A Locked Dystopia

Malia ran down the overgrown hiking trail through the woods. Tree branches and briar patches tried to slow her. She ignored their cruel slaps and scratches and pushed past them. From the loud rumble of the engines that echoed through the canyon, she knew the raiders were coming back. She was on foot, as Chris had been. She wouldn't be able to outrun their trucks and motorcycles. Why did he have to go back for it? She could survive losing it; she couldn't survive losing him.Five years ago, when the whole of civilization turned on itself, Malia thought she and the rest of the community would be fine. The prophet promised safety for faithfulness. Outside the community, groups of slavers, raiders, thugs, and madmen had grown. They rounded up stragglers not protected by the church, sold them, or worse. For a few years, the church kept its promise, and the community grew. But after a while, the church realized that there were more mouths to feed than resources. People, including Malia's mother, disappeared. The discovery that the church was selling people to the slavers disrupted the community; many left the compound. Malia and Chris were among the first to escape. Word traveled through those willing to trade and travel the dangerous roads that the slavers chose to cut the prophet out of the deal. They enslaved the entire compound within a matter of days. Malia and Chris had spent the summer months in a deserted cabin, safe from passersby. Through the hard winter, they snuck into an old ski resort town. There had been plenty to scavenge; they had become comfortable there. Too comfortable. With the spring thaw, the raiders came. Malia and Chris barely escaped with their lives but had to abandon much of what they had gathered. Along with all their goods, Malia had lost the only thing she had left of her mother. When they got back to the deserted cabin and assessed what they'd been able to save, Malia's heart sank. She told Chris not to worry about it, but he knew that losing it was like losing her mother all over again. He waited until she fell asleep, then he went back to the town. Now Malia ran to find him. She slid down a sandstone cliff-face, squatting low and using her hand to balance. She felt the stone cut her palm, but it did not slow her. Desperation pushed her forward, back into the town swarming with raiders. Whenever an engine neared, she would dart behind a fence or an overgrown hedge and wait for the sound to pass by. Finally, she made it to the house they had abandoned. Their stash of food was still in the pantry; she filled her backpack with it. She also grabbed a knife from the butcher block on the counter. Then she went into the bathroom, where she found a package of toilet paper. Finally, she went into the bedroom. A strong hand slammed into Malia's chest and shoved her against a wall. The raider stared at her with hungry eyes. His face had deep scars from being mauled by something; an animal or a victim?"What have we got here?" he asked. He straightened his arm, pressing Malia tighter against the wall while giving him the distance to look her over. "A pretty little mouse like you will go for a good price."Not wanting to be captured and sold, Malia reacted instinctively. The kitchen knife in her hand slashed his arm and, before he could cry out in pain, she buried the blade deep in his chest. The raider was dead before he hit the ground. There was a sudden ringing in Malia's ears; her chest felt as though it would burst. The panic attack would pass soon, but she did not know if she had time to wait. "I have survived; I will continue to survive," she whispered to herself. After the third repeat of her mantra, Malia could finally hear her voice. After the fifth, she was ready to continue. With cold necessity, she fished through the dead raider's clothes. She pocketed anything of value but still couldn't find 'it'.Malia heard the front door to the house open and shut, then footsteps on the old wood floorboards as someone moved through the house towards her. She tried to roll the raider over onto his back; to get the knife, but he was too heavy. Finally, Malia gave up and darted into the closet. There she found an old wooden baseball bat. The footsteps came into the bedroom, a shadow appeared before the closet, and just before Malia swung the bat, a voice broke the silence."Malia?" She dropped the bat and dove into Chris's open arms. "Why are you here? I was coming back. I just needed to find this first." Chris held up the small heart shaped, gold locket and chain. Malia wept silently. Chris pushed her away slightly, so he could put the chain around her neck. Then he looked down at the dead raider. "Did he hurt you?" He gently asked. Malia shook her head, no. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go home." The two snuck out of the house and through the neighborhoods. Whenever they heard an unnatural sound, be it footsteps, voices, or engines, they would duck into a hiding place. When they finally cleared the town, Chris broke the silence."I can't believe you came down here for that thing!" He grumbled as they made their way up the mountain. "I didn't. I came down for you," Malia answered. "I have lost everyone; I can't lose you, especially not now." "Why now?" He asked, rounding on her. He was enraged that she endangered herself. "Because, you're going to be a daddy," she said and stomped past him. Chris stood in shock for a moment and then hurried up behind her. They decided to take a roundabout route back to the cabin, just in case someone was following. "We won't make it back by nightfall. I know a place we can sleep tonight," Chris whispered. He took Malia to a woodshed that had once belonged to a cabin that burned down long before the fall. They curled up on the dirty floor, and Chris wrapped his strong arms around Malia."How long have you known?" he asked. "I had an idea for a few weeks. I found a test in the drugstore. I was going to tell you that it came back positive. But then the raiders came, so I didn't get the chance." Malia said quietly. Chris tightened his embrace around her until they fell asleep.When the morning came, the two made their way home. Chris knew that everything would change from here on. A new chapter in life was beginning.