Freedom is Key

John hurdles over the lip of the Crater, hand in pocket squeezing the small cloth. The round edges of the heart-shaped locket press against his thumb, he thinks of his mom. He slides against the grainy decline; the bottom is filled with a low sitting fog making the Crater a mile wide cereal bowl. As he skims down he’s engulfed in fear and regret, but if it wasn’t so important to their survival he would’ve never done it. The Dwellers are cruel to trespassers, even teenagers, but Zeke and the Roamers would treat him no differently; so turning back is not an option. He just has to make it to the fog. To the Smokers. John never liked the name, but his brother, Will, chose it because he thought it was funny since they hid under the “smoke”. Will is the leader of their adolescent group of rebels. Not because he’s the oldest but because he’s the only one who has a gun. It had 6 rounds when Will found it, but now only half remain. He took it from Zeke’s chambers after he usurped our father’s crown. Zeke has an entire arsenal of weapons he gathered throughout the years, but he was the only one who had access to it. He carried the small Skull engraved key around with him to remind everyone of the fire power he possessed. Although one revolver is nothing compared to Zeke’s collection, Will still hides it away from everyone, but John knows where. The Smokers preformed a somewhat successful revolt against Zeke and most of them made it to the fog. Save the ones that were stopped by the Roamers or the Dwellers. That was 5 years ago and Zeke still hasn’t been able to find their hideout, thanks to the fog and the Dwellers. The Dwellers are afraid of the fog, but they’ve burrowed themselves around it knowing there’s tons of food under all that milk, also adding extra security to the Smokers. No one knows why they don’t like the fog. Some of the Smokers have theories that it’s what caused the Dwellers planet to implode, but John remains open-minded. When that big chunk of their home, referred to as the “Dweller Egg” hit, the fog exploded with the rubble and eventually settled at the bottom of the Crater.

John holds his breath each time he passes one of their caves, picturing a claw zoom out and grab his ankle. He feels a vibration on the ground and his heart sinks. But it’s not a Dweller. Over his shoulder he sees the cone shaped Crawler appear on the lip of the Crater. The Roamer in the passenger seat is the first to notice him and points him out to the driver. The one on the turret immediately swivels around, aiming his massive harpoon at John’s back. The Crawlers were built for the rough terrain of the Wasteland and the harpoon was originally designed for Dwellers, but Zeke repurposed it. The whistling sound of a rope trailing a high-speed harpoon causes John to roll to the side. The projectile whizzes by his ear causing it to ring. Unfortunately, John’s roll set him on course right towards a cave. He tries to avoid it but instead flops over the lip of it and lands hard on his back. His eyes catch a long fuzzy leg creeping out of it.

“No” John says to himself, but it’s too late.

The Dweller and the rest of its six long legs push out of the cave. The fuzz on its leg covers it’s entire insect like body. It’s round head locks onto John.

“Forget the kid, let’s go!” The passenger yells.

“He’s Dweller food now.” The driver laughs.

The Crawler disappears behind the massive Dweller. Just one alone could take out 5 or 6 of John’s group. He tries not to think about the hundreds that live in these walls.

He’s only halfway to the fog. He won’t make it. With one leap, the Dweller clears the 20 feet of distance between it and John, landing right in front of him. For a moment, John is mesmerized by his reflection in the Dwellers large eye, until his attention is grabbed by the sharp claw jabbing towards him. He quickly presses his right foot against the ground and is able to spring himself out of the way. He tumbles sideways, picking up speed and unable to stop. A boulder grabs onto his ribs and pulls the air from his lungs. He squeezes the cloth in his pocket, making sure it’s contents are still wrapped inside. The Dweller is on him again, closer than before. John scoops up a handful of dirt and throws it into the Dwellers eye, diving under its jointed legs into a roll. The Dweller lets out a terrible screech forcing John to hold a palm to his ear while the other one is pushed into his shoulder.

John’s heels scrape against the surface of the Crater as he slides down with a posse of loose rocks and pebbles. The rounder ones picking up speed and bouncing into the fog. He’s almost there. The remnants of the Dwellers scream are still echoing throughout the Crater, ricocheting around the curves before getting absorbed by the fog. John’s face goes pale as two Dwellers emerge from caves on each side of him, responding to what must’ve been a cry for help. His path to the fog is now blocked. He’s able to bring himself to a stop in the middle of this hostile triangle. The Dwellers pause as he rises to his feet. He’s not sure if they’re giving him a moment before it’s over or if’s part of their attack instincts. As he looks from one Dweller to the other he can’t help but ask himself if it was worth it. He takes a deep breath and removes the cloth from his pocket. The fabric falls around his hand exposing the heart-shaped locket on a tarnished gold chain. He thinks of his mom. With the click of a small button, the locket opens up revealing a small key with a skull on it.

The three Dwellers leap into the air with the crack of a gunshot.