The sky was just like a thick blanket of ashes hovering approximate 6 to 8 miles or so from the frigid ground, leaving a few opening for the sunlight to sneak in. The sunlight shone through the irregular holes of the thick layer of ashes, lying on the tiled floor of the street like heaven's light. The street is a skeleton, stripped of its flesh long ago by the despair that swarmed the world just like locust. All that remains was the concrete structures themselves, no glass, no wood, nothing the scavengers could use. Even the street-lamps had been cut down and dragged away along with the trees. The wind was howling like some horror movie opener and the surrounding that didn't blessed by sunlight was as dark as night. There were no animals and no people. Newspapers tumbled around the asphalt as if caught in invisible laundry machines.

   “Bang!!!”

A loud sound broke the eternal silence.

   “ What's that sound?! ”

   “ Get down! Do you want to get killed! ”

Two cloaked men crouch down among the tangled foliage. One of them was armed with M4A1 mounting the M320 grenade launcher, another one beside him undid the flap of his holster and drew his revolver.

   “ Victor, give me the binocular, quick! ” said the man who was holding his revolver tightly as preparing to pull it out anytime and blow someone's head.

Victor passed the binocular to him.

   “ Pow! Pow! Pow! ”

   “ Bang! ….....Bang! ”

The sound following after the gunshots was the melody of echo circling the whole abandoned city.

   “ zzz...B....zz....Bla...z...Blake! Blake, can u hear me? Looks like someone is fighting straight ahead. I think it is best to avoid any face-to-face encounter with them. Over! ”

The message was transmitted from Blake's Walkie-Talkie.

   “ Roger that, heading north. Over! ” said Blake while putting down his revolver.

   “ Let's meet up with Jayce. Move! Move! Move! ”

The street laid before them was a river of abandoned cars, rusting out as time flies.

They took cover behind a rusty yellow school bus after a short sprint. At this moment, a cloaked and masked man jogged towards them slowly and quietly.

   “ What took you guys so long? ” said the masked man.

   “ Analyze the path, sprint between covers, minimize exposure to snipers...come on....standard procedures, Jayce. ” said Blake confidently.

   “ Ok...ok, anyway, let's keep moving. ” Jayce squatted down and moved between the vehicles that provided absolute protection from any possible gunshots. Blake and Victor followed him step by step with fully alert about the surrounding.

   “ Bang! ” The eternal silence was being broken once again as the bullet screamed out of the gun.

   “ Fuckkkkk! Ahhhh......ahhhhh! ”

Victor was screaming in agony as the hard, cold, evil lump of metal penetrated in his chest. His scarlet blood spilled out like a fountain and soon he was lying in a pool of blood, moaning.

   “ Shit! Jayce, cover me! Suppressing fire! ” Blake rushed to Victor in the act of suppressing fire onto the enemy.

Blake pulled Victor harshly towards the nearest car and helped him leant against it.

   “ There are enemy sniper on the rooftop! ”

   “ Bang! ”

The bullet hit the front mirror of the car where Blake and Victor were hiding.

   “ Clink ” The mirror cracked, broke violently into small pieces.

   “ Pow! Pow! Pow! ” Jayce returned fire.

Blake felt acute, short-term pain started suddenly on his shoulder, following a chronic pain lasted for a longer period of time. Through a small pellet of water spitting on his shoulder, the familiar sensation were brought to his attention. He lifted his head up just a bit.

   “ It's raining! ” Blake shouted.

   “ Oh my god! Not now... ” said Victor weakly.

   “ We have to move! There is a supermarket in front of us! Sprint towards it at full speed! ” Blake commanded the other two.

   “ Give me your hand. ” Blake pulled Victor's left arm around his neck and helped him to rise to his feet.

   “ Enemy in sight, two, 1 o'clock! ” Jayce shouted nervously.

   “ Ignore them! Let the rain do the job. Run! Run! Run! ”

Three of them ran towards the entrance of the supermarket that seem had been blown up years ago, covered with overgrown creeper. The surrounding was gloomy due to the lack of sunlight, they can barely see the path in front of them to prevent themselves from falling down. The sound of gunshots never stopped. The blind and heartless bullets slipped through their cheek as in an action movie scene.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

They heard the sound of the rain impinging upon the earth as soon as they entered the supermarket. The rain was pouring down, soaking everything with its grey droplets. It sounded like the heavens were knocking on the door, roof and window panes. However, there was some noises disturbing the symphony of the rain, it was the terrible scream of people.

   “ Looks like they didn't make it to a shelter. ” said Blake calmly.

   “ God bless them... ” mumbled Jayce while assisting Victor to deal with his wound.

Two cloaked men were rolling on the ground almost 17 feet from the front door of supermarket they hid in. They screamed in agony as if the rain was swallowing them. Their clothes began to corrode, leaving their skin exposed to the rain, corroding, it took just a few seconds to make their skin melt like an ice-cream exposed under the sunshine of summer. Soon enough, no scream was heard, they laid there, face down, never moved again.

   “ May you find your redemption after the baptism of acid rain. Amen. ” prayed Jayce.

   “ Damn, why you feel sorry about them. They just tried to kill us! They even shot me! ” said Victor loudly.

   “ It is not their fault, I believe that they are also out of supplies, starving. They also strive to survive in this demonic world or...hell... ” said Jayce while continuing his prayer.

   “ So basically you are telling us to give them our food and water out of pity, sitting still waiting to get killed?! ” Victor said angrily.

