⋆The Survivors [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]⋆

Chapter one

"Jeez, that was a long run?" My brute of an older brother, Eli asked as I came through the door breathing heavily, his brown curls on his head all I could see of him. My brothers were exactly where I had left them when I left about an hour ago; both sitting on the couch, watching television and snacking on food.

The house we lived in wasn't large but it was very homely. The entire house was covered in dark stained floorboards and the walls were covered with paintings of the old world before the world went to shit; paintings of mountains, photos of forests that looked straight out of a fairytale and my favourite, a picture of a small harbour with small fishing boats floating in the dock as white birds flying overhead. Most pictures and paintings now were more like moving pictures, registering that when you stop and stare it actives but these were old, weathered made from paint and paper. 

The living room was much of the same except instead of paintings and photographs of beautiful scenery that had been lost during the war, there were family photos over every surface of our family. We weren't a tight-knit family by any means, however, we would have the occasional outing where our mother would have brought a camera to preserve the moment. I didn't realise how grateful I would be for those horrifically awkward family photos until I got a little older. 

"Yeah well I'm nearly nineteen-"

"In like six months!" My younger brother Ollie whispered and I hit him lightly over the head, making a mental note to book him in for a haircut. Instead of growing out his beautiful brown curls like Eli, he decided to go back to the twenty-first century; having the sides of his hair head shaved while leaving the top mildly long, long enough to cover his eyes. It suited him well but it wasn't in fashion and unlike what most people think fashion, this style has not come back around. Though trying to convince him of that was like trying to convince him the sky was an off-green; impossible. 

"-and I'm not getting any younger so I gotta take care of this bad boy." I grinned and gestured to my body. "Besides running clears my head, you guys should try it sometime." As they both grimaced slightly turning their attention back to the tv, I rolled my eyes at them wiping the sweat off my brow with my singlet, "Uni get cancelled today, Eli?"

"My lecturer loves taking a Monday off." Eli shrugged smirking up at me, "You'll understand next year."

"Ugh, I don't even wanna think about university, take me back to when I was your age Ollie, sweet sixteen and naïve." I teased winking at Eli, leaning over the couch and wrapping my arms around him. Eli chuckled leaning away from my sweaty body as Ollie stiffed a lip at me, trying to wriggle out of my grasp. I let him go but not before ruffling his hair as I moved towards the bathroom. Definitely needed a haircut. 

"I'm not naïve, my entire generation is naïve and stupid," he sighed rolling his eyes at me, "I'm constantly surrounded by idiots." I shook my head chuckling as Eli began berating Ollie for the rudeness of his classmates. 

"Alright I'm off to have a shower, let me know when dad comes home." I rubbed the back of my neck and they both returned their attention to their television. 

In the bathroom, I felt a small sharp pain again go through the back of my neck near my iYou chip. Frowning I rolled my neck, walked to the basin and let the water run from the tap. The iYou had never given me discomfort before and I wondered whether I should get it serviced. It had been so long since I had had it installed, that I could barely remember my life without it. 

They were your identification cards, having everything important linked to you literally. Everything from who you were, to what your blood type was to what was your last transaction. No one needed to carry around debit cards, credit cards or any sort of cards anymore which honestly made life that much more convenient. Some fought it after first, or so history says anyway, but apart from apparently the random zaps of pain it was worth the installation fee.