next time, lock the door," he said in a gruff voice. " Anyway, Commander Casimir told me to tell you how this place is run. So rations are given in the morning at 9:00 a.m. daily, rations are equal depending on how many people are in the bunker and how old you are. You are to line up at the main square– the area in the middle of all the bunkers where the rations will be given out. The rations will be already cooked so you don't need to cook it yourself, also, there is a well at the main square for you to get water. There's a bucket in the cabinet if you're wondering," he added. " Remember to heat the water before you drink it. If you need to store the water, there are flasks in the cabinet as well. The medical tent is over on the other side of the bunker area, and the laundry's next door. You have to wash your clothes. There's only two sets of day clothes and two sets of pyjamas and no one likes you walking around smelling like mouldy cheese. Understood? Curfew at 9:00 p.m. ,there'll be guards patrolling so don't try to sneak out," he looked them straight in the eye. " And here's a map of the camp. Also two notebooks. You CAN use these for entertainment, there's colour pencils too, but I'd personally suggest you to keep a record of what's going on in it. Could help you in the future. We'll tell you if we find your parents, don't worry too much," he said, handing them a sack of things. "Thank you...what's your name?" replied Alma hesitantly. "Riju," the army person answered. "Thank you Riju, for saving us and bringing nice things to us," Alma thanked. "Um...er... you're welcome I guess, it's kind of my job," Riju turned and walked away, leaving the two kids alone in their bunker.
Several weeks had passed and the two siblings were getting used to the daily routine: waking up at 8:00 a.m. then showering and dressing. Getting daily rations at 9:00 then eating breakfast. Melee and Range Training with guns starts at 10:00 and ends at 11:30.
After that it's lunch. At 1:00 p.m. it's survival training until 3:00. Right after is defence class till 5:00 p.m. and after that is dinner. Following that is doing the laundry and showering. At 8:00 p.m. they get into bed. Having a daily routine was something they used to have, and having one now helped them adjust better to this new life. Alma was almost used to this strange life with constant battling and life-and-death issues. However, one thing was missing—their parents. Alma missed her parents dearly and she knew her brother did too. She still constantly missed her old, much simpler life. But she knew it was no use dwelling on the past when there was the present to live. In her heart, she knew that this camp, any camp no matter how well defended—would fall to their enemies soon. But she didn't dare to tell her brother, who seemed to finally come to the idea of living here, where it was safer. She feared that his sanity might crumble and she'll have no one left. The only way to protect him when the time came was to train harder and become stronger. She was the older one now, she had to protect him and find their parents. "Alma?" Liam called, " what are you doing?" Liam climbed up the high chair, much more easily now that his broken arm had healed. He peered at her notebook– the one that Riju had given them– where drawings of carefully designed buildings lay. "Still on architecture stuff?" he asked. "Yeah, it just makes me feel comfortable. In defence , I don't understand why you like studying mythical monsters!" defended an annoyed Alma. "It's just fun, like– oh," countered Liam. Architecture made Alma feel stronger, she hoped that although the world was trashed, she would get to design new buildings. Ones that would never fall or crumble. Why her brother liked mythical monsters which destroyed the fiction world was utter confusion to her, why would he like to study something which was a bad guy? And why would he tolerate those ugly monsters and sometimes even draw them? All Alma wanted was a steady life, with no interruptions and whatnot. That was why she loved architecture, she was absolutely amazed that the tall skyscrapers didn't fall down when there were earthquakes and she wanted to do something like that. Her life had been broken, everything she owned and loved—destroyed. Why wouldn't she want to keep everything she still had? She had to hold on to her happiness, or she might actually go crazy. Alma looked at her notebook, where her precious designs were sketched along with notes next to them. Who knew if she'd ever get to actually build them? She certainly hoped so.
YOU ARE READING
When Insects Ruled The Planet
AdventureThe insects are taking over the planet. There's no going back. Alma and Liam have to survive.