Safe Haven

• Christian Martinazzo, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2014

We were so happy. Sure, the world had its issues, but that was nothing compared to what followed after the earthquake that rocked the nation. With millions dead from the catastrophic quake, the nation had already began its mourning, yet little was said for its military bases. For, stashed within the heart of the military compound, was the experimental drug Knox-677; the brain dead drug. It’s liquid infected the earth, spreading like the parasitical virus that it was. It struck the neighboring cities, revealing its true power. As hundreds of thousands of people were attacked by the brain eating drug. I was there too. The infected became literal interpretations of zombies: lifeless, apathetic, and completely unresponsive to all but the life force of the survivors. That night, we had tried to escape to the nearest safe place set up by the government. The traffic out of the city was havoc, even though only a fraction of the population had survived. Lifeless zombies swirled around in the city behind us, my wife seated beside me, and the radio turned on. To prevent any further contamination, at 3:00pm the government planned to drop a series of atomic and hydrogen bombs over the entire 500 mile radius of the infected cities and bases. We had less than an hour to get far enough away from here.
Beyond the city limits, the traffic cleared. The road was relatively quiet and the radios were completely silent. The road panned out in an almost endless stretch of tar, as wisps of desert sand danced away from our tires.
I glance at car’s radio clock. 2:57pm. Three minutes remaining, two miles until the safe haven. We would be there just in time. Rushing, speeding as fast as the car can take us More than a mile is already gone, we are looking for signs of the safe haven, but still nothing. Where is it? It should be here waiting for us. No, it-it’s not here! It’s nowhere!
My wife looks at me, desperation evident in her eyes. “It’s not here, we, we missed it.”
“No,” I say, “it has to be here. It has to, they told us it was here.”
Yet, there is nothing in sight. We sit there for a few moments, ignoring the count down and impending destruction. For those few moments, there is nothing but the sound of the humming engine.
We are suddenly woken from our stupor by the shining of a bright light.
Looking up, we glance upon a massive silver block. It’s the safe house, I know it.
“Honey,” I say, “We’re here.”
The base’s door is wide open, beckoning for us survivors to enter its protection. I glance down and see the time, 2:59. One minute remaining. There are soldiers out at front, beckoning for us to hurry. With the final moments we pulls up in the base. The great door closes, and a bright light ignites the desert sky.

We’re safe.