"Dammit!" looking at his rusted fridge that was still working while giving an irritated look. He stubbornly shut the door as there was no food to feed his starved belly. Supposedly he was working on an AI. But countless hours have passed, allot of days have been wasted yet seemingly no results was recognized. He was on the verge of retiring. Why do you insist on making an AI? does succeeding this scrap of metal really change the world?
"Wears his gas mask, and leaves his home."
It has been nearly a decade since the war. Nearly a few of the remaining population have survived. Countless people have perished fighting for food and supplies.
The others died by the radiation and illness. No one was spared, it became even worse when nuclear winter arrived. Planting food was nearly impossible, water was no longer drinkable. No living being were able to survived long enough without proper equipment, and at dawn.
Monsters who mutated from the radiation, became savaged beast who were once known to be humans, they destroy everything they see. Only places behind armored doors that is thick enough can withstand this monsters.
I became a scavenger when my closest friend stole an energy core that the military was researching. He became a wanted man in the facility, and was left no choice but to ran away from the bunker. But we all knew from the beginning, that the place was having not enough food to sustain life, and we could not allow one of our friend to die outside. As someone who is not geared enough won't survive in places full of radiation, and so we a band of schoolmates who became closest friends decided to escape with our friend.
We hurriedly packed every resources we can gather. Ranging from food supplies to gears that can help us survived. The operation begun at midnight, the time where almost everyone was asleep. At that time i could still remember my best friend hiding from the tunnel we digged. It was needed as he will be executed along with us if he was to be found. We sneaked in past the doorways and climbed from the lowest floors to the upper echelon. We had no choice but to kill the people who saw us.
We were so close, the doors that leads us outside was beyond our reach. But at the end, the place that we thought was deserted, was nothing but filled with heavy metals, that was directly pointed at us, at that point i was surprised. Liam, and the one i considered the love of my life carelessly stepped forward and safely passed those guards.
– Why...? Why did you betrayed us? i thought we were friends. Was all the years that we have spent together are nothing but lies? and you Rachael!. We loved each other aren't we? Why? Just why did you have to side with Liam!?
- You're a fool! Do you know how much dangerous it is outside? The resources we have gathered can only feed us for a week. You even sided over you're useless friend instead of me? Besides, Liam and i have loved each other for years. You are nothing but a pile of food. I remember every time i begged, you would starve yourself and lie, saying you are full while giving me meals. It was laughable, thinking of how much of an idiot you are HAHAHAHAHA.
She was laughing hysterically. Tears started falling from my eyes, i could not believed that the one i trusted the most was nothing but a food in her eyes. I looked over to my friend and was shocked to see his face grinning. We were almost at death's door and yet he could make such a face? He then spoke.
– Ethan... now you understand what these two have been hiding to you from a long time. I made this, so you can escape from this hellish place full of nothing but lies. Now you know the reason i stole this core. It is something that can change the world along with you learning the truth.
He then quickly picked up a detonator from his bag and started running away. I also did the same as the bomb can blow up any moment. It was chaos, others who saw him, started panicking, guns started shooting, trying everything they can to stop us. But it was all futile.
*BOOM!!...
Dust shrouded the room, my eyes couldn't see clearly. But when the smoke started clearing, I was overjoyed with happiness, for 8 years 8 long years i finally saw the sun. Although, my happiness started to fade, when i saw bodies who were once alive along with the people who i considered as a family no longer breathing. Why did this happen? It was peaceful before, was this fate all along?
– Indeed it is. The harsh reality that we humans try to avoid can never be completely hidden. My friend this core, the one i stole can help us change the world. Make it so that everything that happened looked like nothing but history to our eyes.
What? what do you mean by that? I asked, i had no clue as to what he was referring. He did all of this just so he can obtain this core and somehow change the world? It was unbelievable i wanted answers. But he said.
– It is not yet time my friend only when the apple is ripe can you have the ability to learn everything. Come on we better hurry, the night is relatively dangerous and i have a base that i know 2km's away from here.
Hey... How long have you known? For how long have you known she was cheating?
– Since 5 years ago, at first i thought they were just close friends, so i made it passed, but over the years i started seeing them meeting often, and it got me curious just to find out they were having relationships behind you're back.
Why didn't you tell me? You could have told me so that i could make a move. But instead you remained silent, why?
– Like i said Ethan. Everything i have done up to this point has a reason. I wish i can tell you all of this, but if i do it now. All the hardship i made would be useless so please. Trust me for the last time.
Those was his words. Before we entered the car that he had built last year, and headed northwest to his base.