The Last of the Old Ones

Colin

Chapter Eleven

After we finished eating, we went our separate ways to shower and get ready for the day. When we were both cleaned up, we decided I would show Amber around the basement a little, I knew she would have no idea of what this awesome place really was for us, we had just about anything we could ever want. I thought about how she might be interested in the iodine factory downstairs where we get all the iodine we could possibly need as well as our "amenities" we get as if we were just staying in a hotel such as sheets, blankets, towels, laundry washed, etc. Life in the protection program was good for us, there were lots of things to keep us from getting to stir crazy during periods of lockdown where the Blank Faces' activity is high, and it isn't safe for us to venture outside.

I sat on my bed just thinking about how lucky I had been my whole life, sure we face the danger of the Blank Faces, but we had protection, we'd just get up and move locations again. Every room was always custom designed for us and there was always lots for us to do to stay entertained. We even got superb educations. Then I thought about all that Amber had been put through, despite the fact that her foster family had been wonderful to her, she had no idea who or what she really was. She never knew she was in danger, and she grew up trusting those who were so willing to hurt her kind. That was something I couldn't imagine and definitely took for granted.

Taking things for granted had my thoughts running to how I wanted to be the difference like Amber's parents had been on our people. I also knew I would take over for my parents when they could no longer sustain the protection program. People would have high standards for me that I would have to live up to. I laid back and stared at the galaxy painted into my ceiling, something I had kept from location to location. My parents said it was to remind me to always dream big because there's more to the world than we could see. As a child that has always motivated me to try my best and just encouraged my creativity. I had always known about the galaxy but there were people who didn't even know of its existence due to the rules, regulations and controls the government had over the schooling of children and media. It was hard to think how naive some people were and how it wasn't intentional, these people didn't choose not to know.

Just as my thoughts were running loose within my brain, there was a dainty knock at my door. "Colin? I'm ready now." Amber soft voice came through the door just slightly muffled. I sat up in my bed, fixed my hair with my fingers, and headed to the door. My fingers grasped the gunmetal black door handle.

I opened the door to Amber's smiling face; she looked adorable even in her sweatpants and baggy sweatshirt. Her chocolate brown hair was in a messy bun with little strands sticking out to frame her face showing off some auburn coloring, her icy blue eyes accentuated by what I knew was yesterday's left-over makeup. I was almost shocked by the feeling seeing her gave me. I couldn't bring those feelings up to her yet... I couldn't be that selfish. I smiled back, "Ready for a movie marathon?" I asked her and she nodded. "There's a way into the basement from the office," I added, leading the way. She followed me into the office and to a bookcase. "I found it when we were just moving in here." I explained before pulling a lever that made the bookcase swing open to a dark staircase. I flicked on the lights and held her warm hand as we descended the staircase.

"This isn't where you take me to a creepy, damp basement and kill me is it?" Amber joked, the white of her teeth showing ever so slightly through her smile. That beautiful smile...

"Hmm, now that you mention it..." I trailed off, trying to sound thoughtful but laughing just a little.

I led Amber down, passed the workout room and the pool room. The look on her face was priceless, the breathiness in her voice displayed her awe. "Wow, what is this place?" Amber asked out loud, admiring everything. I smiled at her as we arrived at the movie theater room and flicked on the vintage style popcorn maker.

"My parents wanted this place not to feel like we were trapped but rather enjoying our stay, plus the members of the protection program can get restless when we are on lock down due to the Blank Face activity increasing." I explained to Amber, "Favorite candy?" I asked, pointing to the chilled cabinet holding all different kinds of candy.

Amber looked at me, eyes wide, "I love Goobers!" She said while grabbing a box, "Oh, and Sour Patch Kids!" She added, grabbing a box of those as well. I also showed Amber the soda fountain, all the cups and lids, and how to use it. I laughed as she filled her cup with a squirt of each of the sodas. "I thought I was the only one who did that! Everyone here has always looked at me funny for mixing all different sodas." I smiled at her and led her down the five rows of seats to the screen to pick out a movie.

"Since you said you liked history movies and that you don't really know much about our people, how about we watch movies of our history?" I asked, opening the glass case next to the screen holding all the movies and pulling out a few of the more interesting ones I knew from history class.

"That sounds great actually, I feel so out of the loop, and I really just want to understand." Amber told me. I put one in the player and followed Amber back to the seats, letting her pick where we should sit. She picked seats right in the middle, third row back and in the third and fourth seats. After situating all our refreshments, I turned on the screen and started the first movie about the nuclear war. It was wonderful seeing Amber get so into the movie even if it was a little upsetting with all the death. She was so encased in the movie and learning; I admired her for that. Once again, I found myself shoving down the urge to be closer to her. I watched her every expression as she took in our history.

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This movie was one I had seen thousands of times as a kid, there were blaring sirens filling the background noise of the film with messages to evacuate, there were images of nukes dropping and people running. The screams were haunting. Burned bodies filled the ground that wasn't covered in ash. A haze filled the air, and an acid rain poured down. I looked over and saw tears threatening to fall from Amber's eyes. This was earth shattering for someone who had never even known of this war. Then there was a change in sound to more somber music but no more screaming; a more hopeful image of a group of people who made it to the first underground bunker our people had created filled the screen.

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Before we knew it, the movie was over and she eagerly asked me to start the next one, I obliged, and she got equally as sucked in to that one.

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The next movie was filled with information about what happened after the nukes stopped. How the air wasn't safe outside so our people decided to make the best of things and continue to build underground. How illnesses swept through the underground, so an infirmary was built first to quarantine and treat those who fell ill. It showed the basic survival bunker turned into a bunker where we learned to grown plants underground with seeds that had been brought down, we not only learned to survive but to thrive.

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The third movie laid out how our government was formed. The first council was made up of 5 people as well and they found that it worked well, there was a member from five different walks of life: agriculture, construction, leadership positions of sorts, healthcare, and education. This made the council well rounded and although they butted heads at first, they learned to see the different points of view and use it to meet the basic needs of the people.

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The last movie we watched showed how the Earth changed from before the nuclear war to years after, the whole geography of the world had changed from such a catastrophic war. The group of people who came after the world, also went after space, thinking they would leave nothing left for us to escape to, there were several planets that were exploded, the stars blown straight out of the sky, nosediving it all down to Earth, the nukes came after that. The sky we looked into was shrouded in a dark haze and there was no stary sky at night, there was no galaxy beyond. The war changed the world forever and the government did everything they could to erase it from history and keep people in the dark. The movie explained how important it was to know our past and not give into the illusion of perfection, to understand that the Old Ones are those left of the ones who rebuilt a torn down society and should be proud of what we had accomplished as people.

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