Empire Island: A Narrative Fiction

The air was full of dust and it made my throat irritated. Amanda pointed up frantically with fear in her eyes. I looked up to see a huge cloud of black smoke. The streets filled with the sounds of sirens and horrifying screams. We had no idea what was going on but it felt like WW3 had begun. Other witnesses told us that a plane flew into one of the towers. I lived about 30 blocks away so my first reaction was to get to safety. We started sprinting down the sidewalk. We heard the engine of another plane because this

Imagine the horror and sheer panic flashing through the minds of those unfortunate enough to be near the detonation site of a nuclear weapon. Those lucky enough to survive will be forced to face the devastating aftermath of a nuclear weapon, where all that is left of their former lives is ash and ruin. The short story, “Grace Period” by Will Baker tells a story about a man being utterly confused as he is unable to distinguish that a nuclear explosion has just occurred nearby. With the information from the article “Nuclear Weapon Effects” the man’s experiences in “Grace Period” begin to make sense and match the description of what transpires during a nuclear explosion. After reading both sources, it is clear that what he is experiencing is

Even after days, months, and years our six survivors struggle to get back to the life they once had before the terrible disaster. Through all the forty years after the explosion, they had to deal and cope with the terrible flashbacks of the bloodied bodies and corpses. They will had to deal with the empty space that was left in their hearts made by deaths and of many close family members; and although many family members didn't die immediately, many died in the months and years following. Also, the bombs did not spare much or any money, shelter, and provisions; meaning our survivors had to endure poverty and homelessness. The novel comes to a

People naturally like to generalise over a large group, it puts less stress on our brain. One such generalisation is the generations that people talk about, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millenials, and Gen Z. In “Move Over, Millennials, Here Comes Generation Z” Alex Williams discusses a possible outcome of what Gen Z is to be as compared to the Millennials.

“Bombs Bursting in Air” begins with the narrator talking about her son’s game and her daughter acting silly while singing the national anthem. More specifically, the line “Bombs bursting in air.” The author gives the word “bombs” a whole new definition in this essay. Rather than meaning an explosive weapon often used in war, Johnson refers to the difficult obstacles people face everyday. The more one risks a person takes results in more of life’s destructible bombs. These obstacles explode unexpectedly, and that is exactly what happened to Shannon. Shannon is five years old and is the author’s daughter’s best friend. Doctors found a brain tumor when she went to get an x-ray for a sledding accident. After

April 19, 1995, 9:02 a.m: a bomb was set off beneath the Alfred P. Murrah Building. The bomb damaged the structural support beams and the Northern support columns. Half of the building collapsed. 168 people died (Cook 5). Eric McKisick, a district manager, recalls the incident, ¨I made an assumption that, hey, everybody is out, everybody is good, and I left at that point. It wasn't ´till much later that I saw the devastation and understood they didn't respond because they couldn't.” Not only were there a large number of casualties, 300 people were also injured, some of whom were physically impaired for the rest of their life. A child who was in the building at the time of the explosion states, “I have no recollection of that day, but I’m reminded everyday about it because of my breathing problems (Brandes, Heide, Schapiro).”

“This is it”, Will said softly as the he is in tower was collapsing. The jet fuel in an inferno about 20 feet away, scorching the concrete. There are dismembered limbs, scorched around him. He remembers the moments before the plane hit the 1st tower. He was terrified when he saw the plane collide. There were objects and debris flying everywhere. The people around him were terrified, wondering if the people in the other tower were alright. The tower was shook from the impact. He knew that he had to run, or else he would die. He sprinted as fast as he could to the stairs, when he was younger he had a similar experience, the Oklahoma City bombing.

The thing that I miss most about summer is King's island. I had a pass so I could go when I wanted to and it was always a fun time. It is a good time to hang out with friends and go on rides. My favorite ride there is the beast because it isn’t too bumpy and it has a ton of sharp turns and caves. It also is slightly scary with all of the fake warning signs. The food at Kings Island is also decent so I wouldn’t have to go get lunch. If I get tired of the rides then I can go on the water rides and the wave pool. The water rides don’t usually have the longest of lines if you get there early but if not then they are worth it. My favorite overall is the Tropical Plunge. This ride has the drop shoot, You stand in a vertical tube and you wait for the countdown and the floor drops underneath your feet. You then shoot down the tube and you make it to the end. All of these factors make Kings Island a very fun place, and the thing that I miss the most from summer.

