I remember the day they died. It was quick. Existential. Their underground tunnels and chambers would not shield them from the devastation. They died in the dark, running for their lives.
First came the rain, laced with toxic chemicals. The synthetic scent filled their lungs, restricting their breathing and weakening them. The flammable liquid permeated every part of their bodies and inundated their thoroughfares. Desperate to shield the young from the noxious droplets, workers frantically attempted to seal off the most vulnerable chambers.
With hope fading, the fire came with the brilliance of many suns—relentless, fueled by the chemical rain. The charred bodies of the fallen lay among the ashes, disrespectfully dismembered and unrecognizable.
The mighty pillars that once surrounded the powerful and privileged crumbled, exposing royalty’s inability to protect its citizens or its leadership. Valient guardsmen rushed to shield their ruler, only to find her engulfed by the searing flames.
As the flames subsided, the scene looked like nothing more than an insignificant mound of dirt in the middle of a children’s playground.
Author’s Notes:
CONTEST PROMPT: Write a flash fiction story up to 700 words that involves a doomsday scenario. Anything goes, but the end of the world, or its perception, must be a driving force in your story.
Foolish are the mighty rulers who think they hold
fate in their hands.
Their world will end, as the poet says, “Not with a bang,
but a whimper…
I’m sure it is cataclysmic for some in the colony; others carry on. How inventive this was – I assumed a nuclear war was taking place and the humans were the ones running for tunnels. Great finish . . . great story.
It was indeed a bit of a twist—thankfully. Many thanks, Pam.
Comments somehow disappeared, but again your writing is excellent, showing great use of the perfect words to tell your tales!