Alone

I hear my alarm go off. I wake up. Not in bed. I stand up. So sore... I'm outside? Whatever. I go inside. Not my house. Somehow, I don't care. I turn off the alarm. It's 6:30. Almost time for work. I get in the car. Where am I? I drive. Past my house. Into town. I'm late for work.

The streets seem empty. I go into the office. There's Dave at the coffee machine... Just like always. I go to my desk, waving to my co-workers. I trip. The others flicker. I keep walking. Whew. At my desk. And on time, too. I work.

Back at home again. What happened last night? Nothing. I get back in the car. Why wasn't I at home yesterday morning? I still don't care. It's not important... I'm at work again. There's Dave at the coffee machine. I work again.

On the way home, the streets are still empty. Oh, finally another car. I wave to my mom as she drives by. There she is again. The road is suddenly busy. I wave to my mom as she drives by. Huh... Mom's been dead for years. Must be grief. Messing with my head.

The next day I go to work again. And the next day. Mom drives by a lot. Maybe she's not dead. I lose track of time. Must be Saturday by now. I don't care. I go to work.

There's Dave again. I work again. This continues for a while. Every once in a while, I trip over nothing. Or something. And the world flickers. I see flames. It must be nothing.

The next day. I go to work. Where's Dave? I see the flames again. And I feel a burning. It's nothing. I work. What am I doing? Nothing. There's no internet. My computer won't even turn on. I've been working... No I haven't. I see the flames. Why? Flames. No. Flames. Stop. Screams. No! I'm burning. My co-workers fade, disappear. Stop! It's too late... I remember.

I remember the radio. Crackling, fading. "...Russians... War... Bombs." I get in the car. Drive into the woods. To Dave's place. I'd been there once. For a party. It was far from town. He even had a basement.

I remember the screams. People running. Banging on the car window. I kept going. I got to Dave's. Out of the car. Then I saw the flash. I should be dead. It burns. I was knocked out... So it was Dave's house.

I look down. Bodies. Wreckage. Why am I here. There's probably radiation. Don't care. I'm covered in scars. I'd be bleeding to death. If it weren't for the burning. I sit down. On what? My chair is destroyed. My computer... All my work. Melted. There's nothing left. I'm alone.