The Aftermath

S1E1: A New Beginning

       To this day, no one knows the cause of the catastrophic blast that nearly wiped out humanity. It has been many years since the blast, and everyone is still coping with this new world. Families forced away from each other, people losing hope, and a strict, useless military.
       Tensions are at an all time high as people begin to wonder if there are spies among the survivors. There have been many conspiracy theories which are slowly dividing the community. A lot of people have been affected by this blast. Chris thinks to himself as he gets lost in his own thoughts.
       "Chris!" The teacher says as he looks at his bewildered student.
       "Oh sorry. I must have zoned out," Chris says as he contemplates why everyone in class was looking at him worriedly.
       Chris is a rather intelligent and athletic student who is one of the only people to still have some family members living with him after the blast. He wants to leave a positive impact on the world in an attempt to have a full functioning society once again.
       "Hey Chris you good?" Ryan asks his best friend in concern.
       "Yeah dude you look a little pale," Hayden says.
       Suddenly, it was difficult for Chris to simply get up as he wobbled to a desk to support himself. Both Hayden and Ryan begin to get up filled with worry as they try and help Chris.   
       "I'm fine!" Chris says angrily. Not even a second later, he faints, and everything goes black.
       Chris is still unconscious as his family and some of his friends are hoping he gets better in the infirmary. Ryan has been Chris' best friend ever since elementary school, and they've been through everything together.
       Ryan is described as being very intelligent and doesn't care what other people say about him. Chris admires the way Ryan thinks. Ryan brings out the "nerdy" side of Chris.
       Hayden is a private in the military who's hoping to enact change to save the people he cares about. Hayden wants to use his knowledge about guns in order to get him up to the surface when the radiation levels deplete. There hasn't been much word of it however. Chris slowly starts to open his eyes as a headache forms.
       "My head," Chris groans to himself irritably. 
       Suddenly, Chris feels a stinging pain on his face. As he tries to figure out the reason for the pain, he realizes that he got slapped by both his older sisters.
       "You idiot! You had me worried sick!" Jeannie yells angrily.
       Jeannie is the middle child of the family and is very charismatic towards her younger brother. She's a personal trainer and helps people stay healthy in this apocalyptic world.
       "You have to stop overdoing yourself," Rosie says in a displeased tone.
       Rosie is the oldest sibling in the family and helps ration out the food supplies and bakes for the community.
       "Look I'm sorry I didn't want to make you worry. You're acting like mom," Chris says.   
       "Well someone has to watch over the family now that she's gone," Rosie says.
       An awkward silence fell upon them as Chris' head continues to ache. Jeannie decides to break the silence as she catches on to the sudden growing tension.
       "At least you're feeling alright now," Jeannie says reassuringly.
       Chris's other friends Tamara, Ricky and Sasha come swarming in to see Chris.
       "Oh my God! Chris are you ok?" Tamara nearly shouts at the top of her lungs.
       "I heard what happened, are you in any pain," Sasha says.
       "Do you need anything," Ricky says frantically.
       "No it's fine, I'm good guys. Thanks though," Chris chuckles.
       Tamara and Sasha have always been very loyal to Chris ever since he has been with them. They've known each other for a very long time, and Chris has always had their back.
       Ricky is a very caring person and would be devastated if he lost a close friend. After his parents' deaths he has been very close to his friends as a distraction to this current reality.
       On the way back home to their assigned houses, Chris is thinking about what he would do without his support group. He constantly feels trapped in this enclosed space surrounded by lifeless figures just trying to look forward. He wants to venture out and build a new society that makes us feel safe and free.
       While still in thought, Chris runs into Jess which is another one of his friends. Jess is a genuinely nice person who just wants to make everyone happy. She's very loyal and shy around new people that she meets.
       Ever since her parents both died, she has been very isolated and keeps to herself. She finds it challenging to open up to new people since she fears of losing them.
       "Hey Jess what's up?" Chris says calmly.
       "Chris...I need to talk to you. It's urgent," Jess says in a serious tone. Her sudden change in attitude concerns Chris, and he ends up going with her.
       "I'll catch up with you guys later," Chris says to his sisters.
       "Alright don't stay out too late unless you want to miss game night," Rosie says.
       "Don't worry I'll be back in time," Chris chuckles.
       Chris was surprised by Jess's expression; she's usually never this upset around other people.
       "What did you want to talk about Jess?" Chris asks nervously.
       "Well, it's about Tamara. I'm worried about her since she's just so isolated from the world, especially without her parents. We're all she relies on, and she talked about suicide. We have to help her Chris! I don't want her to do anything stupid!" Jess begins to sob as she ponders about what her friend might do.
       "It's ok Jess. Let's go talk to her I'm sure we can convince her to stay with us," Chris says reassuringly.
       "She's already at the airlock! She told me that and ran off," Jess says.
       "We have to hurry than," Chris says frantically.
       Tamara manages to slip past the guards and get into the airlock.
       "I'm sorry Chris. I'm sorry Jess. I can't keep on living without my parents by my side. I'll join you soon mom and dad", Tamara says to herself. She begins to sob as she thinks over who she'll leave behind and for what cost.
       The constant sound of huffing and puffing keeps on repeating as Chris and Jess are sprinting in order to save Tamara. Suddenly, they both run into Hayden who's currently guarding the airlock in replace of the previous guard.
       "Woah woah woah. You guys know I can't let you even get close to the airlock," Hayden says to Chris and Jess.
       "P-please Hayden, Tamara is in the airlock! She's in danger so let us pass!" Chris forces the sentence out while out of breath from the sprint to the airlock.
       "No one's in danger, I have everything completely under control," Hayden says trying to reassure Chris. Chris shoves him out of the way and Jess follows.
       He can hear the sound of Hayden's voice echoing in the cramped hallway to the airlock as he tries to catch up with them. The sound of panting returns as he tries to get to his friend. He opens the door and sees Tamara about to open the airlock.
       "Tamara stop!" Chris shouts while trying to catch his breath once again.
       "I'm so sorry Chris. I can't live without my family any longer," Tamara mutters incoherently.
       Jess and Hayden catch up to Chris, and they see Tamara about to press the button to open the airlock. As Hayden calls in for backup, Jess and Chris try to calm Tamara down.
       "Tamara please! We need you. We'd be devastated without you. Please don't do this" Jess says while trying to keep her tears from streaming down her face.
       "You guys have always been great friends. Thank you for always being there for me. Even now, at my death," Tamara smiles and walks off ready to press the button and walk out into the unknown world.
       "Tamara no!" Chris yells as he tries to get her.
       However, both Hayden and Jess pull him back just as Tamara opens the airlock and leaves out without a word.
       "No!", Chris yells as a tear streaks down his cheek. Chris, Jess and Hayden all comfort each other after what they had just witnessed.
       Backup arrives on the scene as they investigate the incident. However, Chris doesn't know which is more confusing. How his friend was stepping out into the unknown, or the fact that Chris didn't hear Tamara struggle to breathe at all when she was out there.