Midday Sun

Twelve days ago, the world had come to an abrupt end. The world, it seemed, had lost its collective mind. Suspicion and intrigue took center stage as the world degenerated into chaos. Bitter regional disputes had led to escalating tensions. Unbeknownst to him, the island Lucas lived on had been in grave danger. An elaborate game of bluffing and deliberate provocation had followed. This volatile situation progressed until the precarious peace was no longer tenable. Now, countries everywhere were at each other’s throats. Incalculable damage had already been caused. More damage had been dealt inside the past two days than had been wrought in the two millennia preceding them. The gears of war had been set in motion, and nothing could stop them now. War had started, and it would run its course. After several days of bitter fighting, an ultimatum had been issued. If the cessation of hostilities and the island’s capitulation had not been achieved by noon on the twelfth day of the war, nuclear weapons would be used.

Lucas awoke to the break of dawn on the twelfth day. A dim ray of unhappy sunlight lit his face, struggling its way through the particles of dust suspended in the air. Instinctively, he flinched as an explosion rocked the building. Plaster and dirt cascaded down from the ceiling. Wanting to remind himself of where he was, Lucas stumbled towards the nearby windowsill. Overhead, a solitary plane screamed quickly by, unleashed to wreak havoc on some unsuspecting enemy. Pressing his face to the bottom corner of the windowsill he took a quick glimpse of the world outside. A somber sight greeted his eyes. Much of the city had been reduced to piles of rubble. Very few buildings had managed to go completely unscathed. Bomb craters and piles of debris periodically disrupted the course of the street below, making it nearly impassable. Several damaged bicycles and motorbikes lay abandoned between the buildings. From where he stood by the window, Lucas had a clear view of most of the buildings on his side of the river. He knew that somewhere, not far across the river, he would find the university - if he could get there. He wanted more than anything to see his beloved Mei-Hua again. A single bridge spanned the river, bleak and alone. The two bridges beside it had already been destroyed. Several great contorted masses of concrete and steel extended solemnly out of the cold, disturbed water.

Lucas considered his options. Usually, he moved at night when most of the bombing had subsided. He knew, however, that the bridge could be destroyed at any moment. It was unlikely that a prime target such as the bridge would survive another day. More to the point, he might not have another day. Lucas knew he was a poor swimmer, and that the current would be too strong for him to swim. If the bridge were to be destroyed that day, he wouldn’t have time to find another one. If he were to have any hope of crossing the river, he must act now. The blood-red sun continued its slow morning climb, seemingly unaware of the troubled city below it. Soon the harsh sound of incoming artillery would fill the air, dispelling any temporary calm brought on by the advent of nightfall. Hundreds of aircraft would again contest the skies above the island. Lucas knew that soon, rocket barrages would resume their merciless attacks on the city. Moving by day was risky. Every minute spent outside in daylight posed a significant risk. If you were careless, death was sure to be imminent. Bombs did not discriminate between soldiers and civilians. Yet, his decision was clear. He must cross the river, and it must be today.

Lucas stepped away from the window. He quickly made his way out of the room and found the stairs. His footsteps echoed through the vast emptiness of the building, as he began to pace down the stairs towards the street below. In the lobby, he trod carefully over the shards of broken glass that lay strewn across the floor. Before him, the ornate hotel door hung limply by a single hinge. Lucas ducked out the door. He sprinted towards a wrecked bus at the edge of the street. For several hours, Lucas crawled, ran, and shuffled his way down the street. He ducked behind any concealment he could find, taking cover from the vicious maelstrom of hate that had already begun to batter the city. He ducked and shuddered as he saw the brilliant red and orange hues of the artillery shells striking the buildings behind him. Seeking cover, he winced as hot shrapnel bounced off the street beside him. It reminded him of the grave dangers presented by daylight travel. Staccato cracks of distant gunfire punctuated the brief lapses of silence between the buffeting of the artillery strikes. He watched over his shoulder, mesmerized, as the hotel where he had been minutes before was struck by a shell. A harsh waterfall of steel, concrete, and shattered glass was flung outwards onto the street. For almost a full minute, the whole street was enveloped by a cloud of thick dust. As the dust settled, Lucas observed a new cavity that had formed at the top of the hotel. It looked, he thought, like an enormous giant had used a spoon to take a scoop out of it. Finally, he reached the edge of the bridge.

