Wasteland

The following story has been cooking in my head for a bit, so now I'm showing it to whoever finds time to read my blog. I must say that I got the idea off of my brother's blog, Dos Fugues (I think), so he gets some credit.

Katherine Taylor was walking home from band practice one day when she heard the bomb warning go off. She knew where all the bomb shelters were, since this was the year 2082 and people had to know these kinds of things. Even if she had been new to the neighborhood, a swarm of people moving in one direction would have been a big tip for her. She followed them and managed to cram herself into a small, dark, smelly hole in the ground.
Some of the people had flashlights, but all Katie had with her was her viola. She clutched it to her chest as she glanced around, hoping to see her parents. This was the closest bomb shelter to her house, but she didn't recognize anyone except for old Mrs. Ponsoby from down the street. Katie began to shiver with fear. Where were her parents?
Someone offered her a small flashlight. Katie gratefully took it and started to scan the faces. Most of the people's eyes were closed, so Katie shone it right onto their faces. Ah, Mr. Darnell and Patrick. Oh, my God! Lily! Lily was her best friend at school. When she turned her head and saw Katie, she ran over to her. They huddled against each other. Suddenly a huge noise rumbled across the town, louder than all the thunder she'd ever heard in her life combined.
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Katie clapped her hands over her ears. The boom died away, but she could still hear the sound of shopping carts, parts of buildings, and tables being blown every which way. The two girls hugged each other and squeezed their eyes tightly shut. After what seemed like hours, but was probably only about ten minutes, no noise came from outside. The people began to talk quietly among themselves.
"Katie," Lily whispered. "I know where your parents are, but I don't know where mine are. They were at The Wagging Tail, the new pet store, and they got into the shelter there. They took Whiskers and Patches with them. I'm glad that I don't own any pets, because I'd be worrying about them so much. My parents weren't at my house, and neither was Sam. I don't know where they are..."
"Your parents will be fine," Katie whispered, but she didn't know if that was true. She knew that many people wouldn't have been able to get into a bomb shelter in time. Maybe the bomb wasn't as big as it sounded, though. It probably was. However hard Katie tried, she couldn't think happy thoughts.
About an hour later, the latch was opened and the trapdoor swung away. Katie stood up, anxious to get outside. But what she saw made her want to crawl back into the bomb shelter.