Factory pipes emitting smoke filled the sky, it burned. As a result, it made everyday the same routine, I get up, make sure my windows remain sealed shut, tell Mr. Robot to make me breakfast and get my small oxygen mask. The air has become too polluted and we aren't allowed outside. I enjoy the simple things in life and enjoy writing as a way for me to mentally fly outside my window. I'm working on a new story about how I think my life would be if I could do things with other kids my age. I'm 15 and will only wonder, will I have a friend? Humanity brought this upon us with their stubbornness. If I just had the power to travel back in time to tell my predecessors to just stop burning so much fossil fuels we wouldn't have to suffer so much. I watched a movie one time and saw many children holding hands and gathering around to play. I wondered if this occurred normally? All of that progress for nothing, just for all of it to disappear into heat and pollution? Luckily for us people remain who make our war of attrition with Earth easier. The people in the hazmat suits bring us food and water. If they didn't come to give us this we would simply just die

“Hey! You ok?” I yell at the Hazmat on the floor--- 

 A Hazmat yells outside. “Someone help!”

My mom and I rush to see the hazmat in distress and we call them over to our house and while one hazmat lays on the ground the other picks him up and rushes toward our house.  “There seems to be a hazmat there knocked out that has a rod in his chest and he's bleeding uncontrollably!” I say while pointing at him. 

We open the door to a rushing wind and swaying houses as the hazmats hang on for dear life. As I cry in the heat of the moment my mom covers my eyes.

 “Heeeeelp!”says a hazmat repeatedly.

 BOOM! A far away object explodes.

 “What’s happening?” I yell while tears rush down my face. 

There’s a black tornado swirling and picking up houses like paperweights.

 “Get in the shelter!” my mom yells to everyone. 

“Wait, let me get my journal!” I exclaim.

 “Are you crazy? Get your butt back over here!” My mom worries.

 I ignore her and keep running to go get my journal because it has all of my important stories that helped me get through my life. I feel my feet getting heavier with every step I take and it’s as if my life played back in slow motion. I thought, “ If I died in this tornado it’s well worth it for the right to read one last story.” But it would be a bonus if I got to live. Everything speeds up as I grab my journal and make a dash back to the shelter underground. 

Tornadoes were a regular occurrence but this time it appeared different in caliber and color. 

“We made it,” I said with relief. I look around and only see the hazmats struggling for survival. 

“Mom?” I ask while darkness was the only thing I could see and I couldn't make out anything but the bright glowing yellow suits. 

“She went back after you into the house… I’m sorry” said one of the hazmats. My stomach began to ache and my head began to spin as I was in denial about the situation. 

“Hey little boy come here and help me put this on him”, requested the hazmat. As I help I think to myself, It’s just me and these two strangers that I just met. My mom turned out to be my hope and my reason to continue… If she isn't here with me, I'm lost. I don't want another person to die because of our polluted disgusting earth so I go over to the hazmat and put a special bandaid on the wound.

 “We will have to stay here for a while, did you hear that boom? Yeah, the nuclear plant exploded and that radioactivity clung to the tornado and spread it everywhere.” The hazmat explained. 

“How did it explode?” I wonder. 

The hazmat explains clearly, “Our Earth has become so polluted we have to go to extreme processes to get the energy we need. We have used up almost all of our fossil fuels and if we don't try to get a new energy source quickly we will all burn up. The ozone won't protect us anymore becasue it's basically gone. All we do now is we stay inside and survive. Our suits let us live but we only have two. . .”.  

I understand now, I probably wont get out of this alive.

Ten days pass and trucks roar up ahead

“Do you hear that?” Hazmat 1 asks me. 

“That can only be one thing. “I responded.

 We both say at the same time, “The military!”

“They can help us out of here and go up there right now!” I demand. 

The hazmats go up and talk to soldiers in the same suits as the hazmats come down and check my vitals and to see if I’m healthy. They deem me worthy and give me a suit and put me in the back of their car. It's all happening so fast I don't even question where they are taking me.  Anywhere but here I suppose. I feel as if I'm in heaven, but then I remember my mom. I don't know if she made it out but just the thought made me feel sick. They take me to a safe haven for children where I can eat and play as much as I want with any other kid. It's almost a nightmare how friendly this place seems and it's because it's a facade, it's fake, it doesn't exist, the real world suffers and I sit here, expected to behave like a good little boy. No, I am going to make a difference so I leave the room with my head held high.

“I had this dream and it started my quest for knowledge, in an attempt to save this world” I announce to hundreds of millions.  I saw this fake room and knew society tried to hide the truth from me. The truth of Earth dying and I didnt want this ugly reality to come true. I had this dream and studied hard to find a new source for you all. Here, presenting Pipe Co! This uses the ozone layer to produce “clean” energy and save our planet! Although the smoke appears black it will help us in our quest to save the planet. Who’s with me? With your support I can have these all over the earth. Everyone was in awe at the company and saw it as their salvation. They didn't look at the facts, they focused on their feelings and blindly supported a man who told them lies. This man had the most power in the world now. The power to consume Earth in pollution for his own financial gain. The dream he spoke of fulfilled itself. To us it seemed as if he tried to prevent this dream but in reality he made it happen.