There we were, darkness, cold metal walls, quietness. The alarms came so quick, and only those of us working in the lab itself were able to get into the containment units quick enough. There just wasn't enough time...

I was sitting in one of 20 prototype units we had created to allow people to survive any such nuclear impact. We were trying to get them created and potentially mass-produced due to the looming war ahead... Sadly, we just couldn't get it done in time.

I heard three explosions while inside the unit, there may of been more but in the midst of my panicking I couldn't think too straight. I tried to think about her, hoping she was in one of the units... She was the only thing that gave me hope...

I heard the faint sound of screaming in the unit to my immediate left as I sat in the fetal position fiddling with the door's handle thinking that if I were to open it the radiation exposure could kill me. There was supposed to be a specialized field that would come on after any attack, a small radius that could push out dangerous radiation.

Each unit that survived would light up from the inside once it was safe to leave into the small field. Horrifyingly though, after waiting about three hours after all the commotion, they still hadn't turned on yet. They could be turned on manually but that would require someone to turned them on from the platform at the base of the units. Exposing themselves.

All of a sudden, I heard a door slam open to what very well could've been that person screaming. I could only assume it was one of my coworkers who is panicking and attempting to activate the field themselves. Probably not knowing if anyone else survived.

I heard gagging and then the sound of a person throwing up. Then I heard some scuffling, and quiet, scuffling, and quiet. About two or three minutes later the pod lights up, but I realized the moment I open up that door there'll be no turning back. I would have to put faith that the field would be strong enough, I couldn't help but be worried. Though, the thought of her made me want to leave, compelling me to search for her. And then it occurred to me, what if that person was her. What if she's in one of the units and she needs help. These thoughts pumped me full of adrenaline and stole my rationality, so I put my hand on the handle and with a yell I opened it.

I immediately flinch at the light. Looking foreword I see a scene straight out of hell, fire everywhere with the radiation field making everything appear a slight shift of blue. I look over towards the pod that was on my left and it was knocked over with all of the pods passed it collapsed in on themselves, probably due to than not being fully built yet. I looked over towards the base where the access switch was for the field and there was a body of an elderly man laying on the ground, lifeless.

To my right I saw only six or seven units intact. I ran over to the closest unit and hit the door with a metal rod from the ground in attempt to inform anybody who could have been inside it's safe, but there was no sign of life. I ran to the next unit and hit it's door as well. I heard what sounded like a man yelling, but I can't make out what he's saying. There was no way for me to open the door from the outside once the the unit had been activated from the inside. But whoever is in it appears to be stuck. Realizing there is not much I can do, I immediately go to the next intact one, I hit the door hoping for a reply only to find silence again. I run to the next one, nothing. I looked at the next one, except this time the door opened before I even got to it. It was her, Stephanie.

After taking a slow walk forward and looking at the ruin laboratory and cityscape she looks immediately over at me. We have a moment of eye contact for a few seconds and then she immediately runs behind the unit. I hear yelling from that second unit seeing that the door was slightly open. Realizing that whoever it was needed help I immediately ran over. When I get to the unit I noticed for the first time that the door has been bent. Without the right tools there is no way it could be fully opened. I hear the panic of voice of my coworker, Liam. He's immediately relieved by the sound of my voice but we both come to the realization that the door is not going to open. He tells me that his team at the lab was working on vehicles the could lock onto one of our companies satellites and drive to the safest place on the continent. I vaguely knew of the project but was told to look for one of the vehicles in his team's lab and save myself.

Not really knowing what more to do I squeezed in some metal debris through the crack so he could try to work at the door from the inside where it's more fragile while I would attend to see if it's possible for me to get to one of the vehicles.

Beneath the platform we had specially created hazmat suits, something I immediately remembered well seeing Stephanie walk towards me and one while she yelled out Liam's name. "Over here," I yelled which encouraged her to pick up her pace towards me. She realizes the door is bent upon arrival and immediately asked some questions about how he's doing. "Try to get him out of here" I tell her. She didn't respond to me but instead kept trying to carry a conversation with Liam.

I looked around to find myself one of the hazmat suits, picking one out of the few that were in okay condition. I knew Liam typically worked and one of the buildings not too far from the main lab, and fortunately for me I found it quite early on. Not knowing what to expect for a vehicle, I found myself overwhelmed once I see vehicle parts scattered all over the place. I look around and see what almost looks like a dump truck except with a giant gas tank on back in the far back of the once enclosed room, I worked my way over to it and get in. I turned it on with a push of a button and was thankful that the truck was strong enough to force its way through the debris.

I managed to drive it over near the field where I then saw Stephanie trying to pry open the door of Liam's unit. I run over and try asking Liam about information on the truck. It should have the ability to provide a field but had a pretty complex user interface. Rate in the middle of telling me I hear an alarm go off near the switch for the platform radiation field. Without hesitation I immediately ran over to it only to see that it was warning that it's generator was damaged and is now running on reserve. That would only give us about 15 minutes left of the field. I ran back over to Stephanie and Liam and tell them we're short on time. "No" Stephanie yelled, "if he stays I stay." "Don't be stupid, Stephanie" Liam says through the crack. I put my hand on Stephanie's shoulder, "we only have about 15 minutes and it would be best to collect as much useful stuff as we can."

She moves out of my hand, "I won't leave him." "Then leave her," yelled Liam at me. "If she wants to pretend she's making any difference let her, but you get out of here!" "We can get you out," Stephanie said in a panic. "No, your just going to get yourself killed. You know very well those suits won't last longer than an hour without this field," Liam said.

"I can't just do this by myself" I say to them both. "I know" he said. All of a sudden he pulled the door inward making it impossible for Stephanie to pull on it. "We need to go," I told Stephanie as I pulled on her arm. In a rush of emotion, she pushes me over and runs towards the truck. I immediately got up but notice a rip in the suit preventing me from running out after her. "Stephanie," I yelled.

She jumped in the drivers seat, shifted it into gear, and drove out around the field away from us. In complete shock I start banging on Liam's unit, but he refused to open it probably thinking it's Stephanie. I hear an alarm go off again telling me that there is only five minutes left of the field. I run over to the base of the platform to look for another hazmat suit, found one, and quickly slip into it. I grabbed another suit throw it next to Liam's unit if for whatever reason he made it out I needed to get to a suit immediately.

Once I did that I ran off back to the area where I got the last truck, thinking about Stephanie and wondering why still loved her even though I knew she was as toxic as this radiation. I got back to Liam's lab and search.