Stories to Keep you Up at Night

Money Run

Trigger Warning! Expl0s!ons, f!re, de@th, de@d/b*rned bodies

I stared at the ground watching where I stepped as I strolled down the sidewalk. A few people shared the sidewalk with me, but most were either working or touring the capital. I've never understood the "grander" of D.C but I suppose that's because I've lived here my whole life. I've had to deal with the traffic, tourist, politics, and protests my whole life so it's not odd that I don't find it awe-inspiring. Big buildings, memorials, there's nothing interesting about them. But of course, that's just me. As I watched the ground, I saw something green flutter down to the sidewalk in front of me. Bending down to pick it up, I realized it was money. More bills fell to the ground around me, and soon enough other people began to notice. I looked around trying to find the source only to realize that it was falling from the sky. It rained down the tall buildings scattering around the street. People started filing out of buildings to see what was going on. As soon as they realized what it was, they fell to the ground collecting it. Ten even hundred-dollar bills fell from the sky, but something felt wrong. Every fiber of my being was telling me I was in danger. That I needed to get out of there. But why? Money is falling from the sky! Shouldn't I be on the ground collecting it like everyone else? As I leaned down to pick up another bill, a voice echoed through my head. "If you ever see money falling from the sky, run away. It's a trick terrorist use to lure people in." Oh. Dropping the money, I turned and began to sprint down the sidewalk. Weaving my way around people, I tried my best not to step on the people on the floor. As I ran, I noticed most people were on the ground collecting money, some stood around looking confused, and a small majority looked uneasy.

As soon as those people saw me running, they followed suit. They may not know why I was running but their gut told them something was wrong, and I confirmed it. I continued running and watched as people stopped and got out of their cars to collect the money. My brain screamed at me to warn them, but it was like my voice wasn't working. So, I kept running. They might be falling for the trap, but I knew better. I need to get far away. I need to flee from the money. I need to escape. Whizzing past people, I could see some looking up with questioning glances. Unfortunately, they never got the memo to join me. I could feel sweat dripping down my forehead and my lungs were working overtime to keep air. But I couldn't stop. If I stop, I die. Suddenly, the air heated up. I felt a wave of fire surge around me launching me forward. As I crashed to the ground, I covered my head with my hands just as another wave of heat came through. My body felt like it was on fire. Every inch of my skin seemed raw. I stayed there on the floor for a while. Waiting as wave after wave of heat passed through. Eventually, I slowly pushed myself to my knees. Looking down at my hands, I stared in horror. They were terribly burned and when I touched them, I realized they had no feeling. Standing up, I began walking back the way I came. The smell of smoke and burned flesh filled the air. I barely made it three blocks before the bodies went from terribly burned to charred. As I stood there watching the smoke curl into the sky I had the sinking feeling there wouldn't even be bodies farther back... nothing but buildings remain.

GAH! It's been so long since I updated this! I've had this written in a notebook for a while, but I hadn't gotten around to typing it up. Anyway, hope you have a great day! Bye!