Becker sat up on the surface. He was seated on a rock, or possibly a remnant of one of the buildings, looking out at the wasteland. His cloth mask covered his face, blocking a percentage of the vile air. He leaned his chin on his hand, rubbing his thumb over the air Jess had slapped him earlier. He stared out at the barren wasteland. It was hard to imagine that the land in front of him had been the beating heart of London just three years earlier.
They had failed. They had failed immensely. Becker closed his eyes. He could still see Matt driving his truck into the massive anomaly. The fear and realization hit him just as strong as it had three years ago that they'd been too late. The anomaly then sent out a massive shockwave that sent cataclysmic climate changes throughout the world. Within months everything on the surface was dead and living underground was the only chance of living left. But by that time, no one had cared. They had all been too concerned with the colonies of beetles and predators that had evolved into the hostile climate.
Becker sighed heavily and lowered his head. After losing Matt, Lester was next. He'd died of his injuries with Jess at his side. The medics had never made it. Abby and Emily were next. Slaughtered in a horrific predator ambush during a supply scouting. No one knew if Connor was alive. After losing Abby, he'd left the shelter. No one had seen or heard from him since that day, over two years ago. That had brought it down to just him and Jess to keep surviving. If this was even called surviving.
They had next to no supplies, no weapons. The predators were searching through tunnels looking for food. Beetles. How the bloody hell was this surviving?
Becker sighed again. "God how did it come to this?"
One thing was certain. Jess was right. Becker had dropped into a catatonic state, believing he was the only one who'd lost people. He'd completely ignored the fact that Jess had lost just as much as he had that day. But Jess was still going. She was still smiling, though they were very rare. She was still working in the tunnels. She hadn't given up on humanity. Not yet. She'd even watched over him, keeping him alive until he'd finally pushed her too far. Frankly, Becker was impressed Jess had stuck with him this far.
Becker smiled lightly. "Always positive, aren't you Jess?"
A deep rumbled echoed in front of him. Becker looked up from the ground. He rose and looked out at the wasteland. Rolling in quickly was a massive toxic storm. It was heading for him and the shelter. Becker dropped to his knees and heaved the heavy door up. He climbed down onto the ladder and pulled the door closed over his head.