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Laid on his back regaining consciousness his eyes flashed open where they fell upon the most glorious sight he had ever experienced. He gasped as his skin pimpled all over as his brain tried to make sense of what looked down from above. His first sight of the blue sky was nothing like how he had imagined it from the underground. The size of it was enormous. A white cloud majestically floated overhead as a draft of the sweetest air blew over him and he inhaled its exquisite fresh taste. The pain in his body was ignored, the memory of the fighting from the previous hours disappeared into that amazing sky. The whole world’s problems left him and flew away up into that beautiful cloud like a mild breeze. Happiness like no other washed over his soul and he smiled for the first time in…. a long time. He had made it topside.
He finally stood and looked around at the scene ignoring the muscle pain registering in his mind. In front of him the largest work of art imaginable stretched out to the horizon. There was twisted metal, shattered glass, broken buildings, smashed concrete but to him it was the most glorious thing imaginable. His whole life he had adapted, accepted that the world consisted of harsh man made corridors, cold slimy bricks, pipes and that constant hum of electrical generators where the foul air infected the lungs at all times. This place was different, much different. There was no need for artificial light, as the sky shone down onto the land showing every detail, every corner of every building that stood above him like glorious towers whose size was incomprehensible. He turned around where the gates of Bank underground station stood. Down there he knew was back home which he could never return to. They would kill him if he tried for what he did, but right now he didn’t care. With a smile on his face he continued down a small road where smashed cars littered the ground. He avoided them and continued on aimlessly taking in more breaths of that fresh air. Jacob walked more where he could see a body of water ahead beyond a wall.
‘The Thames’ he exclaimed and ran to the edge of the bank looking over into the grey murky water laughing. He looked left and right smiling in awe of the murky sight. The water flowed so slowly that he could see the currents and streams, he saw things floating in the river. Planks of wood, trolleys, plants also something strangely human floated past. Looking for a way to get down to the tiny pebbly beach he saw a group of stairs leading away from the road and ran towards them. He had never seen water so big, so astounding. He wandered how deep it was as he ran forward like a small child who saw the ocean for the first time with a silly grin still contained on his face. He also saw the bridges, just like in the books he from below. His education told him he was near London Brifge, where beyond he could see the battered remains of the once glorious Tower Bridge. As he ran the reality of the world, of the danger, the reality of his situation imploded like a tidal wave back into his awareness as the crack of gunfire pierced the tranquillity like a knife into someone’s heart. He dived down behind a decrepit motorbike now in fear. The smile had gone and now was replaced by the face of fury and fear. He had been so stupid, so so stupid to let himself get out of control like that. The pain in his body returned, and he felt for the gun he had remembering the ammo was gone fighting underground. Reality was shit oncemore.
Feeling exposed he peered through a gap in the rusty bike he saw a flash quickly followed of the clang of a bullet bouncing away
‘f**k, f**k, f**k’
With no ammo, he had no ideas. They would surely advance on his position, he had only one option.
‘I surrender’ he shouted raising his hands beginning to stand from the sanctity of the metallic bicycle. Another shot filled the air and he scrambled to the ground
‘I’m unarmed for f**k’s sake’ he shouted desperately.
Silence….
‘Come out where I can see you’ a woman’s voice demanded.
‘Ok, I’m coming, don’t kill me will you?’
He began to stand again, eyes clenched in suspense. Slowly turning he faced his would be murderer who had advanced and was feet away pointing a rusted pistol straight at his face. The dark face with the large brown eyes showed no fear. She would have no qualms blowing his brains onto the concrete in a moment.
‘Your not one of those a******s, what are these clothes they look new, they look fully Rad proof?’ Arms raised Jacob replied
‘Who are you expecting?’
She relaxed little arms slacking slightly with the gun now pointed at his chest. Her face also relaxed showing her natural features. Her full lips spoke again, her eyes always looking around as she spoke with suspicion.
‘Raiders, they are all around here. They are so high on crack all the time, you can’t play games. Kill them or be killed plain and simple’
She stepped forward feeling him for weapons starting at his feet. He thought to grab the gun from her as she did, but felt it pointless. If she wanted to kill him to take the suit she would have done it by now.
‘I have a weapon just to let you know, but no rounds. Its here at my belt’ Jacob lowered his hands to the utility belt he wore. She jumped back alarmed pointing that gun at his face once more.
‘Don’t f*****g moves or I’ll kill you I swear’
He raised his arms once more, but couldn’t hold back a smile.
'Wow, will you relax? I’m not interested in causing any trouble; I’ve only just got here from underground. I could do with all the help I can get’
Her eyes showed remorse ‘Sorry, I’ve got to be careful ok’ regret in her tone. ‘I don’t want to die out here’ She took his gun and than motioned him to walk with her pistol along the road away from the river back towards Bank station.
‘Where are we going?’ he asked.
‘Somewhere safer, you can’t stay out here running about like some crazed kid. You are lucky I didn’t kill you; I was so sure you were one of them on crack. No one sane runs around here with a smile on their face like that’ She chuckled. ‘You looked like a right idiot’
‘Oh c’mon give me a break will you’ Jacob replied a little embarrassed. ‘I’ve never seen the sky, or the river. I’ve lived on a dysfunctional train carriage for twenty years, cut me some slack’
‘Ok, lets go’ she said.
They walked along more roads where crumbled buildings stood all around like broken shards of glass, there insides scattered all over the roads. Smashed cars and buses littered the roads, their twisted metal deformed. This was once a great architectural site, where people would have been driving along, people walking minding their own business. Shops would have sold things; people would have talked on phones. Some smiling, some happy. Jacob looked at the destruction and could only imagine what it must have been like above ground when the bomb fell wiping life from the streets of London in an instant. The only survivors were underground travelling to where ever it is they were going. Home to their families, to see friends, to work while above them their world was destroyed in an explosion of light, heat and sound in seconds. Survivors stayed underground to avoid radiation, but some people left almost certainly dead from cancer by now as the fallout ripped through their cells causing havoc.
Sonya walked silently behind wandering whether bringing Jacob to her home was wise. He was different to the people up here. His naivety gave him an air of innocence and purity that those from the underground only had. She watched his walk from behind and at his athletic healthy body. He looked ‘clean’ unlike anything from up here. Her maternal instinct felt a pang of sadness as she realised that over time he would see things humans weren’t supposed to see, things against nature. The desperation that bred death and destruction could not be avoided by anybody, no matter the strngth of their will. His purity would disappear as quickly as the radiated tide of the Thames flowed to the sea. She had never brought someone home since Dennis. She cried out every night with the memory of the moment she shot him, the way he writhed with agony, the way he moaned watching his chest rise and fall for the last few times till he was silent for ever. It would never leave her, but she hoped now that giving this new one her trust it would not end in pain. Sonya couldn’t bear to be alone anymore, and the risk was worth it. What she didn’t know now was that when she looked backwards to this moment she would laugh at her own stupidity. Jacob would never harm her, not now and not ever. Time would open her eyes to this fact but time was also the enemy up here. Time meant more radiation entered her body regardless of the battered Rad suit she wore. Time meant death in the new London… ever since the bomb fell.
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