When The Sky Caught Fire

A Story by dw817

A moment later an old woman whose face was partially melted and burning said, "Don't look into the light ! It will burn you !"

PRESS CTRL = (EQUALS) TO INCREASE THE PAGE SIZE AND CTRL 0 (ZERO) TO RESET THE PAGE SIZE

THIS PAGE VIEWS BEST IN FIREFOX

BURNING SKY

This story is Rated: TEEN

It has been some time since I have had bad dreams. I'm not entirely sure what brought this one on. I did stay up late, a bad habit I know, but I was just watching that "Bad Cat" movie (04/23/18) which had nothing to do with the scale and terror of this dream ...

It starts out with me being in a car. I think Chris is driving and we're going out to eat at a new restaurant. I'm bored, looking out the window, when I see what looks like a glowing water tower.

I point, "Isn't that just a water tower ? Why's it glowing ?"

Chris glances over, barely interested. "Don't you know anything ? Don't you listen to the news ?"

I shake my head.

"It's the new power supply. Sure it's ugly but it means lower prices for everyone who needs electricity. They're nuclear powered and according to reviews, very safe."

"How safe ?" I implore.

"Very. Look. Here, read this, we're almost there."

He thrusts the front of today's newspaper at me and I read it.

New Energy Source Spells Lower Prices For Homeowners And Tenants

Matthew Babbage, the founder of this method in converting old unused water towers into clean nuclear energy towers and is receiving commendations from the city later in the week. Electric companies are up in arms with his methods calling him a dangerous individual and threaten to -

As I'm reading my eyes catch a bright glow out of the corner of my eye. On Chris's side I see one of the water towers appears to be spewing white-hot fire out of the top of it like water overflowing.

"Chris ?" I yell fearfully and point.

"What ? Oh s**t !" and Chris starts to turn the car around when one from behind rams him from super high speed, apparently also catching sight of the disastrous nuclear tower.

For some strange reason I didn't have my seat belt on and go flying. And because we were climbing a hill I am thrust not only through the glass of the vehicle but at least a hundred feet straight up in the air.

And I am not alone as there are other people apparently flung in the air too. The nuclear tower is right upon me and for some reason I decide not to look at it despite how pretty it is. Then it explodes, but all in slow motion.

A moment later an old woman whose face is partially melted and burning says, "Don't look into the light ! It will burn you !"

And then I am falling. Faster and faster. I feel a weird prickle of intense heat at my back as I go into a rolling stance so I don't break any bones when I land. I thump hard on the grass and am rolling free to flee into a nearby building.

I run in, close the heavy door behind me and start to look but suddenly feel that weird intense heat again, so I am running down the hallway. As I do, whole windows and even the floor behind me crack and crease with the almighty heat of the nuclear explosion.

I am backed up against the wall with nowhere to go. The heat seems to chase me and gets just a few feet from where I stand before, fortunately, it fades.

But now I am back up on my feet, running over the cracked floor, running down the stone stairs and hear a large number of people in what apparently is a cafeteria for the employees here.

My sister and her hubby are here. Some people look really awful, as if they took the blast head-on, which could be entirely possible. While many are speaking angrily and loudly, it is clear that blame is now trying to be found.

I sigh, blame ? That's not important right now. What is important is that we get out of here. Why, another one could explode too getting heated from the one that did. It was certainly possible.

Finally someone phrweets a whistle to get everyone to calm down. He motions everyone to sit and he stands and speaks.

"We don't need any cowboys here." and I read this to believe someone taking control of the situation and leading others to disaster.

"No, what we need are answers. These 'things' are supposed to be perfectly safe. Can someone tell me what would cause it to ignite and explode ?"

I waited to listen to what others had to say.

"It was a hot day today." someone mentioned. "Maybe it just overheated ?"

"Maybe it got wet from rain the day before and when the rain dried, it caused some kind of reaction ?"

Some nodded to this. One frantic person spoke.

"I'll bet it's terrorists ! They're responsible for all the problems in this world."

Another, "Alien invasion ! But they need to remove us first and this is how they're doing it."

Not quite so many people agreed to this.

Me ? I was remembering a movie I saw years ago called, "K-19: Widowmaker." The critical scene in the movie was, the nuclear generator in the Russian submarine had to be repaired and there were no radiation suits. Each of the crew in turn went to try and fix it, and each were removed barely alive, puking their guts out and suffering serious radiation burns.

"10-years." I said quietly.

"What's that ?" my sister asked, who was close. Someone else spoke too.

* * *

"Speak up ! We need ideas. What are you saying ?"

I stood and identified myself. "It's just that, I'm remember a movie where people tried to repair a nuclear generator and those who went got sick."

