Short Stories

By the Waters of Babylon (My Homework Assignment lol)

A/N: So we read By the Waters of Babylon in my English class and we got this Creative Response homework assignment. {Make up a story about the dead god John sees, the one who watched his city die. Who was he? What is his story? How did he come to be where he was when he died?} Several people read it and thought it was really good so I'm putting it on here...

August 19, 2091

Dear Friend,

          I write this letter in regard to the tragedy that has struck. Our country is coming to an end, and as far as we know so is the world. If there are any survivors, our downfall must be documented so the future generations can know the truth. My name is Timothy Montgomery, I'm 36, and I live in New York City with my wife and two kids. At least I used to. Jess, my wife, took the girls to the park on that fatal day. We kept up with the production of nuclear weapons on the news, there wasn't a person in my office who didn't. Almost everyone knew the dangers of this, but we didn't realize how serious the production was. The dispute between America and North Korea was resolved in the year 2027, but the treaty was broken almost 20 years ago. By whom, exactly, is unknown. I was in a meeting with my boss and several co-workers when we heard the first bomb go off. There was no alert, no warning, no public service announcement, nothing. It just happened. I can still hear the explosion going off in my ears, haunting me. About half the group stood up and started to leave, but I stopped them. I knew it was safer to be inside than out. Some people were visibly shaking. We were constantly checking our cell phones for any news on the bomb. We nervously waited for ten minutes, and then another bomb hit. After that, it was like rapid fire. The building shook as if an earthquake occurred. The room went into a panic as I watched the explosives shower our city out the window. All I could think about was my family. My beautiful family. I miss them more than anything in this world. The attack lasted no longer than half an hour. When I turned around, I saw only fifteen of us left. We were all to scared to go outside, fearing that the chemicals and toxins from the nuclear bombs would kill us. Eventually we needed more food, so seven people volunteered to go and get more. Only two came back. We continued doing this for days, weeks, I don't know how long. You loose track if time when the world's coming to an end. Soon it was just me and a woman named Sara. We both went out to get food about a week ago. The poison in the air was thick. Sara died last night. I know my time will end soon. I feel myself growing weaker, and my body shutting down. Now I just sit and look out the window, waiting for death to take me. I'd like to wish you luck on creating a better future for humanity. Goodbye, my friend.

-Timothy Montgomery