The basement was quiet after the storm passed but we didnt want to go back up yet because we were too busy looking at the old radio Omar found in the corner. It was a heavy black box with silver buttons and it looked like it belonged to a museum but my brother said he remembered how these things worked from when he was a little boy. We spent hours cleaning the dust from the inside and we used some small wires we found in the junk to try and make it work again while the candle light was dancing on the walls. I sat there holding my notebook and watching their faces because I knew that if this radio talked it would change our lives forever and we wouldnt be alone in this silent world anymore. My brother was turning the dial very slowly and all we could hear was a loud scratching sound like the wind was trapped inside the box and we almost lost hope because the battery was getting very weak.
Suddenly the scratching sound stopped and we heard a very faint voice coming through the static and it sounded like a man speaking a language we didnt know but his voice was calm and steady. We all froze and we didnt even dare to breathe because we wanted to hear every single sound and my brother turned the dial a little bit more until the voice became clearer. The man was repeating the same numbers over and over again and then he said a word that sounded like "Sanctuary" and we looked at each other with wide eyes and our hearts were beating so fast. It was a signal from somewhere far away and it meant that there is a place where people are safe and where they have power and maybe even medicine for the sick children. Omar tried to talk back into the small microphone but the radio was only for listening and we couldnt send any message back which made us feel a bit sad but also very excited.
We stayed in the basement for a long time just listening to the voice until the battery finally died and the room became silent again but the silence felt different now because it was full of hope. We realized that our journey is not just about staying alive in the ruins but it is about finding our way back to the rest of humanity and helping others find the way too. I wrote down the numbers we heard in my notebook and I drew a picture of the radio because this is the day we found out that the world is still alive out there somewhere. When we finally went back up to the surface the stars were shining and the camp was peaceful and we felt like we had a big secret that would make everyone happy tomorrow. My brother said we need to fix the radio better so we can listen every night and maybe find out where this "Sanctuary" is because that will be our new goal for the future. I lay down in my tent and I couldnt sleep because I kept hearing that voice in my head and I knew that tomorrow will be the start of a whole new adventure for all of us.