Boom.

That was the sound that changed everything. One minute I'm standing in front of my high school, and the next, I'm wondering why the sky looks like Mars and why everything smells like bacon.

Hello there, viewer, reader, or whoever else, my name is Ryan Lewis. Your not-so-typical survivor of the nuclear apocalypse. And if you're reading this, congrats! You survive the apocalypse, or you're from an alternate Earth where none of this had happened, or Hell, another world entirely. Either way, impressive.

Now, picture this. No, not the explosion - that's a little too cliché. Imagine you're about to walk home, maybe visit the local 7/11 for some slushies, when suddenly, KABOOM-OOOO! You're knocked flat on your arse, staring up at a rapidly expanding mushroom cloud in the distance.

"God, Allah, Buddha, Krishna, Mother," I muttered, recalling all the gods I knew. "What is that?" You know how they say your life flashes before your eyes before you die? Well, all I got were a montage of cringey dances and failed pick-up lines.

I scrambled to my feet. The first thing they teach you in Survival 101 is to check the size of the mushroom cloud. If it's smaller than your thumb when you hold it in front of you, you're in the clear. Well, sort of, still gonna need sunscreen and a new set of bones even if you're in the clear.

Lo and behold, the mushroom cloud was smaller than my thumb, which meant the city was safe. Dunno about other cities, the rest of the US, or the world. But hey, what matters is I'm still alive and kicking.

I looked around, the school was eerily silent - way too quiet. Not even a sound. No sobbing, no screaming, nothing! But right now, I need to focus. So grab some popcorn, a bottle of soda, and sit back and relax, viewer, reader, or whoever else, cause we're about to go on a bumpy ride!

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I took a deep breath and a moment to gather my bearings. I looked around, trying to find a direction to head in like a mindless zombie. "Which way should I go?" I took out my phone and went to the compass app. "Well, North it is!"

The once bustling streets were replaced with abandoned cars with their doors still open and destroyed buildings here and there. It felt like I was walking through the set of a movie, except the special effects team had gone way overboard.

"Okay, first things first," I said out loud. Hearing my own voice made me a bit comfortable. "I need supplies, lots of them."

You see, folks, this is where binge-watching all those movies, reading survival books, and post-apocalyptic stories really comes in handy. 

In the movies, the protagonist always finds a conveniently placed box of supplies, as if they had some sort of guardian watching over them or plot armor. I hoped reality would be just as accommodating.

I ran into the nearest convenience store, the door wide open like it was abandoned. I looked into the store through the window and saw that the shelves were half empty, but I saw a few items left on the shelves. I entered it and grabbed a bottle of soda, three bags of chips, and two Twinkies, and left.

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I realized I needed a means of self-defense, so I ran into the nearest store, a Tactical Gear Store, three blocks away from where I had been. This store, much like the convenience store, had been largely looted.

Of course, that didn't mean there was nothing in the store. I scanned the shelves of the store, the shelves barren like an abandoned city. My eyes fell upon a metal bat. I grabbed it, and it had a good amount of weight. Meaning anyone or anything I hit with it, it's bye-bye for them. But then something caught my eye—a crossbow, a tactical one at that too. If push comes to shove, I'd go down, Daryl Dixon-style. Anyways, I took a total of forty-three arrows and shoved them down my back pack. I was too lazy to look for a proper quiver. I looked back to see if I missed anything and finally exited the store. 

I looked up into the sky. Before I knew it, it was already dusk. I needed to find shelter and a soft bed to sleep on. 

I found an empty car; I entered it, closed the door, and went to sleep. Now, viewers, readers, whoever else, I doubt you'd want to see me sleep, so let's just cut to the moment I wake up.

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I woke up to the sound of aircraft engines rumbling, as if a cargo plane were passing above. Well, lo and behold, it was one! And that meant free loot!

I couldn't tell what kind of plane it was, but I believe, based on the propellors, it was a C130. It looked like it was dropping crates of supplies. 

Knowing this, I set my sights on heading towards one of the airdropped crates. "But Ryan, isn't this too suspicious and convenient?" Well, maybe? But I'm not giving up free loot.

Hours later, I arrived at the first location of the crate. Of course, there were a group of people surrounding it.

"Alright, move please; I need some supplies." I shouted for all to hear.

The group looked at me. "Why should we?" said a buff guy wearing a wife-beater. "Well, I'm just another survivor trying to survive." I responded.

The guy grunted and pointed out. "Well, we got here first, so finders keepers, loosers weepers."

"What are you, children?" I scoffed. "I just need some supplies, alright? After that, I'll screw off." 

"No, we found it first. So just get the hell out of here before we beat you up!" The buff man shouted, his saliva hitting my face.

"Oh, you messed up real bad." I wasn't about to let a bunch of bandit-wannabes bully me around. I grabbed my crossbow and loaded it with an arrow.

"You said you'll beat me up? Try me." The scavengers closed in, bats and knives in had. But I had the upper hand. 

I pulled the trigger, and the crossbow fired. It's arrow hitting the buff man right in the crotch. "MY CROTCH, GOD DAMN IT, URGHH. GET HIM!" I swiftly loaded in another arrow and fired at another scavenger. "Two down, two to go." The remaining two ran with their tails behind their bottoms.

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After dealing with them, I took a moment to catch my breath. I looked around cautiously to see if there were anyone around.

With my weapons, I approached the crate cautiously. I opened the first box. In it, there were medical supplies. The second box had MREs. The third and fourth had clothes. Lastly, the fifth box had some weapons and tools. Unfortunately, no guns, but that would make everything too easy and this story too short.

I quickly filled my backpack with as much stuff I could carry, pushing aside my arrows. Yup, I need a bigger backpack soon. Note to self-visit a clothing store.

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I needed to find a place I could call home, so I looked for an unlocked apartment. Luckily for me, there was an apartment complex nearby.

I approached the complex and looked for a set of stairs I could climb. An apartment on the middle floor might be advantageous. I made my way to floor 5 and tried to find a room that was unlocked.

Lucky for me, Apartment 256 had its door wide open. Cautiously, I entered the room and checked every nook and cranny. Fortunately, it was empty and nobody was here. I closed the door, locked it, just in case someone tries to get in, and headed for the bedroom.

Just in time too, I dropped onto the bed and closed my eyes; soon I drifted into sleep.