[ WP ] As it turns out , the desolation is not worldwide , you 've just been living on an `` Apocalypse Reserve '' your whole life .

A plane flew over the pockmarked land. Scarcely a dot in the empty sky, but the noise rattled through the valley. The children looked out from their scattered settlers; they climbed the wall of the north ridge when they decided there was no threat. 
 
 “ They called it a cloudmaker, ” Nima proclaimed, “ My uncle told me that. ” The other children nodded in agreement. “ They call it that ‘ cause of the lines it makes, ” she pointed the two columns trailing the plane, “ But they aren ’ t *real* clouds. It ’ s why they look weird; it amused people before the war. ” 
 
 “ No way, Nima, ” Mel pushed his way to the front. “ My gran says they ’ re airships. Before the end they would pack these ships with food, cargo, even *people*, and then fly them all around the planet. ” The children snickered at Mel. “ Nima ’ s a liar! ” He called out, directing the attention back to the girl standing on the top rock. 
 
 “ I ’ m not lying! ” Nima curled her hand into a fist. Her voice hushed the crowd. The children began to part, leaving Mel in the clearing. 
 
 “ Fight ‘ im Nima! ” Someone called out. The whoops and whistles of approval shook the crowd. 
 
 “ I ’ m not fighting a girl! ” Mel was indignant. “ Specially not one smaller and younger than me, ” He waved his hand as if to shoo the crowd away before he turned to leave. 
 
 “ We ’ re both fifteen! ” Nima called at him, “ You afraid of fighting a girl, *Melvin*? ” He flinched and rounded back on the small crowd with new anger. The children hollered as he rushed into the centre again. 
 
 “ Hey, ” the two dozen heads jerked towards the source of the voice. “ You wouldn ’ t be fighting, would you now? ” Nima ’ s mother, Kira, stood at the far end of the ridge. The relation between the two was apparent; the only difference was Nima ’ s curls to Kira ’ s straight strands and a slight downturn of her nose. 
 
 The children shook their heads. “ No ma ’ am, we were just playing! ” One girl spoke. The rest cast their eyes downward and shuffled their feet. 
 
 “ You all should head back home to your families, ” Kira ’ s order met with groans of disapproval. “ We leave in two days. ” As the other children began to make their way back to the scattered collection of shelter, food, and fire by the riverbed, Kira walked through the crowd and faced Nima. “ We ’ ve talked about the fighting Nima, ” Kira sighed. “ A leader must be above such petty quarrels. ” 
 
 “ Mom, he called me a liar! ” 
 
 “ Nima. ” 
 
 Nima sighed now, and followed her mother back to their tents. 
 
 -- - 
 
 
 
 That night, Nima lay awake and listened to her parents whispers. “ The plane is a bad omen, ” her father said, “ we haven ’ t seen one in years. Trent and Casey saw another just last week while hunting near the northern ridge. ” 
 
 “ Where *do* we go then? ” Kira ’ s voice was full with anxiety Nima hadn ’ t heard before. 
 
 “ Back down the river, I guess, ” her father sighed. 
 
 “ We both know that the river won ’ t support us another winter, ” her mother and father kept arguing. They rarely fought with each other; most of the time they worked together to face the problem. Tonight though, their harsh whispers clashed with frustration. 
 
 -- - 
 
 
 Once they were both asleep, Nima slipped out of their tent. Swallowing her pride, she went towards the tent were Mel and his gran lived. His gran, a tough but sweet woman, was rather hard of hearing. “ Mel, ” Nima hissed, “ Wake up. ” 
 
 An angry and rumpled Mel appeared at the entrance a moment later. “ The *hell* are you doing here Nima? It ’ s the middle of the night. ” 
 
 “ Actually, it ’ s almost sunrise. But Mel, I need your help. ” 
 
 Her statement pulled him out of his anger, and he gave her a small nod, “ You sure? ” He knew Nima would n't be asking unless she was desperate. 
 
 “ Yes. I may not like you but you ’ re the smartest one around. ” 
 
 Mel grinned with satisfaction, “ So what is it then? ” 
 
 “ We have to climb the north ridge, all the way to the top. Over it, if we have too. We need to find a new place to spend the winter. We can ’ t stay here, but my parents want to go back down the river. ” 
 
 Mel paled, “ Half of us will die if we go back. There was barely enough food to go around the first time we were there. ” 
 
 Nima nodded in agreement, “ The north ridge is our only chance. They think there ’ s bad omens, though. That bad things will happen if we move there. ” 
 
 “ Bad things will happen if we stay. ” 
 
 “ Exactly. ” 
 
 Mel slipped out of his tent, pulling his pack with him. “ We have to be back before noon. ” 
 
 -- -- 
 
 
 They climbed the cliff with ease, guided by the light of the dawn. Over the few months they had stayed in this camp the two had been to the ridge many times, but never climbed to the top. 
 
 The top looked similar to the valley. A few sparse and scattered trees, a light brush of dried grasses and strangled weeds. 
 
 Nima ’ s face fell. This land couldn ’ t support them through the winter either. Mel noted her frown. “ Hey Nima, it ’ s alright, ” Nima raised an eyebrow to the unexpected pleasantness. “ This is just the top, there ’ s more to the north, ” he continued. 
 
 The two walked onward through the brush, watching the sun creep up in the morning sky. They hadn ’ t much longer before their disappearance would raise alarm. “ Maybe we should head - ” 
 
 “ Nima, look, ” Mel pointed through the trees. It looked like the sun was being thrown back towards the two. 
 
 “ What is that? ” 
 
 “ I don ’ t know... ” Nima paused. Mel knew *everything*, his gran was widely regarded as a great source of knowledge in their group. “ Should we check it out? ” 
 
 “ Of course, ” Nima rolled her eyes, “ We ’ re here, aren ’ t we? ” 
 
 
 Through the brush stood a building unlike any the duo had ever seen. It was planes of smooth glass, and sharp metal corners. “ The H-War Apocalypse Preserve, ” Mel read the inscription carved onto the side of the building, “ So the world may never again turn so dark. ” 
 
 Nima and Mel stopped. Reaching out from the sides of the building the air seemed to bend. Light ripples distorted the horizon in lines as far out and high as they could see. 
 
 Nima spoke. “ Mel... I think we ’ re in a cage. ” 

