Tim, a garbage handler in a post-apocalyptic bunker, loses the little he has. But then he finds Amy, the redhead with an attitude. Together, they will try to change the world they live in.
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Tim is one of those who shovel the shit and clean away th...
Clouds wander the sky above the surface and bring the rain.
Their waters first granted life. Then, they turned bad and took it.
The Manuals of the Bunker, Vol. 3, Verse 2
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We stood in a corridor. Smooth, white walls met the ceiling above, where small lamps glowed with a gentle light—weak but steady.
Electric light.
The corridor wasn't longer than one of the compost heaps. It ran straight between a door at one end and an ascending stairway at the other, with us halfway between them. More doors were set into its sides, most of them closed. A soft hum vibrated the air.
"Smooth fer reals." Amy moved a hand over the flawless wall. "Must be engineer stuff."
Made by engineers, no doubt. I hardly dared to breathe. Their work is perfection, just like the Manuals said.
Brown stains marked the floor—the only blemish I saw.
"Look at that!" I pointed at them.
She shrugged. "Well, the garbage people should clean this place."
I didn't rise to her challenge. Whatever this place was, we broke all the Manuals' laws by just being here.
Death awaits those who enter the realm of the Engineers and the machines. That's what the Manuals said.
I looked up and down the corridor, expecting someone—or something—to come after us in rightful wrath.
"Let's check this out." Amy took a step towards a door opposite.
"Wait. What if there's something beyond these doors..." I said. "Something bad?"
She stopped. "True... If the Gaths are anywhere, it would be here, I guess." She nibbled a fingernail.
For a moment, we stood in silence.
I knew we should turn back. Turn ourselves in. Hope for the mercy of the Church. But then, I doubted that the bishop would be inclined to show mercy.
For us, there was no turning back. The only way was forward.
"The weak ones hide, the strong ones explore," I said.
"Smart man." She grinned.
"These are your words."
"I know. That's why they make ye smart. Ye learn from the best." She gestured at a closed door opposite to the one we had entered, still grinning. "So, would ye like to explore?"
She looked pretty like that, her mischievous brown eyes almost glowing.
