The Nuclear Family | BOOK I [✔️]

CHAPTER XVI

Ashley had been taken back to the hospital, and her injuries were treated. The government had a plan, but they needed time to execute this plan.

She woke up after a few hours, in her hospital bed, seemingly okay. A girl was hovering over her. A girl Ashley didn't know.

Ashley looked up at her,
"Who are you?" She asked.

"My name is Tamia." The girl replied, her expression blank.
"It seems they've been giving you a tough time, huh?" She said, laughing nervously a bit.

Ashley sat up, nodding, "Yeah.. I wish they'd let me out."
"They don't do that to whomever they deem perpetrators, you know." Tamia replied, stepping back and sitting in a chair.
"Figured that out." Ashley said, sighing.
"You know, that escape was clever. That blonde girl really seemed to care about you. It's really a shame they caught you, though." She stated, narrowing her eyes a bit.
"Blondie?" Ashley asked.
"Yeah?" Tamia replied, then realizing something, "Oh, they probably wiped your memory of your friends and family. Yeah, they did that to me too."
"Oh.. yeah. They did.." Ashley solemnly said, looking away.
"Hmmm, I think I recall the blondie's name starting with an H. Though, I can't quite remember the name. I do know it, but my memory is so bad I can't even remember." She states, looking up at Ashley.
"Mm.. it's like it rings a hell but then it doesn't.." Ashley said, feeling defeated a bit that she couldn't remember. The information was that the girl's name started with an H, and was blonde...

She thought real hard, knowing this girl must have been someone who was close to her, and clearly wanted her safe. She froze up for a few minutes. Tania went silent, letting Ashley take her time. Ashley, digging through her memory, remembered. This was because of what the girl did when saving her.

Ashley shot her head up, "Haley! It's gotta be Haley, right?!"

Tamia nodded, that name ringing a bell.
"Yeah, I believe so. The girl looked rough, like she'd been crying for days. Felt bad for her, really." She said, a bit of sympathy in her tone.

"Oh, I miss her so much.." Ashley said, looking down and a tear rolled down her face.
"Hey, it'll be alright. We'll get out of here somehow. Maybe. I don't know." Tamia replied, shrugging.

Ashley got up out of bed, stumbling a bit but she managed to stay up.

Tamia gently grabbed her hand and took her out of the room.
"I know a way out of here, but I just needed another person." She muttered.
Ashley nods in silence, going along with it.

Tamia took her to a vent.
"The vent won't budge. I figured out that it leads to the outside. Once we crawl through, it'll drop down to a sewer area, and then we just travel through there and get out somewhere. I'm too weak to get it open, so I figured I'd need another person to help." She explained, keeping her tone low.

Ashley nodded, and helped her try to open it. Eventually, after a good hot minute, they managed to get it open. Tamia went in, pulling Ashley in with her. The vent was tall enough for the two to walk through, crouching a bit.

Then, they heard a dreaded sound.

The nuclear siren.

Ashley panicked, but Tamia shushed her to make sure they could keep going.
The vents began to shake, and Ashley knew what was about to happen. She began to hyperventilate, and Tamia hugged her silently. Tamia also covered Ashley's ears, knowing they were sensitive after everything Ashley had gone through.

A loud boom could be heard. Ashley screamed, and Tamia quickly covered her mouth.
"Quiet! They'll hear us!" Tamia shouted.
Ashley looked at Tamia, tears streaming down her face.

Soon it was silent, and Tamia grabbed Ashley and continued walking. They eventually made it to the sewer area, and found a ladder to climb up out of. Once they got up, they were both shocked.

The town was in ruins, and bodies laid everywhere. Tamia and Ashley silently looked at each other, knowing very well what happened. Dread filled the two girls as they worried about their loved ones, and without a word exchanged, they began running to find those loved ones.

Ashley remembered her house address, and ran to it. She saw her house in ruins. On fire. Her eyes widened.

She then heard what she wished she could get out of her mind;
Her little sister Esther screaming for help.

Tamia tried to stop her, but she couldn't grasp Ashley quickly enough as Ashley ran into the flaming house. She got through the fire and saw her sister crying and screaming. She looked around and saw her parents, who were already dead. Her heart sank, breaking into a million pieces.

Esther looked up and saw Ashley.
"SISSY?!" She exclaimed.

Without a word, Ashley scooped up Esther, running out of the house. She got out of there.

"We have to leave, Tamia. After we find Haley." She quickly said, still holding Esther.
Tamia nodded, and they began searching for Haley.

They eventually found her, and she was severely injured. But, she was alive.

Haley was shocked to see Ashley, and yelled, "Ashley, that's really you?!"
"Yes, it's me! We need to go, now!" Ashley yelled back.

Before they could start running, a gunshot could be heard. Ashley looked around, but realized Esther wasn't in her arms somehow. She must've dropped Esther while running. Her mind began racing, and she looked around panicking now.

She turned around to see the government officials, and Esther.

Esther had been shot. Unbeknownst to Ashley, Tamia, and Haley, it was not fatal. But they thought it was.

Ashley fell to the ground, sobbing and screaming. This had been the government's plan. Tamia and Haley stood there in shock.

"Well, that handles that," One of them said, picking up Esther's unconscious body, "Such a shame this had to happen, Ashley. Oh well, though. Seems your actions got your family and friends killed. Such a selfish, selfish girl."

Ashley screamed even more, holding her head, and gripping her hair so tightly she might as well pull it out of her head.

"If only you'd cooperated." They said, shrugging and turning away.

Ashley soon went silent, crying softly now. Haley and Tamia began to go over to her, only to be thrown back by a small explosion from a fireball. Ashley looked and her eyes widened.

Her world began to spin and spin, until she couldn't handle it anymore. She fainted, and as the world faded to black, she wondered what the hell went wrong.