The Secret Mountain

Aadi stood at the top of the mountain surveying the ruins. He remembered how beautiful the earth once was five years ago before a plague called LB3 swept through the entire earth wiping out almost all living things. Now the air was polluted making it unsafe to stay outside for long periods of time and the sun could not beam through the permanent cloud that hovered over the earth.

Aadi looked down at the silver heart locket he wore around his neck. It was given to him by his grandmother seven years ago as she laid on her death bed. During that time humanity had no idea of what LB3 was and how it would be catastrophic. However, Aadi’s grandmother knew the end was near for all. Before taking her last breath she told him about a secret mountain where the air would always be clean, the sun shined and the fresh water was enchanted. The heart locket was important because it contained the last pure blood of Aadi’s Indian ancestors.

She explained that only a drop of the blood would give the enchanted water the power to cure the LB3 and all living things would only need a small amount of the water. No one believed her except for Aadi who was only age 16 at the time. She gave him instructions to go to the secret mountain. When Aadi questioned how to get there, she told him that if he wore the heart locket the stars would guide him there.

With the end near, he set out into the woods on a journey that would take almost two years. During his journey just like his grandmother warned, LB3 swept through destroying everything. The government converted to dictatorship and the top scientist that survived created a vaccine to sustain a longer lifespan while working diligently to create a cure.

The vaccine was limited so the government ration it out based on social and economic status. If you were a part of the government you would receive regular vaccines. Next was the wealthy who were able to use their money. The middle and lower class had to find and maintain work just to receive a dose.

The vaccine shortage and dystopia commenced slavery. The government and the wealthy employed people to do various jobs from housekeeping and cooking to baring their children. Those who were not able to work were placed in government facilities called “Quarters” located underground. The “Quarters” was crowded, depressing, unsanitary and the people inside were only fed bread and water three times per day. Some people died waiting or escaped rather taking their chances in elements in hopes to find something better. When a work opportunity was available someone was selected. They were given two doses of the vaccine and quarantined for three weeks before their job placement.

The government built artificial environments called “Bubbles” that protected people from the hazards of the toxic earth. There were four bubbles total that were the size of the state of Texas located on each corner of the United States. The government conducted annual population audits to make sure the bubbles were not over capacity and if so, people were given a gas mask and a week worth of food before being kicked out and left to fend for themselves.

The life expectancy outside the bubble for any living thing was less than a month. Therefore, Aadi made it his duty to sit at the top of the mountain using his telescope to spot people wondering the land. He rescued and brought them back to the mountain to drink the enchanted water, heal and reside there. The mountain was the size of Alaska and the people currently residing on the mountain were digging underground to create more room for the growing population.

Aadi was proud to have saved thousands, but he had to be careful. If the government found out about the secret mountain they would invade it and ration the enchanted water to who they chose instead of everyone in the world. That is why he made a vow to protect the mountain from the dictatorship government and others who had bad intentions. He trained a rebel army that was ready to defend the mountain by any means necessary.

Wanting to save more lives and expand to other countries, Aadi was fortunate to gain connections with some government officials who wanted to be fair to everyone but was outnumbered. Aadi did not fully trust the government officials so he took extra precaution when dealing with them. He kept the location of the mountain a secret and created a designated meeting spot that he traveled to every three months for updates.

Recently, one of the government officials informed Aadi that the scientists was running out of resources to continue producing the vaccine. To make matters worse, the latest failed cure had adverse side effects creating zombies in two of the “bubbles”. The zombies escaped from the labs and attacked people before going outside the bubble where they now roamed the earth. Everything inside the “Bubbles” everything was losing its quality and the extinction of all living things seemed too now be inevitable.

Aadi and the residents of the mountain were aware of their possible fate and decided to capture a couple of the zombies to see if the enchanted water could reverse things. He and a small army were preparing to set out at sunset when the air quality was less hazardous. They packed various weapons, food, and gallons of the enchanted water. Aadi knew it was a risk to capture a zombie, but he had to know what effect the enchanted water would have. If the water reversed the zombie affect he would use that to wager with government to ensure the enchanted water was distributed to everyone around the world.