text: [Themes: love & dating]
  
  Your car was a rusty piece of shit.
  
  The surrounding woods faired no better. Everything had such a tint of brown that you grimaced in disgust. The lush life that once hid your small bunker was now a desolate quiet ruin.
  
  Everything you excepted of a dead forest was right in front of you. Even the deafness of it all gave your body shivers.
  
  You had to use as much daylight to your advantage if you were to get your plans done before nightfall. You didn't want to uncesssarly use your flashlight when you could easily avoid staying out for too long.
  
  "Were are we going first?" Ashley asks.
  
  "I guess we should head into Henderson and see if we can find anything or anyone. That's the biggest city in the area so if the military were to be anywhere then it would be there."
  
  "Sounds good. I think it would be quicker if we went through the woods, though following the road would be easier." Ashley analyzed to which you were impressed.
  
  Looking at you she senses your wonder. "Oh I used to hike a lot with a couple of friends from college. We would get lost in the woods all the time."
  
  You wondered what else she was hiding that could be to your benefit.
  
  > Road
  The road it was then, follow the road.
  
  God you hope there weren't any cannibals.
  
  The walk would take awhile before you would even see the outskirts of Henderson, so you and Ashley took the time to talk to one another.
  
  "So why is it that you weren't more prepared for this kind of thing with your bunker. I mean if you were going to go that far then might as well go all out, you know what I mean?"
  
  "Well building it was more of a pastime for me after I turned thirty. I was a paranoid fuck who bought into all the theories of incoming war and thought it would be smart to build the bunker. No one really ever expects this to actually happen though so of course I didn't make it my upmost priority."
  
  You smile a bit. "Besides do you know how much all that shit cost for? That was all in the span of a decade."
  
  "How'd you feel being right though, with the nukes dropping and all?"
  
  "Do I look pleased?"
  
  Ashley looks at your total serious face before losing eye contact.
  
  "No, I guess not."
  
  "Must suck for you though, going to college and all and having the world get fucked over like this only a few years later."
  
  Ashley shakes her head and laughs a little bit.
  
  "Nah, I actually was failing a lot of my classes, the only reason I even went was because my parents paid for it all and wanted to see my suceed with a business major. They paid for everything, took it for granted since they were so rich but it still sucked to see how disappointed they were in me afterwards."
  
  There's a awkward pause, as you don't really know how to respond to that and she doesn't continue.
  
  You try changing the subject to something else.
  
  "You think we'll find anyone in Henderson?"
  
  "My parents were from Henderson, so was my ex. I guess we'll find out soon enough"
  
  Yeah, maybe it was best if you just stayed silent.
  
  > Henderson
  Henderson looked like a complete shit hole.
  
  Your hopes of finding any survivors was diminishing rapidly as you tried thinking of a excuse for people to have found a way to survive.
  
  The way the buildings had looked made it seem as if a nuke had directly impacted some part of the city making you fear the radiation levels that might still be lethal.
  
  "No way anyone survived that..." Ashley quietly mutters.
  
  Staying quiet, you proceed to enter the town with Ashley right behind you.
  
  The first few blocks seemed dead and silent as one would image.
  
  Taking out your map of city, you tried to pinpoint any locations of interest that might provide useful materials or the chance of finding any survivors.
  
  There was the subway stations, in which there had to be survivors in which took refuge in the tunnels. Along with the national guard base that had to have something that you could find if the military wasn't already there.
  
  > National Guard Base
  The military would have to be be the last real remnants of actual civilization, there had to be some official force left.
  
  "I guess we're heading to the national guard base then." You tell Ashley as you start following your map.
  
  "Are you sure that's a good idea. Doesn't the army always kill the people trying to find them in the zombie movies and stuff."
  
  "I doubt that there actually going to be doing that. Though we can scout the place out first from afar if it'll make you feel safer about it." You assure.
  
  The walk to the national guard base is quiet as you and Ashley don't really have much to say. She keeps to herself while inspecting her gun that never seems to leave her hands. Perhaps that was a good thing.
  
  The whole city really gave you chilling vibes. With all the rusted and brown cars that littered the streets along with every other building being completely caved in. You never knew it could be this quiet, not even birds making up the background noise in the past were seen or heard.
  
  Upon seeing the Military outpost in the distance, you saw that some of the exterior seemed to be destroyed.
  
  "I see people over there!" Ashley exclaimed.
  
  Squinting harder you tried to make out anyone but to avail.
  
  "How many are there?"
  
  "There's two standing up on that wall, that's all I can really see from here."
  
  "What should we do, go up to them or keep watching them like you said." Ashley asks you.
  
  > watch them from afar
  "Let's keep on watching them, I'm sure we can find another area where we can look at them better."
  
  With Ashley staying close to you, you went on to find a better vantage point in which Ashley would be able to have a better view.
  
  "Here, I think I can see them better from here." Ashley says as she motions you to stop.
  The two of you hide yourselves behind a ruined bus stop bench as Ashley squints her eyes.
  
  "Yeah I think I can see two more inside, a tank too."
  
  Ashely's eyes become wide open as she lets out a moan.
  
  "Oh my god, one of the guards se-."
  
  There was the sound of a gun, then it was the sound of contact.
  
  Ashely's body was slumped on the floor in mere seconds, with you knowing that she was already dead by seeing the gaping exit wound on the back of her head.
  
  You didn't really have much time to mourn or run, the next bullet was for you.
  
  You fell into a dark paralysis a little while after.