Pioneers Of A Nuclear Winter

Pioneers Of A Nuclear Winter  

 By Paul McCann 

Ten years they said we would be locked away until the nuclear winter would pass but we . We had been stuck underground now for thirty three years and still we had been told the temperatures on the surface were still uninhabitable. Many of us had lost family and friends and were lucky to have made it to the underground shelters that had been built prior to the last war .   

I lived in Bunker 66 where there were 200 bunk beds , one common bathroom and a shower area . We all were given a bracelet to wear which was our key to open the bunker door where we slept . A curfew was put in place from the beginning to ensure a trouble free existence underground . Each day three loud grunge grinding sounds woke us early from sleep and later in the day three high pitched siren calls were sounded to remind us to return to our bunkers . Anyone found outside the bunker was arrested and removed and never seen again .

We had set meal times every day in the community canteen at the hunger hall in the centre core. Our bunkers were linked to an underground tunnel chamber system that connected everyone to the centre core . Life underground was a controlled environment that we all learned to adapt to .

Our bunkers had regular checks from the chamber cops who kept control of all our living activities and movement of people to and from the centre core . The chamber cops had weapons and wore armour and they had these scary face masks that looked like some weird kind of sea monster . So nobody ever confronted them and were unchallenged in their duties .    

The centre core is were people went everyday to eat, talk, pray, busk , pick up supplies, paint pictures , exchange books or other items they no longer needed . For most of us who had survived the nuclear war, we  existed here as the last living members of the human race . For many of us who once loved the beaches and parks , walking along mountain paths and sitting beside water falls there were simulated virtual reality scenes of those places in the theatre of  escape in the centre core cinema . Underground there were no cars or traffic , we had communal cable cars that went in every direction through the chamber tunnels ,

We were shown images and short films of what it looked like on the surface above . There was no sunrise or sun set , no moon or stars that shone . Life was non-existent in the snow covered landscape . Part of me wanted to believe everything I saw on the screens and all I heard on the daily reports but actually I had other ideas .

Underground there were two tribes . We were the destined and they were the pre-destined . We had bever saw any of the pre-destined but we were told that we were the favoured ones and that one day we would be the first people to return to the surface when the nuclear winter had passed  .

Life and death went on in this controlled environment . No one asked questions , no one made any comments, no one disobeyed the rules , everyone accepted the way it was.  If any one died their bodies had to be left outside the bunkers in the chamber tunnels for the corpse collectors to pick up . All the dead were brought to the centre core incinerator to be burnt .

My friend Toulog and I had always suspected that things were no as they seemed and we had a strong feeling that we were all being fooled and controlled by the authorities to stay underground and out of the way which gave rise to thoughts about an escape from this underground prison . We imagined that there was life on the surface and we were planning to become the first two pioneers of the nuclear winter . Our first plan was to enter the pre-destined area what was a separate section with a high wall dividing us from them . Two heavy metal doors allowed the chamber cops access into each section . We studied the movements and knew the exact time that the cops made their exit .

I often said to Toulog

“All we have to do is overpower two cops and steal their armour and make our escape into that section to find out what’s in there .”

He agreed and he always smiled and said .

“Yeah one day we must do that Bro”

 One evening before the siren sounded the return to bunkers . I was with  Toulog in the centre core and he looked at me and said

“Hey Bro we’ll never ever know if we never ever go , lets do it now .“
I was surprised but excited and responded ,

“You mean make our escape to the pre-destined zone .“

I said and he replied ,

“Why not Bro , we’re just wasting our time here everyday . There must be more to life than this. “

The siren was sounded and everyone began to make their way from the centre core to their bunker zones . Toulog and I remained in the centre. Two chamber cops made their way through the centre and Toulog lay on the ground pretending to be injured . The two cops approached and one of them said ,

“So are you having a little bit of difficulty then ?”

“I’m not sure what the problem is , my friend fell to the ground a short time ago .“

“Let me have a look .“ 

Said the cop who put his weapon on the ground . I immediately grabbed the weapon and pointed it to his head and ordered his partner to drop his weapon which he did .  Toulog got up off the ground and took the other weapon . We asked them to remove their face masks and armour and then placed their own handcuff bracelets on them . We marched them off  to the cinema and locked both of them up in a storage room before making our way to the exit doors . No one suspected a things a we stood in line with the other cops to enter the pre-destined area . The doors were opened after scanning the police badge of the shoulder of our armour plated vest . Once we walked inside the pre-destined section there was a sign that said

“Welcome back to life on the surface and on the door into the section we had just left there was a sign that read ,

“Destined to stay underground forever “  

 The chamber cops for into lifts that took them to the surface and Toulog and I also got in to the lift .

As the lift door opened we proceeded to make our way with the other cops to check in our weapons but took a side door to find a car park where some cars and motor bikes sat unattended .

What a wonderful surprise to see the world again , The sun shone in a blue sky and not a drop of snow anywhere to be seen . Now we realised that we had al been fooled by the authorities to believe that the nuclear winter had not yet passed ,

We stole a police car and made our way back to life . As we sped along the highway we felt like pioneers in a brave new world. With the past behind us life was for the taking and we would be making big plans for a massive breakout from all those still in the destined zone far beneath the ground.

Time passed and Toulog and I had managed to acquire some heavy earth moving equipment and we dug out some escape tunnels that were going to be the freedom walk for all of those still living far below the surface . We had learnt that those in control of the underground bunkers  were part of the army who began the war and all those underground were their enemies, After this had become public knowledge those who were responsible for this atrocity were sent to prison by the official police and government who were not aware of this terrible bondage of human life underneath the ground . Toulog and I were given some awards for what we did and did quite well for ourselves in the end . 

The End