A Game of Faith

Earth in a hopeless, post-apocalyptic state, ruined by a reckless nuclear war that left countless dead and even more struggling.

When the world was burning up and survivors were plunged into despair, a new strange type of radiation appeared. It caused a mutation in the bodies of humans and animals alike. Many fell deathly ill to its symptoms, but those who endured found that they could use what can be best described as ‘magical powers’. These powers gave people the ability to control the energy around them, bending air, fire, and water at will.

This is the story of one young survivor named June.

For many restless nights, I had envisioned this menacing, enigmatic government facility. Spiralling in my mind are rumours of the fog that indefinitely shrouded the building and the barbed, iron fences that penetrated the sky. I heard whispered stories of those who innocently wandered too close and vanished, footprints and all. Until this moment, I was wary of its mere existence, but now, I stand before it, breath locked in the pit of my throat.

Gnarled, old thickets cast a thin veneer of leaves over a round, steel hatch. It seems to have weathered ravaging storms, perhaps even endured a hit from an explosion, too. The crust of rusted metal makes it seem embedded into the ground. From where I stand, ankle-deep in grey mist, I can see the rumoured cast-iron fences. They are countlessly more terrifying than the tales they inhabit.

This hatch, several yards away from the gate, is likely a secret back entrance. I would have missed it too if I hadn’t known to search here. The dirt beneath my feet used to be lush soil. It used to keep the city’s largest forest, in it a trail that led to a beautiful lake. I had spent many evenings there with my brother playing hide-and-seek. Now, surrounded by dozens of charred tree trunks, in our favourite hiding spot, is the entrance to a secret government bunker.

It unhinges easily, the entire hatch coming off with one great pull. Suddenly, it’s like I’m stepping into another universe.

Some hours later…

Sirens blaring. Heavy footfalls.

The cold stone floor seems to follow me as I chase down the wide hall. They know not where I am, but every step strikes an echoing note. And I know better than to stop.

The bag strains my shoulders. I suppress a grunt and mentally inventory my spoils: a medical kit, two bottles of water, and at least ten cans of—

A shout from behind breaks my thought. A dozen simultaneous footsteps follow, all falling in precise unison.

I whip my head right and left. Only one place to hide. I lunge through the door, slam it shut, and place my palms on the knob. A tongue of flame emerges around my hands and the door immediately melts. It barely dissolves into the wall before there is a loud *BANG!* that makes me stumble backwards.

“Damn it, this one’s a fire-user,” a woman hisses from the other side. “Kick it down.”

Without missing a beat, the soldiers pound on the door. It whines with resistance but quickly bends.

I dash to the left side of the room, barely making it before the door gives in. A single woman steps in, a plume of smoke at her feet. Her steps are deliberate and slow as she makes her way around. I dare not peek out, even when I can feel her eyes glazing over me.

There is a long beat of silence as she passes.

“General Ferros, she must have escaped through that vent!” a man cries, pointing to the crudely melted bars on the opposite wall.

“Very good,” she says smugly, “You two, go in after the girl. The rest of you scout the nearby hallways.”

They carry the orders out without hesitation or complaint, only a firm “Yes ma’am”.

I wait for silence to fall once more before releasing a strained breath. With the room clear, I finally feel a bit of ease. I lean my back against the cold wall and let my mind drift to when it all started.

It was the 5:36am tremble of the New York skyline that first signaled the impending catastrophe. I had been making myself a mug of coffee in the kitchen. I peered out the window. Thick plumes of smoke suffocated the sky that had been clear for a week.

A guttural, monstrous sound ripped through the air, followed by agonized, drawn-out screams. Little did I know that was the first cry of a new-born world.

“Ju-hyun?” the drowsy voice of my little brother snapped me into panic mode. “Museun il-iya?” June, what’s going on?

“Alex, you have to stay in the basement,” I ushered him back through the door frame he stood in.

“It’s just an earthquake,” I said, the panic in my eyes betraying my fib. My breath hitched when the sharp smell of burning flesh and gasoline crawled up my nose, but I suppressed the quiver in my voice. “Don’t come out until eonni says so, ok?”

Hesitantly, he retreated.

The ground shook beneath me in unison with a great, thunderous roar, a sound that was not very far away. Screams and sirens smothered my ears as I leaped across the room, grabbing my backpack. I stuffed it with everything within reach: a knife, a water bottle, my phone, and my keys.