   “ I didn't mean that! I just want to say that everyone has the right to survive! ” Jayce replied. “ Maybe we can even save them if we lend them a hand! They don't have to die! ” said Jayce desperately.

   “ Screw your logic, you still think you can save everyone? We are living in hell! It's kill or be killed! ” Victor scolded Jayce.

   “ Saving someone will just end up digging your own grave. Remember how Janson died, he died saving your Carol! What has Carol ever done for us? She is such a burden! Her kindness kills Janson! Janson's kindness also kills himself! Why does he sacrifice himself to save your Carol who just can't let go of a dog! ” shouted Victor uncontrollable.

   “ Don't you fucking drag Carol into this!” Jayce grasped Victor's cloak tightly and was going to punch Victor in his face.

   “ Am I wrong? She is just a coward who just couldn't face the reality! ” Victor continued to provoke Jayce.

   “ Hey! Hey! Stop this immediately! ” Blake came forward and separated them with force.

Jayce released his grasp on Victor and walked away to another side of the supermarket. “ Screw that goddamn asteroid, why does all of this has to happen? ” mumble Jayce with tears rolling down his cheek.

   “ We shouldn't blame anyone, no one is at fault in this manner. This is just a misfortune, a miscalculation. ” said Blake calmly.

   “ After all of this you still stick up for them? Miscalculation? Are you telling me this is our fate? To extinct like the dinosaur sixty-five million years ago? We could have avoided that! It's NASA! NASA! That goddamn rocket they launched make all of us suffer in this hell! ” said Victor emotional.

   “ Can you make some sense out of this? The asteroid flies through space towards Earth. If we didn't launch a rocket to intercept it, force it to change its orbit, it will crash into us directly. ” Blake explained resentfully.

   “ But it failed anyway, the asteroid blew up, scattered into small pieces, rained down like Heaven's rage...destroying everything and spreading the sunlight-blocking dust and soot along with the unknown gases that cause acid rain. Is this the result they hope for? ” said Victor sarcastically.

   “ I don't want to pick a fight with you, it will just waste my time. I'm going to... ”

   “ Freeze! ” A clear and high-pitched voice came from a dark corner in the supermarket. Just when Blake reached out for his revolver, a loud gunshot was spread throughout the whole supermarket. The bullet hit the ground in front of Blake's toe. “ Drop your weapon and raise both of your hands above your head slowly! ” said the person in the dark corner. “ Do it now! I won't say twice! ”

   “ Don't worry, we won't do anything stupid. What do you want from us? ” said Blake while slowly raising up his hands.

   “ Your food and clean water! Stuff everything you have into your bag and throw it to me. ” said the mysterious person.

   “ We can't do that! It is all we have left, if we give you ours, we will surely......” “Bang!” The bullet laid between Victor legs. “ …...die.....” said Victor.

   “ Ok ok, we will do as you wish. ” said Blake while stooping to pick up his bag.

At this moment, a gun barrel was pointing at the mysterious person's head, following a sound of turning the safety off. “ Don't move or I'll shoot. ” Jayce emerged from behind the rack.

The sunlight strike into the supermarket linearly at this moment. A ray of sunlight fell on the mysterious person. Her golden hair draped down softly curling along the ends. Her blonde hair tumbled forwards over her face, bleached whiter by the sun and looking more pale against the scarf she used to cover her mouth, leaving only her ocean blue eyes exposed. She was wearing grey long-sleeve hoodie and tight black jeans. In her hand was a loaded Glock 17 pointing at Blake's chest.

   “ Drop your weapon slowly... ” said Jayce while keeping his finger on the trigger.

   “ Watch out! ” Blake suddenly shouted at Jayce.

Jayce intuitively turned around, what come into his view was a robust man pointing his shotgun at him. The next second, the whole world turned scarlet red. He knew that he was falling to the ground but he didn't feel anything, no pain, no sound, no thought, his mind was completely blank except a shadow of his lovely daughter standing in front of him waiting him to come home. The whole world turned black, sunk into eternal darkness.

   “ Nooo.....Jayce!!! ” Blake quickly picked up his revolver while the man holding the shotgun turned around and gave him a swift shot in his chest. The bullet passed through his body and splashed his blood all over the wall behind the man just like a child's scribble.

   “ Bang! ” the blond girl shot Blake with her Glock but she missed. Blake quickly tumbled towards Victor and pulled him to the pillar beside them.

   “ She stops shooting us. ” said Blake while peeking behind the pillar.

   “ There are two more outside the supermarket. We have been surrounded. ” said Victor hysterically.

   “ No...the girl just grabs our bag and runs away through the front door. ” Blake replied . “ They are gone... ”

Without wasting a second, Blake rushed towards Jayce. Jayce was lying in his own pool of blood. “ Jayce! Jayce! Wake up! Open your eyes! Look at me! ” yelled Blake. Suddenly, Jayce's lip moves, slowly as it was so unnoticeable.

   “ What do you want to say? It's all right, just tell me... ” two line of tears rolled down Blake's face. “ Take care....of....Carol....for........me... ” Jayce mustered all his strength to finish his last word and breathed his last breath. The surrounding fell into complete silence.

   “ No....no....no.....please don't leave me Jayce.....please don't.....die... ” Blake sobbed.

   “ Why...why everyone precious to me has to die? Why them? Why not me? Why? ” mumbled Blake, covering his face with both of his hands.

On this day, one more innocent life has been taken away under this tragedy,

The Second Impact