Apocalyptic World

Chapter Seven: Bad Blood

I put my hands in the air and said, "Don't shoot." The soldier asked, "How many of you guys are raiders?" I looked at everyone and sighed. I looked at the soldiers and said, "I'm a raider." Sam put his hands in the air and said, "So am I." Two soldiers walked to me and Sam and cuffed us. Another soldier walked to us and patted us down. He found our ID's and said, "Mr. Samuel, Mr. Nathan. You two are under US custody." The soldier then looked to everyone else and said, "You four will be escorted to the lounge." Catherine asked, "What'll happen to those two?" The soldier said, "Death is far too good for raiders." I said, "Death might be the best thing for me. I like torture." The soldier walked to me and punched me in the face. I smiled and said, "You hit like a toddler." The soldier then kneed my stomach and kicked me in the face. Sam kept a straight face and I said, "My crippled grandmother hits harder than that." I was able to tell that I was pushing the soldiers buttons. The soldier then drew his gun and pressed it on my forehead. Catherine ran and pushed the soldier away from me. She then stood in front of me and said, "Please don't kill him." I was in shock because I never guessed that she would do something like this. The soldier said, "Ma'am, you need to move." Catherine said, "If you want to kill him. Then you need to kill me." The soldier asked, "What do I need to do to calm you down?" Catherine said, "Uncuff them." The soldier nodded and the other soldiers uncuffed us. I walked up to the soldier that beat me up and said, "You need a punch like this." I then punched the soldier so hard that he fell and spat out some blood. I walked back to Catherine and said, "Thank you." Catherine hugged me and asked, "Why'd you provoke him?" Catherine let go of me and I said, "I was buying time." The soldier got up and said, "You six need to follow us or else." I said, "Of course." The soldiers then started walking and Sam said, "This beats being chased by Eli." I said, "Yeah but I'm playing this entire thing in my favor. Just keep their guns aimed for me and you." Sam said, "Should be easy enough." I said, "Yep and just made one more enemy." Sam said, "He sure did hit you hard." I said, "Yeah but it's nothing too serious." Catherine walked up to me and asked, "Did I ruin your plan?" I smiled and said, "Not at all but I'm going to be in a few fights." We stopped moving and a soldier said, "We caught them." The ground then started to move down. Sam said, "This is so cool." I smiled but something was off. They never gave back our ID's or took our weapons. What were they planning? Soon we made it to the bottom and we stepped off the panel and it went back up. An old man then stepped forward and said, "Nice to meet you guys." Jacob now has control and I took a step back. The old man said, "I am President Oren." I looked at him and said, "Listen, you most likely haven't met anyone from the outside world but we don't care about Presidents." Oren said, "Noted but you're in a bunker now and we care about Presidents." I looked around and said, "I could kill you and make it outta here alive if I pleased so you better not be wasting my time." Oren said, "Prove it." I smiled and said, "Where's the fun in that? I would much rather have you take it as lightly as possible." Oren said, "I knew your father." I said, "You better not try to make me lower my guard because I don't care if you knew my mother." Oren said, "Well, I know your mother." I said, "She's dead. So you knew her." A door then opened and my mom walked through. I looked at her with a loss for words. Mom held her arms out and said, "Nathan, I'm so happy to see you again." I bawled my hand into a fist and said, "Well, I'm not glad to see you. For almost thirteen years I've been thinking about your death but now I know that you faked it. Dad died for nothing!" Mom dropped her arms and said, "I had to fake my death. For you." I yelled, "You're lying. Tell me why you faked your death?" Mom said, "I did it so the government wouldn't shut our research down. The creatures are dangerous and if we stopped our research, they would've-" "They did, destroy the world!" I snapped. Mom asked, "What happened to you?" I said, "Life happened. I killed my old self so I could survive. I ignored all of my feelings to move on from your death. I am me and no thanks to you." Sam put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Calm down Nate." Mom looked at me with calming eyes but I just stared at her with eyes of anger. I looked at the President and said, "This isn't looking too good for you." Oren said, "I have a mission for you guys tomorrow but I think you need some rest so let my guards escort you to your rooms." The guards led us through the main hall and all the people took one look at my angry face and started to murmur. Sam said, "Don't look like that." I said, "All I need is one more thing to go wrong and I'm going to kill everyone in this bunker." Everyone gasped and stepped back. Sam said, "Great, you've done it now." Catherine said, "I was expecting a different reaction if your mom was still alive." I