I was all alone with the driver on the bus for over 3 miles, getting off at the last stop. The entire ride was eerie. Some people still lived in these houses, the lights were on, but nobody was walking around. It used to be a very traveled road. Looking out the windows, only one other car passed us at some point, and some dude was puking in his backyard.

"Thanks." I stepped off.
The bus driver sighed and shook his head then said "Good luck."

It was a long quiet walk. Perhaps 20 minutes. I saw a couple of people in their windows, but heard almost nothing. No birds chirping, nor dogs barking. Occasionally, I heard someone hammering or puking.

Nearing the store, there was a lanky woman leaning against a wall. Because of how thin she was, I initially thought she was taller than me, but she was just very thin. She had to be a heroin addict, I thought.

"Buy me some water please.." She said before she even saw me. Maybe I was in her peripheral vision or maybe she heard my footsteps. She moved her head up and her eyes danced around then locked on to me. She stood up and it clearly took effort for her to stand on just her own 2 feet.

"Why not drink faucet water?"

"It's not running. You didn't hear? What's it like on the other end of town? I should... check... ugh." She collapsed.

"Girl are you on drugs or withdrawing right now?"

"I don't do drugs..."

"Right."

"Ok ok, I smoke weed.. when I can.. and I've snorted before but... there's something in the water."

"The water that's not running?"

"Not anymore... It's still running for some people but they said it's green and murky."

"Ok, I'll spot you a bottle just this once." I walked down a block, letting her sit instead of following me, and rang a bell. I heard shuffling behind a half-open door and some rusty old man, dirt covering him, bumbled half-asleep to the register.

B-O-O-M

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" I jumped. He seemed only half scared, like a kid jumped out at him.

"Happens." He shrugged.

I gave him the funds and left, walking past the thin thirsty girl and tossing her a bottle.

"Thank you." She said weakly.

"Good luck." I walked briskly, occasionally jogging, until I reached the bus stop. Druggies everywhere. Where'd they come from? Some fat, some skinny, none were fit. They were moaning "oww." All of them were aching.

B-O-O-O-O-O-M-MMMMM

"Fuck!" I was startled but everyone else just looked in the explosion's direction. Then, stunningly stupid, they walked towards it. I pondered why, why were they going that way and why had they not left? Who could still live here if it was so eerie? But I told myself it was just normal, people lived there and were used to their own homes, After all, most people don't move out just because of one terrorist attack. But now explosions were happening regularly. I looked up towards the the shambling crowd and saw a smoke stack in the horizon.

I waited for an hour but the bus didn't show. Looking it up on my phone, eventually it changed from "delayed" to "canceled" and I realized the drivers probably weren't willing to show up after the explosions.

I called the lady who's groceries I bought and she agreed to drive through and pick me up. As I was waiting, I noticed the girl I had bought water for. She was shambing in front of me, her clothes torn. She was fatter now, but still thin, except her belly and ass and breasts were bigger.

"Hey.." She whispered, "you... thank.. you..." She started walking towards me as her belly and boobs swayed.

"Um.. You're welcome." I raised an eyebrow, her belly was... falling off. She fell to her knees and then put her hands on the ground, and pushed herself up, but her belly just fell off and stayed on the ground.

She didn't notice at first, she just saw me looking wide eyed at her open stomach. When she noticed it, she couldn't say anything, but just stared at wound. Then her ass exploded. BOOMBOOM. "AH! AH AH! AHHH AHAH AH AH AHHHHAAA!!" I could see her pelvis and blood running down her legs from all sides of her. Her shorts had been flung away and dissolved by the corrosive explosion. She was jumping and screaming in the air and then rolling and crying incoherently on the ground- all with bare, bloody legs and open wounds where her ass and belly no longer existed.

I ran. I heard another explosion, followed by 2 more, and I didn't look back. I kept running and saw a car in front of me.

"What was that? Get in!" the lady who agreed to pick me up shouted as I jumped into the back of her car and then shuffled to ride shotgun.