Samantha Loyd
Stories (1/0)
Red Lockets, White Lies
The urgency struck me first. When describing the apocalypse, most authors and doomsday preppers of yore tend to leave out the utter, lung-sapping sense of urgency. When No’Am-Erica’s final nuclear reaction finally exploded, the gentle nudge by the government to evacuate soon gave way to a rat-race of survival. In the carnage, I only managed to salvage one item- a torn half of a red locket, with the initial “T” painted in white. It was an ancient artifact, given to me by my grandmother from her mother. My cousin, Yazmine, held the other half, a familial bind that kept us together as the world fell apart. I lost her when we evacuated. “Lost” being the operative word. I’m quite certain she’s alive: she far too stubborn to die. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of our mothers. With both of us now orphans (we both lost our fathers to the Intercontinental Wars of 2186) and separated, I set out to find Yazmine and settle down in our version of paradise. It was a commerce hub in the last century, sparkling with life and innovation and productivity. Before the world went to hell, our ancestors utilized the building to buy, sell, and ship products across the world. Because of the technological advancement, it remained one of the few buildings across the country that remained relatively unscathed by the ravages of war, radiation, and time. The ArrowHouse was our dream haven when Yaz and I were children, the closest tangible location comparable to what our ancestors deemed Paradise. A place with ample food, ample water, and no violence. A place where you could rest your head and not have to worry about not seeing the next red sunrise. I was determined to find Yaz, find transport, and get us to the ArrowHouse.
By Samantha Loyd3 years ago in Fiction