Chapter 5 - One Step Towards Hell

Gunshots and screams echo from the bunker as I walk up the stairs into the school. My insides tremble just from imagining what could be happening down there. Quiet sobbing can be heard from my other classmates behind me as the shorter man walks up the stairs, reloading his revolver. He motions towards the other man, and I begin to walk. On the left side, the remaining couple of bunkers are either still closed or seem to have been opened from the inside. The rest of the floors are demolished, and I gasp as I step over the dozens of bones and skeletons scattered around. I walk out into the open and have to cover my eyes. It's been a while since I've seen and felt real light. Though it's close to sunset, when I can finally bear to look, I can't help but stop at the sight.

The once crowded district full of lives, small suburban areas, stores, and various other buildings is now in ruin. It looks as if it was a totally different area. I can count the standing and half-standing buildings on both hands. Even the sky is darker than it was before. There seem to be deserted areas and no sight of living plants or creatures. Except the few walking and flying creatures I can't identify in the distance.

"Oi, Ivan. We don't have time for this. It's getting dark." He points from the back of the line with his revolver towards me, and I can feel a firm grip on my hand giving me a rough pull.

"Stop to idle again and I'll end you. Understood?" he says, glancing at me over his shoulder.

"Try me."

"Keep this attitude up, and that day will come sooner than you can imagine." He keeps glancing at me over his shoulder, then chuckles.

"You know what, I think we're off to a bad start. My name is Ivan, and that one at the back is Carl. How long have you been down there?" he asks as I walk past a small green steaming and bubbling pond with half-rotten corpses halfway submerged in it. Luckily, the gas mask saves me from the smell.

"Two years," I answer, turning my head away from the pond.

"Well kid, it's a dog-eat-dog world out there now. And the ones that have guns rule. See, that's why you're the one walking tied up, and not me. I have a gun, and I can shoot. You possess neither a gun nor the skill to shoot." He chuckles and turns his head towards me for a second before I crouch down to avoid a moss-covered wreck, which was once a tower.

"By the way," he says as I straighten up, and he pokes my chest with the end of his gun. "What's your name again?"

You glance down at the barrel of the gun and swallow hard. "I'm…Baron, Baron Lyfeld."

"Lyfeld? I know a couple of fellows back at the base named that." My heartbeat quickens when I hear that, and I can't help but smile widely under my gas mask.

He bursts out laughing. "Ha! Just kidding. The majority of the population died when the bombs fell. Those who were lucky enough to have their own packed shelter, or could run fast enough to the nearest one, of course, survived. I guess I don't have to tell you how rare it was to have your own shelter. Even I had to, you know, kindly ask my neighbour to let me in. Because I'm just that nice example of a human being. Don't lose faith, though, they might still be alive. Or not. Oh, well." He shrugs and keeps laughing as I walk through a dark alley. I clench my fists, and my smile fades quickly. My feet get stuck every now and then in something sticky, but I still manage to step over a couple of rotting animal corpses. Some of them look bigger than they should be.

He glances back at me again. "Watch out with that slime under your feet. Don't let it touch your skin. Let alone its owner, or you might end up like them." He chuckles, then peeks back at me. "No hard feelings, right? It was a harmless joke. A good one at that, you must agree."

"It will be funny when I kill you."

"I like your enthusiasm. I really do. Let's just hope it won't get you killed. You see, the problem is that I'm the one holding the gun here. I'm the one giving commands, and good puns." He chuckles and pats my face through my gas mask.

I travel in silence for the rest of the time. They kill dogs and other frightfully deformed aggressive creatures, even something that was probably once a pig. I step over them and eventually arrive at a huge building with at least a dozen factory smokestacks at first glance. It seems to be in very poor condition, but surprisingly it still stands. You're surprised to see a reinforced barbed fence standing around it, with watchtowers here and there.

"Gentlemen! Welcome to base Arkadios! Please enjoy your stay. You'll be here for a while." Ivan spreads his arms wide and pokes my head with the barrel of his rifle. "Get excited, kid, you'll spend the rest of your life here. Working. Isn't that fun?"

I remain silent.

He pokes my head again with the barrel. "I said get excited. Have you gone deaf or something?" He pokes my head a couple more times, then leans in close to my face and remains there for a couple of seconds. Eventually, he straightens back up. "That's the excitement I'd like to see!" He laughs and waves at everyone to follow him.

"Open Sesame"

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