The underground Town

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. It was the size of a dime, the small hole wasn’t much, but it gave her a peek into the world she couldn’t see.

Or rather, a world she has never stepped foot into.

The man that calls himself a savior was the leader of the small community that lived underground.

The world erupted into chaos over twenty years ago.

It was the world’s deadliest disease. It wasn’t a typical virus. It lived in the water that was consumed. The plants, the livestock, everything was contaminated. It wiped out entire countries.

Rebecca Ann was born a few years after the world collapsed and war broke out. Her parents found refuge with the man that calls himself the new God.

The built underground town found a way to grow plants without sunlight. The water she drank was purified by the savior's blessing, which to that end, was a miracle to those who followed him.

Rebecca sees beyond the power of a blessing but rather that something more is happening in the underground town she calls home.

Growing up, her parents soon learned that their child was wise beyond her years. Rebecca’s high IQ was kept from the leaders and school teachers. Those who carry knowledge or appear to question the savior's ways were sentenced to the great abyss.

The struggle to keep Rebecca quiet during the grand ceremony held every Friday was brutal. Her parents snuck in books for her to read to keep her occupied.

Now that Rebecca is of age to not be supervised by her parents. She sneaks around the town that she mapped out. One day, she stumbled across an entrance that led to stairs. It was in the savior's home.

She visits with her parents to receive their weekly blessings. Rebecca wandered around the home and found the stairs by sheer luck.

Today, she plans to ascend those stairs.

Quiet as a mouse, she worked her way up the stairs while the savior blessed a family downstairs. Rebecca snuck in through the back door while he was occupied.

She needs to know what those stairs lead to.

From the outside, the home looks to be one story. So there shouldn’t be an upstairs.

Yet, there appears to be more than meets the eye. Something that has bugged Rebecca for years. The boarded windows around the small living area were the only thing that showed the outside world.

Reaching the top of the stairs stood a door covered with boards and cobwebs. She was taking out the hammer she took from her father, and Rebecca started to rip the nails off the dusty old boards.

As she works her way to open the door, a loud voice rings from below her.

“What are you doing, Rebecca Ann!?” The savior glares up at her.

Ignoring him, Rebecca pops off the last nail and throws a board at him.

He dodges and runs up the stairs.

Throwing open the door, Rebecca hurries and shuts it. She needs to find a way to seal the door.

She glances around the small area and spies an old dresser next to the door. Within seconds she pushed the heavy wooden dresser to block the entrance.

“Rebecca! Open this door!” His loud voice booms.

Leaning against the dresser, she lets out a long exhale. Rebecca knew she wouldn’t walk away from this with a slap on her wrist. She will take this opportunity to see the world she heard tales about.

She glances around the dark area. It appears to be a small bedroom. Rebecca pulls out her flashlight, shining it around her.

The room was dusty and smelled of mold. There was a bed, a dresser, and a small desk.

“Rebecca, open this door. I promise I won’t be mad.” The voice gives her goosebumps. Rebecca knows what the savior says is a lie, and she will be thrown into the abyss.

Spying a boarded-up area, Rebecca grabs her hammer. It was vast, immense, and she knew it was a window.

She starts to work away, pulling out nails and throwing the boards on the ground while ignoring the voices behind her. Rebecca could hear the pleas from her parents and others outside the barricaded door.

With shaky hands, she removes a black plastic that covers the window. The dresser behind her falls to the ground as soon as she does.

“Rebecca!”

Looking behind her, a group was gathered.

Smiling, Rebecca throws the plastic on the ground.

“This is the world you are all so scared of.” Giving a glare at the man that calls himself God. Rebecca takes her hammer and hits it against the worn glass.

As the pieces fall to the ground, sunlight shines into the room.

“Rebecca, what have you done?” Her mom cries from behind her father.

Letting out a laugh, Rebecca looks at everyone in the room.

“As you all know, that man isn’t a savior but a man who wants to be a king. The books we read in school, the grand ceremony that this man would preach. Things didn’t add up for me. I needed to see the world with my own eyes. Not from words preached from this wannabe God.” Turning back to the window, Rebecca smiles.

“This is the world you are all so scared of.”

The world outside was full of trees, plants, and animals. In the distance, you could hear children laughing.

Glancing over her shoulders, she weakly smiles.

“I’m going to leave this place.” Rebecca jumps out the window.

“No!” The savior screams after her, knowing his world has just ended.