Jamie Brunner's Story

He wasn’t ready. No. He just... wanted to stay in the bunker for the rest of his miserable life. What was out there? What was waiting for them? Could be anything. No one knows what happened to the world after the bunkers were closed. There could be monsters. What if there was nothing out there? What if the world had dried up and died, and the supplies that they had run out of in the bunker were the end of it all?

But here they stood, everyone bristling and anxious to be set free. Every member of the bunker wore a gas mask, and several of the people at the front had some sort of fancy equipment in hand to check the status of the air when the doors were opened. The status of the air. Fresh air. It was a novel idea. He had never once in his life breathed fresh air. Their own air was constantly recycled. What would fresh air smell like? What would it feel like to have the.. wind on his face?

Jamie stood at the back of the group, lingering. He adjusted and readjusted the straps of his backpack. It wasn’t especially heavy, but he was nervous. He raised his head as a hush fell over the crowd. There was a sharp creaking sound that filled the entry hall of the bunker as the bolts were removed and the seal of the door was broken. Then slowly, the doors swung inward. Blinding bright light filled the entryway and the mass of people shielded their eyes en masse. The crowd was told to wait while the air was checked; but people immediately began to surge forward, eager to set foot in the world they had never known.

But Jamie began to panic. He put a hand on the wall, hyperventilating behind the stupid gas mask he wore. The hallway grew quiet as the bunker residents filed out the door, but Jamie didn’t notice. He lay his head against the wall and closed his eyes, breathing as deeply as he could.

Get a grip, Jamie! Humans are meant to live above ground! Not hide out below all their lives! Just walk out there. Just do it.

He raised his head at the cheers and shouts of joy, the laughter of the few children as they began to play. Well, that had to be a good sign, right? He took another deep breath and straightened, then finally began to make his way toward the bright light. Sunshine. He'd never seen the sun before. They had been warned not to look directly at it, or it would damage their eyes. He'd have to remember that. As he neared the door, he noticed that everyone had removed their gas masks, so he guessed the air must have been safe. He slid his own off and draped it over his wrist as he glanced at the two doors he stood between. This is it. There's no going back.

And he stepped outside. The first thing he noticed was the chill air that hit him in the face. It felt refreshing. It smelled… clean. Or rather, it simply had no smell. Unlike the recycled air inside the bunker. Next, he looked around. Everything was so… brown. Maybe the world had dried up and died! But no, he had learned as a child about the general area where their bunker was located. What had this type of landscape been called? Jamie tried to remember back to the training his father and Max had given him. Desert. He nodded to himself, letting his eyes take in the view. But then he saw it. Blue and endless, without a single cloud in sight. The sky. It made him dizzy, looking up. He felt like… like it was going to suck him up and he would fall forever… upward.

Jamie swayed, about to pass out. He quickly sat down and put his head between his knees, squeezing his eyes shut and breathing deeply. Can't I just go back inside? It's too much. A soft whimper escaped his lips and his cheeks reddened in shame. This was ridiculous. No one else was having a panic attack. Pull yourself together! He raised his head again but that sky seemed to surround him, trying to lure him in still. He quickly lowered his head and let out a sigh. No. I think I'll just go back inside. This world is not for me. Nope.

---

It was quite a moment, when the seal was broken and the faintest hint of fresh air flooded the entryway of the bunker. It sent a wave of excitement and impatience through those waiting anxiously to see just what was actually left of the world. Light streamed in as the outer doors began to roll into the side of the bunker entrance. They had a small contingent of soldiers in the front section, and the rest of the bunker had been separated a bit back with double doors that swung inward. The idea had been to make sure it was safe before they went out of the bunker. However, the general population had their fill of the bunker, and in moments, they had pushed past the doors and the soldiers seeking the outside.

It was a small moment of panic for the soldiers, but when no immediate attack came, no sudden deaths or sickness, they marginally relaxed. Children were giggling and seeing how the sun felt so warm, and how bright it was. Adults were clutching onto loved ones as they looked around in wonder. All those left alive had only known the inside of the bunker as their world. Many had died within the bunker walls, never knowing there was still an outside. They never knew what it smelled like, felt like, or looked like.

