The Shadows of Trinity

Nightmares

Oppenheimer and Lloyd were both peacefully resting in their sleeping bags underneath the starry sky on top of a desert plateau. The campfire softly crackling in the night air. Tiny embers drifting in the soft midnight breeze.

Suddenly Oppenheimer's eyes shot open and he immediately sat up. His eyes started rapidly fliting around scanning the area for an unseen threat. Upon noticing that there is nothing threatening in the surrounding area he took a few deep breaths to slow down his rapid heart beat. Lying back down and closing his eyes he tried to go back to sleep. After a few minutes he opened his eyes and quietly sighed. Getting out of the sleeping bag he then stood up and began walking to the edge of the plateau.

Stopping at the edge of the plateau he then sat down and gazed out at the vast empty desert. Eventually he heard footsteps approaching him. Lloyd then sat down beside him.

"Are you alright Oppie?" Lloyd asked.

"I'm fine Lloyd just thinking about a lot of things," Oppenheimer replied. "I always have had a lot to think about. But never have had the time to think about it."

"I understand that you have a lot to think about," he said. "Especially with what happened at the laboratory."

"It's not just that I'm thinking about Lloyd," he replied. "It's mainly what happened in the past and what might happened in the future."

Oppenheimer then got up off the ground and dusted his clothes off. Wandering over to the campfire he sat down in front of it and gazed into the flames with a look of deep guilt in his eyes. Lloyd wandered over to the campfire and stood in front of it and noticed the sorrow in Oppenheimer's deep blue eyes. 

"Nature is a powerful force. But I fear that what I have created is more destructive than any force of nature," he said with a hint of regret.

"It haunts you doesn't it?" he asked.

"Yes it always has. Truth is I wish that I didn't have to create something so destructive and terrifying," he replied as he rubbed his tired eyes. "I suppose that we should go back to getting some rest."

"That's probably the best thing to do Oppie," he said. "Rest is important and we do need it for the journey ahead."

Oppenheimer then got up and walked back over to his sleeping bag and climbed back into it. Closing his eyes he began to drift off into a peaceful slumber. Although that peace wouldn't last because his peaceful dreams began to twist into horrifying nightmares.

Oppenheimer glanced around and noticed that he was standing on a highway leading to a city that had been completely flattened. His eyes widened with shock and horror at the utter devastation of the city in front of him. Nothing was left except piles of concrete and steel. The air smelled metallic and smokey.

Oppenheimer began to follow the highway towards the city. Upon getting closer to the city he heard a woman scream which caused him to stop in his tracks and look around. But he noticed that there was no one in sight so he continued to walk towards the city.

Eventually he got to the immediate outskirts of the city and he noticed a large sign which was charred and full of holes yet still readable. He stopped and read the sign which said "Welcome to New York."

"No. This can't be happening."

"This can't be true."

"This can't be real. New York can't be destroyed."

Oppenheimer continued his walk into New York. Upon entering the city he examined the immense destruction with a sense of shock and guilt. Suddenly he heard the scream again except this time it was much louder as if every person from the city was screaming at him at once. He then fell to his knees and covered his ears trying to block out the screams. He also squeezed his eyes shut so he could no longer look at the destruction. The screams continued to torment him and he started to feel tears slowly stream down his face as if he felt the pain of the thousands who had perished.