Rescue

The building was leaned at an odd angle, it's interior ruined and shadowed, lit only by a scant few candles placed strategically away from the covered windows. People huddled in corners, covered in blankets in twos and threes, sharing their warmth and talking in hushed tones, their eyes scanning the doors and windows for movement. I was standing near the main door, holding a scratched and dirty shotgun in my hands.

The girl stood nearby, her dark hair covering her pretty face. She looked at me as I checked my safety one last time and I glanced back, summoning a half-smile before opening the door and disappearing into the darkness.

I moved quickly, scanning every window, every alley, for the slightest movement. I could hear the continuous symphony of gunshots in the distance. Every now and again, a scream would punctuate the terrible white noise of the city, cut short by some unknown horror.

The shotgun was heavy in my hands as I moved from door to door, examining each house, every cupboard and cabinet for any supplies that might prove useful. I could feel other people around me, watching me from the shadows, too afraid to make a noise. Everyone was afraid of everyone, always aware of the new world, where people were as likely to kill you as look at you, or worse.

An hour or so passed and I hefted the heavy pack filled with supplies on my shoulders. I turned the corner towards my building, or rather, the building I was squatting in with a half a dozen other strangers. My mind filled with dread at the sight before me. Flames leaped from the windows and as I watched, the building collapsed, slowly at first, then picking up speed as people ran in all directions, their hands over their heads. Bodies lay in the rubble everywhere, some with their scant possessions still being pried from their hands by the newest breed of desperate opportunists.

As I watched, I saw the girl disappearing down a dark alley on the other side of the now-collapsed building. She wasn't alone.

Three men jostled her, pushed her roughly, forcing her to move further away. All of them were armed, all of them dirty, with horrible smiles plastered over their unshaven faces. My legs moved before my brain had fully comprehended what was happening. I jumped over the broken bricks and jagged steel framework littered across the street, pursuing the trio, my finger already flipping the weapon's safety.

As I quietly ran up behind them, they turned, bringing their weapons to bear. I gave them no chance. As quickly as my hands could move, I slammed the shots into their chests, watching them fall as the girl looked on in horror, her mouth moving in a silent scream. Before their bodies had fully settled against the cold ground, my fingers curled through hers and we ran between the darkened buildings, the smell of gunpowder still fresh in my nose.

I wake up.