[ WP ] You 're listening to W95.7FM , the only station still broadcasting after the blast .

**The 225th - Part One** 
 
 My mother-in-law Sarah has always been a bit eccentric. After I lost my job at the mine over a year ago, we've had to rely on her to help us with our mortgage until we're able to get back on our feet. Her financial assistance comes with a catch – we must Sunday afternoons with her. Today she is making us take her bomb shelter shopping. She is convinced that President Trump will result in World War III and that she needs to be prepared. 
 
 “ This one looks really nice, ” Sarah says. 
 
 The five bedroom, 2500 sq ft “ Extreme Lux ” bomb shelter model, priced at what Sarah describes as, “ a moderate $ 2.1M dollars, ” has one of the most beautiful interiors I've ever see. 
 
 “ Bob's bomb shelters does not disappoint, ” Sarah continues. 
 
 “ You ca n't get the real experience unless we close the hatch, ” says the shelter salesman. The salesman, whose name I did n't catch when we arrived, proceeds to close the hatch to the bomb shelter. I can feel a tingle down my spine as he closes it and my claustrophobia creeps in. Sarah and Karen proceed to tour the shelter, while I try to calm myself and catch my breath. Just when I feel like I have collected myself – **BANG**. 
 
 “ Wow – they really take the sales experience seriously here, ” Sarah exclaims. 
 
 I too think to myself that this must be an elaborate sales tactic of Bob's bomb shelters, but then I turn to look at the salesman. His face is one that I've seen before. It's the same face as my former colleagues when a large portion of the mine that we worked in collapsed and left us stranded underground for two weeks. It's the face of absolute fear in an uncertain and terrifying future. 
 
 “ What the hell just happened, this is n't fake is it? ” 
 
 “ The hatch and walls have the best soundproofing money can buy... this ca n't be happening, ” the salesman whispered under his breath. 
 
 Filled with fear, Karen ran to the hatch and immediately started to unlock it. 
 
 “ DO N'T DO IT! THERE'S LIKELY BEEN A NUCLEAR BLAST! ” the salesman screamed. 
 
 Karen ignores his words and proceeds to open the hatch. She looks up at the sky and a big smile crosses her face. 
 
 “ Everything looks fine to me - the sky is as blue as ever! ” she says joyfully. 
 
 We all breath a collective sigh of relief and exit the shelter. Everything on the outside looks fine, but none of us can discern where the noise came from. 
 
 “ I've had enough excitement for one day, we're going home to watch the game. ” 
 
 Sarah and Karen agree and we get into the car. After about two minutes of driving, we notice that there is a stalled car in the middle of the highway. Proceeding slowly, I drive around it, noticing that there is no one in the car or around it. It did n't take long before we pulled up to another eight cars, each of which seem abandoned in the same fashion. I pull the car over to the side of the road in an effort to make some sense of this. 
 
 “ Sarah, Karen, could you please check your phones to see if we can find out if anything's happened? ” 
 
 We soon realize that none of our phones have service. 
 
 “ Perhaps there's something on the radio, ” Karen says. 
 
 After scanning for stations, the only available station is W97.5FM – country radio. Much to our surprise, it was n't country music that was playing but the U.S. Emergency Alert System. After a long unsettling monotone signal, a warning message came across. 
 
 “ The following message is transmitted at the request of the Federal Government of the United States. There has been an unknown biological attack on the United States. Current estimates indicate that the 97 % of the population has been eliminated by this attack. We are urging any survivors to go immediately to the closest government shelter. ” 
 
 After listening to the entire message in horror, we realize that the closest identified shelter in the alert is nearly 100 miles away. After about an hour of trying to grasp the gravity of the situation, Sarah and Karen make their respective positions clear. 
 
 “ We should go back to Bob's bomb shelter in case there's another attack. We'll be safe there, ” Sarah insists. 
 
 “ The government shelter is only a 100km mom, we should go there instead, ” Karen says. 
 
 We debate where to go for some time, but Karen and I ultimately accept Sarah's plan. We arrive at Bob's and quickly notice that the salesman is frantically moving metal boxes into the “ Extreme Lux ” bomb shelter model. 
 
 “ Hey Bob! Can we talk for a minute, ” Sarah shouts. 
 
 This was the first time that I realized that the salesman is the “ Bob ” in “ Bob's bomb shelters ”. Bob proceeds to ignore Sarah's calls and continues to stock up the shelter. As we get closer, Bob quickly runs into his single trailer office which is on the lot. After a few seconds, Bob comes out with a rifle aimed towards us and cocks it. 
 
 “ You need to leave right now. There's no room for ya' all here, ” Bob yells. 
 
 It becomes clear that Bob has heard the announcement and is aware of the situation. 
 
 “ I'm warning you, if you come any closer I'll kill ya! ” 
 
 “ I'm sure there's plenty of room for all of us in one of your shelters. Please let us in, ” Sarah pleads. 
 
 “ I only have enough supplies for me for two years. I'm not going to spread them across three more people who I dunno. ” 
 
 Karen steps forward and yells, “ you ca n't treat people like this... you need to let us in. ” 
 
 As I move to try to grab her and pull her away from Bob – **BANG**. Bob fires his rifle, hitting Karen directly in the chest. 
 
 “ I... I told you I'd do it. Get away from here or else I'll shoot again ” 
 
 Sarah and I begin to scream hysterically as we watch Karen begin to bleed out. I quickly pull Karen's bloody body back into the car and Sarah joins her in the back seat. 
 

