Ch.1

My mom’s Legacy

KABOOM! Down crashed some aging rubble.“Oh, Shit!” I sprint to the center of a cracked sidewalk carting another- much more agile man’s- backpack and gear. “Hey, you! Give that back you little bastard!” “Shit,” I hiss, veering off the sidewalk I notice an opportunity. To my right is an old detached wall. Hopefully, it can support a little extra weight from me and my precious cargo. I hoist myself up the wavering wall and make my escape. Gingerly, I pace myself. I mutter “One hand up. That’s it, nice and slow… easy does it Aiden.” The wall is about nine feet high, and the bricks are weak with deteriorating crumbles. The surface is a pale pink from constant sun, and there’s a canopy of ivy between it and a platform where once there had been an apartment with four walls, now all that was left was a bare concrete floor. This would have to do as my temporary haven.

“You better keep climbing you little runt! If I catch you I swear to god I’ll throw you to the Terminal!” The man growled as he tried and failed to follow. Finally, I’d reached the top of the wall, where things got a little more terrifying.

During the onset of the Nothing there had been treacherous weather. My Mom said there were unpredictable times due to sweltering temperatures. Certain areas had rapidly decayed from increased floods and earthquakes. I live in what she called Fog City. Sadly, I’d never seen much of the glamour and beauty she’d described. As it happened now, where great sky towers once existed, piles of broken incomplete rubble stood. Beyond this wall and Ivy, sat a chasm where only part of the building remained, the rest had fragmented and fallen into the canyon below. Even the Terminal knew to keep their distance.

Taking a big gulp and a leap of faith, I start to grip the ivy and jump upwards. The other man’s backpack was securely fastened to my shoulders. I hear the lightning pound of my heart as it reverberates in my ears. “Ok Aiden, you can do this. If we don’t make it to the top… well… we’ll die.” Ok, so I wasn’t that great at pep talks. The ivy was surprisingly sturdy as I slowly ascended, clinging to the tangled footholds for balance. After 15 minutes of ignoring the empty canyon below, and my queasy stomach, I’m able to hoist myself over the edge of the concrete platform.

I follow the platform to a tiny alcove and take a seat. I heave a sigh of relief, I open the backpack and inspect the contents. First, a bottle full of water, which I place reverently by my side. I pull out three cans of food: Del Monte Green Beans, Chef Boyardee Spaghettios, and a can of Chunky beef stew. I feel a giddy joy overwhelm me, I hadn’t been this lucky in a long time. I take a knife out of my back pocket and begin jimmying it around the curves of metal. I start spooning in knife fulls of spaghettios humming contentedly. Chef Boyardee must have been trained with the finest cooks I mused. The rest of the contents in the backpack were helpful; some new clothes- mine were a bit torn but usable- a blanket which would be better than using my jacket, and a new pair of men’s tennis shoes. Mine had developed holes in the bottom, though these were a size too big. A pang of guilt flits across my mind, I quickly sweep it away. “I’m sure he’s fine” I mutter as I curl up to sleep.

My mother was there, holding out her hand to me as we ran across the beach next to the red bridge. Her eyes were carefree, which had been so rare. My feet moved as quickly as they could carry me, please Mom… wait…

I jerk awake to an empty platform and the light peach clouds of dawn. Three years ago today my mother had killed herself. I guess she felt lonely too. Looking up at the sky, I hope she is up there somewhere. I hope in some small way, I make her proud.

For years I had been trying to break into the underground, a passageway built by the Elite during the last days before civilization crumbled. The disease had spread so rapidly -humans reverting to their baser selves - they forgot everything but need. The infected were known as - The Terminal. The disease reduced them to broken husks, they pawed through garbage for food, milky eyes always looking through you, drool dripping from gaping maws. They were unnerving, but most were harmless. In the wake of the outbreak, wars erupted, and global powers blamed one another for the outbreak. Empires fell, causing the devastation of most of the human race. After the mass-scale global catastrophe, what was left of the government destroyed or banned all military weapons including guns. Fearful of yet more loss of life. Humans have become the most sought-after resource.

I could just make out the walking Terminal below where the broken wall was, cuts and lesions marred it’s sun-scorched skin. It was like watching a dying star.

The Elite had created a quarantined underground operation. There were whispers to be heard but not much to go off of. It had been my Mom’s dream to get us in there, and her dream had become a legacy. One, I intended to follow.