This story 'How to Prepare for World War 3,' is a crafted work of fiction and is not intended as a prediction of future events. It is designed to explore themes of preparedness and resilience in extreme circumstances, not to incite fear or anxiety.
The scenarios depicted are imaginative, based on the current geopolitical climate, and should not be taken as forecasts or suggestions. The intention is to encourage thoughtful consideration of emergency preparedness in a responsible and proactive manner, NOT to alarm or distress readers.
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The Dawn of World War III Victory Belongs to the Prepared Survival in the Fallout of WW3 Radiation Sickness and Survival Emergence from the Shelters How the Prepared Led New Communities The Long Road to Recovery Lessons Learned from World War 3 Epilogue: Preparing for World WarTable of Contents
The Dawn of World War III
What was once deemed inevitable during the Cold War, implausible after the fall of the Iron Curtain, has now become a reality in the 21st Century. Even as Russia warned the world that the West’s intervention in the Russia-Ukraine war was pushing the world to the brink, there were those who ignored the warning signs.
The invasion of Ukraine escalated tensions and conflicts around the globe, and when Ukrainian troops reached the outskirts of Kursk, Russia, Vladimir Putin decided he had nothing to lose. His legacy was tied to the war effort, and if his legacy would burn, so would the world.
Sensing a strategic moment given the division in the United States over the 2024 election results, the first missiles were launched at the United Kingdom and France. Launched from submarines, the population centers of Europe had less than 10 minutes warning. Within hours, the sky over London was a deep, unnatural orange, as if the sun had set in every direction at once. The once-bustling city was now a wasteland of twisted metal, shattered glass, and crumbling buildings, standing like skeletal remains of a civilization that once thrived.
Many chose to seek shelter in underground stations, but nobody realized just how quickly the war would spread. The River Thames, once a symbol of the city's life, had turned into a silent, toxic flow, its waters carrying the ashes of what had been.
The scene was repeated in Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Warsaw, Rome, and Kiev. Putin’s strategic bet was that by not immediately launching at the United States, the nation would be tempted to sit this one out. However, both the United Kingdom and France responded with their own nuclear bombs, and as such, the United States joined the fray.
ICBMs launched from Montana in what the United States hoped Russia would see as a limited response. With Putin securely tucked away in a bunker, Russia sent their full response. The United States returned in kind, and the only saving grace for the United States was that a good number of Russia’s missiles failed to launch. Years of graft and corruption failed Russia’s nuclear capabilities when it needed them most.
There were pockets of survival in the United States of America for those outside the immediate blast zones. For all practical purposes, World War 3 was now over for them and they could hope for the best.
However, surviving World War 3 was just the beginning. From famines to the rise of nuclear weapons, the world was hurled back into the olden ages, with radio becoming an increasingly popular form of communication.
There is little story to tell about the international political world order that would follow. The story of World War 3 now became the story of the average family’s survival and, with it, perhaps the survival of the human race. From the disruptive efforts of Iran in the Middle East to Russia's attacks in Europe to disrupt medical supplies and first aid, it spread like fire ignited by lighter fluid.
Victory Belongs to the Prepared
Those deemed “crazy” fared the best in the aftermath. Families who had the foresight to build, hoard supplies, or access underground bunkers became the fortunate ones. These shelters, once dismissed as relics of paranoia, proved invaluable as few could envisage the damage the war could have caused.
Equipped with air filtration systems, radiation detectors, and months of supplies, these underground refuges were the safest places to be during the immediate aftermath of the attack, helping them withstand tough situations.
There were those who prepared a little and were equipped with gas masks, potassium iodide tablets, and other emergency survival kit items like flashlights, hygiene items, and small denominations of cash in case of a necessity, which proved to be an effective emergency plan in the long run.
However, most Americans prepared for nothing and assumed the government would be there to rescue them. The only problem was that any semblance of government was a heap of radioactive material on U.S. soil in D.C. Citizens, for all practical purposes, were on their own.
The simultaneous cyberattacks and EMP attacks meant that survivors couldn't rely on digital communication or automated systems. Instead, they had to revert to more rudimentary methods such as radio transmissions, manual record-keeping, and face-to-face coordination.
However, even the most prepared survivors faced the harsh reality: the world they knew was gone, and the struggle for survival had only just begun.
Survival in the Fallout of WW3
In the days following the attacks, the world plunged into a darkness that went beyond the loss of electricity and communication. The sun was hidden behind thick clouds of radioactive dust, casting the earth in a perpetual twilight. Temperatures dropped, and the light that did penetrate was sickly and unnatural.
Going outside in such a hellscape would seem unthinkable, but those who failed to prepare were already outside on the hunt for food and water. Those who were able to prep for nuclear war were much better prepared to survive a nuclear blast. As a result, they were able to hunker down in the event of a nuclear attack which triggered a global war.
Many had to make do with improvised solutions—scarves soaked in water served as masks, and raincoats and plastic bags became makeshift protective clothing. These were far from perfect, but in desperate times, any protection was better than none.
The makeshift masks would not stop the radiation, nor would they stop the feeling of regret for failing to prepare for the day most people dread.
Those who had access to protective gear were at an advantage. Gas masks with proper filters kept out radioactive particles, and protective suits prevented contamination of the skin in the case of a nuclear fallout.
They may not have had bunkers, but they had what they needed to maneuver in such an environment and lead their families to the safest possible locations.