said, "It'd be best that she stays far away from me." Catherine said, "She still loves you." I said, "Good for her. I lost any and all love for her." Catherine said, "You can't hate your own mother." I said, "I can and I am." Soon we made it to two doors. Sam said, "Me, Chloe and Tommy will take the left. Just so that Tommy will stay alive." I said, "I don't care." I walked into the right door and looked around. Catherine and Lucy ran in and were really happy. The room was way too fancy for my taste. I shut the door and sat on the couch they had. I took control of my body, still having the same feelings about my mom. I took a deep breath and said, "I was way too harsh on her. She just saw her only son again." Catherine sat next to me and said, "This place is amazing." I asked, "You don't miss the sun?" Catherine said, "Of course I do. Don't you?" I said, "I do." Catherine said, "You seemed to calm down a lot." I said, "I have but she still did me and dad wrong. We loved her but she didn't love us enough to not fake her death. She loved her precious work more." Catherine said, "I'm sure that's not true." I said, "She said that. She said that the government was about to shut down the project." Catherine said, "The Exosaurs can destroy the world." I said, "Look at the world now and tell me that it isn't destroyed. I'm a mass murderer." Mom walked through the door and said, "You didn't let me explain earlier." I looked at her and said, "You must have a death wish." Mom said, "I trust that you won't hurt me." I stood up and said, "You have excellent trust in me but you're the last person I want to see right now." Mom said, "I know what happened. They told me about your dad." I bawled my hand into a fist. Raging mad that she's trying to manipulate my feelings. I said, "I killed him. I beat him to death." Mom nodded and said, "I know. I just want to know why." I said, "To live. I regret the decision but I thought that was reuniting you and dad." Mom said, "I faked my death to continue my research. I was also researching you but as you got older. You started to ask questions." I asked, "Why were you researching me?" Mom sighed and said, "Your DNA is similar to the DNA to alpha exosaurs. You still have my and your dad's genes but they're arranged in a similar way to an Exosaur." I said, "That's stupid and weird." Mom said, "It's true." I said, "It doesn't make sense though." Mom said, "We don't understand it but exosaurs act differently around you." I said, "So I'm another creature in your collection." Mom said, "You ever wonder why you're so instinctive? Why are you seen as a demon from other perspectives? Do you wonder when you look in the mirror, your eyes are full of death. You ever wonder why you have an uncontrollable bloodlust?" I said, "That's what you think of me." Mom said, "I know my son." I squaze my hand and yelled, "YOU DON'T KNOW ME!" Mom said, "Yes I do." I shook my head, "You don't know me. I know this because you see me as a monster. You think that I have an uncontrollable urge to kill people. You are afraid of me." Mom said, "Don't lie to yourself." I said, "I'm not lying to myself. You're the one lying to yourself. On the other hand, I have lost myself. For sixteen years, I thought that I knew who I was. I fell for your trap. I don't know who I am." Mom said, "You're my son." I said, "I don't believe you." Catherine grabbed my hand and said, "I know who you are." Mom said, "Please stay out of this." Catherine said, "No, I have as much reason to be in this conversation as much as Nate does." Mom looked at me and I asked, "What else are you hiding?" Mom said, "I'm not hiding anything." I said, "You've been hiding facts about me from dad for years." Mom was about to speak but I said, "And you weren't doing it for anyone but yourself. You saw me as a project and tried to research me. The government sees me as a project. The only people who see me as a person are the people I've met during the eleven years of my survival, you selfish bastard. Sam is more of a parent to me than you ever was and you want to say that you love me." Mom said, "But I do see you as a person. I see you as my son and I love you more than anything in the world." I said, "Keep on saying that. It won't change the truth." Catherine said, "Maybe your mother sees you as a special person." I said, "Yeah, special enough to perform research on." Mom said, "That's not true." I said, "Yes it is. I know that you want to cut me open and see what makes me tick." Mom said, "Life can't be so harsh that it changed you this much." I said, "It didn't change me. It made me who I am. I'm a fighter and not your guinea pig." Mom said, "You never were my guinea pig. You always were my son." I said, "If I was your son. You never would've left me." Mom said, "It was the only way to continue my research and keep you safe." I laughed and said, "Keep me safe. Keep me safe. For the last eleven years I was anything but safe. I got shot a few days ago, I'm being chased by raiders, I have a bounty on head, and I'm being chased by assassins. Tell me how any of those things are safe." Mom said, "The government can help you with those." I