As the window exploded into a whirlwind of broken glass, all I could think was, Please, oh please, not today. Just once I wanted a cake and presents. I wanted to have a special day.

I did as I was taught and crawled on my hands and knees away from the wall toward the kitchen. From there I could get to one of the safer apartments located in the building’s center.

Squeeling tires and high-pitched screams ran together until I couldn’t tell one from the other. The room shuddered as something boomed outside. Plaster rained down from the ceiling. Dishes, shoved out of the cupboard, crashed to the floor. I heard a whistling sound and found myself flying through the air. There was a moment of panic before everything vanished into the comfort of a dark void.

I awoke outside. Smoke permeated the air. My back hurt and so did my head. The apartments were mounds of rubble. A cat mewled.

Forcing myself to sit up, I stacked rocks as makeshift candles and counted my friends amongst the dead. “Happy birthday to me.”