Day 1 I had been asleep for 5,647 days, roughly 15 years. At least that’s what Eider told me. Eider is a rusty old robot who was by my side as I woke.I still cannot remember anything before my long nap, but Eider says it will come too. Eider showed me food and water in the gigantic building we lived in and I learned it was just us. Eider said that my father created this place for me because I was the key to unlocking everything.
Day 2 I explored the building and found no windows. Eider told me I couldn’t go outside because it was dangerous. I slept most of the day away and tried to remember pre-slumber.
Day 3 I remembered somethings today. Flashes of my old home with my mother and father laughing at the dinner table with me. Then images of homes and cars exploding in the street. My mother’s screams echoed in my ears.
Day 4 The memories are coming back quickly now. I remember the outbreak, all the women and little girls in the world dropping like flies. My father taking me to a safe space in the mountains and then putting me to sleep. Eider told me my father created this place to protect me for many years until my chamber awoke me from cryo sleep. She said that I was his answer.
Day 5 Eider showed me a video from my father years ago. He said that he was the one who released the deadly virus into the world only attacking females. He said the world needed a good cleanse and the solution was in my blood. While I was asleep he injected me with the cure all. He made sure I slept for 15 years so that the world could properly cleanse. I am so sick right now thinking about this.
Day 6 I found 20 other females in cryo a few floors down, they all have the cure all rushing through their blood. We were all a part of my fathers twisted plan. We are now the means of repopulation.
Day 7 We all spoke and decided to see what the world outside of this place is tomorrow. Although I am terrified to find out what the men say or feel when they see us. They have been deprived of females for 15 years.
Day 8 We ran into men and they were beyond shocked to see us walking. They split us up and now I sit currently with 4 others girls as we attempt to sleep on old dusty floors from what used to be a shopping mall.
Day 9 I saw who they call the leader today, his name was Arture. I explained everything I had learned. He wasn’t so friendly as he enjoyed the world without women. Maybe tomorrow he will be nicer.
Day 10 Arture decided today that our role will only be reproduction for the rest of our lives. The men have already begun their half of the tasks. I can’t take this.
Day 529 I had my second child today and it was a girl. They said they were going to keep her alive unlike the other newborn girls, they needed to start replenishing more breeders. My son born a year ago shares similar qualities with my daughter, but I haven’t seen him since he was 3 months old.
Day 10,741 They said because I cannot reproduce anymore I will be executed tomorrow. I hope one day things will get better for my children, all 13 of them. And maybe just maybe I can flip off my father as I see him passing into my next life.
The ground beneath me shook vigorously for the fourth time within two minutes. People around me were running and screaming as the ground broke apart under our feet in a Walmart parking lot. Looking to my left I watched an older man get swallowed up by the earth as the cracks grew wider and wider. His wife stood there with horror written across her face seconds before the earth swallowed her whole as well.
“Run” a voice in my head boomed, but my feet brought me closer to one of the many openings in the ground.
As I crept closer the shaking stopped and I was able to peak over without risk of losing my balance.
Heat immediately smacked me in the face and I was looking down at a bright pool of orange.
My heart stopped in my chest as I took a step back, lava.
I turned around and immediately followed the instructions the voice in my head gave only moments before, I ran.
Quickly I dug my car keys out of my purse and headed in the direction of my vehicle. As I made it to my car the ground started to shake again harder this time, knocking me to my butt.
As I worked on standing up, a crack formed beneath my front tires dropping that half of my car into the newly made hole.
“Shit” I exclaimed and stood back on my two feet.
An orange light reflected off the bottom of my car and I knew that the lava was directly under my vehicle.
Moving as fast as I could, I headed for the main road away from the cracks forming in the ground.
Again the ground stopped shaking and that allowed me to run a bit faster.
Once I made it to the road I stopped and took in what was going on around me. One of the stop lights had been dropped into a massive crack in the ground as flames were dancing on the trees around it.
“What the hell is happening” I yelled out loud in frustration.
All around me was pure chaos as people fled from the deadly openings underneath us.
“Help me please!” A lady screamed to my to my right.
I turned to her as she was peering down into another gap in the ground.
Rushing over to her I looked down to find that a child in a car seat was dangling from the seatbelt that the lady was holding.
