A Collection of Odd Stories (Aim To Engage Contest - Prompts 3-30)

Nuclear Devastation (Thriller/Mystery)

Death had wrapped its hands around the Earth, dooming the planet and every inhabitant. The humans had finally destroyed themselves by their acts of greediness.

Tensions between the United States and Russia rose to unprecedented levels, until finally nuclear war broke out. The other countries joined in as well, and soon, it was just who would press the button to the nukes first.

Either destroy or be destroyed.

Nuclear energy coursed through the planet, affecting all the citizens in every country. Some wound up worse than others.

Most became ghouls, their bodies mutilated by nuclear radiation. They feasted on nuclear waste, somehow managing to digest the disgusting material.

Some just died without transforming, which is the best option in the scenario. The transformation from a human to a ghoul was awfully painful. How did I know?

My entire family got wiped out right in front of my eyes, turned green and mutilated. Their hands became claws, legs became furry and filthy, and the most terrifying detail of all, faces became melted.

Half on and half off.

I had a resistance to nuclear energy so I hadn't changed. I didn't know if I considered that lucky or not.

I trudged through the mud, walking up the steps of the library. My group of non transformed friends followed, looking around cautiously.

The survivors had banded together, forming packs to fend the ghouls off. If an affected person caught you, they'd transform you. No question. That was the ghouls' goal, it seemed.

I pushed open the huge, wooden doors to the library, grunting in effort. My pack filed in, guns raised. Ghouls could be anywhere.

Although, it was unlikely they were anywhere nearby since there wasn't a nuclear plant in the radius. But one should always expect the unexpected in a post apocalyptic world.

"Let's find that book." I tried to speak firmly, but my voice cracked a bit. I was nervous. This was unexplored territory. Unfortunately, I was supposed to be the leader of this group.

One of the females in the group gave me a small smile of encouragement before disappearing within the rows and rows of bookshelves. The HQ wasn't kidding. This was big.

A single book lay in this mass, one that could help us save humanity. And we had to find it quick, since more and more got transformed every year since the nuclear war. It was like the ghouls were evolving.

This supposed book contained ways to transform a ghoul back to a human, written by an author who was considered delusional at the time of publication. Not so delusional anymore, it seemed. He somehow predicted the future.

"I found it!" I heard a shot from one of the shelves. I rushed forward, eager to find a cure.

"What does it say?" I inquire as my group circles around the teenage girl who found it.

She frowns deeply, "It says... That can't be right..." Her expression slowly turns into horror. She drops the book.

"What is it?" I grab the book up from the ground, frustrated. My eyes widen as I read the letters on the page.

Wake up. The player will keep playing until you don't.