Cockroach Chick

Chapter 1: Thanks for the memories

Chapter 1

  With her bony little hands firmly resting on her hips, she gave me a hard stern look. God forgive me, but that nose! Skinny and long ending in with a "nice" point. And her thin, slim, and tall body, the woman looked like a bird! "I thought I told you exactly twenty-three minutes ago, LIGHTS OUTS!" she barked in her horrid high pitched, squeaky voice that makes your ears ring. "Yes Mrs. Pufferman, I'm sincerely sorry mam'." Polly want a damn cracker? "Would you like to be thrown out of this foster home, and into the wasteland?" she said her eyes daring me to speak back.

"Actually yes...It would be a dream come true." Might as well be honest, right? Well,  what I really felt like saying was, "No shit Sherlock", but I didn't think I could have survived another of her speaches on how cursing is a sin against the mind, body, and spirit. "I'll teach you how to be more thankful for what you have." She snarled at me, "Tomorrow, you have double the chores, and you will also have half of your regular rations." Giving me one more smirk, she stomped out of the room dramatically.

I sighed as I flipped her the bird and reached over to turn off the lamp on my bed stand, throwing my self onto the bed. Silently sliding a scrap book from under my pillow and gently laid my head on it. I started to question myself...why? Why did we get into this fight with Iran and Iraq? Why did everyone else get involve? Turning what we thought to be a small skirmish into a whole new 3rd World War of nucleur destruction. Why hadnt they thought of how the radiation of the bombs turn our countries into a wastelands of mutants and raiders? But the question that struck at me the most...why did mom and Brandon leave me here, alone with these God forsaken morons.

I stared blankly at the ceiling, flashbacks starting to invade my inner mind.... When the bus droped us off, there was about twenty eight minutes left until school starts. I hadn't seen any of my friends there so I decided to go to the old creek behind our school. It was about twenty minute walk from the school to the creek, but I hadn't planned on going to Homeroom anyways. We lived in a fairly medium sized town, and everyone had kept to themselves. So, I was sure I wasn't going to be snitched on ( my mom would have me sent to the cutting board if she found out, though.)

I was about half way to the creek when I heard it... It wasn't an overly exaggerated "BOOM!" like they show in the movies. No. It was more of a click. The grounds vibration attacking my body, forcing me down to my knees. As I looked behind me in alarm, the sight of my school bursting into flames engulfed me, the heavy deep sound of the drum from the motors of the other planes. They flew above threatening to drop their load of bombs on us. My face drained of its color as I jumped to my feet and ran. I wasn't sure where I headed towards but I kept running forwards. They pounding of blood in my ears, the rhythmical of my legs moving forward, my breath coming out in short gasps.

"Click" as another bomb turned the market to ashes.

Thoughts rushed threw my head as the adrenaline kept my heart from failing on me.

Would my brother and mother be ok?

Would our house be destroyed?

Would the survivors be kept as prisoners? I heard the gasp of air fling past by me as rocket disrupted my thoughts, my world became a blur as I tumbled to the ground , bracing myself for anything that was coming afterward.

The bombs were now coming closer and the sun was shining as bright as ever before, as if it were mocking me. I got up to my feet and continued to run. Tears running down my face as I was sputtered out swears. There was an unwelcome tug on my leg, and my world shook as I tripped on a stubborn root, slamming against nature's uneven ground. I merely laid there and closed my eyes, waiting impatiently for the unknown to come next in line.