"I wonder what it's like, being bombed."
"I bet it's probably scary, but this shelter's a goner anyway. There's no way this flimsy thing is surviving the blast."
"You never do know, though. Maybe it'll pull through. It is underground, after all."
"That doesn't stop the radiation."
"No, but this shelter might get lucky. There's all the supplies needed. Enough water, and food, and blankets... I even remembered the first aid kit."
"But will it last if something falls and blocks the entrance?"
"What if there's only death waiting down here? Death from cancer, or fire, or scavengers..."
"You'll waste away. Die. Break your promise."
"No, no. No thoughts like that. It'll pull through. It has to."
"It better pull through. I have places to go to, people to meet, time to live..."
"Yeah, but all the people do. Did. They died anyway."
"That doesn't mean you're gone. Never assume anything. That's what she taught you, drilled into you."
"Yeah. This shelter needs to survive. For her."
And as a blast sounded in the distance, the young man kissed the picture of his sweetheart he clutched in his hands and waited.