said, "No, you won't help me. They won't help me and I won't help them. The current government is safer than this one." Mom said, "Give an example." I said, "Sure, people aren't getting murdered everyday. We have successful treaties and everyone has an equal chance of survival. We even made some cures for illnesses that would've taken you twenty years to create. Everyone who lives in a bunker are cowards." Mom said, "Maybe raiders are cowards." I said, "Prove that the old world government isn't cowardly." Mom was silent, I said, "Exactly. You guys were afraid that we were going to take over and now that "raiders" have power. You're afraid." Mom said, "Yeah but we have info about the exosaurs." I said, "So do we. I've been researching exosaurs and we now live side by side with them." Mom said, "That's impossible. We've sent research agents to get a close look at them and they all have died. Exosaurs are murderous creatures." I said, "So just because they kill to survive you think that they're murderous." Mom nodded and I said, "Then I'm a murderous creature." Mom said, "No you're not." I said, "But I kill to survive. So make up your mind." Mom looked like she was about to burst. I said, "Let it all out. All the anger or fear. Maybe it's both." Mom said, "I'm not mad or scared." I said, "I know you are scared and mad. I can tell from the way you look and the way you're standing." Mom walked away and I yelled, "That's another thing. You never stay long enough for anything to get done. You're always leaving when things don't go your way." Mom didn't stop walking. I shut the door and took a deep breath. I looked at Catherine and said, "I'm sorry for that." Catherine said, "I don't mind at all but you really let your feelings out." I said, "That's because she faked her death early on and when I found out that she's alive. She says that I'm an experiment and that she loves me. It doesn't work like that." Catherine said, "Well, you two should finish the conversation." I said, "It won't matter. She's just going to walk away." Catherine said, "Maybe that's how she is." I said, "A coward as a mother. Just perfect." Catherine sighed and asked, "Do you know how it feels to want to be somebody special?" I said, "Of course I do." Catherine said, "Maybe your mom wants to feel special to you." I said, "She's special alright and not the good kind of special." Catherine asked, "What about you? What do you want?" I said, "I want a family. I want people that I feel safe around. People who won't abandon me. I want an actual family." Catherine said, "She is family." I said, "She isn't family. She's a coward." I asked, "What do you want?" Catherine said, "I also want a family. I want people to keep Lucy safe, people to make me and Lucy happy. But our parents are actually dead. Your mom isn't." I said, "She's dead to me." Catherine said, "You should be grateful. People like me and Lucy don't get a second chance." I said, "I don't get second chances either. I get put into situations like the one I'm in." Catherine said, "This is a second chance. You just can't see it." I said, "Sam is my second chance. He's the family I want and need." Catherine said, "But you two argue all the time." I said, "Yeah, family argues with each other but he also protected me. Mom can say that she protected me but she just brought me closer to death with each lie." Catherine smiled and said, "I hope you find your family." I hugged her and said, "Thanks, you're a good friend." I let go of Catherine and her face was burning red. I said, "You really blush a lot." Catherine said, "I don't know why." I said, "It's fine." Catherine smiled and said, "I hope that the blushing won't drive the boys in Raider Falls away." I said, "Probably won't but we have one problem." Catherine said, "Yeah, how are we going to leave?" I said, "I have a plan but it's going to cause more trouble for me." Catherine said, "Let's grab something to eat." I shrugged and asked, "What about Lucy?" Catherine called out, "Lucy, we're going to grab something to eat." Lucy ran to us and said, "I'm coming." I opened the door and a guard with a dog walked by but the dog looked at me and started to growl. I growled back and the dog started to whimper. Me, Catherine and Lucy then walked down the halls, looking for a place to eat. I looked around and everything reminded me of Gang Falls. Everyone was looking at me with fear in their eyes. Lucy finally got over her fear of me and was standing next to me again. We've been walking for ten minutes, still lost. A man walked up to us and asked, "Is this man holding you against your will?" I knew he was talking about me but I didn't say anything because if I spoke I would be an enemy to all bunkers. Catherine said, "Of course not." The man said, "Don't lie to me. This man is a psychopath." I mumbled, "You're the one harassing us." The man looked at me and asked, "What was that?" I said, "I didn't say anything sir." The man said, "That's what I thought." Ok, he went too far now. I said, "Actually, I did say something. I said that you're the one harassing us." The man said, "And you're the one who killed a bunch of people." I said, "Yeah