War Begins
He woke up in a daze. It must of been days since he ate or drank. His flask empty, his clothes were dirty. He struggled to sit up to the image of a lonely, barren wasteland. It was this wasteland that he had grown to call home. There were rumors of a better place, somewhere out there. His old radio used to blare tales of a safe haven, as well as, pre-war music that brought back fond memories of what his life once was. His radio died long ago, leaving him to desolate wastes, he stood up and looked around. The warmth on his back reminded him of how unforgivingly the sun pounded the landscape. He started down the empty highway that was before him. The blistering Nevada heat was almost unbearable. He hoped that every step would lead him out of this hell. There had to be something, anything, his thoughts wandered to his family. The man's parents passed away in a car accident when he was young. His three brothers raised him, until two joined the military and the third went to university. He wondered what was left of them. The death toll from the war was in the hundreds of millions, maybe even billions. No one knew for sure. Either way, he missed them sorely. Even though his deteriorating mental and physical state made it increasingly harder for the man to concentrate on his thoughts, he still longed for things to be the way they used to be. He missed comfort and security. Alone under a scorching August sky, a strong gust of wind knocked him to his knees. There was no comfort here. Probably never would be. There was no sanctuary, no shelter, no grace. The man knew he was to be but another statistic. He never rose off his knees.
He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer. This is going to be one of the most important moments of the man's life. He adjusted his tie, it was a bit too loose. Hair looked okay. Teeth are white. He silently rehearsed over and over in his head about what he needed to say. There wasn't a lot to say but he wanted to make sure he got it right. "It's time.""Cameras are rolling soon." called the security guard from outside the doorway. The man gave a slight nod. He slowly made his way out of the dressing room into the hallway. He'd never seen so many security cameras in one place before, and there were armed guards posted at every doorway. He nodded curtly at each one as he passed. The corridor looked more like a jail than anything. "How could anyone not go crazy here?" the man said sternly.
He rehearsed once more in his head. Almost there, he thought. Breathe. Just breathe. The man was stopped at the last door for security clearance. He flashed his card to the guard, who nodded him through. "Good luck sir." He was greeted by a large wooden desk, with a lone camera in front of it. He knew the drill. He knew what he had to do. He pulled out the leather chair and sat down. "Cameras rolling in 10. How's your microphone sir?" "The anxious man checked and gave a quick nod. "Okay good. Cameras rolling in 3...2...1..." Without hesitating, the man spoke with a saddened tone in his voice. "Greetings. This is President Berg. In the wake of recent events, we are declaring nuclear war.." He trailed off. He couldn't finish his sentence. He didn't want this. He closed his eyes briefly, then the bombs fell.
