Ashes

7,500-word short story.

In a desolate future, rebel insurgents attack Serena's hometown, thereby forcing all citizens to evacuate into an underground bunker. But when her boyfriend, one of the city's protectors, learns that the other protectors plan to bomb the last remaining library--the place where Serena interned last summer--rather than let the rebels gain access, he enlists her help in a race to save the library's data before the city blows it to ashes.

This is the prequel to "Socks" from Stephanie Flint's (formerly Stephanie Bibb) "1000 Words" project.