Radioactive

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I wake up shaking and a cold sweat running down my back. For five years I've always dreamt about my sister's death when this day comes around. The day the nukes went off, and the day everyone's life took a turn for the worse. I look over at my clock, the only light in the room, and sigh. It's 1:00 am and I know if I go to sleep again the nightmares will come back.

I reluctantly swing myself out of bed and get dressed in my day clothes. A blue t-shirt and jeans with a black and white striped jacket. I bring out my emergency back pack from the closet, sit down, and shuffle through it. I pull out the last photo of my family together and sigh heavily.

The bunker was a lot bigger than I had thought upon entering on that fateful day. It has tunnels that connect to tunnels and rooms that connect to larger rooms. The soldiers say never to leave without your map, or you'll be lost in the tunnels forever. I say that's a bunch of crap, it's got to end somewhere, or connect to another bunker, or something.

The bunker is basically like a small city now. The population has tripled over the last five years, and no one has died of any unnatural causes. Some say it's a little utopia, besides the fact that dirt and radiation leaking in is common, and no one can really choose their own job. Every 18 year old has to take the Economic Placement Test, or E.P.T for short. The test is designed to give them the correct and most helpful job for that newly made adult. Today, my friend Alex Dalton and I are taking that test. Alex was my best friend even before the war. He introduced me to my other best friend, Amy Sykes. Amy's only 17 so she will just be observing the test takers and the types of jobs they are assigned. She can also choose to internship at a job she may be interested in.

I slip the photo back into my pocket and lean back on my arms. I doubt anyone is up and it is past curfew for teens. I get up anyway and grab my emergency back pack, and my I.D from my night stand. I swipe my pocket knife and wallet from my desk and head out of my room, making sure to shut the door as quietly as possible. Alex lives in the room next to me and he is the lightest sleeper I know of. A pin dropping could wake him up. I walk a few feet out into the hallway and hear a door creak open.

"Hayley?" Alex calls sleepily behind me, "What are you doing? It's like 1:00 in the morning."

"Oh, just getting a drink of water..." I answer not turning around.

"Then why don't you just use your own sink? You know, these past five years you've never come up with a good lie." he says the sleepiness vanishing from his voice.

Alex walks up behind me and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"And these past five years, you've never talked to me about the dreams. You realize I heard you screaming in your sleep this time? You need to talk to someone about it, Hayley." he says taking his hand from my shoulder.

"I'm fine." I say firmly, "All you need to know is that I'm going out for a walk and will be back later."

Alex shrugs and heads back to his room.

"Let me get dressed and I'll be right out."

Alex walks back into his room and shuts the door. I don't wait for him. I run down the hall and take random turn after turn, just so he can't follow me. I pull out my map from my pocket and look at the signs sticking out of the walls, telling me which hallway is which. I'm on Harrison's Pass, six blocks away from Alex's room on Cornelius's Way and only three blocks from the bunker's largest room that holds all the shops and gatherings. Glory Square.

On my way down Harrison's Pass the only people I encounter are blithering drunks and younger kids spray painting something on a door. When I reach Glory Square only a few delinquents are running around and causing trouble while a large group of adults sit on and around a bench passing around liquor, complaining about politics that don't matter anymore. I walk past them and make my way across the square nonchalantly.