Downfall

I

"Do you understand the importance of this lesson?" My father asked me. He stood there, leaning up against our beat up counter, looking to me for an answer. I avoided making eye contact with him, as I didn't see the importance of learning how our Earth was destroyed. I wasn't alive during that time period, obviously, so why should it matter now? Earth is the way it is. I don't care why. Plus I already knew. Everyone did.

When I didn't respond, he furrowed his eyebrows, "Damnit, Holden this is serious." He said it with an angry voice that was hardly intense. I didn't know how to respond. I never do. He's hardly around, and when he is, he's fixing our broken house, drinking, or sharpening his knives.

He's the blacksmith and Armory Keeper of our Outlet; Trydinte. He issues the weapons that he makes and collects, to the people within our walls, and sometimes, even travelers. He is important to our community and has a high rank in accordance to our Mayor, but not to me. The Outlets were what we called towns. They're nothing special. I don't know why we don't just call them 'towns'.

"I know." I responded with a sigh. It was the only thing I could ever say to him. I couldn't exactly tell him about wanting to leave Trydinte. He'd lock me in the basement if he had to. Everyone knows that it's dangerous out there; crazy bandits, evolved predators that could gut me within seconds, and who knows what else. Even though those are just rumors, it's what I crave: Adventure. I've been here my entire life, seen people arrive, leave, or stay. Nothing interesting happens, except our occasional riot at the bar. Not that I've ever seen one. I'm tired of sitting in here doing nothing. Knowing that there's a whole other world out there, and I'm just living in a dust spec.

My father sighed, grabbed his coat, and left. He didn't say anything on the way out, and I didn't even need to ask where he was going. Either work, or the bar. Just like always.

I walked up the set of shabby wooden stairs that ended at the beginning of a small hall, which led to my room and my father's. As I walked, the boards squeaked as if they'd give in at any moment. Once in my room, I removed the sheet metal wall, and proceeded to the exterior of our house. I then climbed up the wooden pegs that I had installed to the surface earlier this year. On my way up, I could feel the desert wind go through my hair. Since I couldn't see over the Outlet's fortification from my bedroom window, I built a way up to an area where I could get a view. I sat on the flimsy roof that I had stabilized with wood from the dump on the edge of the farm, and looked out over the horizon.

Surprisingly enough, compared to other houses, ours was pretty stable. It consisted of a kitchen downstairs, two bedrooms upstairs, one bathroom that only produced cold water, and an armchair for a living room.

I sat on the roof looking out over the town. It was small, and mostly flat except for the cliff-like hill that my father and I lived on. It had several houses built up the side, and a few on top, including ours. The barricades around us are about fifteen to twenty feet tall, so living on the hillside was the only thing that made it possible for me to see over them, even though they extended up the cliff and met behind our house. The sun was setting, and just over the walls and gates I could see the dry landscape that everyone feared except me. It was of the same biome that our town was. Mostly dry, rocky soil with patches of dead, or dying plants. I didn't see any monstrous creatures. I never have. I've had this balcony-thing built on top of my house for about a month, and I've still never seen anything but people, and about two other Outlets in the distance that I've drawn and shown to Dennis at the library.

"Holden!" Someone yelled from below, sending me hurtling out of my daydream. I looked over the edge of the roof to see Lane and Chrys looking up at me. They were my friends. I grew up with Chrys, but Lane arrived a few years ago with his parents and siblings. They bought a house just below mine, and we all started hanging out with one another. We'd parade through the town causing mischief such as chasing Anne's chickens through the streets. We work for her for a good portion of our week; looking after her cows, chickens and sheep, and occasionally helping her cook. "Come on, let's go." Lane shouted up, cupping his hands over his mouth to try to boost the sound.