The Disapproving Mother-In-Law-To-Be

Atlanta was almost post apocalyptic. There was no one around, gas mains had ruptured leaving huge holes in the road in the middle of the city, and all of the buildings were worn and unused. The ocean had even come inland. The war really destroyed Atlanta. It was once beautiful, thriving, and full of life. Now, it was just reduced to rubble and there was no life to be seen.

There were bands of people who lived underground because we were known as the "resistance." We didn't want to get caught by the probes that monitored the surface. I was not myself in my dream, but a girl named Anatolia who was a scavenger and thief, and quite good at it. I has olive skin and long, dark hair. My eyes were green and I was tall and thin. Well, everyone was thin, there wasn't that much food to come by.

I crept along the passageways until I found my boyfriend's house. When I say, "house," I use that term loosely. We lived under ground and each person took a pile of rubble and build it into a crude looking dwelling. Sometimes, if you were crafty, you even had running water.

I crept into Josh's window. He helped me in and motioned me to be silent as his mom was still up. She really disapproved of me. We snuggled on his bed for a while, just happy for some peace and a little happiness in the world, when his mother threw open the door in a rage. She heard me laugh, she said later.

So, in an act of defiance, Josh told her that he was going to marry me. She smiled at him, almost sweetly, and said, "Sure you can, if you can find her."

Then, I woke up in the pits way below the city. The places were criminals won't even go. I could hear the spray of the ocean close by and I knew I was in trouble. I needed to find my way back to Josh but I didn't even know where here was. There was no one to ask. The people I did see, avoided me like the plague. I guess they were warned by that evil witch not to talk to me about anything.

I wasn't sure if I was going the right way but I followed the sound of the water spray. I know that would help me get out of the cave. I just kept hearing Josh's mom's laugh over and over again in my head.