The Artists

Part II

 That moment was purely shocking—it was the most expected yet unexpected event to happen to the people of the city--and the country. Buildings caught flame quicker than the eye could see, trees and bushes ignited like a piece of a paper. People were filling the streets—not live ones, but their corpses falling over immediately. Others were caught in the blaze, others had died of shock. The sky was a color of gray and black mixed together, almost cement like. The bomb had dropped miles away, yet the flames and smoke continued on, ruining city after city. The people who weren't immediately killed were being poisoned by the radiation, which was a much more slower and painful death. Those who had survived the blast, were hideously deformed from the flames and emission. The world was shocked—and for one time, everyone in the country had come together as one.

Jake steadily rose, standing on both feet after a few moments. His shirt was mangled and his body scarred and bruise. The cafe he had been sitting in had caught fire quickly, and lots of people were killed in the blast. Jake, and a very select few had survived. He had hurt his arm, but he just tried to escape the remains of the cafe. By the time he limped out onto the sidewalk, the street was filled with panicked and hopeless people. People were trying to help each other jump out of burning buildings and try to savage food. Jake reached in his pocket for his phone, but it had unfortunately been destroyed by the blast. He thought of his love, his reason to live and breathe; Ellie. Was she alive? Was she...dead? These thoughts raced through his mind quickly. He had to get home, his apartment wasn't very far but in his current condition it was a challenge. He limped and staggered down the street, passing the sick, the injured and the dead. He felt like every bone in his body had been crushed, but he didn't care, he wanted to get to his fiance. With all of his might, he pushed past each street, each one being more difficult to maneuver than the last. Each street contained more of the sick and injured, families weeping over the loss of their loved ones. One family he had seen walking down the street across from him; was carrying the body of a young child covered in a blanket, most likely charred and disfigured. The father carried him and the mother stood close, letting the tears flow through her and onto the sidewalk, where everyone elses' tears had fallen too. The street was becoming an ocean of loss and grief.

Jake pushed forward, just trying to think of his love as his motivation. Then, moments later, he saw his sister in a crowd of people. They were exiting a building that appeared to not have been too damaged by the bomb. He yelled for her: “Celia!” His yell was weak, but it worked and she approached him, with tears all over her face and her face a general wreck. She hugged him and although it was physically hurting him, he knew she needed it.

“I should've listened!” She screamed, knowing she didn't take the threat serious enough.

“Its okay,” he said, “It really is. Are you alright?”

She stopped crying for a moment. “I think so, my leg hurts a little but I'm okay. I was in the basement doing laundry anyway,” she stated trying to sound relieved.

“Where do we go now?” Jake asked.

“I heard that citizens should report to a fallout shelter, and I think there's one in City Hall, its' not too far,” Celia said, holding back the tears.

“Go there, Celia, and I'll meet you there. I need to get to Ellie.” Jake responded.

Celia was surprised, “No, Jake I need you--”

“No, I have to find her... I have to.” He argued.

She didn't seem to argue back and agree, she kissed him on the cheek and, with some of other survivors, walked towards City Hall together. Jake wished her the best, and hoped she made it their safe, but now he was close. His apartment building was right around the corner.

There it was, partly destroyed from the bomb. The roof had caved in and some walls were just missing completely. It wasn't the same building he left this evening, that's for sure. And he hoped to God that Ellie was alive. Some people were exiting the building when he got to the other side of the street. He asked his neighbors if they had seen her, however they all replied with an indifferent “I don't know.” He rushed through the front doors, and marched up to the third floor with all of his might. It was like climbing a mountain, but he pushed and he pushed until he finally reached the third floor. Unfortunately, it seemed that the third floor received the most damage. He saw their apartment, the front door was completely off the hinges and he could a gaping hole in the floor where their rug used to be. He entered the ruined apartment and yelled for his love: “Ellie! Ellie!” He shouted.

At first there was no response, he thought the worst. Then, moments later, staggering out of the bedroom...was Ellie. She was filthy, covered in dust and smoke-stained but to him she was beautiful as always. They both smiled at each other, and no words were spoken. He stumbled to her and she stumbled to him and they fell in each other's arms.

“I thought I'd never see you again,” he said to her, holding her in his arms.

“Me too, but I love you, I love you.” She replied and the two shared a passionate kiss as the apartment fell around them.

“Come on, we can get to city hall, they have shelter there,” he explained. However, he then realized. He looked behind her, and large pieces of metal were slicing her back and his hands were covered in blood. He saw Ellie's face turning white and he then realized...she was leaving him quickly.

“Ellie, don't worry, we can get help. Please, please we can get help!” He said, with tears running down his eyes, trying to find the smallest source of hope.

“Jake,” she said weakly, her blue eyes focused on him, “I love you okay, but you should go.”

“I will not leave you here!” He exclaimed, still holding her body.

“Don't die here, please, let me die here not you,” she replied coughing violently.

“I can't leave you here, I won't! We can get help.” His face was covered in tears he was shaking, beginning to lose hope.

“Jake, please. I love you, but you're okay... I don't want to move, it'll hurt too much. Just leave me here.”

He didn't know how to respond to her, they shared one more long kiss. He realized if he moved her she would die anyway, the pain was unbearable for her.

“O...okay. But Ellie...I don't want to go out there alone.”

“You can, I know you can. AGH.” She screamed in pain, with tears now flowing from her eyes.

“Goodbye, Jake. I love you... so much....more than... any... …... “ And like that...she was gone. Her body now a lifeless corpse, just like the others on the streets. Jake was still holding her bloody body, and now his arms soaked in blood too. He kissed her corpse, still crying and weeping. He grabbed a blanket that was saved from the fires, and draped it over her body. He stood up, still crying, and looked at her “burial.”

The sky had remained a dark gray, and the city smelled of smoke, but nothing could change the lives of the ruined and hopeless people. The city had become a lifeless caricature of what it used to be, and so did Jake, and the rest of the people of the city. Jake stumbled back downstairs, leaving his love, his life and his world behind him now.