Braces

The apocalypse had started last year, April 27^th, 2089, zombies swarmed the streets and wars raged over head. Many families had been found dead, or undead. Some good people had started safe havens for citizens in need, others did crime for fun. Alliances were formed, enemies were made, the world had become a living nightmare. But through it all, you had people like me. Teenagers who, despite it all, still wanted to live a life.

At one point we tried to start a school again, but someone decided to burn it down. Now we live in an underground bunker and hide from the dangers of outside, praying no one will find us. Although I fear I may have to go outside soon, the metal wires glued to my teeth were supposed to be taken off today. And I don’t think I could deal with one more “metal mouth” comment or be told I can’t eat something because it’ll hurt my teeth. They didn’t just need to come off soon, they needed to come off now.

“Maya, are you ready to start the movie?” My friend Ethan called from the goodwill style couch.

“Coming!” I replied quickly. Walking towards Ethan, I saw the other kids munching on caramel corn. My tongue felt the braces in my mouth, and I knew that I wanted that delicious treat. Riley, my girlfriend, started up the broken-down projector, which soon began to play the classic movie “Mean Girls”. It was an oldie but a goodie. The night was filled with laughter and the dread of not being able to taste the delectable caramel corn.

“What’s wrong babe, you seem upset.” Riley asked as I snuggled into her shoulder.

“I need to get these braces off, and they need to come off now, can we try to find an orthodontist outside?” I asked, already expecting the oncoming answer.

“Maya, you know for a fact we only go outside for food runs. We don’t want to risk getting killed. Babe, as much as I love you, you can’t go outside.” Riley’s voice was stern yet caring, I also really didn’t want to fight. So instead I let out a disappointed sigh and went to sleep. But not before making the decision to leave by myself.

It was a quarter past midnight, an uneasy silence filled the air of the bunker. Sneakily maneuvering my way out of Riley’s embrace, I tiptoed toward the fridge. Grabbing a few snacks and drinks, I packed a bag for my trip. 3 years was enough of this torture, I could not endure anymore. As I made my way toward the exit ladder, a stern hand pulled me down.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Ethan stood with me face to face. I couldn’t lie to him; he was my best friend!

“I need to go see an orthodontist; these braces are killing me!” I replied in a hushed whisper.

“Does Riley know of this scandalous endeavor?”

“She knows I want to go, but she also told me no.”

“Well,” Ethan gave Riley a glance of worry, I prayed he would let me go. “As long as I can come with you, I miss the smell of fresh air.”

“Yes! Thank you so much Ethan!” I gave him a quick hug before turning to begin the journey. This was happening, this was seriously happening. I heard Ethan clamber on after me. Reaching the exit, I pushed open the hatch and climbed out.

Taking in the non-fresh air of the apocalyptic world, I watched as fires blazed all around, planes flew above, bullets fired a while away. It was midnight yet the sky was red from the raging war, there was not a star to be seen. Ethan crawled out after me, looking around in the same grimacing horror I was. It wasn’t always like this, the world used to be so beautiful. What had the apocalypse done…

“Okay, lets go find an orthodontist.” I proclaimed, adjusting the straps of my pack. Ethan nodded in reply and we started forward. Not knowing were to go, we just walked straight, trying to spot any living thing, any sign of life. A groan from behind nearly gave me a heart attack. A zombie lumbered along the path behind us, coming nearer every second.

“Ethan, there’s a zombie what do we do?”

“I don’t know Maya; did you pack a gun?”

“Why would I have done that? I don’t know how to use one!”

“Maya….. YOU DIDN’T PACK A GUN!?!?!” Ethan was panicking, and that was not a good sign. Before thinking, I grabbed his hand and ran. The zombie gave up the chase quickly, but we kept running anyway. It felt nice, like there was a lot of freedom and adventure with every breath of smoke infused air.

We’d both been in the bunker for so long, we really needed this. I glanced around at my surroundings, there wasn’t much. A few broken houses here, a fire there, it was a sad sight. Then my gaze trailed to a very particular building, Picha Orthodontics.

“ETHAN! ETHAN I FOUND AN ORTHODONTICS!” I exclaimed, pointing to the building, which seemed to be in surprisingly good shape. He looked toward the building and a grin crossed his worn-down face. I couldn’t contain my excitement any longer, the retched metal bars would be taken off my teeth if it was the last thing I would ever do! I began to sprint forward again, Ethan dawdling behind me. As we drew closer, I saw a few lights flicker on.

“Who comes here?” A middle-aged man bellowed. He was holding an old gun and seemed to be seriously freaked out.

“It’s ok! I just want to get my braces off!” I said, trying to make my voice as calm as possible.

“A patient? I must be dreaming,” the man shook his head, “I haven’t had a patient in months.”

“Please sir! She’s traveled such a long way.” Ethan chimed in.

“How can you prove your real? How can you prove you aren’t like the others? All the teens around these parts just steal things and threaten to harm my family more.” The old man’s voice choked a little at the end there, I felt bad but knew what needed to be done.

“Sir, there are many good kids in hiding. Please just get my braces off my teeth and I will show you to a safe haven.” Ethan nodded behind me; the old man just stood. After a while he deemed us trustworthy and walked us inside. This was it; I was going to get my braces off.

I ran my tongue across the clear surface of my teeth. It felt weird to not have those awful things on, but I knew it was for the best. Riley handed me a batch of caramel corn; the old man plugged in some movies he had. His wife and son happily laid on a sofa, talking with the rest of the kids. Her and the old man had become somewhat of parental figures towards us kids. It been so long since there was such a peace, I couldn’t believe it was all real.