Into the Bunkers

Part 4 - Not A Bad Dream

I wake up to an alarm. Thank god it was all just a dream. I open my eyes in the dark room and sit up. The lights slowly become brighter and I'm surrounded by grey.

It wasn't a nightmare, this is reality.

I get out of bed, angry. How could the world fall apart like this? Is there nothing we could have done? Did it really have to come to trying to annihilating all of human life?

I throw my hair into a high ponytail and put a sports bra on. I grab my key off my dresser and walk out of the room. The emergency lights near the floor show me the way before the lights turn on. I get into the gym and the lights turn on.

"Roxy, can you play music in this room?" I ask.

"Yes, what would you like the listen to?" Roxy responds.

"I don't know, pick something?!" I say angrily. Alternate rock begins to flow through the speakers in the ceiling. I jump on the treadmill and begin to run. Anger flows through my body.

Did everyone have to die? Other than bunkers around the world, humanity is gone. We are near extinction. I feel wet tears fall down my cheek as I run. My legs start to burn, and my lungs plead for air, but I can't stop. I keep running until the anger screaming in my head stops, even then I keep running.

The gym door opens and Vance walks in. He eyes the treadmill, and I start to turn it off. Sweat drips down my face.

"Roxy, turn the music off for now," Vance says. He eyes me.

"Are you okay, Aryah?" He asks.

"No, I'm not. I woke up this morning thinking all of this was a nightmare. That the bombs had never fallen. That I was back home. It hurt so bad. I'm so angry, Vance."

"Aryah, this is it, there is nothing we can do. Yea it fucking sucks, but there is nothing. We are some of the four hundred something people left alive on this planet. We are here to rebuild humanity."

"Yea. It's bullshit! Maybe humanity doesn't deserve the chance! We just killed our planet. We just killed ourselves!"

He is left quiet by my yelling. I let him push past me to the treadmill.

"Roxy, what time is it?" I ask.

"It is 8:06 am," Roxy responds.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you and probably making your morning worse," I apologize to Vance, who says that it's fine. I walk out of the gym and head to the kitchen. Jace sways his hips as he hums over the stove.

"What are you making?" I ask.

"Pancakes," He sends a smile over his shoulder to me.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"There should be strawberries and blueberries in the garden if you want to pick some."

I nod and head to the garden. It's quiet. I look up and all I can see is dust clouds. I head back into the kitchen and grab a bowl since you can't just teleport berries into the kitchen. There isn't much I can do while I'm so angry, but picking berries isn't too hard. Once the bowl is filled I take it to the kitchen, where Jace tells me to rinse and cut the fruit. He continues to hum as he flips the pancakes, and I find the ability to name the song. It's old too. He hums "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack.

"Strumming my pain with his fingers, singing my life with his words, killing me softly with his song" I begin to sing. Jace laughs and gives me a big smile.

"Roxy can play the song you know?" I laugh. Jace proceeds to tell Roxy to play the song. I sing along as I chop up the fruit. In the garden I pick peaches, apples, and oranges. I return to the kitchen and make homemade orange juice before slicing the peaches. Jace finishes up and I tell Roxy to tell everyone in our bunker to meet in the dining room. Jace and I carry plates of pancakes and bowls of fruit. Jace even made homemade blueberry and strawberry syrup.