The new rocket plane proved to be a glaring success.
Glaring- as in highly combustible.
Something went wonderfully wrong, when I crossed the usually shaky barrier of sound. The radar went into a psychotic episode and all electronic equipment decided to join it in a jolly Christmas dance, as the plane crossed the boundaries of what seemed like at least four mountain ranges.
I’ve managed to hit eject just in time to see a spectacular explosion that had first completely blinded me and then vaporized my spine.
I woke up on the ground, apparently alive and breathing.
My spine was also… apparently still there.
The blackest of smog floated around me. Was it night or day?
I really couldn’t tell.
Having no clue of where I’ve ended up as well, I’ve kicked off the parachute and dislodged the backpack out of the burning seat along with a spare machinegun, which could always come in use, if I ended up in enemy territory.
Looking up I saw absolutely nothing, only gloomy dust floated all around.
I could see no farther then my hands could reach.
Screeching noises and… thunder?.. were seeping through my helmet.
I wanted to find out what they really were, but couldn’t see anything, and kept tripping over bushes and roots.
The black clouds kept on rolling over the earth, as the silver sparkle of a nearby… water?… reflected their escape.
To pass the time, I lit a small fire out of a few dead branches I’ve managed to gather on the shore.
The earth was littered with dead metal and roots.
I’ve managed to trample a few mysterious, white flowers. They might have been less mysterious if I actually paid attention in biology studies.
The situation was getting more hilarious by the second.
As the black clouds around me melted away, I could see more and more of my surroundings. First the silver, glaring river and then… the city.
This was not the warm welcoming I had expected.
I was definitely not in merry, old Kansas anymore.
In a few seconds, I certainly regretted lighting that fire
….as the welcoming committee had arrived faster then I could reach for the safety lock on my machinegun.

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Painter 9 and Photoshop CS
Wacom Intuos 6x8 tablet, Canon 300D
Real size:
6000x2700 pixels
Now it's a cover for the "Under Siege" CD of ACHAIA music band:
[link]