I shoved my feet into my boots when suddenly the screams stopped. A couple car alarms still wailed in the distance, but everything else was eerily still.

“June?” I heard Alex call meekly through the ringing in my ears.

“Stay there until I come back,” I manage, barely audible.

I wondered what may become of the world, but I had not expected this when I opened the door. Something terrible and unnatural had occurred, something no single being could have caused. The scale of devastation was beyond anything that I had seen before.

“There you are.” An acrid grasp on my shoulder shakes me from my reverie.

I turn to find the cold-eyed General Ferros peering down.

“I’m going to help you escape,” she says, noticing the venomous shift in my expression. “Give me your hand.”

She takes it without waiting for my reaction. Her fingers are surprisingly warm.

Wordlessly, she leads me into the hallway, unoccupied by any soldiers. We pass closed doors and long, dark halls. My fingertips itch, ready to ignite the entire bunker at any moment.

“I did some research on you when I heard you broke in,” she finally breaks the silence. “I planned to eliminate you, but it turns out you have a little brother. He’s still alive I presume, judging by the number of child-sized sweaters taken from our storage.”

Ferros pauses for a reply, but I only keep walking.

“I had a brother, too. His name was Julian. Only thirteen when he died. Ironically, it was also for invading private property.” She draws a slow breath. “Just wanted some medicine for our sick father. I was at home taking care of him when Jules snuck out in the middle of the night. I followed him because I knew exactly where he went, but there were only police cars and ambulances when I arrived. I couldn’t stop crying when I saw the body and ended up blacking out behind a tree.”

She turns and gives me a look, genuine pain in her eyes.

“I ran home when I woke up the morning after. I thought about all the ways I could break the news to Pa. I even took the long way back. But I didn’t have to tell him in the end.”

“So that’s why you’re helping me?” I ask.

“I joined the military to protect family,” she nods, “and I think we’re very alike. That’s how I knew you melted the vent as a decoy.”

We exchange another knowing look.

“We’re almost at the exit. Why don’t you tell me about you and your brother?”

“We didn’t have parents either. I worked full-time as a waitress to pay for Alex’s schooling while studying midwifery on the side. Our parents’ insurance paid for rent and food, but it didn’t last very long. We’ve always been barely scraping by and wondering when a mishap will throw us onto the streets. In lots of ways, our lives stayed the same after that day.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

I shake my head. “It only meant that we were better equipped for it. I had Alex hide in the house for weeks as I brought him food and water, but he eventually grew restless and wanted to explore with me. I told him it was too dangerous but--”

The click of a gun.

Hesitation saves me from a cruel fate. Ferros shot to the left, anticipating a dodge, as I stood perfectly still in shock. It not only pierces through the floor but even leaves the stone charred. Unamused at my dumbfoundedness, she aims again.

I scramble to gain distance, suddenly wondering where Alex could be at this moment. Still in his hiding spot? Or has he been captured?

Another shot. This one grazes my side. It barely touched skin yet it instantly burns as if my body was set on fire.

I round a corner, avoiding another bullet by mere inches.

“It’s unfortunate,” she drawls, “that people always fall for these sob stories.”

A dead end. Ferros raises her weapon to my head. I raise my hands in forfeit.

“Using your dead family as a trap,” I attempt, “Julian would be disappointed.”

“I’m sure he would be,” she murmurs emotionlessly.

The flames escape my palms quicker than she can pull the trigger. The hallway fills with an overwhelming inferno, blinding my vision.

When the white fades from my eyes, all that remains is a smear of ashes where Ferros used to stand, raising thick, black smoke. Sirens wail across the hall.

I stumble for the exit, barely latching onto consciousness.

The world is still when I make it to the river. Footprints that were not here this morning are imprinted into the soil. Bullets litter the ground. My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach as I frantically search the area. *This was our hiding place. It was supposed to be safe. How did they know he was here?*

A small figure leaps from behind.

“You’re back!” Alex exclaims, raising his arms for a hug. He squeezes my wound but I suppress the wince.

“Aigoo, of course I am, silly boy,” I hold him tight. His face lights up like the New York skyline.

“Are you okay, eonni?” his beady eyes stare in awe at my charred clothes, but I sense something else in his expression. Something changed in him as well.

I thumb his hair and give an incomprehensible smile. “Of course, Alex.”