The Night Light

The city plunged into darkness. The computer in front of me went dark instantly. I heard generators coming to life until those were killed too.

I looked through the window at the rest of the city. It was pitch-black except for the shine of the moon. People were gathering at balconies and opening windows.

I called my sister and asked if she had faced a power cut too. She had. It seemed like the whole city's power had been cut.

I started calling some of my friends when I heard it. A siren going off in the distance. It was the siren that indicated an air raid was coming in, fast.

I heard a second distinctive sound, which indicated that this wasn't any ordinary air raid, but a nuclear one. The city was going to get nuked.

It had somehow slipped past the defences but spotted by the city's watch. The city couldn't fight back, so we needed to evacuate.

Police vans rolled around on the streets, telling everyone to gather what they can and head for the bunkers in the hills next to the city. I felt my heart sink.

What would I take? My whole life was in this house. After retiring from the military I had taken up a peaceful life of writing, getting my experiences out into the world.

I got the biggest bags I could find and started stuffing them. I put my laptop inside and got all the electronics and wires I might need.

I put in spare clothes and some memories of my time inside. I filled an entire backpack with food and drink. I gathered whatever I could and stuffed it in. 

I put on my holster and slipped my pistol inside. I hadn't fired it in twenty-five years and I hoped I didn't have to. I looked out the window again and saw the throng of people on the streets.

I decided to wait for a bit before heading out when the crowd lessened. There was enough space to accommodate everyone in the city in the bunkers.

I waited for about fifteen minutes and peeked out again. There were hardly any people on the street. Everyone had left almost immediately.

There was a countdown going on. The plane would arrive within the hour, which meant we had about half an hour before it landed.

I went over to my sister's place before heading for the hills. She had also thought to stay back for a while. I picked her up and went to round up any family or friends who had stayed behind.

All in all, there were about twenty of us. These included my sister, nephews, cousins and closest friends. Together we headed out of the city. 

The police commissioner gave a brief salute when he saw me pass. I nodded in turn and waved for the party to go on. I jogged over to the commissioner.

"Do you need any help, commissioner?", I asked. "Yes but I don't think you can do very much, you're like sixty or something," he said

"58 but fair enough. I can still help" I said.

"Round up the people left behind. Check out for the poor, old and disabled especially. Take the truck and Jones with you." he said.

I nodded and walked over to the truck. An officer stood near the truck. It was Jones and so I collected him and got into the driver seat.

I turned the key and started the truck. It accelerated slowly but it would have to do. It wasn't a very big city so we were able to comb through the entire place in about fifteen minutes.

We rounded up sixty people who were unable to get out in time or were disabled. On the way outside I saw a man sitting in a wheelchair.

I stopped the truck and called out, "Hey, get on the truck. We're leaving." "No," he called out, "I helped build this city, Noah. I'm not leaving."

"Don't be an idiot. Get on." I said, anger rising. "I'll be sinking with the ship, as they say. You go on ahead. If I do survive I'll be there. Go."

"Damned fool," I whispered under my breath and drove ahead. Ten minutes left. We reached the border of the city and the commissioner climbed the truck and sat next to Jones, pushing him to the centre.

"That's everyone?", he asked. "Mostly yeah. Some didn't want to leave. Fools, all of them." I understood their motives for staying but at the same time, I cursed them for being so stubborn.

I had been the same twenty-five years ago. I stayed when everyone had left and survived. Nobody would now. The commissioner's voice shook me out of my reverie.

"... has made it. Your gang was waiting here but I told them to go ahead. They will be near one of the bunkers. Noah, you heard me?" he said.

I nodded and stared straight ahead. The people in the back grunted and cursed with each hump in the road. Seven minutes.

We reached the bunkers. Sure enough, my gang was waiting by the entrance and were helping some of the old people inside.

I braked and we went to the back. We helped down all the people who needed help. I walked over to my gang. "Still doing God's work, eh?", I heard my sister say.

"Always," I replied, "Let's go."

Everyone nodded and we headed into the bunker closest. There was a massive space underneath. It was held up by massive pillars and the ceiling was multiple metres thick.

Multiple floors led down from the main one, but that wasn't my concern. I stopped at the ladder halfway through and climbed onto the balcony.

There were multiple periscopes there, like on top of submarines. These reached out several metres and provided a view of the city behind the hills.

A bunch of officers and high ranking officials were gathered there, fighting for a view. One policeman left the way for me and I peeked through.

I could just about make out the plane flying. It dropped the nuke and it hurtled towards the ground. I was watching the destruction of my home. The lights had been put out in the hope that they might miss, but they didn't.

I watched as it struck the ground and detonated, decimating my home in a giant explosion and a mushroom cloud expanded over the city and the shockwaves tore out some of the periscopes, plunging my view into darkness yet again.