Rickie's Journal

By: Lymmerik

Stumbling though the desert, trying to find a safe place for the night, I stumbled upon this burned out cabin. I am close to where I grew up, but with all the devastation, it is all unrecognizable.
I could see that there was what looked like a basement inside. I found this journal under a pile of old burned clothes. There were only two entries in it, today is August 16, 2041

July 3, 2041 (it feels like midnight, the sun went down about 5 hours ago, not sure of the time)

As I write this, we are under attack. It seems, according to the reports on the ham radio, that there is yet again more war. It has been six and a half years since the Peace Accords via the Treaty of Ulrich; there is no peace. I am keeping this journal in hopes that, if there is any human life remaining after tomorrow, the truth will be preserved for future generations.
This war, I fear, will be the last war. Either way, if they annihilate the remaining 8 or 10 million souls left in our country, we lose; or if there is genuine peace after this, we still lose. There will be no way to grow vegetables, raise cattle, or have clean water.
The threat from the Axis leaders is, "we will not spare our armament, we will prevail."

I am afraid that this time, they will prevail as they are going to nuke our country, again. The despicable leaders of the Axis are hell bent on destroying all life on Earth, except theirs.

In May 2034, Axis President Mishka did exactly that. He used tenth generation nuclear bombs. There is no Africa, no Australia, no Europe, no South America. Russia is a barren wasteland. There is only the Axis nations of Iran and North Korea. Here there is little left.
The Iranians went into Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, Turkmenistan and others and killed all the citizens of each of those countries. North Korea went into South Korea 20 years ago and took over, then Japan & China 10 years later. It is rumored that it created a buffer zone for their people. It was their plan so that it would keep them safe from the radiation that befell the rest of the world. Over 9 billion people have been slaughtered.

The United States was indefensible. The 100 trillion dollar debt was paid for with the lives of the American people. Now there is only America, no states, and very few cities. We are helpless. There is no military to speak of and no one has seen President Washington in weeks. It is ironic that this country's first president was George Washington, and bleak to think that the last president is a Washington as well, isn't it? However, I still refer to the states as if they were still states.
I shall continue this tomorrow as it is late into the night and I must sleep, if I am going to keep fighting.

July 4, 2041, the time doesn't matter.

It was a sleepless night, but I managed to get a few hours shuteye. I don't think I slept though; I am always on alert. Oh, Happy 4th of July! A holiday not mentioned in years.
The chatter on the radio is that they will strike today. What was left of New York City, and the east coast; Los Angeles and the west coast; and from Chicago south to the Gulf of Mexico are all gone, the nuclear war has commenced. This may be my last communication with you. I feel that I am safe though, here in southern Arizona. This is one of the few places left with a small population, mostly people I have known for 50 years or more.

I am hearing now that they just nuked the remains of Atlanta, and wait a minute...what used to be Florida is gone. They are saying that from the Mississippi River east is a wasteland, there is no one left. There are very few transmissions left on the ham radio, but I am still hearing from June Bug up in Idaho, and Kelly K in New Mexico on the radio.
Yesterday after I closed this journal, I heard from several people in Arkansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming before I went to bed, but it is quiet today and a few reports on the radio are that we will not be here tomorrow. There is a rumble overhead, I think they are here.

Image Credit

If you are reading this, my name is Rick Pauliopolis, I'm 67 years old. I am supposed to be 68 on August 16. I will not see 68.
I am hearing the planes up high in the sky. I think I'll gather my things and go into the basement shelter. It was hard digging that thing because the monsoon rains flood it every year, but it is okay to be down there for another breath or two of life.

It sure is dank down here and all I have to write by is a lantern. So I hope this is legible.

If you do find this journal among the rubble, please keep it safe, read it often and remember that I was here. There are two more burried in the floor. There is a picture of me taped on the back page when I was 55 or so, but I haven't had a picture taken of me since.
I can hear more planes now way up high; these, I'm afraid, are carrying the big one. You don't mind if I just keep writing do you, what is going on up top is moot at this point.

I was married with two kids, a girl, Katherine Marie, and a boy, Rickie junior. My wife died giving child birth to Rickie 30 some years ago. I miss her still. She loved life.
Katherine, went off to Mexico a several years ago, I used to hear from her every now and them but not for a while now. Rickie was killed in the last war about 7 years ago. He was the spitting image of his mother.
I raised Katherine and Rickie by myself; I never remarried. Hell there was no time for a romantic life raising those two.
I hope I can't hear the bomb go off, I hope I just vanish.

One time when Katherine was about 8 years old, and Rickie was just 6, we went on a picnic, that was before all the destruction started, and Rickie fell in the creek in Rucker Canyon, just up the road from here in the Chihuahua Mountains. Katherine jumped in to save him and hit her head on a rock, the creek was only a foot deep. I thought I'd die laughing. She wasn't hurt at all, but she was so embarrassed about it. She hated me for weeks after that!

Wait a minute someone is on the porch, I can hear someone kicking in the door. I'm going to keep on writing and hope they don't find me down here.
You probably don't have a clue who I am, and I don't know how you found me and my journal, but know that I love you. I think they found the trap door, I can hear it lifting. Take care of yourse...

August 16, 2041

Happy birthday, Daddy! I love you too. I guess the big bomb wasn't worth dropping here.
Katherine Pauliopolis

The End

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings!
@Lymmerik

@OriginalWorks