Random Series

A

Oh God, what is that awful sound? I groaned and sat up slowly in my bed, the sound of sirens attacking my ears. I still had my eyes closed as I reach over to my right, hitting my alarm clock with a heavy paw.

"Huh?" I uttered, lazily opening one eye and looking over at my alarm clock. It read 0344, approximately two hours before my alarm clock is supposed to wake me up for work. The sound of the sirens pounded my ears and judging by the muffled tone, it came from outside my window. Both my eyes opened and adrenaline started to flow though my veins, fear giving my body a jolt of energy. Is there a tornado?!

I lived on the western side of Georgia, close to the Alabama state line. The only other thing I could think about is that a tornado has been sighted in the area but the last time I checked, it was close to the end of April and it isn't even supposed to storm today, not even a storm system from Texas was expected to make landfall anywhere near Columbus. I decided to check outside anyway, moving the curtains from the bedroom window and looking outside.

I resided in a one bedroom apartment with one bathroom, a half kitchen, and somewhat of a living room, being about thirty minutes away from Fort Benning. I work as a police officer for the Columbus Police Department, my line of work being a patrol officer. I've only started my job about a month ago, my partner being a twenty-five-year-old female from Atlanta.

There wasn't anything out of the ordinary outside, no trees swaying and not even a drop of rain. When I decided to look four stories down at the street, however, anthros were rushing to get to their cars. My phone was the next thing to start going off with the sort of an Amber-alert sound and I walked back over to the nightstand a few feet away, reading the message displayed on the screen.

'Warning: Seek shelter immediately. Multiple missile launches were detected and appear to be heading for the United States mainland. Get to the centermost part of your home or to a nearby bomb shelter'

I didn't stop to think about what the message said and I rushed for the bedroom closet, grabbing a bugout bag that held about three days' worth of food, water, and a change of clothing. Slipping on a pair of black combat pants and a short sleeve shirt, I grabbed the police badge off my uniform and clipped it to my belt, as well as reaching for my holster and my individual first aid kit. Within about two minutes, I had my M1911 sidearm and a few extra magazines to go along with it. I stepped out my apartment and locked the door behind me, slipping the key into my pocket as I dialed my partner's number.

"Cassidy! Where the hell are you? Are you safe?" a female voice answered in the earpiece I had in my ear.

I ran down the stairs instead of taking the elevator, my first priority getting to the building's basement. "I was in my apartment sleeping," I panted, my voice echoing in the staircase, "what the hell is going on? Where are you?"

"I'm safe in a fallout shelter-"

"Fallout shelter? Why are you-?"

"Listen before you start asking questions because time is not on our side," the female slightly raised her voice on the line as I burst through the door to the lobby, "nuclear warheads are heading for the United States and no, this isn't a joke. The country of origin is unknown but that doesn't matter, you need to get to safety NOW."

Reaching a door across the open lobby, I opened it and peered down the stairs, turning on a flashlight to see if anyone was down there. "Are you moving your ass or what?!" the female snarled on the line, "WE ARE BEING ATTACKED."

I took one step and stopped, freezing in my tracks. Nuclear weapons? Is this the end? Is this how furkind will die? "Selene, why is this happening?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"I don't know. But get to cover, ok-"

A bright flash illuminated the entire building, causing me to close my eyes and duck. I tumbled down the stairs just as an explosion followed, the boom deafening my ears.

My name is Cassidy Willow, a police officer with the Columbus Police Department. I'm twenty-three-years-old, and this is how the apocalypse began.