Quiet, still, and dark. The kind of quiet few could imagine before the storm came. Even the birds and bugs were silent. The world used to be filled with noises, from distant cars and sirens to an ever present gentle hum of electricity. Now there was nothing. Sergeant Legg took a moment to reflect on that as he puffed his cigarette. Once, he had visited some museum in Paris when he had some leave, and they had a silent room. It was filled with sound dampeners and was a masterpiece of art because it was silent from the modern urban city that surrounded it. The whole damn world felt like that room now, except darker and ruined. “Ten minutes, boys, and we move,” uttered Legg. “Roger that, Sarg,” was the quick reply from several of his men at the same time. They’d served together for over a year now and predated the storm. Lucky for them, they had an endless supply of MREs and other indispensable food stuff.