and I wouldn't care about killing you." The man said, "And I wouldn't care about knocking you out." I said, "Throw your best punch but just know that I'll punch twice as hard." The man said, "I'm not afraid of you. Raider." I said, "Well, you're worse than a raider. You're alright living in a bunker that kills raiders because we don't abide by your rules. You're a coward." The man said, "We're no cowards." I said, "Then hit me. Show that you're not afraid to take consequences for your actions." The man bawled his hand into a fist to hit me but stopped. I said, "That's what I thought." I said, "Now, please tell us where we can eat." The man said, "Down the hall and take a right." I nodded and said, "Thank you." Me, Catherine and Lucy walked off. Catherine said, "You did well not to hit him." I said, "I just want to eat." Catherine said, "I know right. We can finally get some real food in eleven years." I smiled and said, "It'll be an experience to remember alright." Lucy said, "I hope they have chicken curry." Catherine smiled and said, "I hope they have hamburgers." I said, "Well, I don't know what I want." Catherine said, "Come on, what was your favorite food before this started." I said, "Beef stew." Catherine said, "Then eat that." I said, "Alright but I'm not eating in a cafeteria." Chloe said, "Why, human interaction is good for someone like you." I said, "I'm just used to eating with small groups." Catherine said, "Just try it." I said, "Fine but I'm just doing it because this is the last time I'm staying in a bunker." Catherine said, "Who knows? Maybe you'll find a girlfriend." I said, "Maybe you'll find a boyfriend." Lucy said, "You two should date each other." I was able to feel myself about ready to blush and I knew that Catherine feels the same. I said, "Well, we aren't really into each other." Catherine said, "Yeah but you know it's rude to bud into someone's conversation." Lucy said, "I was just saying." Two people then walked beside us. They looked to be around our age. One was a boy and the other one was a girl. They had a skin color that kinda made them look like they were from a tropical island. I asked, "You guys wouldn't be from Hawaii by any chance?" The boy said, "We are from Hawaii. The vice President is our father." I forced out a smile and said, "That's great." I was able to tell that the boy was trying to use his father's position in the government to flirt with Catherine but it was obvious that she couldn't care less." The girl asked, "You're a raider right?" I said, "Yeah." The girl's eyes grew big and she asked, "What is it like out there?" This girl had a certain look to her that made her seem like she couldn't care less about finding a significant other. I smiled and said, "Well, for starters. The land is still as beautiful as it was eleven years ago, possibly even more beautiful. It's quiet and full of life." The girl asked, "What about the moon and stars? I was born in a place where no hawaiian could see the stars so I have never seen them. The elders here say that they're so bright and beautiful that you can look at it for hours." I said, "I'm not going to ask but it is that beautiful but you can also see other galaxies some nights." The girl said, "Now I really wish that I can see them." I said, "I can take you to see them some day." The girl said, "Really." I smiled and said, "Sure, I'm Nathan by the way." The girl smiled and said, "I'm Rachel." I said, "That's a pretty name." Rachel said, "Yeah, people always say that but how can you take me to see the stars?" I said, "After dinner, come with me. I think that you might be able to see the Leo constellation tonight." Rachel said, "Thanks but we're told that Exosaur's are most active at night." I said, "Only if they don't eat. You can trust me. I won't let anything hurt you." Rachel smiled and the boy said, "I don't like you." I took a deep breath. These two don't know who I am so I'm not going to go off on them. Catherine asked, "Why don't you like him?" The boy said, "I'm sorry. My name is Joseph and I don't like him because you two are obviously dating and he's flirting with my sister." I said, "First off, we aren't dating. Second, I'm not flirting. I actually want to take her stargazing. She deserves to see the stars at least once in her life." Joseph said, "Prove that you two aren't dating." I said, "Alright. She's single, I'm single." Catherine said, "He smells and I don't." I said, "You're lucky I don't hit girls." Joseph said, "You two aren't dating." I said, "Yeah and one more thing." Thomas asked, "What?" I said, "I don't care if your father is the vice President." Rachel said, "Sorry about him. He's two years older than me and is very over protective." I asked, "How old are you?" Rachel said, "I'm fifteen." I said, "Oh, so he's a big seventeen." Joseph asked, "How old are you?" I said, "I'm sixteen but I'm still tougher than you." Rachel said, "Wait, your mom is the head scientist. Everyone says that you're mad at her." I said, "I am. It's personal but please don't judge me about that." Rachel said, "I'd never judge a person. I know that you killed people but I'm not in your place so you