Cold. The cold air.
I felt the cold air. It was as cold as death, lifeless. I was enshrouded by an aura of bleakness.
I woke to find myself sprawled on the floor, with many bruises all over my body. My back ached in pain. Coughing up a mouthful of dust, I pushed back the remnants of the china dishes that lay around me and slowly brought myself up to a sitting position. Curious, I stared up at the shattered windowpane.
Only fog was visible through the broken glass.
This doesn't seem like a cheery place, I thought glumly.
Using my bed, I was able to stand on my feet again. I hobbled over to the front door, kicking the remains of the interior of the house out of my way.
I fumbled with the knob on the door, and finally ended up giving it a savage kick to open it.
The already worn out front door had received even more wear from the storm. As soon as I kicked it, it heaved and cracked in to a million pieces.
I was enveloped by a dense fog. It wrapped around me, crawled into my shoes, down through my clothes and clawed at me. It seemed like something evil, a darker presence.
The fog dissipated, and I beheld into a horrible sight. What lay before me appeared to be the remnants of a small village. Judging by the look of the ruins, it had once been a happy place. Bright colors had turned dull, grass was withered and flowers had long been wilted. The houses in the town were not very big, almost as if they had been made for small children. The walls of these houses were crumbling, and the roofs had collapsed. A brook trickled through the middle of the city, and a winding brick road, which was coloured a dull yellow, puzzled me greatly. I then saw a most disgusting apparition. Scattered along this road of yellow brick were the bodies of tiny people, each about the height of a small child. Blood stained the path where the bodies lay. Frozen on their faces was an expression of the utmost horror. I shuddered.
It was too much. I turned and began to retch.
When I finished, I wiped my mouth on my sleeve and collapsed onto the lifeless grass.
I awakened about an hour later. When I awoke, the fog had lifted completely and light spilled over the tiny village I stretched, and my stomach rumbled. Slowly, I stood up and tiptoed towards the cupboard in the house. I pulled open the door and found a can of soup, crackers, and half a loaf of bread. I gathered it up and set it on a stable place on the splintered counter. The forks, knives, spoons and such had scattered everywhere during the storm. Crawling about on my hands and knees, I found a spoon, can opener, a bowl, and an iron pot. The matches were tucked in a drawer with the pens and pencils. All I needed now was a fire.
The idea of going outside again didn't seem enthralling. But I did need firewood. So, reluctantly, I walked outside again, this time prepared for what I saw. I made a point to avoid the dead bodies in the square and went towards the nearest house. It was a small cottage, and the doorway was so low and narrow that I got on my hand and knees to peer inside.
Dead.
The smell of rotting flesh filled my nostrils. I shrank away in disgust and jumped up. I would have to do this quickly. Taking the axe that I found in the closet in the farmhouse, I lifted it and swung the blade into the thatched roof. It immediately gave way and fell on top of the cadavers. Since the house only came up to about my shoulder, I was able to reach in and hurriedly collect what I needed. Gathering the straw in my arms, I sat off back towards the farmhouse.
I sat the thatch down in a patch of dirt that was in front of the farmhouse. I grabbed the matches, the soup, and the pot and carried them all outside. I set the pot in the middle of the straw, poured the soup in, and lit the fire.
When the match hit the straw, the flames soared up in the air. It calmed down a few minutes later, and gently caressed the surface of the pot. The smell of the soup wafted up and found its way to my nose. I inhaled, and sighed deeply. Chicken noodle soup has always been my favorite.
I slowly savored every bite of the soup. I was hungry; for I had had nothing to eat since the day of the storm. I had lost track of all time; I could see neither sun nor moon, for the clouds obstructed all view of the sky. Licking the spoon, I set it and the bowl down on the ground. As I did, I heard a rustling in the shrubbery nearby. I froze. Oh god, I thought. They're going to kill me too. I moved as quickly and quietly as I could over to the house to grab the axe. But it was too late.