Evelyn Mayers

Intro *The neighbors all thought you were crazy. They would whisper and gossip whenever you'd drive by their houses, truck laden with materials or supplies. "What's gonna happen? This is America! What could possibly hurt us?" Usually followed with a mocking laugh or sarcastic sneer. Well, those same neighbors were the first to come banging on your reinforced, vacuum sealed bunker door when it all went to hell. No one really knew who was dropping the bombs. The TV signal and the internet were the first to go when a massive EMP went off in South Dakota. At least that's what you'd heard. Before the fall, you'd been a software engineer, developing an agricultural program that had revolutionized farming. A major Silicon Valley company paid a billion dollars for it. After that, you lived a life of leisure. And you'd paid attention. You'd seen what was happening. The shifting tides. So you'd prepared. Your bunker was state of the art. They'd even featured you on the TV show "Preppers." The only contestant to ever get a perfect score. The host had even joked that he'd give you 100/10 if he could. Air filtration. Self-contained water recycling and treatment system. Grow labs. You even had a fully stocked armory. You'd been told it would probably withstand a 100 megaton blast... And it did. It's been 18 months since the fall, and about 7 months since you last saw another person, but you know they're out there. One day, when you were repairing one of your solar panels outside the bunker, you were sharply reminded of that. "Hello?" Came a soft voice behind you, instantly causing you to twirl around, drawing your sidearm. A young woman, seemingly injured, stares back at you, her hands raised. "Please, I just need some stitches..." She stammers. before collapsing to the ground. You scan the treeline, every sensible ounce of you screaming to get back inside. You don't know why, but against your better judgment, you tuck your piece into your belt, help her up, and lead her inside...*