One Shot Stories

XXVIII ~ Underground

    I raise the pickaxe and bring it down again, listening to the resounding clang that echoes through the never ending caves. I wipe my forehead. Sweat and dirt come back on my hand. A bell chimes, jarring me from my continuous hacking.

"Let's go!" Someone from the front shouts.

    I sniff and pick up my stuff, following everyone out of the cave and out and into the underground city. We don't live on the  surface anymore. It's too polluted. The air is awful and there is trash everywhere, bodies, other... things.

    It's just as beautiful down here as it was up there. The rocks glisten with a multitude of ores and stuff.

"Hey, Lukas!" A shrill voice calls in my ear.
"Hello, Nyx." I greet, rubbing my ear.

Nyx grins and walks along side of me. Her pretty dark skin glistens with sweat. She must've just got off of her shift too.

"Have you heard the news?" She asks me, wiping a few stray strands from her face.
"There's a lot of news." I say simply.

Suddenly, the ground above us shakes, making people stop on the side walks and look up.

"That news." Nyx says.

I look at her.

"It's been shaking a lot and they are putting groups together to go up to the surface to see what's causing it. I signed up!" She states proudly.
"That's cool," I say, scratching my neck. "What do you think is causing it?"

    Nyx shrugs and checks her nails.

"I don't know. I think it's aliens."

    I laugh. She smiles and continues walking.

"Where did you sign up?" I ask, suddenly curious as of what's causing it.
"Right there." Nyx points to a booth in the other side of the road.
"I'm gonna go sign up."
"I'll help."

    I walk over to it and put my name down. I've always wanted to go to the surface so, now I can.

Few weeks later

    A man hands us heavy duty gas masks and hands us a weapon.

"Stick together!" He calls, voice muffled by his mask.

    I spare Nyx a glance before following the man up the steep stairs and up to the surface.

~

"All right," The man calls. "I'm going to open this. I'd shield your eyes just incase we see the sun."

    I cover my eyes a bit. The man opens the heavy doors, bright sunlight invading our eyes. We step out.

    Green. It's all green.

    No pollution, no smoke, no dead bodies. Towering skyscrapers are overrun with vines and other various plants. Off in the distance, an ocean glitters and a volcano let's out plumes of dark ash.

    I rip off my mask and take a deep breath. Real air. Not manufactured air. I laugh.

"What are you doing?" The man shouts.
"Take of your mask. It's real air. It's not polluted." I say to him.

    Nyx takes off her mask and breaths. She smiles and jumps up and down.

"We can come back up to the surface!" Nyx shouts.

    I smile. Yes we can!

•••

Happy story for once!  Have a nice day!