Dark clouds hung over the sky. It was as dark as it is when there is a total eclipse of the sun, you know? But I would rather say it was much darker. Everyone looked like they got soot all over them by coming down the chimney, with their hair standing on end. There seemed to be only two colors in this world, charcoal gray and bloody red.
Soon, black rain started to pelt down. There were boys and girls of junior high age with burn injuries all over. Their faces were swollen like balloons and burnt skin was peeling in large flakes and dangling down. The boys had some hair left on the part of their heads which was covered with their caps. The lower part of their heads was all burned. Their hair and even their ear lobes were melted.
"Excuse me," someone addressed me. "I'm wet and cold. Can you spare me something to wear?" Only from the voice I could tell it was a girl.