“Please help me save him” the mother’s eyes pled with mine.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked while stepping closer.
“I need to get him out of there before the next wave starts of the ground shaking! Hold this” She said while placing the seat belt now acting as a rope in my hand.
I yanked on the seatbelt to keep weight back on it while the mother climbed down in the ground.
“Almost there baby” she said to her child while making her way down to where he was.
Finally she made it to him and removed the car seat from being wedged in between some large rocks.
“Pull him up and then cradle him while I climb back up” She yelled and I followed her command.
Once the child was up with me I unbuckled him and held the infant in my arms.
“Thank you so much” the lady spoke while making her way up, “he is my world and its only been 6 months since he’s turned my world upside down.”
I smiled at her as she stood up and brushed her clothes off.
“Let’s get out of here” she said right as the ground began to shake once more. The hole behind her made a loud popping noise and heat rose up making it feel like we were in an oven. The ground beneath our feet broke into two parts and the woman in front of me fell backwards.
Our eyes met in fear for a split second and then she was gone.
I held the child close to my chest as I screamed and tears then began to pour down my face.
Moving away from the instant death I just witnessed, I clutched the small child against me and I ran.
I wiped the tears from my face as they fell hoping that I could soon get us to safety, but the smoke filled valley in front of me didn’t look promising .
“I still hate you” I spat as he threw another log into the fire in front of us.
“As you’ve mentioned about five times now” he said sarcastically.
Slowly he walked up to me and adjusted the rope around my wrists until I could reach my food without any issues. Then he walked to the other side of the fire and sat down. The silence between us was painful, but well deserved. I listened to the fire crackle as I ate and I watched the light from the moon reflect from the waters of the pond.
As time passed I looked over to find Dex watching me with soft eyes.
“Stop looking at me like that, you lost that when you chose my father’s side over mine” I snapped angrily at him again.
“You know the decision was made based off of keeping you safe” he pointed at me with a stick he had been twirling.
“Oh don’t give me that, you know well enough that I can protect myself. You’ve seen it a thousand times”
“Dammit Wynn” he spoke angrily this time, “ I know damn well you can take care of yourself, but I refuse to take the the chance that Dahlia might be much more powerful than you. This is the only way that I can protect you.”
“I’m not asking you to protect me! I just-“
“Wynn” Dex said cutting me off as he spoke softer than before. He walked over to me and dropped to his knees.
He grabbed both sides of my face and tilted my head up to look at him.
“I can’t lose you. This is the only way that I can keep you alive and safe. Your father and I agreed to lock you away because if you died, we can’t live without you” he said hopelessly.
“Can’t you hear the problem with that! You are locking me away because of a what if! Please, let’s just go home” I cried.
“No” he said sternly.
It was then I knew that I had lost Dex. He was so focused on protecting me, that he was forgetting that I needed to live as a human being. This was the side of Dex that I couldn’t be with.
Quickly I leaned forward and kissed him catching him off guard.
Pulling back I rested my forehead against his as lies fell from my lips, “I’ll go. You and my father made a great plan.”
“I’m so glad to hear you say that” he smiled while pulling me in for another kiss.
Again I pulled away from him and looked into his eyes.
“Can you lay with me tonight? So I can remember the way you held me while I’m alone for the next few years?” I pleaded.
“Of course” he beamed.
I laid down on the crunchy leaves beneath me as he spooned me from behind. His arm laid across my waist and I looked up at the night sky praying that my plan would work.
Soon I could hear his soft snores and feel his breath brushing against my neck. Slowly I turned on my back and laid still hoping my movement didn’t stir him awake. My eyes fell to the knife in his pocket and I lifted my tied hands gently to grab the shiny object. After a few precise tugs the knife was free and in my hands. Quickly I cut the rope and slipped the knife in my back pocket. With slow and gentle movements, I picked up his arm and set it across his stomach. Carefully I stood up making sure not to crunch the leaves beneath my feet.
I turned back to look at Dex as he still peacefully slept on the floor.
“I love you, but this is my fight” I whispered.
I turned back around and headed straight into the deep forrest. Once I was far enough away I broke out into a sprint because I didn’t know how long I had until he realized I was gone.
