Devastated

Devastated by Brandon Murphy (a Short Story Contest entry)

The boy looked down as he ran, wary of tripping on the uneven ground. Hurried yells echoed off the nearby walls. Various things fell from the sky and landed all around. The cacophony of raised voices were drowned out by a clatter of wreckages. The boy flinched to protect his head. His pace slowed as he gasped for air. He turned and saw a city that he no longer recognized. Pompeii was ash.