Ground Zero by EndMaster R

You figure you need to address this now; you go to find Jack who’s hanging around the edges of the town as usual.

“Hey Jack I need to talk to you.”
“Aw Dad, I don’t feel like working with you in the boring ol’ computer room right now!”
“Hey watch your mouth! And it’s not that anyway. It’s about all the talking you’ve doing lately about exploring the wasteland like Indiana fuckin’ Jones.”
“Who?” Jack genuinely asks seeing as he’s never heard of the movie being born after the bomb and all.
“Indiana…look never mind that, your Mom worries night and day that you’re going to go running off and get yourself killed.”
“I’m not gonna run off…I mean I thought about it…but I just…I dunno…”
“Well spit it out boy!”
“It gets too boring here sometimes! I just wish I could go and explore the world like Leon!”
“Yeah, well if you haven’t noticed, Leon’s missing an eye, his left ear and a couple of pieces of his fingers, not to mention he’s all scarred up and complains about pain all the time.”
“Well I’D be more careful!” Jack boasts.
“Hmmm, that’s what everyone says. I know you and your friends think all the stories are exciting, but if you’d really paid close attention you’ll notice all damn danger as well. You know we’ve lost a few people doing that adventure shit, and the only one who still does it is Leon. Even Brenda stopped going out after she got shot in the leg. She was lucky she managed to escape. The world isn’t a safe place Jake. Never has been. And the way it is now, it’s even more dangerous.”

Jack looks at you.

“We can’t stay here forever Dad.”

You see it in his eyes that he’s going to do what he wants and you aren’t going to be able to stop him. You don’t like it, and maybe you can’t stop him, but you can improve his odds.

“Alright son, you gather all your little friends and meet me back here in a couple hours. Don’t go anywhere! You hear me?”
“Okay, okay.”

You go and find Nina and explain the situation, she’s of course completely opposed to the idea and it takes some reasoning, but eventually she sees you have a point, even if she doesn’t like it. You tell her to go inform the other parents; in the meantime you go and fetch Brenda and Leon.

You meet Jack who’s standing around with a bunch of his other friends and most of the other young people in town. Brenda and Leon are behind you.

“Alright Jack, if exploration is what you want, you ain’t gonna do it unprepared. You all know these two. Brenda here is going to teach all of you how to shoot properly. We’ve got plenty of guns and ammo now and she’s the best marksperson here. Before ANY of you people go out anywhere you better know how to aim your damn weapons. After a month of that, then you’ll be going out, with Leon. He’ll be able to give you on the job training with the whole explorer thing. In time, you’ll be able to go out by yourselves. Now before any of this goes down, all of you are probably gonna have to discuss this with your parents or some shit, so you’re all gonna have to work out your own personal lives yourselves, but Jack you’ve got a reluctant okay from both me and your mother.”
“…I dunno what to say, I mean thanks Dad.” Jack smiles.
“What you can do is pay attention to Brenda and Leon’s instructions and not get yourself killed! And here, take this. It’s saved more than a few lives.” You say and hand your pistol to Jack.

And so begins the training. In time most of them go off to pursue their adventures elsewhere, naturally the world being what it is now, some don’t return, but for those that do return most come back to stay permanently. Just a little bit of the taste of the outside world is all most of them needed to see it’s a lot better to stay in New Haven! When Jake returns he’s ready once again to follow in your footsteps.

“See Nina, I knew my idea would work. Let ‘em go out in the world for a little while and they’ll come to appreciate the comforts of this place! Might be boring here, but at least you don’t have some motherfucker with a Mohawk shooting at you because he likes the boots you got on. They just needed some training first to give them a chance to survive.”
“Well I’m just glad Jack’s alright.”

As you and Nina breathe a sigh of relief that Jack’s home in one piece, little did you realize that your idea set a major plan in motion.

In time, the New Haven Militia is created.

Thirty Years pass…

Fifty years have gone by you briefly realize as you look at the old shelter entrance; it’s hardly ever used anymore. Extensive changes have been made to it so it’s rarely necessary to go down there anymore, only Jack and few other technicians go down there to check on the water purification system now in place. Practically everything else has been dismantled and used to help build up the surface of New Haven. New Haven has grown far beyond the shelter that you entered so long ago.

You don’t think you ever saw this happening. Nobody did. The place is very large now; populated with the children of those you entered the shelter with as well as refugees from other places. Mostly everyone you originally knew is gone, not that you were ever one to greatly socialize, but still you do miss people like Leon, Brenda and Charles, hell you even miss Ron.

You especially miss your beloved wife Nina. It’s been two years since she died. You miss her everyday. Jack comes by with his family to keep you company sometimes, but nowadays all you want is solitude.

You enter the shelter and go down the elevator. You probably aren’t supposed to be down here, but you don’t care, you’re going to live in the past for awhile.

You walk around the practically gutted shelter and remember all the things that happened.

Here’s where you first met Nina, you never thought you’d end up marrying and having a child with her someday, but even though you were annoyed by first impressions, (As she probably was with you!) you always thought she was beautiful.

Here’s where you shot Elliot. To this day you know you did the right thing. There’s no doubt in your mind that things would’ve been very different had he taken over.

Here’s where Jack was born. You remember Kyle having a hell of a time getting him to come out. He always could be a little stubborn. You just remembered you’re supposed to have a check up appointment with Kyle’s daughter Shelia. It can wait though; you’re busy right now.

Ah now here it is. Your old room. You remember spending a majority of your initial time here. Still has the shelter manual on the table. You insisted that this room remain intact when the shelter was in the final stages of being stripped. You always knew you’d return here some day.

You lie down on the bed and enjoy the peace and quiet from the surface. Slowly you begin to get drowsy.

“Ahhh, so peaceful with no other people around…I just wish Nina was here with me to enjoy it too…” you say to yourself as you drift off to sleep.