The Ghost Tenders of Chornobyl
ShortStory 3,904 words Recommended by 3 award/anthology sources
"Not all the ghosts of Chornobyl died in 1986. Some died years—decades—later, bodies ravaged by mutated cells. They were a hundred kilometers away, not realizing their favorite mug was doused with irradiated atoms from the destroyed reactor. I died in anger, during the invasion, volunteering to drive a truckload of baby formula..."
Content warnings 3
deathdeath-of-a-loved-onewar
Quasar links out; the story lives on Apex, where the author gets the click.