Album Tales, Volume 1: Night Visions

Radioactive

"Waking up, to ash and dust"

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       Alex woke with a start, instantly knowing something was wrong. In his delirious state he found himself unable to identify exactly what the problem was. His brain eventually registered his aching lungs and he panicked upon the realization that he was suffocating under a crushing pile of rock and dust.

Acting on impulse he jolted upwards, trying desperately to emerge from the rubble. It was only a few seconds, although it felt like hours, when he managed to free himself.

He laid on the ground for several minutes, catching his breath. He eventually got up, observing his surroundings. Alex felt his heart sink as he observed the desolate landscape of what may have once been a city. It was only when he caught a glimpse of his reflection when an alarming thought infiltrated his mind.

"Where am I?" He said aloud. He remembered his own name, and he recognized his reflection. All his attributes with ease, his short blonde hair, his light brown eyes, all were exactly as he remembered. By all means, he should know exactly where he was.

However he couldn't.
As he delved deeper into his mind his anxiety only grew as he realized he was missing more and more essential memories. For example, Alex had the state of mind to know that he must have parents, however he was completely unable to remember their names or faces. He was able to remember his own name and appearance, but other details, such as where he lived and his age, were impossible to recall.

At a complete loss as to what to do, Alex began to walk in no direction in particular. Everything he passed looked the same, nothing jogged any memories. He was walking for nearly half an hour when something of interest caught his eye.

Among the wreckage of a building he saw two three figures, one of which was on the ground. The other two figures hunched over the third, and to Alex's horror he realized that the two people... or rather, creatures, were consuming the third figure which now appeared to be a dead body. Although upon closer inspection, the two creatures didn't look that far off from dead bodies either.

Alex's mind struggled to comprehend what he was seeing as the two figures began to shuffle towards him. The creatures' flesh was gelatin-like and discolored by rot. It swayed loosely on its skeletal figure and was completely missing in other places. Some stray scraps of fabric were visible on the bodies, tattered and faded, the only signs that they were once human.

Alex turned and ran as fast as he could, doing his best to avoid tripping over rubble or slicing himself of broken glass. As he ran he came to a horrific realization as he noticed more and more creatures emerging from seemingly everywhere.

He eventually noticed a construction site in the distance and made his way to it, hoping to escape the creatures among the scaffolding. He made it to the half demolished structure and was struck with a new wave of panic when he realized he had trapped himself. The scaffolding was completely wrecked and there was no way to climb it without either falling to his death.

The creatures were closing in, their shuffling having increased to a limping sprint. For a brief moment, Alex looked up at the scaffolding. It was incredibly flimsy. 'If I put enough weight on it,' he realized, 'I may just be able to bring it down on top of myself.' It wouldn't be painless, but it would still be a far more pleasant death than being ripped apart by them. He braced himself, put his hand on one of the poles, and prepared himself to pull it out from under the structure.

He was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder that jerked him backwards. He yelped as he fell backwards to the concrete foundation.

He looked up to see a man clad in a long, dark caught. His black hair reached down to his upper back and he held a gun in his gloved hands. Before Alex could say a thing the man rushed forward, grabbing the scaffolding pole and pulling it out.

Alex barely had the chance to scream before he saw the structure come tumbling down on top of him.