The blasts and fallout contaminated most water sources, and any food available that was exposed to the open air was likely irradiated. Survivors turned to their stockpiles of canned goods, freeze-dried meals, and other non-perishable items. Those who had prepared with water purification tablets and portable filters could at least secure a safe water supply.
Radiation Sickness and Survival
Despite all precautions, radiation sickness became an inevitable reality for many. The symptoms were unmistakable: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and extreme fatigue. Those exposed to high radiation levels during the initial blasts, or those who consumed contaminated food and water, were the first to fall ill. Fathers watched helpless as their children were the first to pass and the first to pay the price for their lack of preparedness.
Radiation sickness was a slow, agonizing way to die. In its early stages, it could be mistaken for other illnesses, but as the days wore on, the true extent of the damage became clear. Hair loss, bleeding gums, and open sores became common as the body’s cells broke down under the onslaught of radiation.
The psychological toll of surviving in this new world was immense. Survivors were haunted by the knowledge that they were living on borrowed time, that every breath of air, every bite of food could bring them closer to death. The constant fear, isolation, and grief took their toll. The radiation killed millions. Suicide in the aftermath perhaps killed as many.
Emergence from the Shelters
Weeks passed, and as the fallout began to dissipate, survivors cautiously emerged from their shelters. The world they stepped into was unrecognizable. Cities were now ruins, and the countryside was a barren wasteland. Trees and vegetation withered and died, their leaves blackened by radiation. Animals suffered too—those that hadn’t been killed outright were often sick, their fur falling out in patches, their bodies covered in sores.
The first priority was to find uncontaminated food and water. Scavenging parties were organized, with survivors venturing out in small groups to search for anything that could sustain them. Such scavenging parties would often encounter scavenging parties from other groups of survivors.
It is said that the group who drew weapons and fired first were the only ones to survive. Meanwhile, their families and the rest of the survivors who were not as survival-minded never heard from their loved ones again.
Those who dominated the landscape were easily identified by their gas masks and hazmat suits. Some would just refer to them as the “Hazmats,” and few could challenge them when they wanted something. They were the true survivors, as they were prepared.
How the Prepared Led New Communities
As the weeks turned into months, survivors began to rebuild, forming small communities isolated by vast stretches of contaminated land. These communities often centered around whatever resources were available—a clean water source, a cache of unspoiled food, or a location that offered natural protection from the elements and radiation.
The leaders of these new communities were the Hazmats and the prepared, as they were the ones with resources in excess. It was a remarkable turnaround of power as the prepared were often ridiculed prior to World War 3 as conspiracy theorists and crazies. Now, they were the ones with the finger on the pulse of power as the unprepared turned to them for survival.
Trade between communities became essential. Barter replaced money, and skills became more valuable than gold. Those with medical knowledge or the ability to repair and maintain essential equipment were highly sought after.
A new social order emerged, one based not on wealth or power, but on the ability to contribute to the group’s survival. In fact, the rich, wealthy, and pampered of the world prior were now considered a liability, shunned for how they leached off the rest of society.
The Long Road to Recovery
Years passed, and the world slowly began to heal. Radiation levels gradually decreased, though many areas remained uninhabitable for decades or even centuries. Slowly but surely, technology began to make a comeback. This was not a forgone conclusion, as the stone age seemed as likely as a return to a technological society.
Guided by the preppers' insight, this time would be different. As the new leaders, they sought to ensure that no new technology would completely erase man’s ability to live as they would in the 18th century. Farming skills were required in schools. Marksmanship and hunting became the norm in the new American family.
In addition, as hostile foreign nations still existed, each American family would be prepared for a new catastrophe. Gas masks, hazmat suits, and firearms were standard issue. It wouldn’t have to be a nuclear war to set the world on edge, as an asteroid impact or eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano would be enough to put the world on the brink. This time, though, the American family would be prepared.
Lessons Learned from World War 3
World War 3 was a cataclysmic event that reshaped the planet in unimaginable ways. It was a stark reminder of humanity’s destructive power and the fragility of civilization. But it also demonstrated the resilience of the human spirit. Those who were prepared could survive the worst the universe could throw at them. Most importantly, those who were not prepared would depend on those who were.
Citizens who thought their neighbors would never turn on them realized the true depravity of humanity in a survival scenario. Citizens who thought they could never kill or take a human life found themselves murdering one another over a bottle of water. The world would never be the same, as mankind would never be the same after they learned about the inner beast within us all.
Epilogue: Preparing for World War
Names like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are not taught with the same grandeur as before the war. Rather, the heroes of the new society were those who led humanity back from the brink. The prepared were celebrated because it was they who showed up when mankind needed them most.
There is a mistaken notion that "preppers" are only in it for themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. They just see what others cannot see and they prepare for others' sake as much as their own.
They prepare so that they are not the burden on society when the social fabric is about to break. They prepare for the sake of all. It was thought that World War 3 would have no victors, and yet, the prepared emerged victorious.
There are few still alive that now remember the times before the war. However, those who do recall just how normal life seemed to be the day the world all went to hell. Millions of people commuting to work, picking up their kids from soccer, and mowing their finely curated yards.
It all happened in the blink of an eye, the most common phrase one would hear. Life seemed so normal. Never again would they allow themselves or those they love to face such a scenario again. This new society would prepare for the day they never knew they needed to dread.