might have a good reason for all you did." I smiled and said, "Thank you. Not a lot of people are like that." Rachel smiled and said, "That's just the way I am. I like to see people for who they really are and you have kind eyes so you must be a kind person." Catherine said, "He is but he'll make people regret messing with him." Joseph said, "I'm not afraid of him plus we can't leave the bunker so she can't see the stars." I said, "They might allow it if I protect her." Joseph got in my face and asked, "How can we trust you?" I said, "Raiders don't lie. We keep our word." Joseph said, "You could be lying." I said, "You just have to trust me then." Joseph backed off and said, "I'll never trust a filthy raider." Rachel said, "Joseph stop it. Just be nice to these guests." Joseph said, "Fine but I'll kill you if she gets hurt." I said, "Good, we are understanding each other." Rachel asked, "Are raiders really as bad as the government says?" I asked, "Depends, what do they say about us?" Rachel said, "They say that you all are monsters. You kill without a second thought. Commit crimes everyday and are just savages." I said, "Well, that is a lie. We kill when we have to in order to survive. We also have our own laws and we don't break them. We don't even commit old world crimes that much. Now there are raiders who are really bad people and kill a lot but we have punishments for them. But I don't think the old world government sees it that way because we don't abide by their rules." Rachel said, "So it's safe to go outside." I said, "Now I never said all that. The Exosaurs are still very dangerous creatures and it is still a crime to trespass and you guys don't know it but you are right next to raider territory. Raiders don't take too kindly to trespassers and if you don't have raiding licenses then you are not allowed to kill. You also have no protection without raiding licenses so raiders can do anything they want to you and they will be within the law." Rachel said, "That's horrible." I said, "Yeah but you could try to become allies with those raiders. Then you'll have free protection but you still need to get a license." Rachel said, "So you guys are just trying to survive." I nodded and said, "Life up there is rough but good. One of our laws is also to leave bunkers alone. We can't attack them at all." Rachel said, "So these laws keep us safe. Not our protection." I said, "Pretty much." Joseph said, "You're lying. Raiders kill anyone they want." I said, "Let me guess. You also think that we don't shoot other raiders." Joseph said, "You don't." I lifted my pants leg, revealing the bandage on my gunshot wound and said, "Explain this. I was shot in my right leg with a deagle by a raider." Joseph looked at my wound and said, "We all know that you shot yourself." I said, "I use a Beretta. Not a deagle." Joseph said, "Well, you could've swapped to a beretta." I nodded and said, "Wow, you really are thinking out of the box." Joseph bawled his hand into a fist and I backed down. I don't want to waste my energy fighting him even though it would only take two seconds to knock him out. I have bigger problems. Joseph said, "Stay in your place." Now I'm just about ready to knock him out but I have better things to do. I looked at Rachel and said, "So find me after dinner." Rachel nodded and Catherine, Lucy and I walked off. Catherine said, "Looks like you found a girlfriend." I said, "I don't know but that Joseph guy needs to back off. I'm just about ready to punch him." Catherine said, "I was wondering when you were going to punch him." I said, "It is good to know what they think of raiders." Catherine said, "I'd be furious if I were a raider." I said, "You are a raider and I'm not mad about that one bit. It's funny to me." Catherine said, "I'm just wondering how you're going to get out of here when you were the one who threatened the President." I said, "That's nothing. Sam shot the governor." Catherine said, "You're not making this better for either of you." I said, "I was just saying. We know what we're doing." Catherine said, "Just to change the subject.-" "You want to know what I think of Rachel." I interrupted. Catherine said, "Pretty much." I sighed and said, "She reminds me of my dead friend Rachel. Interested in the stars, always sees the good in people, and is pretty cute." Catherine said, "So you would actually date her." I shrugged and said, "I don't really know. Maybe I guess." Catherine said, "You said maybe with me. You're not saying it to her so is it yes or no." I said, "I couldn't tell you. We just met and I don't know her too well." Catherine said, "Well you have to choose." I said, "Once we finish eating, I'll tell you." Catherine said, "Alright." I said, "But what do you think of Joseph?" Catherine said, "He's a jerk." I said, "In his defense. I am a raider and he thinks that I'm taking his little sister on a date." Catherine said, "You're standing her up." I said, "No, I'm just taking her stargazing. I keep my word." Catherine said, "Oh but that doesn't excuse the fact that he told you to stay in your place." I said, "We don't know what they are teaching these kids. They might