Apocalypse: Underwater City — Chrissy Peebles

***This is a 15,000 word novella**** I'm a survivor, living in a post-apocalyptic world. I live deep in the ocean and that's how we all survived the world's greatest catastrophe known to man. I'd often dreamt of a normal life, but sadly, that wasn't what fate had in store for me. Where do I even begin? Let's start from the beginning, shall we? My name is Sky Hammons, and this is my story. It's actually quite like my name, because it is a tale of hope, faith, and new beginnings -- like a bright, blue summer sky. Or at least that was what I'd wished for, back when I was naïve and clueless enough to believe it. I really wish my journey could be summed up like that, and at first, it seemed like that might be the case. But then that bright sky darkened, and things fell apart. As if Chicken Little's fears were coming true, my blue sky shattered. They say “The truth will set you free,” but I can't say I believe that -- at least not anymore. In my case, the bitter truth shook me to my very core. I never would have imagined that life could be so cruel or that people could be so deranged outside of an Alfred Hitchcock script or some awful horror movie, but I learned one thing: Never, ever believe what you're told. I'd been hand-fed lies since birth from my so-called government, and like a mindless drone, I'd happily believed every fraudulent word of the garbage they were spewing. Maybe I just wanted that warm, fuzzy feeling; their lies comforted me and allowed me to sleep better at night. After all, who doesn't want peace and hope and goodwill and all those other things splattered in snowy glitter all over the front of Christmas cards? When I got a little older and started to take a good, close look at the world around me, I began to challenge the world I lived in. I began to realize it wasn't all marshmallows and unicorns and Norman Rockwell paintings, and I started to ask questions. I'd always hoped for a bright future, but little did I know that absolute terror was lurking just around the corner. As I dug into the unknown, I was confronted by my worst nightmare. My name is Sky, and this is my story.