The whir and hum of machines echo through the entire factory. People are in constant movement, not pausing for even a moment. All the men and women are working tirelessly through sweat and grit as they keep on pushing through their exhaustion. Meanwhile in the prison site of Arroyo near Temecula, all the workers are at their rounds working like clockwork. In one section of the facility, Hakan is sorting through the pile of bullets that pour in from the conveyor belt. He places the correct cartridges in the exact locations they are supposed to go. After the huge crate is filled with all the cartridges, he hauls it to the end of the building as a man in a forklift takes it from him. The forklift places the loaded ammo into a trailer where it will be shipped off to several locations within the city of Los Angeles.

For hours and hours on end he repeats this cycle tediously. The sudden loud whistle blows overhead as the sound was deafening and ear piercing. He always jumped at the whistle but was glad since it was the end of their shift for work. The guard escorted his group back to their shacks as they all slowly disperse once they finally arrived. Hakan dragged his feet across the dirt as he made his way into his shack. He stomped his feet just near the entrance trying to shake off the dirt and grime off of his shoes, though it actually didn't even matter since all of their shacks were horrendously filthy regardless. Upon entering his shack, he can see people talking and chuckling amongst themselves as they leaned on their worn out beds. Some were playing cards on them, while others simple passed out and slept on them, not even removing their dusty filthy work clothing. Even Hakan himself didn't even bother to change out of his work clothes, he walked to his bunk bed and simply collapsed in exhaustion.

"Welcome back bunk buddy! How was work today?"

He turned his head to see Hailey hanging upside down from her top bunk looking over him. He exhales with a tired tone his voice.

"Hey Hailey, it's work, what do you expect?"

"I know, just wanted to see how you were holding up in here is all. There are always a few people that crack in this place, good to see you haven't broken yet hehe."

"Well, I'm glad you find this so amusing."

He burrows his head into his pillow as a load groan sound expels from his diaphragm. Hailey continues to hang upside still staring at her sulking bunkmate. Hakan slowly turns over now facing with Hailey's gaze.

"I need to find a way out of here. I can't stay here, I need to know where my friends are."

"It's easier said than done. If there was a way out, I would've dipped a loooooong time ago."

"I get that, but hasn't there been any attempts, you know, rumors about anything?"

Her eyes looked at him with pity, "Look, everyone is just trying to survive out here and keep their heads down. They want to live, they're too scared to fight back at all. Honestly, I don't blame them. If they were managed to escape, what then? They'll be on the run for the rest of their lives, and they just want to live a quiet decent life in this messed up world."

Hakan lays back feeling defeated and sighs again.

"Hey cheer up, who knows, maybe you'll get released out early for good behavior hahaha."

She lifts herself up lays back in her own bed on the top bunk. Hakan just stares at the springs and coils above him as he prays to the gods that his friends are doing okay. The next morning was the same as any other day until a guard quickly rushes through the double doors of Hakan's station.

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"Prisoner seven zero seven two seven?"

Everyone quickly looked up in their nervous curiosity, especially Hakan, since that was his prison number.

"Umm yes...?"

"Come with me, you're being reassigned."

"Wait... what? To where-"

"Move! Now!"

The guard was impatient as he aimed at the door with his baton. Hakan didn't argue, he quickly followed the guard until they reached the front entrance of camp Arroyo. He was fidgeting in place not knowing what is going to happen. Soon, one by one more people were arriving at the front of the entrance waiting in place just as Hakan was doing. All looking pale and nervous as well. Some of them were old, some were just teens. He then heard a very familiar cheery voice come from behind.

"Oh hey bunk buddy! You were chosen too? What are the odds we were chosen together! Must be fate huh? Haha!"

She pats him hard on the back as the guard interrupted her to be quiet. Hakan looks around seeing the group all standing and waiting.

"I don't like this. Something doesn't feel right."

"Oh I'm sure we'll be fine as long as we work and do as we're told."

Hakan looks at her and is frightened by her unusual optimism but chooses to ignore it. After several minutes of anticipation, a white school bus rolls in front of them. Making a high pitch noise as it halts to a complete stop.

"Alright everyone, get on, quickly let's go!"

The guard rushed everyone quickly onto the bus and Hakan and Hailey were the first ones to get on board. He quickly stopped as he was startled by the bus driver. He turned his head slowly towards Hakan as he wore a light brown MOPP gear, with a gas mask covering his face. He didn't say a word to Hakan, but he felt his piercing stare through the dark rim goggles. They sat aboard and after a few minutes they were finally on the move onto the freeway. After an hour they were reaching their destination soon. As Hakan looked out his window, the landscape seemed to change the farther he kept driving down. Where buildings and homes once stood slowly becoming more and more ruble. The bus soon violently shakes from the amount of debris they kept running over. Hailey was giggling thinking this was some fun ride for her, to everyone else, it was sick and frightening.

The bus soon halted and another guard in the same brown hazmat suit stood up and passed down everyone a pill.

"Alright everyone take this pill. You are now part of the cleanup crew of camp Arroyo. Your job is to remove the debris out of the roads and make a clearing. Understood?"

Everyone nodded submissively. The double doors hissed open and forced everyone out. There was another vehicle that was following the bus full of geared soldiers acting as guards in case anyone decided to become a runaway. Hakan looked all around him and was shocked to see what all around him had become. A rusting sign that barely spelled out the words San Diego. The city was in complete ruins and devastation. Unlike how San Fransico was overturned by nature, this city was in complete utter ruins. The streets were halfway cleared from previous cleanup crew's work. For hours they spent shoveling the ruble and moving giant concrete rocks out of the streets and onto the sidewalks. It was grueling and cruel work.

"So tell me, where are you originally from anyways? You look too green to be someone born in the streets of L.A haha."

"Umm, I'm from far north. Some people would usually call me a tribal person I suppose-"

She gasped and lean closer to Hakan,

"Wait for real! You're an actual tribal person! Like in those old pre-war shows and comic books! Do you used to live in caves! Did you grow up with gorillas and fell in love with a professor's daughter! Can you swing on vines!"

She squeed in excitement as she dropped her shovel and barraged him with questions. He turns around with a weird and flabbergasted look on his face.

"What are you even- no. None of those things."

"Aww shucks, I really like that movie too. It was a sweet movie."

Before he could even say anything back to her, he overhears a loud commotion behind him. A man was seen slumping over onto his shovel as he was coughing aggressively. Hailey also turned as she was shocked what she was seeing also. The man continued to cough until he was spatting out blood. He fell face first into the large pile he was cleaning as he was reaching into the air gasping for air. He kept vomiting up blood and choking on it as well. The guard in the hazmat suit barely did anything to help him. He pulled a large clunky looking box and hoover over the man as he violently vomits blood and coughs. The box began ticking irregularly as he sways over the area around the man. The box continues to tick irregularly, and the hazmat man shook his head in disapproval. Hakan looks all around him in the ruins of this decaying city and realizes that he might be in the middle of a death sentence.