Story Time Friday: Doom Arrives At Dawn

    So today is a double posting day since I forgot to post yesterday's post last night. I was just too exhausted by the time I finished it. I do apologize. Today we will have a tradition Story Time Friday. This week's prompt is a picture of a man walking towards a mushroom cloud with an explosion underneath it. I get most of my inspiration daydreaming while listening to music, but I also get it from looking at pictures as well as random things that people say that just get warped in my mind. But without further ado on with the show.
Prompt:

 

Doom Arrives At Dawn

By Christopher Bartlett

    Johnathan had gotten up at 5 am as usual and gotten ready to head to work in the city. It felt like any other day to him. He always walked into the city. It was his way of relaxing before work, and getting exercise for the day. He was an editor and writer by trade, but even he couldn't make up what he saw as he was a little over half way to the city.
    As Johnathan was approaching the city he saw a plane fly over the city and then a few seconds later the city was engulfed in a huge explosion followed by a mushroom cloud. The cloud seemed to expand outwards from the city overhead of him. The sky grew ominously dark as Johnathan now concerned for his friends and fellow coworkers continued his journey towards whatever was where the city had been.
    When he finally got to what he would later term ground zero he found buildings with blown out windows as well as cars blown all over the streets with blown out windows and skeletons inside. Johnathan felt the cold chill of death run up his spine as he walked through the streets. He headed towards his job at the publishing company in the city hoping to find it empty. He noticed as he was walking that his cell phone has no service within the city limits.
    As he walked into the publishing company he saw the security guard frozen at the desk in skeletal form. He tried the elevator and found it dead. So he took the stairs to his floor, only to find all of his friends and coworkers had been at work when the explosion happened. They were all skeletons burned to the bone. Frozen in place for all time.
    He knew now for sure that this city was a tomb and that he should turn for home and try to reach somebody in authority about what had happened here. If there was anyone in authority left to call. At the very least he had a home left to defend and from there who knew what. But first he had to try and get a hold of other survivors and go from there.
    Johnathan went to the local gun shop and surplus store and salvaged what he could for weapons and supplies. Before heading for home. It had taken him most of the day to do this, and by the time he had gotten halfway home the ominous cloud had cleared. Now then sun was setting on the uncertain future for Johnathan and he seemed hopeful as he neared his house.