I wake in a strange bed surrounded by white blinding light. The dull hum of fluorescent light starts to calm my nerves until I realize a horrifying truth. I have no idea where I am or how I got here. The only object in the room besides this bed is a long-standing vertical mirror. I stare into it hoping to center my reality but instead the feeling of dread begins to crawl under my skin. A click sound draws my attention to a small speaker embedded in the ceiling and a man speaks.

            “Wonderful day to you Timothy, did you sleep well?” He says.

            “Yea I guess, how do you know my name?” I ask bleakly. Is Timothy my name? Why can’t I remember my own name!? I scream in my mind, but I can’t let the stranger know I’m on edge.

            “Silly boy how can you forget your own father? The accident must have done more damage than I thought. Tell me son, can you remember the beach house at least?” My father asks. I close my eyes and pray to the darkness for my memory to come back. I don’t want to forget my life! Please just remember something! A beach house, wait its coming back! The cool water washing over my feet and the sun slowly setting out on the horizon. The breeze feels so good on my warm skin. I must have got sunburned playing out here all day for it feel so refreshing.

            “Timothy come on in baby!” A woman yells and when I turn around to see who it is tears begin streaming down my face. Wait, who is this? “Mom!” I yell excitedly. and run to her arms. Her warm embrace melts away all the stress, anxiety and fear that has been haunting me like a demon on my shoulder.

            “My baby boy why are you crying?” She whispers as she kisses my forehead. The love emanating from her heals my soul. It always did, I never once doubted how much she cares for me. Especially since dad… Wait am I dreaming? All the sudden I am inside eating with mom standing in the kitchen staring out the window.

            “I feel weird mom.” I say.

            “What do you mean baby?” She asks.

            “I can’t remember dads face, even his voice seems off.” I reply.

            “Hmm, well we haven’t seen him in a while. He’s been hard at work at his lab in the city and you know when he gets obsessed about a problem he won’t come home until he solves it.” She says as if this is par the course for me, not remembering my own father. She walks out to the porch and motions for me to follow. We sit on the rocking chairs watching the sunset and I notice she looks sad. The kind of sadness that hides behind the surface, the one that is wrapped tightly around your heart and is always there. It never fades, something is wrong, but what is streaking across the sky?

            “Look at the shooting star mom! Make a wish!” I scream hoping to cheer her up but when I look at her face it is twisted into sheer terror.

            “Get inside now!” She screams as the shooting star reaches the horizon and a flash of brilliant light illuminates our everything. I’m blind but I feel mom grab my hand and we are moving now. Feet slamming the ground as she leads me down the beach. We finally stop and I rub my eyes hoping to regain my vision and slowly the blurred reality starts to come into focus. Off on the horizon where the sun used to be stands a dark cloud reaching towards the heavens in the shape of a mushroom. The ground begins to quake, and mom picks me up in her arms and again we are running. The cloud is mesmerizing, the dark black smoke is intertwined with white light. I can’t stop staring but suddenly we fall. Mom has lost her balance and we are tumbling. I hit my head hard on the ground, but I roll down into a hole. The darkness swallows me as there is some sort of bunker. My back slams into the stone stairs as I fall to the bottom. My vision clears as I look up the stairs to see mom closing two large metal doors. I reach for her, she has to get in here with me! If she stays out there the bomb will kill her! I scream with all of my might, but it is drowned out by the end of all life explosion outside.

            “Mom!” The rageful yell escapes my lips and I am back inside the room again.

            “Take a breath son, you are safe.” Father says.

            “Where is she!?” I scream. Full of hate, fear and rage.

            “Not here right now.” He replies coldly.

            “Tell me where she is!” I scream full of desperation.

            “You know where she is.” He replies.

Tears again fill my eyes as the unraveling of my heart begins unabated.

            “Why did I live and she didn’t!? She could have made it inside if I just ran with her. Instead of watching the bomb like an idiot.” I sob and the tears are flowing like a waterfall.

            “The answer is simple, you were meant for something greater son. Now I must know what happens next.” He asks. Why doesn’t he hug me? What is wrong with me!? Why is he hiding behind a speaker? Maybe if I remember everything, he will come see me. Focus, just remember. Closing my eyes again and now I am climbing up the stairs. There was a glowing countdown in the bunker and the doors were locked shut. It’s been weeks down here but at least there was food and water. There were detailed instructions on how much to eat and drink and just following them have allowed me to survive. Did mom or dad make this? I never knew this was here on our property. I reach the two big blast doors and summoning all my remaining strength I manage to push the doors open to find a wrecked world waiting for me. Gone is our beach bungalow and even the ocean water has receded farther out. I hike towards the road and all the shops and buildings are completely destroyed. Cars on the street look like they caught fire and when looking inside I can see the incinerated bodies of the owners.

