I woke up in sudden cold sweat running down my face, feeling sore pain aching all over my body. Waking up unusually early wasn't my usual habit at all. The bright, old ceiling lights pierced my tired eyes. I lifted my right arm to shield my eyes against the intensity of the light and felt a slightly cold breeze from the old ventilator brushing past me, sending a haunting sensation through the dimly lit corridor.
I found myself near the entrance of the bunker, thanks to an unfamiliar squawking noise in my vivid dream that had disturbed my sleep all night, leaving me feeling as though I hadn't slept at all. I wondered what that unfamiliar noise in my dream was. Maybe it was real? I questioned myself in my head.
Wait a minute... as I gathered my thoughts upon fully waking up, I started to consider that the mysterious noise I heard last night might have been real. Hoping it wasn't just my mind playing tricks, I hastily stood up and scanned my surroundings, as I turned my head around to scan my surroundings, while trying to listen intently to pinpoint where the source was coming from.
A few seconds went by, then a sudden squawking noise with a faint chirping sound could be heard again. I cautiously walked toward the source of the sound, to the point where the noise grew closer. By the corner of my eye, I spotted a fat, tail-like creature racing by the corner of gate entrance near the memorial ground.
I paused, considering whether to proceed, even as the rat darted towards the memorial grounds. I was aware that entering the area was strictly forbidden. As I stood there, a thought struck me: how could I pass up this rare opportunity? To heck with the rules! I could grab the creature swiftly before anyone else noticed.
With urgency driving me, I sprinted in the direction where I last spotted the creature. Finally, as I rounded the corner, there it was - the mysterious creature revealed itself to be a large fat rat! It lurked just a few feet away behind an old, broken-down barrel amidst debris on the muddy floor, emitting the same familiar noise I had heard all night. Eureka!
I then crept forward step by step tiptoeing, slowly, trying not to let it detect my presence. I then peeked carefully through the corner of the steel wall. My eyes locked onto the rat, or rather, the rare prime steak dinner feast I'm going to have tonight. Mm... I though. The fatty rat finally stopped on the muddy floor only four feet away, sniffing around the surrounding areas while it emitted the sound; chirps and squawking noise.
In a flash, I appeared from behind the broken barrel and jumped with both my arms out, with all my strength and agility I pounce at the fatty rat. With a big splash, I landed on my stomach, both hands holding on to my prize. "Ding! ding! Gotcha now!" I screamed with a joyful expression, laying on the mud-covered cold steel floor, with mud all over my already semi-dirty clothes and oversized boots.
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"Hi there, big fella. You're going to taste fabulous tonight," I thought to myself. What a lucky day this turned out to be, to catch this rare source of protein. It must have been a couple of months by now, since I had the chance to eat anything resembling real meat other than maggots' stew. It was a bunker delicacy for sure.
Typically, I only get one meal a day—a bowl of carrot soup and, if lucky, some stale bread on the side. But to earn that, you have to work tirelessly in the bunker, performing tasks assigned based on your family rank, and putting in a minimum of 10 hours daily to earn food coupons for your rations.
***
Our founders did live in this bunker since doomsday, after all. So, expanding was key. To be able to travel and build out to new destinations, we had to dig out tunnels and then find resources buried to build new homes.
They were the fortunate ones who sought refuge in the doomsday bunker when disaster struck. Initially, they believed it to be a temporary solution at first, hoping that everything would return to normal after some time down here. Little did they know, the reality would be far grimmer than they had anticipated.
As chaos erupted and nuclear bombs ravaged the earth, panic spread like wildfire. The skies were ablaze with missiles, and hope dwindled with each passing moment. Only a handful of lucky individuals managed to seek shelter in nuke-proof bunkers like ours.
Among those fortunate few were our ancestors, who found themselves confined to the bunker, forced to adapt to post-apocalyptic world. Living in constant fear at first, but as time went by... They decided to accept their fate and started on their journey of survival. They expanded their underground habitat, embracing their new way of life and adapted to their new reality.
Through sheer resilience and determination, their population flourished, eventually reaching 100,00 individuals. They built a new utopia, called Last Eden, a beacon of hope in humanity's darkest times.
***
Fast forward to the present, I found myself in an embarrassing situation: sprawled on the muddy floor, clutching a plump rat, feeling drained from sleep deprivation caused by the creature's antics throughout the night.
Suddenly, a familiar voice pierced the silence. "Keinan, what are you doing down there, silly?" The voice, stern yet teasing, belonged to my friend Faith—a face I had seen countless times. With her angelic bright smile and ocean-blue eyes, she exuded warmth and familiarity.
I quickly brushed off the mud clinging to my clothes and rose to my feet, as I got back up to my feet I was greeted by Faith's playful laughter. As our eyes met, I couldn't help but smile widely, feeling a surge of excitement as I approached her. Despite the grim and dimly lit surroundings, her presence alone brought a comforting sense of bright energy to me.
I motioned for Faith to follow me to a secluded corner, eager to share my discovery. With bated breath, I recounted the events of the previous night and proudly revealed my prized catch—the plump rat.
Faith's reaction was baffle, she stared at it for some time. As she pondered over the rat's origin, the realization also struck me, she was totally right. If this creature found its way into the bunker, that could only mean one thin. There was life outside of the bunker after all!
Lost in my own thought, I let my guard down. With a sense of urgency, Faith's warning snapped me back to my reality. "Keinan, look out! Behind you!"