In the darkness a fierce wind howled across the land. Slowly a solitary man crawled across the desolate landscape over uneven soft ground. Or bodies of the dead, the man couldn't be sure and would rather not think about it. As if by accident he comes across a large metal slab in the ground. Of course it was no accident, but it looked less suspicious if seen. The man wrenched the door from the ground and slid silently underneath it.
"John! John we thought you'd never come back!", a young boy was sitting by the door waiting for him. It was hard to describe this child, he was obviously young, but covered from head to foot in grime and dirt. John thought to himself that a few short years ago this child's mother would have been scolded for letting her child go unwashed. Now though, who was even to say his mother was alive. He gave the boy a smile and reached into his bag, tossing a can of tuna to the boy. Who knew something so little as a can of tuna would be such a rare commodity? John moved down the hallway as the boy darted off into the dark, no doubt the rest of the group would know he was back before he ever got there.
As he traveled down the corridor he came across a man lying against the wall, a lit candle in his hands. John shook his head, it was a cold reminder how close death always was, but a warm reminder that humanity was still surviving. No one would touch that candle, and from the look of it the man had only been dead for a day maybe two. He continued on, heading toward the great hall. Everyone would be waiting for him there, to tell them news of the surface, if the sky had cleared or if the plants had started to grow again. All these people had such hope that soon they would return to the surface to begin rebuilding, John knew their hopes were in vain. The sky was always overcast, the ground hard and frozen.
The overpowering roar of the crowd greeted John as he entered the chamber deep within the earth. The generators skipped slightly and the lights flickered throwing the gathering into pitch blackness for a moment before returning to feebly light their faces. John's heart rose as he saw Amelia working through the crowd toward him. He would need her support to make the others support the crazy idea he would soon unveil.
"John! John we thought you'd never come back!", a young boy was sitting by the door waiting for him. It was hard to describe this child, he was obviously young, but covered from head to foot in grime and dirt. John thought to himself that a few short years ago this child's mother would have been scolded for letting her child go unwashed. Now though, who was even to say his mother was alive. He gave the boy a smile and reached into his bag, tossing a can of tuna to the boy. Who knew something so little as a can of tuna would be such a rare commodity? John moved down the hallway as the boy darted off into the dark, no doubt the rest of the group would know he was back before he ever got there.
As he traveled down the corridor he came across a man lying against the wall, a lit candle in his hands. John shook his head, it was a cold reminder how close death always was, but a warm reminder that humanity was still surviving. No one would touch that candle, and from the look of it the man had only been dead for a day maybe two. He continued on, heading toward the great hall. Everyone would be waiting for him there, to tell them news of the surface, if the sky had cleared or if the plants had started to grow again. All these people had such hope that soon they would return to the surface to begin rebuilding, John knew their hopes were in vain. The sky was always overcast, the ground hard and frozen.
The overpowering roar of the crowd greeted John as he entered the chamber deep within the earth. The generators skipped slightly and the lights flickered throwing the gathering into pitch blackness for a moment before returning to feebly light their faces. John's heart rose as he saw Amelia working through the crowd toward him. He would need her support to make the others support the crazy idea he would soon unveil.