These examples show both the author’s and the protagonist’s challenge to the order of things and the complete belief the character has. The best example of this is on line eight when the king says that he ‘shall not give you the boat’ the man replies ‘with calm assurance’ ‘you will’.

April 19, 1995 at 8:59 a.m. I sit in traffic after dropping my son Aiden off in daycare at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. This is the only daycare I can find open on a Saturday. A beep and a honk as I try to keep calm. 9:02 a.m. a rumble in the distance as I pause, yet pay no attention to it. 9:27 a.m. as I’m listening to the radio station KKNG - 93.3. “The Alfred P. Murrah Federal building was bombed at exactly 9:02 a.m. today, the death count is unknown now.”, the radio station announces. My mind went into a sudden blur, I screeched out in agony. Suddenly I bust a U-turn in the middle of the road. Horns honking and angry faces while drivers flick me off. I swerve and I bump as I drive recklessly toward the building.

The resulting explosion and impact result in all souls on board departing this mortal plane to meet their respective makers and the judgments they have earned. Meanwhile, our almost forgotten and mostly overlooked sole survivor is informed of his unit’s misfortune and their ultimate demise. Over the next days and weeks our protagonist begins displaying the signs and symptoms of what experts like to call “Survivor Syndrome”. He becomes wracked with guilt that he did not perish with his brothers in arms. Unable to rid himself of his personal demons he may attempt to join them in Valhalla the only way his feeble, angst ridden mind can conjure up. As his trembling hands arrange for his otherworldly reunion, his mind focuses on what could have been had he only double checked the backup battery in his alarm clock. According to chaos theory a change as trivial as one extra person on an airplane could change the entire course of events leading up to this macabre finale. Perhaps by being on time and being on that plane his additional body weight and that of his bags could have been sufficient to alter the physics of that fateful landing just enough that passengers instead merely experience a near miss with that American supplied relic of the Russian-Afghan war. Even if that CIA trained insurgents missile had not missed and his aim remained true in spite of the powerful influence of chaos, perhaps that same soldier could have at least died

“I’m Randy Kim, I was a police officer before everything went to shit. Most of these guys are prior law enforcement. Look we’re only trying to protect our own.”

It was a normal, September morning for Roz and her daughter, Amanda. She dropped her off at her school and rode the subway to get to her job at the first World Trade Center building. After a few minutes of entering the building, arriving at the 88th floor, and engaging in light small talk with a coworker, an explosion occurred that shook the whole building. Dazed and confused, Roz and her coworkers stood in confusion wondering what happened. It wasn’t until they saw one of their team members badly burned from head to toe that they realized that what had happened. Frantically, they ran towards a stairwell and descended down 80+ flights of stairs to the safety of the firefighter and police filled lobby. At a point of desperation and exhaustion, Roz was lucky to find a ride to her daughter’s school where family members were already there waiting to hear a call of good news (A Survivor’s Story). Stories like these are a dime a dozen, although many were not as lucky as Roz. The attack on September 11th, 2001 forever changed the lives of many and the consequences had a radical effect on all aspects of life including politics, health, and discrimination acts.

Technology is not all to blame for the stereotypes about Generation Z. Despite the negative comments about Generation Z being lazy and unaware, they are not at all. In fact, because most of them are technologically inclined and virtually updated, they are not apathetic, they’re just being teenagers who were raised in a different environment. This is why there is such a thing as generations in this world. If there weren’t any changes in the world, we wouldn’t even be able to tell if a new generation has come. Every generation has its benefits for a better and more advanced living.

In any generation, from the Greatest Generation to Generation Alpha, you have your outdoorsy people, your video gamers, your pushovers, your leaders, your cooks and the people who can’t even make microwave popcorn. While certain things are supposed to affect a generation’s behavior, some will affect certain people and other’s won’t. Just like we all have a different code of DNA, different fingerprints or hairs on our heads, our personalities also differ. Maybe some people from Generation Z will fall apart without their devices, but others could care less about modern technology. One cannot address a generation and using the traits given to the age group, decide their capability in different scenarios. One thing that can be done, is understanding that everyone was made to have different skills for the exact purpose of being the yin to someone’s yang. To fill the empty spaces others cannot. Whether any group of people is thought of as deadbeats or not, humans were made to succeed. I choose to believe that we are all capable of surviving with a group of other people and Generation Z is included in that.