They were within sight of a nearby city, from the way the buildings jutted upward into the sky. Some were partially collapsed, but they had enough pictures of cities before the Ruin, to know what it was they saw on the horizon. The soldiers just managed to keep anyone from going off in that direction. For the moment, they needed to stay together, but no one wanted to go back inside the bunker. Those currently in charge tried to herd them back, at least into the entry way, but trouble had been brewing for some time inside the bunker walls.

There was a scream, and then shots rang out, followed swiftly by pandemonium. Adults tried to gather in the children as fights broke out between the soldiers and some of the more hard headed citizens. More guns were firing and there were a few bodies that fell to the ground. Doctor Max found Jamie hunkered down, and quickly tried to pull the young man up. His voice was rickety, filled with fear but his concern was for Jamie. “Hurry. Get up! We’ve got to get away from these madmen.”

The Doctor held onto Jamie’s arm as he tried to usher him out of the way, off to the side. There was urgency in the man’s actions and tone as he hurried Jamie along with his words. “This way, stay low.. careful. Watch out!” The last had the good Doctor suddenly pushing Jamie to the left. The Doctor let out a sharp grunt as his body bowed backward for a moment, then he fell forward, a red stain spreading along the back of his torso.

---

The sounds of gunshots ringing through the air only worked toward the panic attack Jamie was currently experiencing. He threw his hands up over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut tight. See? He knew they should never have come out. They should have just stayed inside where it was safe. Clearly, they had gone inside the bunkers for a reason; and they had no right to question the choices that had led them there.

Jamie felt strong hands close around his small arm and begin to pull at him. “No! No, I’m staying right here!” But then he heard the familiar voice of the man who had been like a second father to him all his life saying, “Hurry. Get up! We’ve got to get away from these madmen.” Biting his lip, Jamie raised his head and nodded. He got up and hurried along next to Max, hunching over and keeping his head low as instructed. Suddenly, he felt himself pushed aside roughly as Max cried out for him to watch out. He stumbled a bit and turned back in time to see the Doctor fall forward.

“Max?! No! Max!” Jamie howled, flinging himself toward the man. He knelt down at his side and reached out to touch the wound. “Just hang on. I’ve got those bandages...” He began to swing the backpack from his shoulders when Max raised a hand to stop him.

“No, Jamie,” he breathed softly. “Don’t waste them.” Doctor Max pushed himself up a little and reached down into the cargo pocket at the side of his leg. His eyes flicked toward the pandemonium going on around them, knowing that they could waste no time. He pulled out a small handful of bullets and dropped them into Jamie’s hand. “In my sock.. there is a revolver. Take it.” He closed his eyes for a moment and swayed, and Jamie thought he was going to drop dead right there. But then he opened them once again and spoke more quickly. “Get out of here. Go to the city. Stay alert and be careful; we don’t know what else is out here.”

“But- I don’t even know how to shoot a gun,” Jamie responded in a soft whine. He gazed at the man for a moment, tears sliding down his cheeks. “Come with me, Max! I need you there. I’ll get you fixed up and you’ll be alright!”

But Doctor Max simply shook his head. He sank back down to the ground, his soft brown gaze watching the child he had grown to love throughout the years. He motioned for Jamie to lean down, and when he did, he whispered something in his ear, then gave him a small shove away. “Now go,” he muttered.

Jamie nodded as he reached down and grabbed the gun from the Doctor’s sock, then hesitated. A woman running by tripped over him and stumbled just as another gunshot rang out nearby; then she fell, dead, just a few feet away. This pulled the young man from his mourning and he pushed himself and took off, staying low as he took off at a run toward the crumbling city.

---

Chaos reigned behind Jamie as he ran toward the city skyline. His feet slid out from underneath as the ground took a sharp decline into a ravine. The walls were steep, and difficult to climb back out of, with rocks and dirt more likely to give way and crumble than to support his weight. The ravine curved farther down, providing Jamie with a better climbing spot. It wasn’t as sharp an incline, the ground wasn’t so loose.

Once Jamie climbed out of it, he found himself a little bit closer to the skeleton of a city. Even from that distance, he could see how nature had completely overrun the area, with vines and trees towering in and out of windows and broken down walls. It was still a good distance away, but there was more cover to hide in, or for other things to lay in wait. And that’s when the sound of gunshots and screaming became background noise to the low eerie growling that filled the area of the bunker.

