Chapter 3

The war and its aftermath

Once before, the political superpowers Russia and America did not see eye to eye in the past. Those familiar with history know that this period is also called the Cold War. In 1989, this era was declared over, but the Russians still could not and would not trust the Americans. Since then, the world has experienced some more terrible things. The worst was to take place on November 30, 2030.

General Stanislav had been charged with a critical mission by the Russian President. He trembled as he carried the envelope through the dark corridors of the former GO-42 military facility. It was located beneath the Moscow subway, Taganskaya station. Since the Cold War, this had deteriorated into a museum. What no one knew, part of it was still active, and that is where the General would deliver the President's order. General Stanislav, dressed in a khaki green uniform with all his military insignia hanging on it, nervously stroked the brim of his cap again and again and followed the two soldiers who went ahead and opened the door to the underground bunker for him. Inside, he heard the typical sound of the many monitors as they clacked, beeped, and made those sounds typical of machines. The many buttons glowed blue, red, green, and white. Their interplay of light settled on the General's face as he approached the bunker's senior commander, who sat in front of the largest monitor. "У меня срочное сообщение от президента- I have an urgent message from the president," Stanislav said coolly, almost too distracted for the actual anxiety he felt. He handed the envelope to the supreme head of the military base. Inside was the order for the downfall of the world. General Stanislav thought of his family, his wife, and his daughter. He saw their lovely faces in front of him, his daughter playing the piano, his wife standing in the kitchen with her blue and white apron, cooking pelmeni (she got the recipe from her grandmother, a beastly older woman whom Stanislav had never liked). Imagine what they would say if they could see him now. It didn't matter anymore, nor did it matter that he would never again be able to eat his wife's delicious dishes. Stanislav had sworn allegiance to his President, even if it meant that he had just made a fatal mistake. The envelope was opened, the message heard. Next to the button with the many dials was a small box, the lid of which could only be unlocked with a key. Underneath was a large red button. The top leader pulled a bunch of keys from his pants, opened the lid of the box, typed in the destination on the computer button, and then pressed the red button.

The first bomb had hit Washington. In turn, other explosive missiles had been launched from both sides and had largely destroyed significant cities such as New York, Kiev, Los Angeles, Moscow, Seattle, and Berlin. The use of chemical weapons had made much of the Earth uninhabitable. At times, six atomic bombs had been detonated, and their radiation had settled on the globe like an invisible veil. To retaliate against Russia for starting a war, the Americans pursued General Stanislav and killed him, his wife and daughter. The former Cold War had turned into a super war that wiped out more than half of the Earth's population. The survivors were henceforth the inhabitants of a world in ruins. A final alliance of England, Germany, and France finally ended the war after two years and called for a truce before the Earth would have been completely destroyed. A peace treaty was drawn up, and it was agreed never again to detonate an atomic weapon or anything like it. But how was life to go on now that atomic radiation had taken over on the surface of the earth? Underground bunkers had been the answer. For a very long time, humanity had been forced to dwell in underground settlements to escape their invisible foe, radiation. For a whole five decades, they had been hiding in their underground shelters. Only when the radiation levels had dropped did people come back above ground and began to rebuild their broken cities, costing another fifty years. The rubble people, as they called themselves, worked hand in hand, forgetting the horrors of the past and trying to breathe new life into their destroyed past, if that was possible. Much could no longer be repaired, which mainly affected nature. For the radiation punished the sinners by settling into their atmosphere like a poison, bringing them a rain of ashes. Hardly anyone from the New World could remember the last time it had rained properly. Although the population had recovered, life as before would never be the same. The Mississippi River dried up entirely from the lack of rainfall. The Amazon River decreased by more than half, and animals such as elephants, lions, tigers, and bears were wiped out. The fish population had drastically diminished, whole bee colonies disappeared, whereupon the pollination of the plants failed. he life of mankind was hanging by a thread, yet they had managed to survive. A will that is only present in the strongest. For every problem, there was a solution, except for the ash rain, because it would end only when another curse was broken.