A Brave New World

Chapter 1

I was only nine years old when I witnessed the end of the world. My brother Kyle, who was fifteen at the time, grabbed me just seconds before the nuclear bomb exploded. Just one second longer and I would’ve been blown off the face of the earth. Guess dad wasn’t being paranoid when he had that bomb shelter made in our backyard. Kyle and I made it in with Jagger, our family German shepherd. Our parents weren’t so lucky. If there’s one sound that will always ring in my ears is the deafening explosion, the terrified screams of the neighbors, family members. Buildings collapsed. The ground shook with unbelievable force. I thought it was the end. In a way, I was right.
It was the end of life as we, the people of earth, knew it. The moment Russia pushed that red button in the conference room, America was doomed. The world was doomed. There was no escaping the scourge of a nuclear world war. My father worked with the president. He was always on edge, saying things like, “It’s going to happen soon...” or, “Remember the shelter.” Things Kyle and I thought were nonsense, the ramblings of a raving lunatic.
“Jarret, dad’s crazy,” Kyle said, “It’s all just bullshit. Don’t listen to him.” I wish I would’ve listened. Between all the alcohol and incoherent yammering, that man was right. About a lot of things.
Kyle and I spent about 72 weeks in that bomb shelter. We had enough supplies to last us years. Mostly canned things, non-perishable food. The place was huge. A house beneath a house. The only thing that gave it away was the grey, cold, concrete walls and floors. Other than that it seemed...normal. Beds, bookshelves, a bathroom, even a kitchen and a woodstove. No TV, since the entire city of Brooklyn was blown to Hell. Power was down, and the only reason Kyle and I had light was flashlights, kerosene lamps, and one generator that only worked once in a blue moon.
We were pretty shaken up for some time. The silence above was unnerving. There was the occasional crash of a building from far off in the distance and some explosions. But more unsettling of all, the most terrifying, inhuman wails. We had no idea what was making that sound, and we were afraid to find out. Our ignorance concerning the outside world really was bliss. I was perfectly alright with staying in the shelter for the rest of my life. It was Kyle who was dead-set on finding out what was making that sound. I wish we never left that bunker.