Unlike most of the street behind him, the bridge was almost empty. Lucas realized that he was going to have to move quickly if he were to have any hope of making it across unharmed. Besides the handful of cars abandoned on the bridge and the meager protection afforded by the bridge structure, he would be completely exposed. For a second, he considered turning back. Just as quickly, he realized that he could not. He had to find Mei-Hua, his sweetheart. He felt more certain about this than he had ever felt about anything in his life before. What if she were hurt or alone? He could not bear the thought. He needed to be there with her. The two had met at the university. He was the awkward foreigner, and she was the young and clever journalism student. He had never thought he would have a real shot with her. He briefly thought back to some of the fond memories they had shared. They had wanted to be married someday, he remembered – before all this. The day they were engaged had been the happiest of his life. After he had proposed, he had given her a small, heart-shaped locket. Lucas had made the locket himself. He had fashioned it after the design of a locket they had once seen together in a store window. He knew she liked it. Sadly, when he had returned the following day to buy it, the locket had already been sold. So, he had made his own. He remembered painstakingly shaping the malleable brass with a small ball-peen hammer. Then he had carefully filed the edges smooth. Upon the surface of the locket, he had engraved a small blossoming flower, much like the one they had seen on the locket in the store. She always maintained that the locket meant more to her - because she knew the love that he had put into making it.

“A flower for my flower.” He had said, “Whenever you wear this, remember that somewhere out there, I’ll be thinking of you.” He knew it was cliché, but he didn’t care. He meant every word. He wondered if she was thinking of him as well. Lucas braced himself for what came next. He had to go - right then. He took a deep breath and set out running. As he ran, his legs trembled and his lungs gasped for air. The long bridge stretched ominously before him, desolate and unforgiving. Then he heard it. Ahead of him, in the distance, the low hum of a jet engine rumbled. It grew louder. In horror, he realized the plane was headed straight for the bridge. With nowhere to go, he did the one thing he could do. Lucas ran as fast as he could. The jet screeched closer. As the jet passed overhead, it banked sideways. For a brief moment, the pilot and himself looked directly at each other. The majestic plane, its sharp wingtip a mere arm’s length from the bridge superstructure, struck him full of awe and terror. Still, he kept running. Behind him, the thunderous racket of another jet roared, growing louder and louder. Then, it happened. Almost faster than he could think, the bridge began to explode in a shower of color, noise, and heat. Cannon fire had begun to shred the steel and tarmac behind him, causing the bridge to groan and shudder. Whether it was the bridge or himself who was the object of the plane’s aggression was not clear to him. A single bomb dropped ahead of him, striking a massive girder. The bomb, inexplicably still intact, careened harmlessly into the river below.

A huge plume of water rose skyward, splashing up from the murky water below. The plane thundered overhead, almost deafening him. It pulled up into a sharp climb, quickly beginning its ascent into the clouds. Then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Seconds later, Lucas was off the bridge. Behind him, the air boomed and echoed with aircraft, hellbent on destroying the bridge. Lucas knew that he was not far from the university now. If he only could run just a little longer, he would be there soon. An odd mixture of hope and anxiety stirred in Lucas’s heart. His strides lengthened, as he found new strength within himself. Soon he would be at the university. Would he find his beloved Mei-Hua, he wondered? It had taken him twelve days to get here, after all. Lucas knew she would know how to take care of herself. All the same, he couldn’t help but worry. Then, suddenly, he stopped. Lucas gasped aloud, his chest heaving from exertion. Ahead, a frightful sight met his eye.

He had found the university. Like a harsh hellscape, the charred corpse of the campus appeared desolate and empty. The carnage of several downed aircraft lay strewn across the width of the campus. A single fuselage lay flaming next to the faculty building. Fed by aviation fuel, small wisps of flame licked the husks of the cherry and plum trees that used to grow all across the campus. Everywhere he looked was covered by the debris of war. The ground was littered with bomb craters and military paraphernalia. Several vehicles were still burning. The fire crackled angrily, sending dark clouds of thick smoke spiraling skyward. Lucas fought to remain calm. He made his way towards the large lab building. If Mei were still on the campus, that was where she would be. The stout walls made the building the safest on the campus. He knew that the university kept a large store of food and water there as well. As he approached, Lucas felt his heart leap. The building was intact, though many of the windows were shattered, and the area was littered with glass. As he stumbled closer, Lucas began to see the one thing he desperately felt the need to see – faces. Here and there, the faces peered through the windows. His heart leapt. Most of the faces were grim and melancholy, almost hopeless. Then he saw it. A single face smiled out at him. “Mei-Hua!” he exclaimed. The door opened, and she burst out towards him. Tenderly, they embraced. He looked lovingly into her eyes. Then she paused, happy tears rolling down her cheek. “It’s almost time,” she whispered. “I know,” he said, gently wiping the tears from her eyes. As they stood together, the midday sun climbed to its apex, casting its happy glow over the two of them.