Tower Watch

the War

After the big war nothing remained. The ground and everything that was on it was burned down. Each building transformed in a pack of steel parts, the trees were all destroyed, water, there is no more water, the earth, as we know it's just a desert....a big yellow desert.
I'm Bob, that's all I remember, I don't have memories of my first name, my wife, if I had one, my kids ore even my home. All I have is my "job". My job is to protect people.
In 2038, Europe was split in 10 big sectors, but there are only 3 who rules the earth.
I'm in the middle, near the border, in a tower, and this tower is my home.
Along our border are 9 towers, setups , to protect everything that's inside the walls.
I'm in tower 5 and I never talked with any other tower. Except tower 3, Anna, my only friend.
We know eachother since the towers were build, but we only spoke through the stations. Every month we receive packs of water and food which I have to pick up at 6:00am every day of 14 and 27.
Today is 26 March 2043 and tomorrow I have to take the supplies so I spoke with Anna to finnaly meet eachother.
I woke up around 7:00am....
- Rise and Shine, wake up, it's 7.
- Ughh....I'm awake, I'm awake....
- Good, because today is 26 March and tomorrow we have to go and take the supplies.
- I know,
So, we'll finnaly meet?
- Hope so, I mean...I'd like to!
- Yeah, me too...
- As I said, on the back of the building at 15:35 on the bench, in the West part. I'll be wearing blue.
- Ok, I'll find you...hope so.
-Yeah, so everything is clear by now on my side, how's yours?
-

Looks clear right now and I hope it will remain like that.
- Yeah, me too, we haven't had any incidents since 2040.
- Please do not remember me of it...I hate that times, we haven't had such hard times since the big war.
- I'm sorry...but I had hard times too, remember, we were both in it.
- Not just us, the whole world was in it.
- What do you know about the ex- America?
- Not too many...only that it was destroyed.
- hmmm....
- Wait...did you saw it?
- I'm at 35 km distance from you, I can't see what you do unless it's hella big.
- You're right, I've seen a fire....but it disappeared now....I hope I'm not going crazy...
- You should see a doctor, or, at least go take a walk, check it out.
- Sure thing, I'll keep you updated!
- Ok.

There were three paths leaving my tower, through the woods, but only the middle one could take me the closest to the fire.
So I took it. I never liked to walk on that road, it's dark and scary, and I've walked only three times on it.
At the end on the km 3 is a graveyard, a car graveyard....I check it out everytime I pass near it...I can still feel the screams of the dead bodies and the engines hot'n'running. There is a tank still in one piece and I go in and think about the life I had, I try to remember my wife, my kids but the images are blured, foggy, and all I get is anger and sadness....
12:34 and the smell of smoke starts to cover my mind....all I can feel is sadness and fear. I haven't felt this smell since the war but inside I allways knew that it will come back, start again, kill more good peoples.
As I get closer and closer I know that something bad is going to happen, someone will jump in my back and try to kill me so I look back every 15-20 seconds.
I know I should probably go back but something makes me go further and further into the woods, I can see a light on the far side of the forest. I could be just a patrol, or just a flashlight taken by a crow or eagle and dropped there.
- Ummm...Anna?
- ....
- Anna, can you hear me?
- Yes, I'm sorry...I think that there is a problem with the stations....sometimes I can't hear a thing.
- I don't know...I'm in the forest, Redglow.
- Ugh...that forest.
- Yeah, I know, umm...I see a light at the end of the road...It might be a flashlight or a fire, or some fancy car lights.
- Cars, in the woods, so close to the border?
- I don't know, I'll get closer and check it out, see you in 5.
- Roger, be careful.
- I will!
As I was getting closer to the light my knees started to fail on me. Like something was pulling me back.

- Anna?
- Yes Bob.
- I found the light....
- And,tell me, what was it?
- Ummm....a flashlight....
- A flashlight?
- Yeah...but not just one....here are tons of flashlights...thrown on the ground...
- Just like that?
- Yeah, weird, this one is still working, like...her condition is perfect.
- Hmmm....
- I still feel the smell of smoke tho.
- So, there has to be a fire close.
- Yes but...where?
- Look in the vecinity....see if you can find anything about the flashlight and the fire. Maybe a connection.
- Roger.
- It is weird how so many flashlights are there, just thrown on the ground, like...who could do that?
- Maybe left from the war?
- Maybe but, what about the working one?
- So, that means we could have someone walking around?
- I think so....
- Strangers means problems!
- Indeed.
So, have you found anything?
- Nothing, and it's getting late, I should return to the tower.
- Let me know when you there.
- Roger.
  I took the very same road back to the tower and everything was the same, like the time stopped while I was there, at the flashlights. The road, the forest, every tree, every car/truck/tank in the graveyard remained untouched. I've reached the tower, ready to go to sleep. I walked up the stairs to enter the tower but the door was opened, my bed rotated, every book I have was on the ground, every poster, magazine, even the charger for the station was throun away.
- Anna?
- Yes Bob, you're at the tower?
- Yes, it's just that the door was opened...and it wasn't me.
Everything is on the ground, my books, magazines, pictures, all of them.
- What?!
Someone robed you?
- I don't think so, nothing is missing.
- So someone just wanted to make a stupid joke.
- Most atupid joke I've ever seen.
- But, who would come here, even near the tower is forbidden.
- I don't know but you should be carefull, who knows what crazy runs free around here. I'll clean all this mess then I'll try to sleep.
- Ok, good night.
- Good Night.
 
  I don't know what crazy is around here but I don't like it, the weird flashlight now this?
Things are getting strange around here....

02:04 A.M
- Bob-Bob, wake up.
- I'm awake, I'm awake, what happened?
- Umm...go out.
- Ok, whoa, do you see this?
- Yup, that's why I woke you up. Beautifull,huh?
- Beautifull?
It's damn huge fire!
- Yeah, we haven't seen one since the war, I forgot how beautiful a monster like this could be...
- Actualy, you're right...
- Yep, don't you just like to watch it, like, that awesome color combination.
It isn't that beautifull during the daylight but when the night comes....everything turns...
- We should name it!
- You know what, you're right, what are you thinking about?
- Ummm...what about Anna?
- Touche....
- Sorry, let's name it Tummy.
- Tummy, you're kidding...
- No.
- Ok, so Tummy, I like it, it's funny. "My little tummy"
- *laugh*, yours...mine is pretty big.
- *laugh*
- Ok, we should go to sleep, we got work tomorrow.
- Yeah, about that...
- *interference*
- The fire is close to the zone we pick up the supplies, so we can't take them.
Thei'll send another ones, but that will take time.
- Oh, so...what are they doing against Tummy?
- They'll probably start another one in front of Tummy, so they could stop each other, or atleast slow Tummy down.
- Oh, but we're gonna do our work, we don't have to go there,right?
- Yes, we continue our boring job.
- Ok then, good night Anna.
- Good Night Bob, I'm sorry.
- Me too.