The loud gunshots and screaming alerted nearby creatures to the presence of those just leaving the bunker. On the now opposite side from where Jamie stood at the ravine’s edge, several medium sized shapes rushed toward the bunker’s opening. The growling grew into a frightening song of hungry howls and calls for others of their kind to join in the feast to be. There were no less than three packs of dog like beings, twisted and changed by the Ruin.

Where skin should have been, there was exposed muscle and bone. A long, spiky mane topped their head and crested down along their back to the bony tails. They were the color of dried and fresh blood, with long fangs curved and razor sharp. They were predators, and those outside the bunker had just put on neon signs stating they were prey.

---

Duckie reacted immediately as soon as he saw figures running down the alley. One arm swept up Twig and he carried the young Bogle as he ducked into the building. The door was broken, it wasn’t secure by any means, but it was out of the way of the hungry Reavers. Thankfully, they were too focused on the dinner bell to worry about chasing resisting prey. He didn’t stop moving until they were in the back of whatever building it was. He crouched, keeping Twig protectively covered as Duckie peered over the windowsill to check the area.

“Stay quiet. Noises get them every time. Least wise I know when to talk quiet, even if’n I don’t know when to shut up, eh? What.. ow! Twig, stop it.” Duckie gave the young Bogle a stern look as Twig had his toothless mouth on Duckie’s shoulder, gnawing away. It wasn’t breaking the skin, but it wasn’t a pleasant sensation either. “I’ll get you food, okay? I’m not food. I’m not dead yet.” Duckie pried Twig’s mouth off his shoulder and held him at arm’s length as he surveyed the scene outside.

He needed to get Twig food, but he certainly wasn’t going near those gunshots. Every creature within hearing range would be there, and Duckie was sure he’d just wind up on the menu. “Come on. This way.” Duckie took Twig’s hand, and led the Bogle out the back door and in the direction away from where they spotted the running Reavers. He was fairly certain he could find some creature on the edge of the city. Hopefully, he’d find something small that wouldn’t put up much of a fight if it was still alive.

Like a squirrel.

---

Jamie slipped and slid his way down into the ravine, then stumbled his way back up as he tried to distance himself from the madness that was going on behind him. He paused at the top on the other side, gasping for air. The strange growls that filled the air had the hair at the back of his neck standing on end, and he slowly turned to look back toward the mayhem outside the bunker. His eyes widened as he watched the terrifying hounds rushing toward any survivors that remained. Run, Jamie, his mind screamed. But his feet were lead, trapping him in place as he watched in horror as the beasts ripped people apart.

At last, he broke free of the cloud of terror that had covered his mind and turned away from the bloody scene behind him. He took off running again, the gun that Max had given him held at the ready in his hand. Who knew what other manner of creatures were out here? Jamie wasn’t ready to be eaten alive. As he slipped into a copse of trees, he heard the sounds of more creatures headed his way. He quickly climbed up one of the trees and settled himself tightly against the trunk just in time to watch as other horrific creatures shambled and ran beneath him toward the commotion back at the bunker.

Jamie sat still and quiet in the tree for what felt like forever. Silent tears ran down his cheeks and soaked the collar of his outer shirt. He was terrified. He was alone. He’d never been so alone before. He knew nothing about survival, other than how to care for himself if he got injured. And he prayed to whatever gods might be in existence that that would never happen. He must have been in the tree for only an hour or so, for it wasn’t long before the gunshots had been silenced and any screams of the dying had faded. No beasts had gone past his tree in quite some time, so he carefully made his way back down. The city. He had to get to the city. Jamie had no idea what he would find there or how he thought he would survive any easier there, but he knew it was his only chance.

He tucked the gun into a pocket in his pants, then pulled out an old, ragged baseball cap from his back pocket. He slipped it over his head and immediately felt safer somehow. As if the sky couldn’t suck him up and none of those horrible beasts could see him if he couldn’t see them beyond the frayed bill of the cap. Jamie set off at a quick pace, staying low but keeping his ears open for anything that might be hunting him, and he headed for the city. The closer he got, the more he headed around the side. For whatever reason, he thought he might have a better chance if he approached from a different angle than what had been facing his bunker.