post_apocalypse_story/mb-First_Steps_Outside.html

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<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title> First Steps Outside </title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html_resources/style.css"></head><body><a href="index.html"><button class="back">&lt;</button></a>
<h1> First Steps Outside</h1>
<p>
The station is is much larger than any of the metro stations inside the
dome. It has many platforms. Portions of the tall roof, supported by
large stone pillars and rusty steel beams, have caved in and what&apos;s
still standing has holes. Rays of light poke through the roof and holes
in the walls. All of that is visually stunning but what really catches
Annie&apos;s eyes are the plants everywhere. Parts of the platforms are
densely covered in the thin, green blades of some plant giving them a
fuzzy look. Vines cling to the walls and pillars, crawl along gaps and
edges, and hang from the fringes of the caved in roof sections and rusty
beams. Moss grows on the rusted benches and trash cans.
</p>
<p>
Jack turns off the generator and decelerates the train. Clanging from
under the floor followed by the squeaking of the brakes. The train runs
over a bunch of bushes and tall flowers that have taken root on the
tracks before coming to a halt next to a staircase in the center of the
platform.
<span class="quote speech">Exit to the right</span>, Jack says in unison
with the automated voice while turning the switch for the doors.
He gestures towards the passenger area.<br />
<span class="quote speech">After you.</span>
</p>
<p>
Annie walks over to the closest door and pushes the button. Pressurized
air hisses and one half of it opens very slowly. She says:
<br />
<span class="quote speech">This door has probably seen better
days.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Everything out here has seen better days
&ndash; except for the plants...</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">There are so many of them.</span><br />
They step out onto the platform. Annie breathes the warm air. It smells
of the run-over plants. Insects are buzzing around, and the wind rustles
through the leaves. She crouches down and touches the carpet of green
fuzziness.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Grass. It grows pretty much everywhere &ndash;
usually much taller than this though.</span><br />
She looks up at him.<br />
<span class="quote speech">I&apos;m surprised the plants grow in
here.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Pretty much every building in the area is
overgrown. That&apos;s what happens when you don&apos;t maintain them:
Nature takes over. By the way...</span><br />
He helps her up.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Welcome to the outside world. Wanna take a
quick look around?</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Sure.</span><br />
Jack uses a key to close the door and they get going.
</p>
<p>
The two walk down the flight of stairs in the center of the platform,
taking them to an underpass. The floor is covered in water so they follow
a ledge on the side. Jack leads Annie up the stairs to the last platform.
From there, they step outside through a side entrance.
</p>
<p>
Annie is hit by the light and warmth of the evening sun. She closes her
eyes and faces it for a moment.<br />
<span class="quote speech">This is nice.</span> She turns to Jack.
<span class="quote speech">And this light is just always up there?</span>
<br />
Jack chuckles. <span class="quote speech">Well... No. Only during the
day.</span><br />
She looks around. They are standing on a balcony-like platform
overlooking a city in a valley.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Wooow</span>, she utters in astonishment.
<br />
<span class="quote speech">Ivydale &ndash; or at least what remains of
it.</span><br />
Annie walks over to the rusted railing and goes to lean against it.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Don&apos;t lean on that.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Why not?</span><br />
She steps back.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Watch.</span><br />
He pushes against it. Loud cracking follows, and the ringing sound of
metal breaking. A roughly two meter wide section of the railing begins
to fall. Annie takes a bigger step back. The railing crashes into the
ground below with a loud ringing bang.<br />
<span class="quote speech">How did you know?</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">I made the same mistake over there.</span>
<br />
He points to another missing section in the railing that Annie
hadn&apos;t noticed before.<br />
<span class="quote speech">Be careful around old buildings.</span>
</p>
<p>
Cautiously stepping back to the edge, Annie looks down. Bushes overgrow
everything, covering the hillside below the tall sandstone wall of
the embankment the station is built on. The walls of small ruins and half
fallen-in fences stick out here and there, and the bushes are interrupted
by what remains of roads, paths, and staircases. Small rivers cut
through the landscape. Annie looks up, into the distance: The ruins
further down the valley are larger the closer they are to the center
of the urban area below.<br />
<span class="quote speech">It&apos;s much bigger than
Sunside&nbsp;Cove.</span><br />
<span class="quote speech">Many things are bigger than Sunside&nbsp;Cove.
This is the smaller of two sister cities.</span><br />
He points towards another urban center in the distance.<br />
<span class="quote speech">That over there is Sentinel Shores, the place
I used to call home.</span>
</p>
<p class="comment">
At some point before this chapter, Jack needs to tell her something
along the lines of &quot;No pity. I chose this life.&quot;
</p>
<p>
After pointing out some other notable landmarks, Jack decides it is time
to go. He leads the way, walking towards the end of the station that
they arrived from. The balcony-like walkway connects to
a wide staircase down from the end of the embankment, where the rear part
of the station extends into the mountain. It leads to a collapsed bridge
next to a large waterfall. Annie marvels at the sheer amount of water
flowing by, something that she had never before seen.
</p>
<p>
Jack goes ahead, climbing down the wall where the bridge used to begin
by grabbing onto the edges of the large sandstone blocks. Annie struggles
to follow. After what feels like an eternity, she manages to get half-way
down the wall.<br />
<span class="quote speech">You can jump from there.</span><br />
<span class="comment">Something interesting needs to happen here.</span>
<br />
They make their way across the fast-flowing river by stepping on large
stones in the water, and continue through the bushes towards the bunker.
</p>
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