[Broken Glass] Chapter 2: Boys

[Silv3r Energy]

It was quiet in the bunker. Darkness overcame everything inside. Amelia fumbled around on the short ceiling before finding a string for the above light. A small tug bathed the room with a pale yellow light, revealing the various non-perishable food items lined in crates along the floor. In the corner, there lay a multitude of water bottles, curiously not in a larger container. Amelia pondered with herself how long she would have to stay down here, when a knocking emanated from the door.

 

"Hello? Is anyone inside?" A boy's voice.

 

The knocking stopped for a moment, then became frantic.

 

"Anyone? Please! My shelter is locked!"

 

Amelia stared at the door, debating the decision. He was yelling now. His words unintelligible, he began to beat his fists on the door more violently than before. Amelia chose to let the boy in, see what he had.

 

The door opened surprisingly easily this way around. The boy stumbled in at the earliest convenience. He was tall, with piercing blue eyes and almost nothing but skin and bones. He had a peculiar haircut, with the top of his head left longer than the rest.

 

Amelia swung the door closed. Without a word, she sat down in the far corner of the room. The boy looked at her curiously, and spoke.

 

"Are you the only one?"

 

He shifted his feet uncomfortably. Amelia looked up at him.

 

"Yeah. Mom's out looking for dad."

 

"Tough. My parents went missing too, right before everybody went nuts out on the street."

 

A silence. The boy spoke again.

 

"I'm Will."

 

"Amelia."

 

"Nice to meet you, Amelia. I'm sorry it had to be this way, though." Will put his back against the wall, and began to slide down into a sitting position. "Why wasn't your dad home?"

 

"A hunting trip. Nothing out of the ordinary, I assume--"

 

Amelia was cut off by a deafening boom. Dust fell from the ceiling, coating both her and Will in a thin layer. The light overhead flickered for a moment, but maintained its on-position. Amelia put her head into her hands, and began to sob softly to herself, knowing the fate of her late parents. Will seemed unaffected by the thought of how many people had just died around him.

 

"Fuck," was all that Will said before shrugging the notion off.

 

Amelia looked at him with a stare of contempt before wiping a tear off of her cheek and marching towards the door. Will got up and stopped her before she could reach the now-wasteland that was sure to be what she used to call home.

 

"We can't leave yet. You must know this."

 

She stared him down once more, before responding. "What is there to live for when your lifeline is dead?"

 

"That is... unnecessarily dark. Come back over here and let's wait this out."

 

Amelia agreed to stay with this boy until she could get away without him noticing. It would be a short few days ahead, with almost no notable events taking place. Amelia longed to leave the bunker, yet Will nevertheless persuaded her to stay each time.

 

[Story continues in Chapter 4]