As Harold looked up at the figure, the unknown person started slowly walking down the steps making a thudding sound with every step.
Harold spoke up quickly, suddenly aware of the new threat or friend
"Stop right there!" Harold said as loudly as he could with his raspy voice. "Who are you? Speak or I shoot!"
No response came from the stranger but he stopped midway down the stairs. Suddenly the stranger reached for the gas mask and began pulling it off.
Harold scooted back against the wall of the basement as far away from the stairs as he could, while still in view of the mysterious figure. Still holding the shotgun he continued aiming it at them until Harold saw something he never thought he'd see again.
The mystery "man" turned out to be a mystery woman as Harold realized when her gas mask came off. She proceeded down the stair and uttered a simple phrase, "Put the gun down before I have to kill you."
Harold, still in shock by the events that just unraveled, looked at her then to his gun. He set the gun on his lap and looked up again still amazed that anyone survived the blast.
"This is impossible!" Harold said rasping, "The bomb would've killed everyone who wasn't underground and the radiation would've killed the rest who weren't protected!"
"How long do you think you've been down here?" The woman's voice said clearly
"A couple months at most!"
"What's your name?"
"H-Harold"
"Well Harold, it's actually been almost a full year since the bombs went off. And your homestead was far enough away that the radiation cleared up right quick," The lady poetically told Harold.
"None of this makes any sense," Harold said in a daze. "Who are you then?"
"Kaitlyn," The now not so mysterious woman said. "Let's get you on your feet. Better for you to come with me then die here alone. Oh, and call me Kate, don't use my full name unless something serious is up"
And with that Kate lifted Harold up and together they proceeded to pack up the remaining valuables in the basement.
YOU ARE READING
The Nuclear Aftermath
Science FictionNOT RELATED TO ANY TRUE HISTORICAL EVENTS! A man witnesses the worst event in history. The atomic bomb. He rushed to his basement hoping to escape. The man was trapped... Until now. Join the journey of a man named Harold, who must survive in a wor...
