Our Journey (4)

The next day... We arrived at my company.

My company is quite a big one... Not for today I think. My property already falling down and even can't be identified as a building anymore. 

For safety, I ask my family to follow us.

There is nothing here... Document, all of them are burned. Maybe there is some sort of short circuit and it burns. Or maybe, it is just because the nuclear is not far away from here. I am still curious about people and animals who can survive this nuclear bomb.

"Dad's company is big!!" Said my daughter while carried by my wife.

She pointed out somewhere inside the company. There is no need to be rushed because there is no point in it.

This is... Nah, this is not even pricey... Talk about money, Does money have value right now? Maybe, if we meet a live person we can't use this paper. 

Judging from that, guns and bullets are important and pricey. It can be traded for some foods and drinks.

After some walks, I arrived at the reason why I should get inside this building first. This is the bunker I created as a countermeasure of someday the nuclear hit the ground come true. The passcode is my birth... So that's easy to remember for all of the employees.

"Wow! It's like mine!" Said my daughter.

"So, you set a bunker below your company." Said my wife wondering why I created this.

"This is what I call storage." Said me while entering the bunker.

"Oh!"

Stephanie is a bit surprised to see that I use a bunker as storage. I mean, it's just a countermeasure, it may be a waste of space if I didn't use it like this.

It's so dusty. Luckily I have this suit so it can't come through my nose. There are a bunch of tools that are already used or out of date. And...

Stephanie closes my daughter's eyes. These are... The employee who takes overtime work. So, they end up in here.

Here, this is our tent. Still new as last year. The company gets quite busy because of the tension between America and Russia. That's why, our company... Energy Companies should support our country with hard work. Even our president gave us a nuclear reactor to create energy with that. That's why, we got quite busy last year and we didn't have any time for bonding time.

I packed up the tent and went to our car. After I stored it in the baggage, we continued our journey again to Niagara.

After some days on the journey, we luckily appear at this waterfall.

"It's not like I imagine." Said my wife who seemed disappointed.

"Yeah... This is not what I expected." Said me.

"The lake is so wide!!" My daughter was excited looking at Niagara Waterfall, or maybe Niagara Lake.

The Niagara waterfall we always use for our company holiday... 

"Dad!"

My daughter pointed out that some bubbles were coming out from the lake.

I give a sign to my wife to step back.

"Bring Lily back to the car." Said me while stepping back.

"What about you?!" Asked her worried about me.

I look at her and grab her shoulder. "If that's an amphibian, we will die. For now, I will identify whether this creature is a herbivore or a carnivore.

The creature appears as my family still running to the car. It's not what I thought to be. That's... How is that supposed to be this big?

A very long body appears on the water and comes back to the lake. It swims along the river below the Rainbow International Bridge. A mutated eel is so terrifying. That was so big. It's even trying hard to swim in the river. The body almost touches the bridge. But, maybe it was because that bridge already collapsed that it didn't hit it.

I step back and run to our car.

"What was that!!?" Asked my wife amazed with that big eel.

"I-I don't know... The times go on and the mutants are becoming weirder." Said me while wondering how they can be mutated like that.

"So, what's now?" Asked me while looking at my wife.

"Angel waterfall?" Said my wife with her sudden thought.

"Angel!!" Said my daughter excitedly.

"Yeah, we will go there honey~" Said me. I thought that we would go somewhere... Or maybe go to Asia slowly. I don't know how and when we will die because of radiation but, if we have a chance to live... Then I will take that chance.

She pointed out the sky. "Look! Angel!!"

At that second, we together look at the sky. That's an eagle... Mutant version. With six pairs of wings and a lower body like a lion. Wait... Is that a Griffin?!

At the time it flows her wings, its speed becomes quicker than sound. It's really fast and the fastest creature I've seen in this world. The body size is not that big but the wings... It's wide enough to cover the sun. I didn't realize it before she reminded me.

"Sigh* Let's start our adventure again!" Said me getting excited.

My wife laughed a bit and my daughter was always feeling happy about it.

I keep silent for a while.

"What's happened?" Asked her why I kept silent and did not start the car as always.

"Where is it again?" Asked me about the place of Angel Falls.

"It's in Venezuela..." Said her.

I look at her. "I think we should not go there." It made me hesitate about it because I set my main goal in Asia.

"Heh~ But I want to see it daddy~"

"Look at our cute daughter~"

"You all... Sigh* fine... Let's do it."

I turn on the car and start the journey.

Luckily, we didn't get involved with other mutants that often. Somewhere, if there is a person who is alive... We should check on it.

On the nighttime...

The sound of fire burning the wood. It feels calming yet smells relaxing.

"This is your drink..." Said my wife after pouring a soda into my cup from the kettle.

"Ahaha... I didn't imagine the day I get hot soda in the night will come." Said me remembering that I used to be a coffee addict.

I take the soda but when I touch her, she gets a pain.

"What's happened!?" Asked me shocked that she felt in pain.

"I don't know... it feels numb and sore from last day." Said her while feeling that pain.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Asked me worried about her.

I wonder... I wonder if I could focus on her face more... Maybe I would recognize her pain from her face. 

"Is it still hurt or does it continuously hurt?" Asked me. Even without medical experience, I still know the basics.

She pulled out her hand and smiled at me. "D-Don't worry, maybe it's because of stress." Said her.

Are you joking with me? That's what I want to say. But, there is nothing we can do.

The next day...

"Look at this hole..." Said me while looking at holes caused by nuclear.

"There is something on there!!" Said my daughter.

What does she find again now? She always found out something terrible or something terrifying. The animals we could see are all mutated. There is no sign of a normal animal along our journey. And... One theory comes to my mind...

If that's the truth then... We are those who survived mutated already from the beginning. But, why only humans who didn't get direct mutation like animals? Therefore, floras are not counted in it. It's just... Why? We always saw a deserted street with some debris from buildings on the ground. There is no single plant on the ground along our journey.

I checked the thing that my daughter pointed out. While on the lowest part of the hole. There is something shiny on there.

Glowy, sharp, and blinked twice in ten seconds. It's a crystal but... It's more look like a green stone than it.

Don't know why... Something is appealing that comes from this crystal. I try to dig it up but it seems this has roots in the lowest part of the ground. Maybe, I will try to break it and bring it with us. I don't know if this is a new material or not but... As my best friend said to me our country is fighting for a new material.

Is this the material he mentioned? To be true... I didn't like to be a politician. And, I don't like the people who are involved and try their best to be politicians. It's tired me to control citizens or something.

Businessman is more suitable for me. I can act proud and cocky in front of people. They are envious of me but if they get too annoyed with me... They will face something terrible. That's what they believe.

I don't know why the majority choose to believe some kind of elite global who controls in the shadow other than fact in front of themselves. That's why... While I threatened some of them they were scared and trembling in fear. After that, the employee without firm mental... They will resign from my job.

And... If I take my money out, some of them could really help me with land registration for me.

"Let's see, what with this crystal." Said me while looking at it.