A story from A to Z or something like that.

 This week, our assignment was to write a story from A to Z in alphabetical order. The story had to contain one sentence fragment, one sentence that was exactly 100 words long, and a plot. Mine may not have the best ending... I ran out of alphabet, but it was fun!

An apocalyptic night, she thought, shuddering. Because massive wildfires ravaged the mountains above her home, ripping through land at a rate of 20,000 acres a day and destroying everything in its path, including homes, trees, wildlife, and livestock, Xena began to prepare, gathering berries, nuts, and fruits from her garden as well as spices, pots and pans, her favorite plant and her survival guidebook and pulling every last bit of jerky from her underground stash, tossing it in her satchel along with a bowie knife, her favorite hatchet, several rounds of ammunition, a compass, her favorite water bottle, some Diet Coke for energy, and a few momentos. Clearly, she couldn’t take it all, she thought as she rushed to the animals.

Dust and ashes combined in the air. Elephant-sized embers glowed near the side of the road, and Xena loaded all the animals and their crates in her trailer. Friends and neighbors had evacuated yesterday, and she’d made sure they had everything they needed before they took off. Ghastly remnants of their lives laid scattered about as Xena drove through what used to be her neighborhood. How tragic, she thought, mourning the imminent loss of her home, her garden, her shelter, and her friends.

Igniting in an instant, the shrubs lining her drive erupted as if someone struck a match and threw it into a puddle of kerosene. Jumping into her truck, Xena turned the key and slammed her foot on the gas, hard. Kitty the dog flew against the seat, hunkering down on the floor terrified by the torque that throttled her into the cushion.

Leaving trails of gravel in her wake, Xena barreled down the hill. Maybe she was going too fast, she thought. “No. Only the fastest and fittest survive anyway”, she muttered to herself. “Pushing the truck hard now ensures it won’t be burned out metal on the side of the hill later.”

Quickly continuing towards the Red Cross evacuation check-in, it donned on her. “Raggedy Ann – I left her on my bed!” she moaned. She couldn’t turn back now, though. Trees crashed behind her, slamming onto the road and igniting everything in their path.

Unbeknownst to her, Xena had rescued something far more important. Veronica, the immortal witch, lay underneath the canvas tent in the trailer. Xena would soon discover that this teeny woman held the keys to the forest’s rebirth. Yes, this small immortal being held in her hand the very item that regenerated all living things. Zocorro’s elixir – the sour syrup that would make all new – lay nestled in Veronica’s arms, and after one year she sprinkled it at the base of the forest road and made all things new.