think that raiders are below them." Catherine said, "He's also trying too hard to impress me. I couldn't care less if his father is the Vice President. He could be the President and I'll still take a raider over him." I said, "Yeah so that means he didn't hit a single box." Catherine said, "Of course not. He's nothing to me." I said, "Well, I don't think he'll understand that. I'm pretty sure that he thinks I'm scared of him." Catherine said, "You couldn't be scared if your life depended on it." I laughed and said, "True. I couldn't." Soon we made it to a cafeteria and there was a counter serving food. Catherine and I walked up and hit a bell. A big man walked up. I looked at him in shock. He had to be at least seven feet tall and he looked like he could fight a grizzly. He had a tattoo on his right forearm and some scars on his other forearm. I looked at his eyes and they were a deep blue. He also had a scar on his left cheek and it had to be an inch max. The man spoke in a deep voice, "Can I help you?" I said, "Yes, um-" Catherine said, "Just get all three of us a steak. Cooked medium-well." The man nodded and walked into the kitchen. I looked at Catherine and said, "That man is huge." Catherine said, "Yeah, I noticed." I said, "Noticed?! How can you not see that he looks like he fights bears for a living." Catherine said, "He might just be that tall naturally. I mean look at you. You're about six feet, one scar and you fight raiders and exosaurs for a living." I said, "Yeah, I'm a raider. He's a chef, I think." Catherine said, "So he intimidates you." I said, "Not at all. I'm just surprised to see someone so tall." The chef came back and said, "I hope you enjoy your meals." I nodded and said, "Thanks." The chef said, "I'm also surprised by your appearance. When they said that a raider was going to be staying here. I imagined you taller and scarier." I said, "My other friend is taller than me but we raiders are just people trying to survive. We don't have bunkers like you guys so we have to create our own rules and adjust." The chef nodded and said, "You speak just like my daughter Rachel." Rachel is his father. Now I know I'm dead if I don't protect her. Catherine said, "Wait, Joseph said that you are the Vice President." The chef smiled and said, "He's ashamed of my job. He only tells people that so they would treat him with respect." I said, "Well thank you for the food." The chef said, "I'm happy to help anyone who doesn't have as much as me." I smiled and we walked off. Soon we found an open table and sat down. Catherine said, "You are so dead if she is hurt while stargazing with you." I said, "I know and now I'm scared of what he can do." Catherine said, "His son might grow to be that big." I said, "Eh, he won't last a second." Catherine said, "True but I just can't wait for the conversation with Sam." I said, "I forgot about that. Sam is going to go off, in a good way, but still." Sam walked up and said, "Hey guys." Catherine said, "Speak of the devil." Sam asked, "What are you talking about?" I said, "Tell him and you are dead." Lucy said, "Nate has a date." I looked at Lucy and said, "Screw you." Lucy smiled and Sam said, "Aye, that's my boy. So who's it with?" I took a bite of my steak and jokingly said, "Your mom." Sam returned the joke by saying, "I mean she's pretty old but beautiful. Good for you." I swallowed the steak and said, "You know what. Screw you too." Sam said, "I know you love me." I said, "I tolerate you." Sam said, "No you don't. But for real, tell me who you're going out with." I said, "I'm not going on a date." Catherine said, "It's a girl named Rachel and they're going stargazing." I said, "So everyone is just going to pick on me alright." Sam said, "Oooo, a girl named Rachel." I said, "I have a steak knife in my hands. Be careful with what you say." Sam asked, "Alright, why are you going stargazing with this girl?" I said, "She's never seen the stars. It's cruel to leave a person like that." Sam said, "Right and you know all about being cruel." I said, "I will bring up the California governor." Sam said, "Alright. I also know a thing or two about being cruel." I asked, "Where's Chloe?" Sam said, "Sounds like someone is worried." I said, "I still have that steak knife." Sam said, "At the apartment. She didn't want to eat." I said, "Alright." Sam said, "By the way, the chef is huge." I said, "Yeah, and he's Rachel's father." Sam said, "Good luck bro." I said, "I'm going to need it." Mom walked over and I said, "I have a steak knife so be wary of what you say." Mom said, "I just wanted to say that I want to solve our problem and I won't walk away." I said, "Alright but know that an apology can't change the past." Mom said, "I don't understand why you're mad at me." I said, "I had no mother for the past eleven years. I cried for two years straight because I lost you. Each time I even thought about you, I wanted to cry and now that I know all those tears were for nothing and that I'm just an experiment. You wonder why I'm mad." Mom said, "You don't understand. I didn't mean to say it how I said it but it was the only way to say it and I had to fake my death