The day of the attack happened like any other day. My friend Luke and I were at the hospital as usual getting my evaluation. Let me explain, I’m Ryan. I have bone cancer and have been fighting it for around two years now. My friend Luke has Autism along with speech and movement disabilities. He and I have been best friends ever since my first chemo treatment.
Anyway, Luke and I were in St. Jude’s hospital in New York. We were watching the news while waiting to be called in. The anchorman was talking about the conflict between China and the U.S.
“Everybody has been saying that this could be either the next Cold War or World War 3.” Says Luke.
“Yeah, But I doubt China would throw the first punch considering how much trade goes on between us.” I say.
After about five short minutes of talking about the conflict and watching the news we are called up. Luke lies on one of the beds while I sit on the edge of the other one. We wait for around ten minutes and nobody comes. That’s when we hear the commotion outside the window. That’s pretty strange considering we’re on the thirtieth floor. I push the curtain aside and see something I will never forget. Yellow gas is covering the streets like a blanket. It is so thick I can’t see the ground. I look up and see huge military airplanes, I see hundreds of what I’m guessing are soldiers parachuting out. I can just barely make out a Chinese flag on the side of one. We hear deafening screams coming from down the stairwell and I slam the door shut.
“We are being invaded.” I say to Luke in disbelief.
I try to get Luke to leave but he just sits on the bed.
“It’s over, there is nothing we can do.” Says Luke.
I give up trying to leave and sit back on the bed. We wait for a while waiting to see what fate has in store for us. Then after about fifteen minutes I see the first sign of the awful yellow gas coming through the door and the window simultaneously. Luke starts crying and so do I.
But wait, the room is now completely filled with gas so thick I can’t see the wall in front of me. I have no time to think anything because suddenly we hear slow footsteps walking outside. I rush to the door and slowly open it. What I see before me is something I still have nightmares about. It is a man that’s wearing a doctor’s uniform, but something is off about him. I look closer and I can make out through the gas a gaping black hole that goes right through his stomach. I gasp and start backing away. He slowly looks towards me with a smile and starts laughing crazily. I slam the door and lock it. He starts banging on the door while yelling something that I can’t quite make out. He is also laughing so much that it sounds uncontrollable. I look around frantically to find a weapon but I find nothing.
“It’s over isn’t it?” asks Luke
“No, we’re fine.” I say trying to keep in good spirits.
Which really isn’t helping considering that there is a maniac with a hole in his stomach banging on the door and laughing. After about five minutes waiting to see what faith had in store for us we hear gunshots followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor. Before we could even process what happened the door gets kicked in and four men rush in speaking Chinese. One of the men hits me with the butt of his gun and the world goes dark…
We wake up in the same room tied up and surrounded by armed Chinese men. There is more pounding on the door along with screams and laughing. Then I notice there are only 3 men left. One of the men must have been outside the door for too long and he must have been killed. Two of the men are yelling in to a radio and one is watching them. One man seems very angry and starts shouting at them.
“I kill you now!”  He shouts.
I notice their wearing gas masks and wonder why the gas isn’t affecting me. I don’t have time because he turns me around and puts a pistol to the back of my head. I look at Luke with a defeated look and he understands that it’s over. But right before he pulls the trigger the pounding and screaming stops. No sound comes from outside the door. The soldiers go to investigate and that’s when the door gets kicked in. About ten of what looks like hospital patients barge through the door. They are armed with things like syringes, hammers, scalpels, and even guns. They stab, shoot, and hit all the soldiers without them firing a shot. Before Luke and I can even realize what happened a man in a hospital gown unties them and says.
“Welcome to the Aftermath.”