by Aubrey Giblin
Tuesday, Sep. 11, 2001 at 9:12 PM screename1243@aol.com 8280 White Rd
A young college student is living in future New York, when the Chinese bomb the city. This is a great first person narrative describing the attack.
error The End of the World
I wiped a dribble of dressing off the day old stubble on my chin as I munched on the “fresh” garden salad and sipped at the “fresh” Columbian bean coffee. I drained the rest of the coffee and searched the meager possessions in my pocket for a couple of dollars for the tip. I slapped a couple of dollars bills on the table and walked out of the Chef’s Creation Café commonly known as the “big C” from it’s only steady customer: me. I breathed in a double lungfull of frigid Manhattan air and nearly coughed up my whole respiratory system from all the exhaust and cigarette smoke. Recovering from that little excursion, I lumbered over to the newspaper stand to see what was going on outside my little personal bubble. According to the most recent news reports, we were at war with China again. The usual battles were being fought all over the Pacific and nameless islands. In the twenty odd years since the first war with China in 2005, we had been at war five times and it either started with China invading the U.S. or U.S. invading China. The usual fabrication of peace talks that never exist and propaganda posters featuring a gallant soldier standing proudly with an American flag flying marvelously behind while Chinese soldiers are retreating with their tails between their legs filled the paper. This time however, diplomatic wackos had declared that we will use our vast nuclear arsenal if the Chinese persist in using biological weapons on our troops. “What a bunch of phonies!” I thought out loud. After getting a few odd stares from passing pedestrians, I settled back down and walked to the subway. Here in the great city of New York, the subway is a legend in itself. You can sit on a bench and attract either a girlfriend or a boozer who will gladly take your cumbersome wallet or purse off your hands for awhile. I have discovered this the hard way many times over since I have started college here.
As I walked into the station void of customers, one of the mini TV’s (that hadn’t been stolen yet) caught my eye. A ragged announcer from CNN was on the screen. “Hey!” I thought, “He doesn’t come on until five tonight!”. The announcer, I haven’t taken the trouble to learn his name yet, was disheveled and very pale without his makeup. In that raspy voice of his, he said “Um, my fellow Americans, we have just been notified by the President that in response to our threats the Chinese have launched a nuclear attack upon D.C., Chicago, Houston, and other major cities in the U.S.! Please remain calm and proceed underground or to a secure place. I am very sorry to say that the following cities have approximately two minutes before impact. Please....”. But I was not listening anymore. I could here screams and moans coming from up above on the street. I stood in complete shock for a couple of seconds letting this all soak in. My mind was racing. Surely they couldn’t be serious! Where do I go? Why did this have to happen to me?!
Suddenly, a young couple brushed past me indifferently and scurried past me into the subway tunnel. Both were sobbing uncontrollably and were pale with fear. I rushed up to the street. A blast of cold wind stung my cheeks and I shivered unconsciously. I looked around and saw people abandoning shopping bags and dragging children along. A church group leader was on the ground weeping and the kids were frozen in place and observing the chaos dumbly. People were pouring out of stores screaming and trying to maneuver though the river of human beings trying to go every which way.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw what looked like a small sliver of light descending upon downtown. The missile! It must be here! I tore my gaze off the falling missile to the subway entrance about fifteen feet away. Staring back at the missile, my chest was gripped in the icy hand of fear. I burst for the subway, but my body was in seemingly slow motion. My legs were pumping, but it was like being in a dream where I was trying desperately to escape but going nowhere. It seemed the entrance was coming closer inch by inch! Suddenly my whole being shook like a rag doll in a child’s arms. The missile! It must have gone off! I was still too far away! Ten feet! Five feet! What felt like an impossibly strong wind blew me off my feet and flung me sideways. Shaken, I was only feet away from an open door!. I scrambled towards the opening scraping my hands and knees on the pavement. I glanced back towards downtown and saw what was an incredibly blinding flash erupt from the sky above downtown and racing towards me! I was inches from being inside the door and to safety! Suddenly, the light blew past me and blanketed my body with its poison. Then everything just froze to a halt. My last thought was of my family hugging me before I boarded the train to go to college. Then, the sweet memory was torn from my brain and I drifted off into a deep abyss.