to continue the research." I said, "This oh so precious research. I wish you cared for me that much but I'm just a test subject." Mom said, "I never said that." I said, "I bet you want my blood. I have a gunshot wound that hasn't fully sealed up yet. Take as much blood as you want." Mom said, "You have a gunshot wound." I said, "I thought you wouldn't care since you died for this dang research." Mom said, "You're my son. We need to treat it." I said, "It's fine but our problem isn't being solved one bit." Mom said, "Nathan, please forgive me." I said, "I can't because I can't trust you." Mom said, "Well I can't trust you either." I said, "Raiders keep their word. You don't." Mom said, "I did this a long time ago and I wanted to spend all my time with you and your father." I said, "Then why didn't you? I was heartbroken when you died. I felt like I lost a part of me when you died. I would've been happy because I was so young but now that you want to appear when I understand what's going on in this world. You think a hug and an apology is enough for me to say 'Mommy I love you'. That's not how it works. You hurt me when I found out you weren't dead. I nearly died twice this week and all you can say is that you did this for me. You did this for you." Mom said, "I-I" I said, "You only think about you. You didn't think about dad and you didn't think about me. You didn't think how we would've felt if you just died. I, on the other hand, try to help others. I put other lives before my own. You put your life before others." Mom said, "I can't say anything." I said, "That's right, you can't because you have no more excuses. No more lies. No more tricks. I have shown you what denying your own child has brought you. All it brought you was pain and sorrow. Or maybe you aren't sad. Maybe you like having the spotlight. Everyone here knows about the great Dr. Tracy. The only scientist who knows about exosaurs. This was your dream right. To be the best scientist, someone who everyone looks up to." Mom said, "I was supposed to make it here with you and your dad." I said, "Well, you made it here alone." Mom couldn't say anything. She just stood there with tears coming down her cheeks. I said, "You feel that gap in your heart. I have had it ever since you died. Now just try to imagine what I went through without you. Everyday, I told dad that no one could replace you but now. I know that I was a fool. Anyone could've replace you and love me twice as much." I got up and walked off. Everyone was staring at us. I don't care though. I said what had to be said. I eventually made it into a hallway and managed to calm down. I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I turned and saw the chef walking towards me. The chef stopped in front of me and said, "You're not crying." I said, "I haven't cried in eleven years. I'm not shedding any more tears for her." The chef said, "Listen-" I said, "Nathan." The chef said, "I'm Tyler but anyways. Listen Nathan. I'm not here to tell you that what you did was wrong or over the top." I said, "That's new to me. Everyone always says that I'm going too hard on her." Tyler said, "Not in my book. She put you in a state of mourning and pain. No mother should do that and what's even worse. She tried to just say that she's sorry and expect it to be over." I said, "I know she's my mother but she's a coward too." Tyler nodded and said, "I love my kids so much that I would quit my job just to be with them. I'm sorry that you're suffering like this." I said, "It's fine. I've learned to live with it." Tyler said, "Just tell me if you need anything. You might be a raider but I know that people still have feelings and they can be hurt." I said, "Thank you." Tyler said, "No, thank you. You made me realize how much I love my kids." I said, "One thing. I'm taking your daughter stargazing." Tyler said, "I trust that you'll do all you can to protect her." I said, "Thanks." Tyler smiled and walked off. I sighed and walked to the hallway that I met Rachel in. I waited for twenty minutes and walked over to me. Rachel said, "I didn't think you'd make it." I said, "Raiders stay true to their word." Rachel hugged me and said, "Thank you." When she let go of me and I said, "No problem. Also I met your dad and he's a really nice guy." Rachel said, "I thought his size would scare you." I said, "He did scare me when I first met him but I've warmed up to him." Rachel said, "I can't wait to go." I said, "Well, let's go then but you're going to have to lead me to the entrance of the bunker." Rachel said, "Sure, let's go." Me and Rachel then walked to the entrance and I absolutely love her ambition. We made it to the entrance in three minutes and I looked at one of the workers and asked, "Can you send us up please? Just for ten minutes." The worker said, "You two are on your own for ten minutes." I grabbed my gun and I said, "I think I can manage." The worker shrugged and pressed a button. The floor then began to rise and it actually startled Rachel a little bit. She grabbed onto my arm and let go after a few seconds. She moved some hair from her face and said, "Sorry." I said, "It's fine. I don't