There is broken glass littering the ground and with each crackling step reality begins to set in. What do I do? Is dad alive? Could he still be at work? I know how to get there because of the map inside the bunker but what if he’s dead? Heading west I make my way deeper into the city. It feels weird to see these burned shadows cast onto the ground. How many people’s lives ended in a moment of burning destruction? Is there really no one left alive around here? I walk for what feels like days when the sun begins its slow crawl to the horizon. Fear begins to read its ugly head again but I force it down. Dry swallowing as if there is some physical way to stop being scared but suddenly a crunching noise comes from the alley ahead of me. Curiosity overtakes the logical mind of survival but what if there is someone who can help me? Who says they are a good person though? You can never get too far from survival, and I reach down to grab a shard of glass. Wearing gloves was a great idea as I smirk.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” I ask. The crunching noise stops suddenly and deafening silence follows. I squint my eyes to focus into the dark alley and two glowing orbs begin to form. What is that? Must be some trick of the setting sun or something. The orbs blink a few times then two more appear next to it. Eyes! That’s what they are, but why are they glowing? The primal fear of prey stepping into a predator’s lair begins to overtake me. A large paw steps out of the darkness and finally I can see what lies beyond the shadowed alley. An animal that once could have been a dog appears. Its flesh is rotting away as its teeth are plunged into a severed human hand that lays in its massive jaws. Every fiber of my body and mind screams to run and without hesitation I take off running. If I don’t escape now those teeth will be ripping my flesh too! The beast dog charges from the darkness snarling and growling followed by two more. A pack of these monsters now chase me. I run as hard and fast as I can. I was always the quickest in my group of friends but this time I am accessing unforeseen speed as pure adrenaline rushes through my body. Fueled by absolute terror and survival, I grip my makeshift knife made of glass in case I need to stab my pursuers. I already envision the ideal place to plunge my blade, right into its eye socket.

The dog nips at my back but my jacket is mere inches from its bites. I charge towards a destroyed car and at the last moment turn on my heel to run left. The dog leaps towards me and smashes not the car and yelps. A smile creeps onto my face at my amazing feat of luck and precision. My confidence is shattered as the other two dogs are still in hot pursuit and one of them leaps onto my back and sends me tumbling. The dog snaps and bites at my face and I take the glass and follow the plan. Plunging it into the eyeball and a dark black liquid that spews from the wound. The attack hasn’t saved me though as the dog is even angrier than before and just as its teeth close in on my throat a loud boom fills all our ears. The head explodes in brain matter and bits of skin as the other dog realizes that he’s next and darts off. Their alpha is still picking itself up from the car when its legs are blown off by the next shot.

“Hey kid get over here!” A man yells from behind me. I struggle to stand and see a pickup truck with a man in the back waving me on. An otherworldly howl starts to form from the city and I run towards the truck knowing even more of those monsters will be here soon. I climb into the bed and breathe a sigh of relief. My body hurts as the adrenaline flooding my system starts to dissipate.

“We gotta get the fuck out of here before the lungers come. Names Keith kid, what’s yours?” He says. Before I can answer the driver cries out.

“Keith can we go or what? Can you do introductions after we get the fuck out of here!?” He yells. Keith starts laughing and bangs his hand on the roof as the driver speeds away.

“He’s Gary, we’re brothers. Where’s your parents?” He says. I sit up and outstretch my hand to greet him. He smiles and shakes my hand.

“Tim is my name and my mother died to the bomb. Dad works in the city off the corner of Pacific Heights in the Titan Industries building.” I reply.

“That’s way too far in the hot zone, lungers are everywhere in there!” Gary says.

“What are they?” I ask.

“Best we can tell they are some sort of under creature. Lungers are the human equivalent of those dogs. That bomb wasn’t just a nuke it released a chemical that transformed them into flesh eating monsters.” Keith says.

“Thank you for saving me but you guys can let me out here. I gotta find my dad, I know he’s waiting for me.” I reply.

“No way kid, I can’t let you go there alone. You’ll never make it!” Keith says. Gary slams the brakes and skids to a stop.

“We aren’t going to get killed looking for a dude who’s already dead!” Gary screams.

“Shut the fuck up, the kid’s right here. If he says his dad is alive then I believe him. Can you really live with yourself dropping him off on the side of the road and leaving? What would mom say?” Keith says. The truck starts moving again and as I look out at the surroundings a thought begins to whisper in the back of my head. Dad is dead isn’t he? How could he survive this?