The Rosebook ; random/misc

The Last City (Story)

"Found you, Delta!"

Delta laughed. Marina and she were playing hide-and-seek. They were both 11, but the game was fun nonetheless.

They collapsed onto the grass. The looked up to the ocean above.

"Do you ever wonder what's...out there?" Delta asked.

"Not really," Marina said, "I mean, everyone says that the world outside is filled with dangerous jellyfish, menacing sharks, and that we should-"

"Never go up..." Delta finished.

"Exactly!" Marina said.

Delta shrugged. In Hali Isla, there's one rule that no one breaks: Do not try to leave. The rule's there for a pretty valid reason; there're dangerous things in the outside ocean, and if you dare to go up, you'll be blown up by bombs from a neverending war.

Here's the story, everyone knows it: In 2030, the world went to war with itself. There was so much bloodshed, explosions, people beating each other up, chaos. The people who managed to escape hid in an island near the Caribbean, the place with the least amount of warfare. Yes, there was still some, but it wasn't as much as the rest of the world, especially in the US, which went from glorious to gory real quick, as it was the country that started it all. The people built this city, which at the time was very small, to escape. Now, in 2080, the war's still raging, but the undersea city has thrived. We're nicknamed "The Last City" because we're the last, and only, city that represents what the world used to be like. Organized, kind, crimeless, and safe.

As the light of the sea began to fade and day became night, Delta and Marina started walking to their homes. At one point, though, Delta accidently took a wrong turn. When she realized her mistake, she was in an unfamiliar part of the city. Where was she?

Delta wandered around for a while. It was pretty dark now, and this place was completely deserted. She walked into a forest, but didn't notice the sign that read "DANGER! Authorized Personel ONLY! Access to outside!"

Delta was most definitely lost. Suddenly, she heard voices. She quickly hid behind the trees. She peeked behind the side. There was some sort of gate that led to...the outside ocean. She saw some sort of pod come towards the city from above. What is that? Invaders? The pod slowly entered from that gate, completely wet. A door slid open, and out stepped...

"Hello, Mayor Charles," said the guards near the gate. Wait, what's the mayor doing? Why did he come from above?

Mayor Charles started walking down the path out with his secretary. Perplexed, Delta followed.

"How was the World Above?" Secretary Aqua asked.

"It was nice, I went to Hawaii, the beaches are beautiful, I had my visit to Seoul, so glad the South won the war, and I visited Washington, DC."

"I'm so glad you didn't get blown up. I mean, the war's still raging."

"About that...Secretary, it's about time you knew the truth." The mayor stopped walking. What does he mean...the truth?

"The war, it was between North and South Korea, the USA, and China, not the entire world. It only lasted about 6 years, with the US and South Korea winning. Korea united under a democracy, and the world was peaceful again. This city was built to be a vacation spot, but we decided to cut off from the real world in 2045. This city is also like its own country. Every mayor is told the truth once they begin their term in office, and it's their choice to tell their secretary."

The secretary was silent. "Now, do not tell anyone this information, understand?"

She nodded. "But...does that mean we're feeding the city lies?"

"We're only protecting the people," Mayor Charles said, "If they knew the truth, they would rage war."

The secretary was still conflicted, but nodded anyway. They continued to walk in silence.

Delta was overwhelmed. This city was a lie, her life was a lie, everything she ever knew was a lie. She began to walk away, but a twig snapped at her feet.

"What was that?"

Delta ran. She jumped the fence and ran until she saw the familiarity of the downtown of Hali Isla. Hopefully, she wasn't seen.

She came home in tears.

"Sugarwater, are you OK?!" Her mom ran to her and embraced her. Delta's mom was a road worker; she kept the city in pristine shape.

"I-I f-found out-t my l-life i-is..." Delta couldn't continue.

"It's OK, Del, cry it out." Her dad came into the living room and hugged her. Delta's dad was an officer; he made sure the city was safe.

"Let's go get you some food," Mom said, leading Delta into the kitchen.

Delta was completely silent as she ate her sushi. This was totally unlike her; she usually always talked about her day.

"What's wrong?" Mom asked.

"I-" The phone rang, which was strange, since people don't usually call at night.

Her dad picked it up.

"Hello...Oh, hello sir...What?...No, I shouldn't be...You're positive...OK then, I'll do it...Bye..."

Her dad hung up the phone and looked directly at Delta. "I'm sorry, Del." He whipped out his handcuffs and cuffed her.

"Monroe! What are you doing?!" Mom yelled.

"Coral, honey, I'm sorry. The mayor saw her in an unauthorized area."

The wife backed away slowly. Delta was quiet. She knew there was no point fighting, she knew things she shouldn't know, she was in a place she shouldn't have been in.

"Delta Rose, you are to be sentenced to death penalty for treason," the judge said. Treason for knowing information that could tear the city apart. Delta was handcuffed and led to a gate to the outside. They were going to drown her. The cuffed her hands and feet and left to open the gate. The secretary, though, was left to watch her.

"Are you OK, Ms...Delta?" she asked.

"Well, I'm about to die, so...no."

The secretary seemed sorry for her. Suddenly, she pulled out a key. She unlocked the cuffs.

"Don't let them know they're unlocked. When you're put out, swim up. You know how to swim right?"

Delta nodded. Every citizen had to know how to swim in case of an emergency.

"Good. Get to the surface and swim to the left until you see a boat or something."

The guards came back. The secretary stepped aside. They put her into a hammock-like structure and set her to be put outside. A few jolts later, Delta was surrounded by water.

Delta smirked a bit as she shook off the cuffs. Everyone inside was in shock. She frantically swam up. She wasn't as deep under as she thought, and in a minute, she was up.

Fresh, salty air, something that she'd never thought she'd get to breathe in. She faintly saw a shoreline to her left. As she began to swim over, she heard a horn blare. A fishing boat was coming. Delta swam to her safety.

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I'm making a book specifically for BTS/TXT stories. I'm gonna call it "The BigHit Book". Look out for it!