The Last Child

Chapter One: Tami

The world was dark and full of cries of pain and misery. Dim light from the few streetlights that hadn't shattered shone down on hundreds of shallow graves. Screams echoed upon the air and the sound of falling houses rent through the dark night. Tami stared out of the hole in the shelter and wished she could stop the horror throwing itself on the world.

As lightning struck its deadly beam down to earth, Tami fell into an uneasy sleep. She dreamt of a fair white hand reaching out toward her while a musical voice seemed to murmur a strange sort of song. Though the hand dripped of blood, it seemed inviting, warm. Almost peaceful.

Tami was ruffly shaken awake by Madame Saggio. "Damn tyfoon!" She exclaimed. Madame Saggio, the shelter director was a large cross old woman who often spoke vulgarities.

As Tami hurriedly followed Madame Saggio and the others she wondered for the thousandth time why God was punishing the world so cruelly. Maybe the old legends that the devil ruled the world were true. And again, Tami wondered why she was the last child.

Tami huddled close to the close the wall as screams echoed from above, along with the dull ringing of large things crashing to the ground. She remembered the awful, fateful day when her parents died and her house had been destroyed. She herself had been trapped under fallen lumber and rocks. She stared ruefully down at her twisted, disfigured hand, remembering the crack of bone and the deathly pain...

"Don't think about that damned day, Tami." Said Madame Saggio who had been watching Tami's expression.

When the hurricane had died away and the world was filled with sobbing and suffering and death the large group of people came out of the dark underground shelter. Outside the cold, huge sun shone tauntingly on the destruction that lay before them. A woman lay sobbing a few feet away, her shoes gone and blood flowing openly from her torn legs.

                                           * * *

Tami stared, horrified at the sight in front of her. After treating the young woman's wounds Madame Saggio had instructed everyone to try to find survivers. So far Tami had found only one old man, who had begged her to stop his pain. Madame Saggio had tried to save him, but was forced to give him a Death powder, saying "we must save all we can, but no one should live incurably in pain, begging to die"

Now she and Miss Apple, a small, sweet young woman who lived at the shelter, had journeyed out farther than all the rest. Everything lay in broken heaps, houses, shelters, trees. Everything was destroyed. Suddenly a soft moan, broken and full of agony, echoed from a large pile of splintered wood. Tami and Miss Apple looked at each other, than broke into a run.

A\N hey y'all I hope you like my story. I'll try to update soon, and please comment if you like it or even if you don't. I need all the constructive criticism I can get! Thanks.