Paralyzed, Seven gazed at that ocean.
Struck by a strong gust of wind, he was astonished to see small ripples forming on the gas, as if they were waves.
It really looks like water…
That place frightened him, yet somehow, it was tranquil. It exuded a certain peace due to the absolute silence, despite being a completely open area.
"Take it."
With his Father's monotonous voice, he was pulled back to reality.
His Father extended a hand toward him, holding a helmet—one of those Seven had seen when they left the bunker, numbered 97 on the side.
Taking it, Seven placed it on his head.
Instantly, as if sensing it was being worn, something activated within it. Adjusting to his body, a small, glowing screen appeared in his vision, along with several alerts.
Out of air? A targeting system?
Beyond that, there were various other pieces of information, but he couldn't discern their purpose.
As soon as it finished adjusting, startling him, a single green phrase filled the entire screen.
— Verification complete —
What?
Still trying to make sense of what was happening, his Father, already wearing his helmet, pulled a rope from his backpack.
Tying one end around his waist, he handed the other to Seven.
"Tie it around yourself too."
Still confused, processing the flood of information that had appeared, Seven took a moment to grab the rope.
Noticing this, his Father continued.
"… In the middle of that gas, visibility is low. This way, there's no risk of you getting separated from me and losing your way."
"Wait! We're going into the middle of it?! Into that ocean?!"
Unable to believe it, he stared at his Father in complete shock.
But his Father, with unwavering certainty, confirmed.
"Yes, that's why the masks."
"I thought we were going to train here! I assumed the masks were for extra safety since we're near it!"
Being an open area surrounded by that ocean, it seemed ideal. With space for long-range shots and completely safe.
At least, that's what he thought.
"No, that wasn't the plan. Even if we could shoot here, there's a better place for that."
Though even more confused, Seven took the rope and tied it around his waist.
Once finished, they began to move.
To think we're going into the middle of that…
It was a deadly, odorless gas that, even for those who escaped death, brought severe consequences from poisoning. It wasn't new to him, both from having seen it a few times in the city and knowing the effects it had on its victims.
Stopping near the edge of the crater, they stood beside a relatively large pile of stones, reaching Seven's waist.
The stones had been carefully stacked, with larger ones at the bottom and smaller ones on top, almost symmetrically.
There, his Father pulled a small compass from his pocket.
It was old, covered in marks on its brass surface—scratches and dents—but still functional.
Taking a direction, they began descending the crater's edges toward the gas.
It's getting colder.
Sinking into the midst of it, Seven started to feel the temperature drop, growing colder with each step.
When he was completely enveloped by that ocean.
…
Several hours later, deep within that ocean, Seven was growing tired.
This is pointless…
Looking up, he tried to check the sun's position, but the mass of gas covering him blocked any view.
He knew they had walked a long way, but he had no idea how long they'd been there—something nearly impossible to gauge in that place.
There was nothing to use as a reference, neither temporal nor spatial.
With low visibility, all he could see was a few meters ahead; anything beyond that was mere shadows.
It completely disrupted his sense of direction, to the point he sometimes thought they were walking in circles.
Even when some shapes began to appear, making him realize they were moving forward.
At first, they were rare, but they grew more frequent, appearing in all sorts of forms—from tree trunks to some that resembled people.
The latter were especially unsettling, as many seemed to be fleeing from something, always running in the same direction they were walking.
But besides the gas obscuring details, they all looked strangely similar: people, trees, and debris, offering little distinction.
Seven, peering through the slightly fogged visor of his helmet, felt a chill.
It was a strange place. Even knowing nothing could survive there, a constant dread followed him, as if something might emerge at any moment.
His Father, walking just ahead, though little more than a silhouette, led the way, always looking forward, consulting the same compass as before.
In that place, he was Seven's only source of calm, for he knew his Father was guiding them to the right destination.
As they walked, after some time, the environment began to change.
With the sunlight growing stronger and the cold easing, they emerged from that ocean.
Finally…
Looking up, Seven sighed in relief at seeing the blue sky after so long in that gloom.
It hadn't been a difficult walk, as the terrain was favorable, allowing them to cover a good distance, but that place was unsettling, keeping him on constant alert.
Feeling calmer, he stretched his arms to relieve some tension in his shoulders.
Still walking with his Father, he began to look around.
It's big…
It was a new island, similar in size—or perhaps larger—than the one they'd been on, but without a crater in the center. That wasn't all: the place was strangely flat, an almost perfect concrete surface with few holes or cracks.
Beyond this, other islands surrounded it; they were smaller but not much different in appearance.
"Father, can I take off the mask?"
Now fully out of the gas and standing on solid ground, he felt it was safe to do so.
"No, not yet. The gas in this place leaves strong traces on your clothes, so it's not safe to do that yet."
Though distant, the voice he heard was close, coming from the helmet itself. It was something he discovered shortly after entering the sea of gas: there were built-in communicators.
It startled me a lot when he first spoke…
In the eerie environment they were in, even his Father's calm voice became unnervingly frightening.
Moving forward, they reached the center of the island, where a metal plate lay fallen on the ground.
— Restricted Area —
Dented and worn, with some parts missing, it bore this faint inscription, completely faded by time, visible only by the outlines of the letters.
