Silence of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1: Rainfall

The rain fell through the cracks of the office building, dripping on the old carpet and broken office desks. The smell of wet cement and insulation filled Armin's nostrils as he stared out at the rain fall. The crackle of his fire echoed through the decrepit corridors of the crumbling office building, replaced only by the sound of dripping water coming from the other places inside the building.

Armin's gaze shifted towards the fire, and he watched the colors dance across the floor between his legs. There was almost an amusement to the flame, as if it was bursting with life.
Must be nice, he thought, to have something to be joyous about.
The cracked concrete produced weeds, whom accepted the rain hungrily as it came down. Old wind chimes lightly tinkled in the drizzle's breeze, as if calling out to a people long forgotten.

Armin slowly slid back into his sleeping bag as the sky grew darker. The harmony of solitude is that the world becomes easy to grasp, to harness, and to flow with. He slowly closed his eyes to the dull world he'd come to know.
The rain drowns out everything else, except for a single clap of thunder, echoing around the remnants of the city skyline.
Armin is awake.