Wasteland

Chapter 1

We walked slowly through the mud and rain. Ash had started to pile up on the ground from the most recent bombing. As I walked, I imagined that the ash was snow and that everything was happier. I imagined that I was walking towards my best friend. But there was no snow and I was not walking towards Emma. Instead, I was walking to The Square, a meeting place with a huge projection screen in the middle. Everyone in our small sector of the wasteland we call the United States meets here once a week to get an update from President Margo Prior. All of the remaining 8 sectors are required to do the same. There were 15 sectors before the disease hit. It first started in sector 12. President Margo decided that the only way to contain the disease from spreading was to bomb the sector, which would kill everyone in it. But Margo was too late, by the time she bombed sector 12, the disease had already spread.
We finally reached the square and I searched the crowd like I always did. My eyes didn't stop until I found the familiar brown hair and brown eyes of my best friend, Emma.
I pushed through the crowd so I could stand next to her.
"Hey Jase," she said happily.
"Hey Em."
At that time the projection screen lit up and a deep voice started counting down from 5. Then, the face of Margo Prior appeared on the screen.
"Good morning people of the United States, I am here today with your weekly update."
I whispered to Em to try to lighten up the mood," Does she have to say that every time?"
She smiled.
Margo continued," Last night, we had no choice but to bomb sector 6. So now our numbers have decreased to 130,000. Sectors 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 13, and 14 are left. We are trying very hard to find an antidote for the disease."
Em rolled her eyes.
"We have also added an anti- worry serum to the water in your villages so it can be easier to forget the disease and carry on."
"What the hell?" I said hardly audible to the people around me.
"Now please carry on with your daily activities."
The screen went black and we turned to walk back to our village.