Ten years have passed since the end of the world. It all started on April 13th, 2013. This was the date when North Korea launched its nuclear missiles at America. The American Leaders tried to retaliate, but they were too late. The destructive weapons hit New York and Los Angeles. Millions died because of North Korea. Race, social, theology--it didn’t matter to the North Koreans. They were the small men of the world who wanted to show their power. New York and Los Angeles became known as “The Tombs of America.” The Tombs became the largest mass graves known to the human race. People’s friends, family, and strangers that they would never meet were buried under all of the rubble and destruction. The American people were furious. They called for North Korean blood. No, not called--shouted. They demanded that the United States government do something about this. After a week, the government finally decided to take action. On April 20th, the United States of America launched four tactical missiles at Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. The North Koreans didn’t have time to be shocked or scared; they were gone in a flash of a second. The United States citizens were overjoyed, but this was the beginning of the end.

Nobody expected the cloud of radiation. It grew and grew, becoming a monstrosity in a few days. Panic spread across the world. The earth seemed to scream in pain from all of the damage that was being done. All life on earth was being poisoned from the nuclear cloud that had come from the weapons of mass destruction. Governments all over the world opened deep, underground shelters in order to save people. The shelters were overrun by the public. People started to kill each other for spots in the shelters for themselves and people close to them. The government couldn’t handle the situation. The only way to save a few was to shut the shelter doors. The handful who made it into the shelters were the few lucky ones.

The rest of the human race was stuck outside in this new, nuclear wasteland. As the radiation cloud grew closer, many survivors started to panic. They ran for any underground area that they thought was safe. Many had found areas far enough underground, but others hadn’t gone down far enough. The cloud came quicker than people were ready for. The radiation poured down on them like a cool, summer rain. The few lucky ones died quickly from radiation poisoning. The unlucky ones died slowly from cancer, radiation burns, and tumors. Some of the survivors mutated into grotesque and hideous creatures. They grew extra limbs, improved senses, and lost their minds. Their skin was altered into different colors like green, and yellow, or they lost it entirely. All color and humanity in their eyes died just like the rest of the world, the only thing these creatures knew was pain and misery. These creatures would haunt the world forever after, reminding us all about the bombings.

Present day, April 13th, 2023. Radiation levels have gone down to where people can come out of the shelters. Survivors held up in the shelters for a long time. They were all waiting for the chance to escape from these safe prisons. The vision of the world that the survivors used to know was burned in their minds, and was what they all were hoping for when they saw the light of the sun again. They had to be slowly introduced back into the bright sun before they could walk out in order to make sure that they wouldn’t blind themselves. All of the survivors were excited to see the world again, to smell the fresh air, and to go back to a resemblance of what their daily lives were like 10 years ago. When they were ready, they left the shelters. What they saw made their entire hearts sink.

Everything was dead. There was no green, no life, nothing. The radiation had killed or mutated anything that came into contact with it. The ruins of buildings were standing in the background. They had fallen to pieces due to no maintenance, and nature taking a toll on them. The skyscrapers had fallen over taking out other buildings in a giant domino effect. Most buildings had fallen apart or collapsed floor by floor. Places most people called home or where people would go everyday were destroyed or gone. People were shocked at what they saw. Some started to cry while others stared at the memories and happy moments that they would never be able to experience again. The world they knew was gone.

People started to venture out into this world in order to try and rebuild what was left of it. Many had to travel miles with their personal items on their backs or in carts that they had built. These people were prime targets for the survivors who lost their minds out in the wastes. These people became known as “The Outcasts”. They were the people who had not made it into the underground shelters. They tried to hide from the radiation but they didn’t get far enough away from it. The radiation poisoned their minds and altered their personalities. They became cruel to others and had a sick joy for watching others in pain. They had devised the most ruthless and disgusting torture methods in order to find entertainment. Groups of them had formed all over the world. The Outcasts weren’t the only problem that the survivors would have to worry about.
The other problem that the survivors had to worry about was the mutants. These abominations were altered by the radiation. They would attack and feast on anything that they came across. Living or dead, it didn’t really matter to the mutants. Mutants didn’t show any sign of intelligence, except by grunting and screaming at each other. The mutants would constantly be on the move. They would travel in packs that could be as big as 50 to 100. The mutants looked as though they didn’t age, and their need for food was low yet they killed anything they came across. Many survivors found out that the only way to kill them was to behead them. Survivors tried to avoid both the mutants and the outcasts as much as possible, but it was almost impossible in a world like this.

As time went on, survivors built cities from the ruins of the old ones. These cities provided protection from the outcasts and mutants. Walls were built out of any scrap that could be found. Cars, sheet metal, even rubble from buildings were moved around the cities in order to make sturdy walls. Buildings that were still standing became new homes for the inhabitants of the ruins. Cities had been mostly cleared out by the outcast and other looters. Whatever was left was open game for the survivors. Food and water was very limited in the cities. A survivor could find items from the old world at times in the wastes. These eased the minds of the survivors for the fact that it allowed them to think of the past. These items would not help feed or hydrate them however.

Cities were very limited with supplies so survivors had to search the wastes of the old world for the items that they needed in order to survive. Whatever they could find was of use to them. Scavenger teams would be sent out in order to find food, water, and even weapons. These items could be found in places that had not been looted and destroyed. Survivors found food in various places like shopping centers or stores. Hunting was another good way to find food. Survivors would go out in groups and track an animal until they got it. Anything from deer to mutated rabbits was hunted. Some animals had become crueler due to the radiation, but that didn’t stop the survivors from hunting them. Water was a harder source to find. Radiation had gotten into most drinking areas, so finding a clean water supply was hard. Filters were made in order to attempt to clean the water and make it drinkable. Weapons could be found anywhere since humans are violent in nature. Anything with a blunt or sharpened side was useful to the survivors. Guns weren’t very common in the wastes. They were very hard to find, but were excellent tools when found. They could help protect the people and could also be used for hunting purposes. Survivors would go out at times just to look for a weapon or more ammunition. Both were useless without the other, but the survivors didn’t care. Anything that they thought would help was useful.
So this is the new world that we as humans have created. Where every day is a fight for survival, every minute somebody is starving or killing. The madness that is created in this world is indescribable. The daily life now is not going to work or school to sharpen your skills it is becoming the basic of human nature just to survive. The skills of before were technology and productivity, now it is learning how to wield a weapon to stay alive or bring food back to eat. We as humans take many things for granted and never truly understand the repercussions of the effect it will have on our futures. The lesson learned is that everything can change in an instant and the road to recovery may cost you more than just your pride.