Dome

"Among the ancient, there was a saying. When it rains, it pours." An old lady scratched the wrinkles on her forehead as she slowly mumbled at the group of enraptured children listening to her fable. "And when it pours, destruction isn't far behind."

The old lady's leg trembled with pain as a ghastly necrotic wound could be seen eating her muscles down to her very bones. However, there wasn't a lot she could do about it. She bore the newest pang of pain and turned her gaze upwards, peering at the ginormous glass dome that towered over all and the terrifying black smog that hid behind it.

The children's gazes followed hers as they too looked at the bizarre and creepy crying nd desperate faces occasionally forming within that black smog and lightning periodically smashed onto the huge glass dome that stood between them and that horrible monstrosity. They had grown up watching these scenes repeatedly play out, yet it never ceased to frighten them. The fear was almost instinctual and primal, as if that intimidating smog held an existential threat so deep that even their cells cried in fear.

How did the world turn from the ones described in the school lessons and the old lady's tales turn into the morbid one of today, they wondered in horror and puzzlement. As they were about to ask the old lady some more questions an irritated yell sounded out behind them.

"Can't you see the granny's in pan? Leave her alone! Go and study for tomorrow's lessons!" The voice originated from a young man who appeared to be in his twenties. He was a little taller than his peers and had a plain face, but the most defining trait to him had to be his silvery grey hair. It simultaneously gave the illusion of his premature aging as well as made his hair look more like fur. The children mentally swore at the young man before dashing away in typical naughty fashion.

"You didn't need to do that Adam. They were simply curious." The old lady croaked. The man shook his head and walked over to observe the necrosis on her wound. "The corrosion's gotten worse old Nana. You will have to amputate it or you will die."

"My son left the dome to find an antidote. I don't want to be hasty." The old lady dismissed Adam's worries. Adam sighed. Old Nana's son had indeed joined the scouting expedition in search of Ambrosia, which would cure the old lady. But there had been no news from the expedition for a while. News all around was grim. "I can fashion a good bionic limb for you at cost price. If your son returns too late you'll be infected beyond the abilities of even ambrosia."

The old lady snorted before grimacing as the movement caused her pain to increase. "I believe in my son. I won't disappoint him by being impatient." Seeing the lady's resolve, Adam could only give up on trying to persuade her. He stood up as his eyes fixed on the children who were still playing on the narrow streets of the slum as small dilapidated vehicles dangerously passed them by like it was normal. "The elders are calling a council for the slum. I came here to let you know."

When Adam walked away, he noticed the glint in the old lady's eyes. The words beyond the instruction between them were left unsaid. But Adam knew that great change might be coming to the Dome after this meeting. He made his way through small winding paths intertwined by poorly made drains and stinking slum corridors before he arrived at a slightly broader street and made his way to a simple storefront at the center of the junction. Percival Mechanics.

It was an old and surprisingly preserved storefront from before the cataclysm. When the dome was discovered by the returnees and taken shelter in, Adam had managed to occupy it and take ownership. Over time he'd become the de facto mechanic and technician for the entire shelter. Taking a look at his ledger, Adam sighed. His workload was just enormous and so far he'd failed to find a suitable student to teach and help him. Taking care of the needs of an entire domed slum city alone was an extremely busy job, but luckily he'd been able to repair quite a few maintenance robots to delegate and do most of the grunt work.

Just as he was about to begin work on the next commission, a large booming sound echoed out causing every citizen within the Dome to flinch. Those who were outdoors could see the terrifying ripples occurring on the dome that threatened to collapse on them for a brief moment before returning to calm. An expression of gloom set on everyone's eyes once again. Inside the workshop, Adam sighed and shook his head. The boom just now had caused an instinctual fear within him as well, but unlike others he even heard a faint cry hidden within the boom.

It was a sound he had become accustomed to. A hidden scream yelling out for help embedded somewhere within that periodic boom. Adam had learned by now to ignore it and instead began working on his commission.

Day quietly turned into night and the black smog now had a faint orange and blood red glow interspersed within its territory, causing the dome to reflect that eery glow back onto the citizens and foster an atmospheric gloom on all the inhabitants. In a large auditorium like building, all the elders of the Dome seemed to have assembled together. Their facial expressions tinged with equal measure of anticipation and dread.

It took a few hours of rather intense and at times almost violent tension filled discussion before the room settled on a decision. As the only mechanic in the entire shelter and with considerable sway of his own, Adam too was sitting in the meeting. However, he deferred the discussion and simply sat and passively observed the scene. It was when the final decision had been reached that Adam sighed and left the auditorium quietly.