Just A Matter Of Time by Chris Morin

I was in shock.
The stench of burnt flesh was more than I could bear.
Screams and desperate cries filled the air.
I foolishly wandered around looking at the devastation.
What was once my neighborhood was no longer familiar.
The neighbor's house was on its side; bent by the force of the blast.
Mine was totally blown away.
Fires both large and small raged unrelenting.
People tried in vain to get relief from the burns by wading in the river as debris and dead bodies floated by.
I was unhurt on the outside but the evil killer was slowly having its way with me.
I didn't know how many had dropped.
One was enough.
It was clearer to the north so I began to walk in that direction.
Some of my family were there and perhaps they had survived the attack.
Along the way I saw a woman holding what looked like a burnt log in her arms.
It was only after seeing a thumb that I realized it was a baby.
The mother tried to cry but nothing came out.
Fear gripped my heart and overwhelming sorrow surrounded what was left of my soul.
I saw a young man crushed by wall.
He was barely moving.
He opened his eyes and looked at me as if pleading to end his pain.
"Please end my suffering," he said. "Please oh God, please make it go away."
I walked for miles past the destruction and death.
Explosions rang out in the distance as a propane tank gave in to the heat.
A bridge was blown away, steel girders bent like mutated paper clips.
I made my way up a large hill and looked down on what was left of my city.
Nothing left but a large crater and a wasteland, a dead zone.
Time was short.
It would soon be dark and I needed to find shelter.
But I only had a few more miles to go so I pressed on despite my better judgement.
When I got there, the house still stood but what was once my family was now nothing more than a pile of rotting flesh.
They were caught outside when the blast went off.
They were probably feeding their horses.
I went inside their home and gathered as much food as I could find.
I found my brother-in-law's rifle and some ammunition.
I made my way to the basement.
There was a flashlight on the table and it would be my only source of light.
My stomach was becoming qweesy and I started to vomit.
My hair was beginning to fall out.
I tried to eat but couldn't hold anything down.
Radiation sickness was setting in.
I came to the realization that I was alone and would die that way.
I began to cry.
There was nothing left for me to do.
I turned off the flashlight.
I sat in the dark and waited for my end.
It was just a matter of time.

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