To Suffer Without Dying

Ch. 6: A Thousand Silhouettes

March 5, 2015

     I ventured into the college again to explore the entire thing and hopefully find more food or materials. My boots crunched over the grey snow, leaving faint footprints. I rounded a corner and ran into a thick wall of smoke. The wind picked up and blew small wisps of smoke into the stark grey sky, as fresh dirty snow began to fall. I walked cautiously into the area. Gripping my rifle, I moved forwards one step at a time. My boots crunched on something that wasn't snow. The heel of my shoe crashed right through a skull, attacked by fire. The dark clouds overhead dropped small flakes of black dust on the scarred landscape around me. Craters filled with ice. Ditches filled with bodies. Bullet holes in the walls. As the smoke and dust cleared, more bodies were revealed. I spun slowly around trying to take it all in, but to no avail. It was a massacre. The Loyalists swept through the area like wildfire, killing every rebel they saw. The smoke drifted through the area obscuring the slaughter. I turned and ran. 

     I ran for God knows how long, escaping something I wasn't a part of. The snow had stopped falling from the blackened sky for a while now. I found myself in a field bordering a wide river. It was frozen over. A city stood in the distance. Several jets flew overhead followed by three helicopters. Suddenly there's an explosion and gunshots in the distance. I inch down closer to the river and test the ice. It'll hold...hopefully. I ran across it. More jets flew over, launching missiles. When I reach the other side, I hastily load my rifle just in case I get caught up in the middle of a war. More gunfire. More screams. Clouds of smoke and dust rose from the ruined city. I ran over piles of rubble and bodies of rebels. Shards of broken glass and pieces of stone rained down around me. I scooped up a grey rebel helmet and put it over my head as I ran. A small group of loyalists chased three rebels down an alley as they yelled for surrender. I dove into an empty corner store as three shots rang out. They were systematically wiping out every rebel in the entire city. I peeked above the broken window sill, aimed, and fired. The bullet exploded out of the tip of my rifle and slammed into a loyalists' back. I threw up the bolt and pushed it forward. The remaining Loyalists hid behind pieces of rubble or bushes. I got up and fled into the street while retracting the bolt of my gun. A Vulture flew overhead. I heard yelling coming from inside a skyscraper. 

     Tall barricades of stone and metal blocked the intersection. Rebels peeked over top and fired down the snowy street. Mortars flew overhead. A Green tank drove through a small store and fired at the barricade.

     The dirty snow fell around me as I sprinted across the wide street. A large explosion threw me aside, splattering dirt and snow into my face. I wiped my eyes and got back up and continued running to the building. The doors were nonexistent. I had to climb up what seemed like a million flights of stairs to reach the top. From the windows above the lobby, glass bottles rained down, exploding in fire as they landed. I leaped over a crater the size of a small car and ran up the stairs. The floor signs steadily increased. At the 40th floor, the stairs were engulfed in flames. The sounds of fighting on the street below grew more intense. Entire buildings collapsed. I heard loyalists racing up the stairs behind me. I need a detour fast, I thought to myself as I pushed through the metal door that marked the 39th floor. Blasts outside shattered the glass windows. I raised my hands to block the oncoming stream of projectiles as I pushed through rows and rows of desks. The rifle slung over my shoulder bounced with each footstep. Glancing back, I saw the Loyalists Raise their guns. There was no other option than to do what I did. 

     Moving my hands in front of me, I plowed through the glass at the end of the room with a scream. Everything moved in slow motion. Bullets flew past me. Glittering glass fell slowly to the ground. Flakes of snow twirled behind me as my feet left the solid surface. The open air below was slightly obscured by smoke and dust. I turned slightly and crashed through a row of windows in the building across from the one I had just jumped out of. I rolled end over end across the white floor, leaving a trail of bright red blood. My helmet bounced off and rolled to one side of the room. I laid there in shock, trying to catch my breath as blood begins to drip from my forehead and my arms. The floors above were torn away as a Vulture spun out of control. The building began to shudder and twist as the air ship exploded above, spewing fire on the streets below. I couldn't move as I watched burning wreckage fall slowly around me. A single ray of sunlight pierced through the black and grey clouds as it fell over my still body. A drop of rain landed lightly on my forehead, rolling gently down my cheek. Lightning sliced through the smoke and the dust. Rain buffeted my body as I rolled over and pulled myself up. Furious gusts of wind billowed down the war-torn streets. Rain pelted down on the Rebel barricades, washing away the dirt and snow. I winced as I pulled off the fingerless gloves I was wearing, revealing my scarred hands. I pulled the strap on my rifle over my head so it rested diagonally over my chest. I staggered away from the edge of the building toward the awaiting staircase, clutching my bleeding shoulder. 

    At street level, I walked into the decimation of the Rebel cause. The barricades were blasted through. Bullet casing littered the blood stained lobby, rolling around.Bodies lay scattered throughout the street. Puddles of blood rippled with every rain drop and bomb blast. Radio static pierced the storm.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" a male voice asked, his voice trembling, "Get out while you still can. Loyalists have surrounded the entire city. The president has ordered a nuclear strike. The evacuation of the city has been halted. No one else gets out. Get underground if you can. Atlanta is lost. I repeat, Atlan---lost. The bomb------one minu-----. Ge----ut." 

     The transmission was overcome by static. I looked up at the rain and closed my eyes. My wet hair was sticking to my face. Dried blood washed away. I felt new. When I opened my eyes, I saw a sleek black jet fly over, dropping a dull green orb. Loyalist yells echoed around in the storm. I sprinted to a subway entrance behind one of the ruined barricades. Water poured down the stairs, making them slick. I collided with a metal gate. With a yell, I pulled it open and slipped through. 

     I slid under a ticket stand and onto the empty subway tracks. I sprinted into the tunnel, vaulting over pieces of the collapsed ceiling. The air turned into pure white light, engulfing everything. Flames erupted out of every corner. I covered my ears and took a few more steps before the shockwave blasted down the tunnel with a thunderous roar, ripping concrete from the walls and tracks from the floor. I was thrown to the ceiling. 

Everything went black.