NINETEEN FIFTY-NOW

Ringing

The room was suddenly lit again.  

It had been pitch black for only moments but it felt like an eternity.  They could hear the generators strain to start again and then purr back into action.   Apart from the gentle sway of some lights and the spilled vodka bottle, everything looked exactly as it did before the boom.

"What just happened... does anyone else hear that ringing?" Jessica's face looked pale.  

"I think it's just your ears... but I can't...," Scott wiped his brow and then cupped his hands over his ears.

"No, it's a phone.  I can hear it.  It's coming from down the hall," Safana interjected and started walking towards the sound.

The rest of the group followed her hesitantly.  The ringing seemed to be coming from a large meeting room.  They flicked the light switch and saw a single red phone at the head of the table.  It was ringing with an old fashioned style bell ring. 

Safana picked it up and the phone stopped.

"Hello?"

The line was crackly.  A woman spoke.

"All defences have been breached.  You are now the final guard for our nation.  Supplies and rations in Bunker 59A will provide up to 6 months survival for the assigned essential staff.   You are reminded to remain in Bunker 59A for 72 hours to allow for fallout to cease... Repeat."

Safana looked confused.

"Who is it?" Alissa asked.

"It's...," Safana seemed lost for words.

Bobby grabbed the phone from her hand and spoke loudly, "Hello? Hello? We're in the bomb-shelter! We're..."

He was interrupted as the woman's voice started again, "All defences have been breached..."

He listened to the woman and then passed the phone to Scott.

"It's a recording," said Bobby as he slumped into a nearby chair.

"What did it say?" Jessica asked with fear in her voice.

"Uh... something about us being the final guards... and we have to stay in here for 72 hours because of fallout"

The recording kept playing on a loop as the other stepped in to listen.  

"What's fall out?" Adam asked the others.

The rest of the group shrugged except for Evelyn and Bobby.  

"It's... radioactive dust that falls from the sky after a, umm...," Evelyn's voice started to shake.

"A nuclear bomb," Bobby finished for her as he stared blankly at the floor.

"Stop kidding around, Bobby," Scott tried to sound brave.

"I'm... I'm not."

They looked at each other in silence as Jessica put the phone down.  

"It's gotta be mistake... or, or a joke!" Scott laughed and then bolted down the hall toward the entrance they had came in earlier that day.

"Scott! No!"

The rest of the group arrived as Scott pushed open the huge door.   When the opening was wide enough for him to look outside, he stumbled backwards and fell to the floor.  In the distance, where the city once was, seemed to be just hills.  Just hills of twisted metal and smoke.

"Oh my god... oh my god," Scott's voice was barely audible over the sound of wind from outside.

Bobby ran past him and pulled the door shut tightly, "You're going to get us killed."

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