Crouching near it, his Father moved it aside, revealing a hatch.
It was damaged, marked with claw-like scratches and cuts, as if the metal had melted slightly from high temperatures. Yet, it remained firmly in place, with a noticeable sturdiness.
His Father turned the wheel on it, which creaked after being moved for the first time in ages, opening it with a sharp metallic thud.
Looking at that hole, before they entered, he spoke to Seven.
"Go down first, but untie the rope; it'll only get in your way."
"Yes."
Entering, he began descending the stairs.
Shortly after, he heard a metallic clang as the hatch was closed, cutting off all light from the place.
In that darkness, he heard his Father.
"Seven, repeat: Activate lights."
"Activate lights?"
As soon as he spoke, light began emanating from his helmet, accompanied by a voice.
— Lighting system activated —
It's a woman's voice.
"Why did it talk?!"
"It's an old helmet system; it'll speak sometimes, but it's not fully functional anymore."
Excited, Seven asked.
"What still works in it?!"
Looking around, Seven used the flashlight to study the tunnel he was in.
It wasn't large, with simple concrete walls, but metal plates lined the sides, reinforcing it.
"There's not much left; the internal systems are heavily damaged, with the thermal and infrared malfunctioning, but the NVD vision should still work, though—"
"Activate NVD."
Without even waiting for his Father to finish, he gave the command.
— System activated —
As that voice echoed, the flashlight turned off.
"Why did it go dark again?"
"… That type of vision only works in places with some light; in absolute darkness, like where we are, it makes no difference."
With three types of night vision, that equipment was impressive, even if the NVD didn't work there and the other two were faulty.
Targeting system, night vision, gas mask, communication system…
A fusion of various equipment, even the functioning features made it a valuable item, offering unmatched practicality.
I don't remember carrying anything this comprehensive, even considering the night vision visor I have and the bow…
Realizing this, Seven felt it grow heavier.
Finishing the descent, they reached a not-so-spacious room. With entirely metal walls, it had a few spots where lamps were mounted, but they were off.
The environment, slightly cold, carried an unfamiliar air.
There was another exit on the opposite side, a closed metal door with a small circular window.
Next to it was a small terminal.
Approaching it, his Father activated it.
Responding to the command, turbines began spinning nearby. Generating a strong airflow from the floor, it rustled their clothes.
It's removing the gas residue…
Though nearly invisible, he noticed faint green-tinted lines being carried away by the vents.
That system wasn't unfamiliar to Seven; they had a similar one at home, but they stopped using it after a while, as the gas had vanished from the city, at least from the places they went.
"Why is this working? Doesn't it seem like there's no power here, or are the lights burned out?"
Curious, Seven checked if anything was lit on the terminal his Father had accessed.
"There's power, but it's programmed to run only a few strictly necessary systems to conserve energy."
"Why?"
"This was the first bunker we chose to live in, so we set up some batteries to prepare it, but before we started, we found our house. Your mother insisted on living there, so we abandoned this place. But we left some charged batteries in case we needed to move here."
As soon as the turbines stopped, the room's door unlocked, allowing them to pass.
Entering a wide corridor, they continued walking.
With gray walls, the place was adorned with various coats of arms. Of all kinds, each had a central symbol: eagles, swords, horses, sea monsters, and dragons.
But though grandiose, their colors were faded or gone, with only their outlines visible.
They look like ghosts…
Distracted, observing them, Seven kicked something metallic, which began to spin on its axis.
It was a small metal cylinder, just over two hands long, that stopped spinning shortly after.
Curious, he crouched to pick it up.
A thermos?
Removing the cap, he saw some kind of black liquid inside, which he considered sniffing but quickly dismissed.
Around him, though cluttered, he noticed it was relatively clean, with only a few papers scattered on the floor.
Seeing one nearby, Seven tried to pick it up to read, but it crumbled as soon as he touched it.
Everything feels so old…
It had disintegrated because it was ancient, like everything in that place, yet it all felt strangely untouched.
Looking at other papers, he noticed some had footprints, but they were different from his or his Father's. Made long ago, they had a thin layer of dust over them.
Mother…
"Come on, Seven."
Standing a few meters ahead, his Father waited for him.
Setting it aside, Seven stood and ran to catch up.
Following the long corridor, they passed several doors leading to a dormitory, bathroom, and mess hall.
All were in disarray, with clothes, towels, and trays scattered on the floor.
It looks like the place was abandoned in a hurry.
It's much bigger than our house.
Comparing just the rooms he saw and the length of the corridor, it was considerably larger.
Passing other closed rooms, they reached a large area.
There, other corridors branched off in opposite directions.
It feels like I've seen only a fraction of this place…
One of them, the shortest, ended nearby with a large door.
Entering there, his Father went to the door and opened it, stepping inside.
In the dark room, stopping near the entrance, he opened a power panel on the wall and began working on it.
Shortly after, flipping some switches, the room's lights came on, revealing where they were.
In a large, semicircular room, a massive screen lined the straightest wall. Facing it, arranged in tiered rows, desks with small screens connected by wires filled most of the space.
Also affected by the sudden power surge, several of them turned on, with the hum of fans filling the room.
Quickly, the same phrase appeared at the center of all of them.
— Immediate Evacuation —