Fission

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Jonah made his way toward a brick building and quickly made his way inside. Stepping In through the busted glass of the door he used his hands to feel his way around. The smell of burning buildings and concrete dust particles filled his nostrils. Jonah needed to find shelter to nurse his wounds and avoid further harm. He could only imagine what the city looked like. Faint screams of people could be heard, but due to the blast and dining of light due to the fallout, Jonah's sight was obscure. Thousands of thoughts flooded his mind and he did his best not to panic like others running in the streets. Jonah took a seat behind a counter and breathed deeply to calm his nerves. It was a coffee shop from the slight smell of the place. Even though the blast made the air thick with radiation and debris, the smell of coffee was still strong in the building. Jonah began talking to himself out loud to calm himself down.

"Ok.. so. It was a bomb that hit. Devin is dead, and I can barely see...." He huffed trying not to panic. Jonah took a few deep breaths as he tried to think and calm himself down. He reached for his phone in his pocket, but the screen was busted. It wouldn't have mattered anyways if it was broken or not, the cell towers were down most definitely. In a matter of moments his whole world was turned upside down. Not just his worlds, but America's and probably the world.

It didn't take long for society to break down. The ones who died in the bombs were the lucky ones. They wouldn't have to face the savagery of the citizens who lived and resorted back to survival instincts. Some looting, riots, killings, rape, and other breakdowns had a domino effect throughout the country. No electricity and communication was widespread. The country's Food and medicine was not being shipped out due to chaos and road damage. Good spoiling on the shelves and in warehouses while some trucks were overturned and looted. Jonah knew it would be dangerous out on the road and in the city, but he had no idea what to do. He decided to stay put and try to come up with something...anything.

The days were only calculated by the rise and fall of the sun. Jonah survived the next month off what food was available in the coffee shop as he almost made himself mad by trying to figure out what to do. If he stayed he would die, if he left and ran into whoever did this to the city or a desperate person...he would die. He had to think long and hard about which end he would meet. His faith in God was also failing. The bible Devin gave him was left closed and stuffed in the back pack he retrieved for the car. There wasn't much left in his car due to people ransacking it. Only his clothes and a few things were left, including the body of Devin. Jonah hated the fact he could not bury his friend, he deserved to be laid to rest.

"Whatever happened Jonah, remember who you work for." were the last words Devin spoke to Jonah before the incident. What did he mean by that? The preacher he was going to see? God? Jonah was a bit mad at God at the moment and no doubt that preacher and the whole church would be gone no doubt. Preaching the word or whatever else we were supposed to do was far from his mind and goals. He almost wanted to renounce everything, but even though he was mad at God, he would not do that. He knew better than to do that.

Downing the last bit of water, Jonah stood up from the table and tossed the empty bottle in his book sack. He mustered up the courage and decided he needed to get out of the city. It would be difficult due to his handicap now. His eyesight never came back one hundred percent. It was still blurry and just read things he would have to squint and strain his eyes. Jonah took out his sunglasses from his bag and put them on his face. He then slung the back pack on his shoulder and slowly walked out the back of the coffee shop. He slowly stepped out into the alley way and began to make his way down to the road. It was still day time, but the light was slowly fading. He knew he needed to escape before the sun went down. He had heard many nights of competitions ringing out in the city as he hunkered down in that coffee shop, so he did not want to stay to find out what happened. Jonah speed walked down the road until he found a green highway sign. He placed his face close to the sign and squinted to read the white lettering. It was five miles to exit the city so he knew he would have to put a pep in his step and get to it. Turning towards the way the arrow pointed, Jonah took off jogging. He knew he would have to stay off the main road to avoid any contact with people. He had hoped to reach the outside of the city by sun down and maybe even Galveston in a few days. Things didn't go as planned.