1 1 - Brynn

[I, Allison Vonk, claim authorship and own this content as of 2018] :)

The radio turned to static, then blanked. The washing machine shuddered, and the kettle stopped mid-boil. This is the fourth time the power had gone out in the last hour.

Brynn put her small .22 on the table and picked up the cloth beside her, which was filthy from the cleaning of her gun. While she cleaned her dirty hands, she pushed the chair out from behind her and walked to the front window. She moved aside the living room curtains to see if the whole neighbourhood lost power again. Brynn saw no glow in the distance. The whole city was out this time. And then she heard sirens. Red and blue lights zoomed by with their loud sirens blaring.

"What's happening?" Her brother Tristan groaned groggily while walking downstairs. He jumped awake when Brynn frantically pulled the curtains fully open, another ambulance zooming by.

"Call dad." Brynn warily spoke as a fire truck zoomed by with its horns blaring. Tristan rushed to the house phone before realizing it was down. "Use your cell, idiot."

Brynn tried to joke to ease the nerves inside her body but was jolted to reality when more emergency vehicles zoomed by. Their neighbours had begun to gather on all their porches. Brynn was not normally the one to panic in situations like this seeing as she was the calm twin. Whenever Tristan would have night terrors or anxiety attacks, Brynn was always there for him even when both were stationed overseas.

"Hey Dad? Dad?" Tristan spoke with an edge in his voice, running a hand through his dark brown curls. All Brynn could hear was a monotone voice of voicemail. She made her way to the door, but not before reaching at the table to grab her pistol and putting it in her waistband.

Ever since her time in the military, weapons gave her comfort. She was fresh out of high school when she joined. Her brother followed in her footsteps a year after. At the ripe age of eighteen, Brynn was enlisted with the help of her mother's friends in the military. Tristan joining when he reached nineteen to fight the cause as well. They practiced in armed fights, hand fights, tactical fights, and anything one could imagine that happens in the military. They were deployed into overseas in the year 2012 specifically with the task of helping civilians during their civil war, a mission of it's first time. Two and a half years in, Brynn was given temporary medical leave after her horrific experience. Her brother requested leave as well because he wanted to be support her. Ever since coming back to the United States, the siblings had held onto the comfort of their weapons. Guns gave them security. The feeling of certainty.

A bright flash was seen from beside her and she whipped around. She didn't realize it was the flash of an atomic bomb hitting the crust of the earth. The fresh air opened her lungs and her eyes were greeted with the sunset on the horizon. Brynn looked to the right hugging her hoodie around her, brown waves brushing her face.

A huge black mushroom cloud was prominent against the orange sky. Brynn's jaw dropped and her heart started pounding. Suddenly a big wave of air hit, just hard enough to blow her hair back and make her take a step against the blast. Her ears began to ring in shock, and she wondered how she did not hear the explosion. She took the terrifying moment to look around at her neighbours and their reactions only to see them running about and to their vehicles. She tried to tune herself back into the real world but struggled as she began to see this was as real as anything. Brynn could feel her mind attempting to switch back into her army mindset, which was groggy after being unused.

Brynn was caught off guard when she felt her arm being grabbed.

"Brynn. Brynn! We have to go." She snapped back into reality and shook her head. Brynn turned quickly to look at her brother, only to see his fear-stricken face. She didn't have time to ask questions. Fear was terrorizing her whole being. She ran back inside to her basement, grabbing the necessities she might need like clothes, water, and a couple snacks. It took her half a minute, so she decided to grab her mother's necessity: her favourite sniper. Brynn also grabbed a walkie-talkie and ammo for good measure. Just in case they somehow ran into their mom and she wanted her only gun left at the house. Brynn realized how unhinged her family must seem from the outside.

Brynn and Tristan's mother had trained them since they were nine years old. They were twins, but hardly looked alike. She was gone over in his station near Syria, meaning she was nowhere near the twins in their hometown.

"Brynn, c'mon."

Tristan had a black duffel bag over his shoulder and Brynn could see the strap of his submachine gun across his body. Brynn knew in her mind that the guns weren't needed, but they made the siblings feel safer.

Tristan ran out the door and to the white truck in their driveway, followed by Brynn, who didn't even lock the house door behind her. Her brother started the truck and stepped on the gas pedal, reversing from the driveway and speeding down the road.

"Tristan, why are we going towards the explosion?" Brynn inquired with nervousness. She was wedged against the passenger's side door with her arm against the window and the other hand grabbing the center console for grip. She felt as if she had no cover from anything they would face, seeing as they were going towards the point of explosion.

"We have to get Dad." Tristan stated. He was adamant on this, and she saw that. His jaw was set straight, his eyebrows furrowed and a crease beginning to form on his forehead. He got on the highway and stepped on the gas pedal, swerving between cars that were driving the opposite way or trying to away from the explosion.

"Tristan, I don't think– "

"We have to get Dad!" Tristan barked, like he was determined. He stepped on the gas harder if it was possible. Tears threatened to form in Brynn's eyes and her breathing became ragged. "We have to get Dad..."

Tristan was telling himself that more than Brynn. Brynn was already hyperventilating at the thought of losing their own Father, but she knew he was already gone.

The road began to clear as all the traffic was going the opposite way. There were deserted cars everywhere. That wasn't what scarred Brynn's mind though. As they got closer, she could identify bodies of people who were burned. Badly. Cars were parked left and right with the doors wide open, as if people parked to watch the cloud form. She rolled the window down, seeing a lady coming up on the side of the road. The lady was holding something. Tristan began to slow down.

"Help me! Please! My baby!" The women cried, revealing the object in her arms. A baby. It was burned so badly that it was barely identifiable. The skin red to a crisp and blood beginning to drip from a couple cuts. Brynn could tell the baby was gone. Her mother was the same, with burns on her face and blood coming from the crisped-up skin.

"Tristan?" Brynn calmly pled as she saw her brother begin to speed up. "Tristan, what are you doing?"

He sped past the lady and her lifeless baby, who reached out to the fast vehicle. Brynn's mouth opened in shock, looking in her rear-view mirror. The lady collapsed and seemed to stop moving, lifeless as the wind ruffled her clothing. Brynn settled in her seat again, her face void of colour.

"Turn around." Brynn quietly told Tristan, who swallowed a lump in his throat and did as she said. Their father was gone... They knew that now.