Divine Resting

The Rocky Mountains were well behind them as the desert stretched for miles ahead. The road was freshly paved on the stretch of highway as the Corvega rumbled forward with the lead foot of the driver. The woman sitting to his right was enjoying the sunlight and the whipping breeze of the car, the smile lighting up her face rivaling the sun.

"Oh Ralphie," she laughed as he smiled at her. "You taking me out of town is just swell!"

"Heh, sweetie, you would never believe it! But now, we can do this more often!" Ralph beamed at her.

"How so, dearie?"

"I got that job at RobCo.! Now we can afford more time out, more picture movies, more…" he leaned over to her giving smooching air kisses. She scoffed but placed a warm peck on them nevertheless. "This new paycheck, I can afford more. And, they agreed to take me on as part-time. Mariah, my dear, we just made it!"

The car suddenly stopped running, the vehicle slowing to a halt. He stood from the car, Mariah just as confused. "What-" was all Ralph could say before the first thunderous booms shook the air.

He turned his eyes to the ground as distant missiles met nuclear missiles. Then there was light, a blinding hot mushroom cloud that consumed all. Its dust swallowed everything. He turned back to Mariah, crouching and holding her close as the frigid cold blew at their backs.

She was so frail now, so unnaturally thin; it was so hard to find food that was not irradiated. He kept her close even as a lock of hair fell off her head. "It's okay, Ralphie… It's okay…"

When he looked at her again, it was with withered hands that he picked up the 10mm pistol from the bandit. It was cold precision that shot out the gun hand and slammed the man with gut shots. He spun around and clocked the last one in the bridge of the nose. "Where is she?" he rasped.

The bandit gasped as he reeled from being pistol whipped to the face. He growled and rasped, "I don' have time for this." He jammed the gun straight into the man's pelvis and pulled the trigger. "WHERE?!"

The man's shocked expression did not change and he quickly emptied another shot into the man. "WHERE?!"

The man's sputtering mumble came struggling out. "B-b-basment… We took-took the m-meat to the basement."

He let the man slide and he raised the gun again. This time, the man slumped with an extra head hole. He sprinted, shooting his way through any who dared to step in his path. When he got to the basement, he could not believe what he could see. There she stood, beautiful and glowing as she smiled at him.

And it was ripped away into darkness.

The damned howled and moaned at him. Ferals, men, women, and even children came clawing at him from below. He knew every one of them, everyone he had placed here. He had to climb! He scrambled upwards, hands clawing his boots as his leg gave out.

Yet, there! A light! There was someone there!

"Mariah," he rasped in a wheeze.

She was reaching down to him, a manhole of light with her outstretched fingers calling for his. He screamed his determination as the claws found his wound and tore at it, his hand just mere…

He breathed heavily and troubled for a second more before Ral's eye opened. He was groggy and horizontal on bedding, a heavy blanket across him. He shifted and gave a moan of discomfort. He could tell he was shirtless and more tightly bandaged than he previously was.

He blinked to try and clear his vision. He chuckled quietly. "God… Thank you for the break… next time, just send me an invitation."

There was a start when someone heard him.

Whelp, there it goes, he thought.