just your (not so average) collection of short stories

Short Story #1

A/N: This is a short story from a writing prompt. It is about a girl who's life is suddenly turned into a pile of rubble and must fight for herself in an unforgiving world. Link to the prompt I used: https://thewritersacademy.co.uk/writing-101/writing-prompts/

WARNINGS: Sad, dark, etc.

Prompt: The acrid smell of burnt wood hung in the air, making her eyes water as she stumbled along the deserted sidewalk.

She was lucky she was in the basement when the bomb hit.

     She loved pottery, and set up a little workshop in her basement where she could create anything her heart desired without leaving her house. She had just put a wet clump of clay on her wheel and began kneading it when she heard the... planes? They were so loud her house rumbled and a bowl right out of her kiln fell off the shelf and broke. The little inkling of sadness that came over  her when the bowl hit the floor was short lived. Soon after, there was a loud crash from the bomb hitting her house. Cracks formed in her ceiling, out of which dust and chunks of drywall showered her. All the girl could do before the ceiling collapsed was crawl under her table and pray she'd be safe.

When the dust settled, she finally opened her eyes...

And saw nothing.

     She managed to find a spot that wasn't under her table and saw a tiny spot of light. She clawed her way towards the tiny ray of hope, and that ray of hope grew as she pushed aside chunks of concrete and wood. When she finally was out of the hole, that ray of hope that had grown was blackened. The scene was all too overwhelming. Her home was reduced to rubble. Her neighbor's house was reduced to rubble. Her car was smashed by a tree that had fallen in the bombing. She walked around, trying to find anything salvageable. She found her phone, but of course it was smashed. She managed to find a pair of boots and slid them on her bare, aching feet. She found a backpack that, while covered in dust, was in pretty good condition. She threw anything of value in there. This included books, family photos, and some spare clothes. Something told her that rescue wasn't coming for a while...

     At first, she was too shocked to cry. But as she walked around town, and discovered that everything  was gone, she shattered. Her eyes stung with tears as she fell on her knees. She screamed as tears streamed down her dirt-stained cheeks. She told herself that it'd be better to go back to the pile of rubble and die. She had absolutely nothing left. No home, no friends, nothing.

But then a stray dog sat in front of her.

     He was a pit bull, and by far the sweetest dog she'd ever met. His brown coat was dirty and he was covered in scratches, but his chocolate brown eyes were full of happiness. He came up and licked the tears off her face, as if to say that everything would be okay.

"Hey buddy," the girl managed to say while the dog covered her in slobbery kisses.

He softly barked in response.

"You wanna come with me?" she asked him in a slightly squeaky voice. She's always had a soft spot for dogs.

     He stood up and barked louder, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. She stood up and walked, and the dog followed right behind her. As they ventured into the middle of town, the bombing got worse. Many buildings were up in flames. The dog tucked his tail between his legs and walked closer to the girl. The acrid smell of burnt wood hung in the air, making her eyes water as she stumbled along the abandoned sidewalk. The air was hazy with smoke, the only sound was the soft crackling of fire. She found a phone booth in town, but it was disconnected. She found a radio in an abandoned police car, but nothing worked. There wasn't even electricity. She felt like she's living in the apocalypse.

     As she kept stumbling around town, she realized she needed to find shelter. She found an empty gas station and determined that it's the best place to stay.

"Hello?" she called out into the store.

No answer.

Her heart dropped to her stomach.

     The dog ran behind the counter and started barking. The girl assumed that there was a person back there, but it was nothing more than a dog toy that her little friend had found amusing.

Then it hit her:

Where is  everyone?

Maybe she really is living in the apocalypse.

A/N: yeah, this is crappy, but I also wrote it at midnight. Lemme know if you actually liked it (or hated it) and feel free to request what you want me to write. I run out of inspiration very quickly so requests would be super helpful.

See y'all next time!