The Uprising | Teen Ink

The Uprising

January 8, 2013
By Drew Kulak BRONZE, Cary, North Carolina
Drew Kulak BRONZE, Cary, North Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

The Uprising
























Chapter 1-
He woke up in the dark, so black that you could taste it. Jonah could not see his hand, he was confused, disoriented, and apprehensive. He couldn’t remember how he got to where he was, but he remembered snippets of people and places that went together like a puzzle, the only thing was that most of the pieces were missing. People drifted in and out of his thoughts but he could not grasp faces or sounds, just silhouettes. Jonah felt his arms moving mechanically, on muscle memory, and he started to walk towards, something, he didn’t know what, he just knew that he must move towards answers, he had so many questions.

“It’s Jonah sir, he’s awake and moving. His vitals are good and and he has regular confusion levels.” Green stated.
“Has he found the switch yet?” The officer questioned.
“No sir, he is still figuring out his body and is just starting to move his arms.”
“Good, good. Contact me when he starts to wake up, and keep a close eye on him Green.” The officer ordered.
“Yes sir.” Green looked up at the screens and chuckled, “How could this infidel ever hope to be someone when he doesn’t even know who he is? He can’t even find the switch, haha, he’ll never make it.” Green openly laughed.


Jonah had finally found the switch and started to explore his surroundings. There were not many interesting items in his cell. There were three rooms, one was the nourishing room where food was produced and eaten, another room was called the regeneration room and in this room the National would rest and regain strength for the following dawn. The last and final room was called the window room and it was made entirely out of glass. The three rooms confused Jonah because he could not even figure who he was let alone where he was or what these rooms meant.


The cell by itself made no sense partly because of its confusing rooms, partly because of the national it held inside it, but the main reason that the cell was so odd was because of the fact that there was no way to visibly exit, or for that matter, enter. How had Jonah come to where he was? What had caused him to be brought to this cell? Who was he in this prior life that he can hardly remember? What had happened?


It all started in the year 2304 when society, government, the economy, and the health of the world were at its worst. The world was at war with itself and everyone was dying, there were no more powerful countries or any definitive countries for that matter. Today the world is on the verge of destruction and everyone is on the edge of insanity. The leaders of the world were overrun and no one cared. Everyone fended for themselves with no concern for others, but it was going to explode in everyone’s faces if no one did anything. The U.N.O.P. was a group of people that decided to alter the dying world and fix what was left of it. The changes started in what used to be the United States of America but in 2304 was a wasteland consisting nuclear craters and ash-laden skeletons. The U.N.O.P. made the decision to start reconstruction here in the place where it all started.



It had been three days since Jonah had awoken, he would just sit in the window room and stare contemplating how he was in this predicament. Inside he cried out for freedom, to let his soul roam and discover his forgotten past. He could almost feel eyes on his back everywhere he was, it was like a sixth sense that he unconsciously knew was there. Everything was in Jonah’s face like a thinking machine screen before you and all you had to do was turn the digitizer on and all of those missing puzzle pieces would be found and fit into place. On this light the widow room was a grayish color, like the color of Jonah’s thoughts, and he did not know how to process this new color. He knew the color grey, but did not understand the tired state at which it put him. So many questions and so little answers. He must look for more answers or he will be invisible to himself not ever knowing the truth.

“Green! Why aren’t you watching Jonah?” The uniformed officer shouted.
“Oh. I am so sorry sir I...” Green stuttered.
“You what? Did you think that my order was empty? That man in there is extremely dangerous and you aren’t worth a tenth of him so focus and get your head out of the clouds to make sure that he doesn’t do anything.”
“Yes sir, but...”
“No buts about it now get over there and watch that national as if your life depended on it because it may in the end.” The uniformed officer trails off.

Why? Why can’t he remember? He wanted to live and to see life, but the room hindered his movements. He knew that he should feel hunger, but found none. Jonah decides to get his answers to all the questions, though more will be unraveled. Start with an exit. He was put in this cell but how does he get back out on the grid? He checked the window room, the nourishing room and was about to give up hope when he found a hatch. Looking closer he saw that the hatch depicted a dead body and in the background was a mushroom cloud and he felt more questions pour into his confused mind. Attempting to open the hatch Jonah promptly soaked his hands in blood and sweat struggling to open it, but the problem was that there was no handle to open it as if he was locked inside without an exit and there was someone on the outside watching him.

“Sir he found the hatch and he is continually beating himself on it in an attempt to get it open.” Green said slowly.
“Green I told you not to bother me unless it was urgent, that hatch is made of pure titanium and there is nothing in that cell that could help him get it open. If he continues and his vitals drop from blood loss then shock him in an attempt to discourage him.” The officer casually said.
“Understood sir. What if he creates a device to open the box?” Green Questioned.
“If such a ludicrous thing were to happen then send in a squad, but that must be our last resort. Do you understand?” The officer replied with an irritated tone.
“Yes sir of course, he will not exit his cell and I will make sure of that.”
“Then get back to your job, Green and keep me updated.”

Time to organize, to think and piece together what he had so far. There were three rooms, a watch, and a few scrambled memories. Where are the other people? He had to find some people, then the thought struck him. The hatch! There must be someone on the other side, he must see and talk to another human being. He must, he must get the hatch open. Once in the nourishing room Jonah found a handful of acids that were originally for vital uses, but he knew that he could use it for an explosion. Taking the acids and mixing them in just the right way, Jonah wrapped the mixture in his shirt very tightly and brought it into his regeneration room to the hatch. Once there, he put it on top of the hatch and took the heater from the resting platform and placed it on top of the hatch. After running into the window room he wanted contemplating what he was doing then he, pushed it out of his mind and focused on the issue at hand.

Green has stunned and could not react fast enough before he saw an explosion on the thinking machine, and he could only sit in his seat motionless, devoid of all emotion except for fear. The officer heard the explosion and knew what was happening and was enraged, a mixture of fear, anger, and military training kicked in. Green turned in his chair just fast enough to see the gun being fired and then pain, so much pain; the officer looked down on the dead soldier and grimaced. He hated to do that, but Green was not capable of the job he was assigned, he was given the chance and failed. He sentenced himself to death and now crystalline red blood streamed onto the floor and into a shallow puddle, it was all so beautiful and also disheartening at the same time for the officer. On his way out of the viewing room the officer was already contemplating whom the replacement would be.


The author's comments:
I will be positing an additional chapter every week till the book is finished. This is the first chapter of many.

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