mind. This machine kinda scares me too but are you getting your hair cut soon." Rachel said, "I don't know. I like my hair long." I said, "Well, you could cut it a little bit. Just to keep it out of your face." Rachel said, "Yeah, I could cut it a little bit." I said, "Besides, it'll grow back." Rachel said, "Yeah, it will." I said, "I'm just saying. By cutting your hair a little bit, you won't be hiding your beautiful face." Rachel smiled and said, "You really think I'm beautiful." I said, "I do but are you always this shy? You weren't acting like this earlier." Rachel said, "I am normally this shy. I just wasn't acting this way earlier because I was with Joseph and I wasn't focussed on anyone. I was focussed on asking about the stars." I said, "I used to be that shy but the world changed all that." Rachel said, "It won't get rid of my shyness." I said, "It can if you surround yourself with the right people." Rachel asked, "What about that girl you were with?" I said, "Oh, Catherine. She's a really close friend of mine." Rachel asked, "Are you sure?" I asked, "What do you mean?" Rachel said, "When Joseph said that you two were dating. Catherine blushed a little bit." I can't believe that I didn't notice that. She is still in love with me. I said, "I guess she's attracted to me." Rachel said, "Yeah, I guess." Soon we made it close to the top and two panels moved, revealing the stars. I looked at Rachel and she was lit up in amazement and joy. We then made it to the top and Rachel looked around with a huge smile. Rachel said, "It's beautiful." I said, "It is." I looked around and it was one of the most beautiful nights I was ever going to get but I couldn't feel happy or impressed. I only felt sorrow and I didn't know why. Rachel was about to step off the platform so I grabbed her hand and said, "We only have ten minutes." Rachel said, "I just want to enjoy the scenery." I nodded and let go of her. I followed her off the platform. Rachel frolicked around in the grass. She looked so happy. I said, "You do have to be careful." Rachel said, "I know." I looked up and saw a shooting star. I then remembered that a meteor shower was happening tonight so I said, "Rachel, a meteor shower is starting soon." Soon I saw another shooting star. I said, "Actually, it's starting now." I sat down on the platform and Rachel sat next. We then watched the meteor shower. During the meteor shower I decided to scan the area from where I was. As I scanned the area, I saw a herd of sleeping Exosaurs possibly two kilometers from here. I also saw a pack of wolves three kilometers away and I heard some vehicles possibly a few miles from our position. As soon as the meteor shower was over. We stood up and I stomped on the panel. The floor then went down and Rachel asked, "What'd you do that for?" I said, "I heard some raiders. They could possibly be a mile away but I'm not taking any chances." Rachel said, "But you're also a raider so they won't attack you plus you have laws." I said, "Yeah, funny story. I have a bounty on my head in this state and I have some riders who want me dead. The raiders who want me dead don't care about the bunker law." Rachel asked, "Why do you have a bounty?" I said, "Murder without a raider license. This happened ten years ago and I didn't have a license." Rachel said, "Well, you have one now right." I nodded and said, "I do have one but the raiders that want me dead. Want me dead because I killed a few of them. In self defense." Rachel said, "Oh." I said, "Yeah." Rachel asked, "Should I be worried?" I said, "You shouldn't be worried. I have to be worried." Rachel asked, "If you're being chased by all these people. Why'd you offer to take me to see the stars?" I said, "Because, I wanted to." Rachel said, "Thanks." I said, "No problem." After a few minutes we made it into the bunker and I said, "That was fun." Rachel nodded and walked off. I walked to my apartment, where I found Catherine passed out on the couch. I sighed and shook her. Catherine woke up and I said, "I thought I was sleeping on the couch." Catherine got up and said, "You can. I just passed out after playing with Lucy." I said, "Well, we both need sleep." Catherine nodded and walked into the bedroom. I took out the radio. I turned it on and spoke into it, "Drake brother to metal arm." The radio spoke, "Nate, you're alive." I said, "Yeah, so are Sam and the Locke sisters." Ben said, "That's great news. I was told that you guys died." I said, "Not yet but we're in a bunker. They sort of took us in and everything is weird." Ben said, "Dang, you guys are lucky." I said, "I don't know but one thing's for sure. They see us as a bunch of criminals." Ben said, "They aren't wrong. Technically speaking." I said, "We're only criminals because we don't abide by their rules." Ben said, "True but when are you guys leaving?" I said, "Tomorrow, definitely." Ben said, "Alright, I'm coming to pick you guys up this time." I said, "Really, well you must have a plane because we're two days away." Ben said, "I do have a plane." I said, "Alright, see you then." Ben said, "Yep." I turned off my radio and laid down. I sighed as I fell asleep.