Through the Ashes

100. 100 times society rose, 100 times it fell. 100 governments all put to rest and hundreds of thousands of people dead and exactly 100-year intervals between the various civilizations that have occupied this Earth. The number 100 has been special, good and bad special, ever since humanity gave up. Every time something happened to an old city, someone would rise up to create a new one, complete with government and buildings. It all went well for a exactly a hundred years before something tore it down: disease, war, terrible rulers, natural disasters. It was always something. Eventually, people stopped trying and things seemed to stabilize. So long story short, the world has ended. Or still ending, depending on how you look at it.

Now, most people live in the devastated concrete jungles that could once be called cities. Some have become broken down with smashed cars and buildings sporting twisted rebar. Others have been claimed again by mother natue, a few with trees so big that they have trapped cars and pieces of concrete within their trunk. Some have just been blown to bits, only a dead and scorched city or a large crater as a reminder of what used to stand there. That's where I live. A giant hollow in the ground that was once called Poughkeepsie, New York before World War III. Cavities line the inside of Former Poughkeepsie, leading the large expanse of underground tunnels called the Crypts, where people escaped when the outside world just became too much to look at. The collapsed remnants of the Mid-Hudson Bridge over the dried out river is one of the only reminders of the old life, as well as a few thrashed buildings on the outside of the crater.

Today, I've been sent out with my girlfriend, Kasie, to hunt for food and do some exploration. This is one of the more dangerous jobs, as we really have no clue what's out there. Many have left and never returned. Everybody that lives in the Crypts, save for the elderly, disabled, and small children, have some sort of job. It could be hunting, gathering, scouting, recruitment, look out and guard, mining, repair, or even entertainment to keep a lighthearted mood. I grip Kasie's hand tighter as we approach the mountain of boulders that towers over us. Shifting the rifle on my back, I sigh and release Kasie's hand. I place my hand on the rock, my gloves defending my palms from scratches. Heaving myself up onto the rock, I push my feet and hand between the crevices and ascend higher, Kasie following close behind. With a powerful exhale, I pull myself up onto the grassy cliff and sigh, a smile claiming my lips. Kasie soon hops up beside me and pats my shoulder.

"If you're this bad at exercising, we should just fix some shit next time," Kasie huffs with a laugh. I flip over and put a hand over my heart in mock hurt. "Like you're any better!" I snicker and she smacks my shoulder. Standing up, she offers her hand to me. I take it and pop up, pulling my rifle off my back and running ahead of her into the dense forest. When Kasie catches up, I motion for her to follow me towards the tree house located in one of the biggest tree that was in reasonable distance of the rock mountain. We climb up the rugged ladder and collapse into the tree house. The ground is littered with crude-looking weapons, greasy blankets, firewood, bags for game, and canned food in case of an emergency.

"It's good to finally be out of that hell-hole people call home," Kasie says. She pulls her long, dirty blonde hair up into a pony tail and crosses her arms over her chest. I know how much she hates the way we live and how she wishes to go back to the old life.

"Remember those people Buffer told us about?" I question, remembering the tale the crazy old man told us about.

She scoffs. "Which ones? The people who grow fish tails when they touch water or the ones who live on an island in the sky and never grow old?"

"The people who take vacations to the spirit world or something," I say. "What if we could do that? Travel to the realm of the spirits and control the world around us?" Kasie laughs and scoots closer to me, placing a kiss on my cheek.