Some nodded, yes, that would happen.

"But here's the bad part." I said. "Every single member of that submarine, whether or not they went to try and repair the generator or not, they ALL DIED 10-years after even being released from duty later - from radiation poisoning."

That got things stirred up. "We're all going to die then !?" someone screeched frantically.

I continued, "But, I don't feel we have 10-years. I don't feel that at all."

"How many years then ?" someone asked.

"Two. Just two years and we'll all die. That nuclear tower is not far from here. Barely a half mile. Surely we've all been exposed." I looked to one person's face that looked like it was partially melted. "Some worse than others."

Someone was angry now. "Where do you get these ideas, boy ! Trying to scare everyone. Why, we're all going to be fine. If we'll just sit still and be quiet, help will be on its way. Trust your government, I say !"

"Help from where ?" I asked.

Someone else spoke, "I've been trying to call 911 but my cellphone isn't working."

"Did it get irradiated ?" I asked.

"No, I've been in this building the whole time, prior to the explosion."

I wasn't sure. "Maybe the radiation is preventing you from contacting one of those cell towers our cellphones use ?"

"Maybe." he agreed glumly.

Someone else spoke encouragingly, "Hey, I have a tablet that has satellite internet, and it's working right now !"

"Bring it over !" someone said.

He did so and set it on the table. We all crowded around. Angry Birds was on the screen.

"Bring up the news !" someone said.

Someone pushed the owner out of the way and quickly clicked on the screen. In moments, the local news appeared.

A pretty woman was behind a desk and she spoke, "This is a recap of our afternoon news. One of the 'safe' nuclear towers has exploded. News teams haven't been able to get anywhere near the nuclear disaster because of the intense radiation. While rescue teams were planned, there is concern now that they, too, would get irradiated."

"We're being abandoned !" someone yelled.

"Shhhh ..." others said. The news continued.

"However, it is our opinion with what we have seen so far that the entire affected area will be quarantined. No-one gets in or out. It is estimate that anyone who was anywhere near the blast radius, a half mile, and that includes being inside a building, that they only have 24 months to live due to even minimal exposure from radiation of this magnitude."

"Two years !" someone yelled. Then all eyes were on me.

"How did you know." someone asked me with a dangerous sneer.

"Know what ?" I asked.

"Two years. You said we had two years to live ! How could you know unless ... you are part of the project that developed these hell towers !"

I held my hands up defensively. "No, no ! I don't know anything. I just guessed. Based on that movie I saw, you know ? It was just a guess."

Someone spoke louder, "We have more important things to deal with than assuming blame. We need to worry about our immediate survival. Fresh food and water."

Someone in the group laughed. "I run a small store. After this, I'll charge $10 for a bottle of water. I know it will be in demand.!"

Someone cuffed him on the back of the head. "Your water is irradiated. No-one will drink it."

"What do we do ?" someone else asked.

The newscast continued, "Preparations are being made now to - "Suddenly the video ended and a notice appeared that the data communication was interrupted at the source.

"That's it. It's out." the owner of the tablet said, and lifted it back up off of the screen.

Others grumbled and spoke in low voices to each other, trying to find a way out of this situation.

"Emma." I spoke to my sister, "What are YOU going to do ?"

She whispered in my ear, "We're going underground. I didn't tell you but me and Kay have been working on making underground facilities just for this. And yes, they are bombproof and radiation proof. We'll be perfectly safe."

"Can Rose come with us ?" I asked.

But before she could answer, the wall ahead of us suddenly burst into flame.

"The building is on fire !" I heard someone yell that was already outside the room.

While others floundered with asking questions on where the fire came, my sister, Kay, and me were already out the door running as fast as we could in the opposite direction of the flames.

I felt that strange heat against my back again and then heard the muffled scream of people dying so fast, they couldn't even finish their yell in that single breath.

The wave of radiation was after us and I ran until I had a stitch in my side. My lungs were burning I was running so hard but it was to no avail. I felt the back of my hair catch fire. I paused just for a moment to pat them out when I myself burst into sudden irradiated flame.

I had never felt anything so hot in my life. In seconds my body was charred ash.

Fortunately I woke from the dream after this, and my forehead and chest were wet from stress and sweat of the nightmare ...

Return back HOME

You are Earth Visitor #

© 2018 dw817

My Review

Would you like to review this Story?
Login | Register

Reviews

LazerRays

Hmm a sort of post apocalypse thing! Very nice! We get to see the confusion spread amongst the people. And you knew all of this. Hmm. So a nuclear explosion, eh? Very nice! Seems kinda like chernobyl meets world apocalypse! Can't wait for more!