The heat of the day was suffocating. Not even the ceiling fan could assuage the humid torpor that settled like an oppressive blanket around one's head. Aided in no small measure by the sunlight glint off the high-rise windows, strategically focused on his downtown pod like lasers. A brilliant piece of engineering, Lars thought with a sardonic snort. Maybe it was time to move. Just sell the place, and buy a cabin in the woods.
This was the third blackout in as many weeks, so Nelly, the AI building manager, had proceed with the installation of backup solar generators. She warned the residents to keep only the basics running.
“Nelly, what’s the temperature outside?”
“It’s thirty-three degrees.”
"Thirty-three!" he said with a chuckle.
"That's correct."
"What are the odds?"
"I don't understand. Can you clarify?"
"Nevermind."
How could an AI understand the pleasure humans get when numbers align mathematically or create a pattern? Today was the third day of the third month of the year three thousand and thirty-three.
A quick thought flashed through his mind.
“Show me the time,” he said to Nelly.
A holographic clock appeared hovering above the coffee table.
3:33 PM
“No way! Show me the seconds.”
3:33:33
He sat up and stared at the clock like he had just seen a ghost. What were the chances of that?
33 degrees Celsius at 3:33:33 PM on 3/3/3033!
He noticed that the clock had remained still.
“Nelly, what’s wrong with the clock? Why isn't it changing?”
She didn't answer.
“Nelly activate.”
In the kitchen, the refrigerator rumbled then fell silent.
The back up generator, he thought. Go figure.
He opened all the windows then stepped out onto the balcony.
The sky! He could see the actual blue sky! All the holographic billboards were gone, and not a single craft dotted the skyline.
As he gazed down the avenue below, he could see the crowds gathering on the street.
“Now what? Another protest?”
A flash! Followed by a distant rumbling.
Shouts and screams rose from the streets.
He looked north beyond the high-rises and saw the dark shadows gathering above the North Shore mountains.
“What in the world?”
They looked like fast-moving grey clouds, alive, flowing like some malevolent force with motive, darkening the sky with lead.
“Oh sh-!” he said running back into his pod.
Just my luck! The end of the world has arrived and my ass is woefully unprepared. What do I need? A bag! Yes! A bag!
He ran to his bedroom and began to pull out all the junk he had stashed under his bed. Finally, he found a large black bag, covered in dust, that he had purchased long ago and then forgotten all about it. It was practically brand new. Large enough to fill it with... with what?
Another flash! Then the sonorous rumbling, shaking the windows in the wake of its sonic boom.
Okay okay! What do I need? Come on, think! Concentrate! My wallet! My keys! My phones! The charger. Yes, don’t forget the charger.
He ran to his study and knocked over a pile of drafting tools on his desk. At last, he found the items he was looking for.
The computer! Yes, where is it? And the camera.
He search under a pile of ancient books to no avail. It was an utter disorganized mess.
More explosions shook the building and rattled the windows.
He ran back out to the living room.
“Food!” he said twirling in place, trying to orient himself. “In the kitchen!”
He heard screaming and shouting out on the hallway.
The foundations shook as explosions rocked the city.
Shelter, water, fire, medicine, tools, cooking, toilet paper...
"Toilet paper," he whispered as if suddenly realizing the enormity of the situation.
It all came back to him. All those videos, books, articles on prepping. They had laid it out very carefully. You ain’t gonna have time to even put on some pants when the shit hits the fan! one of them had quipped. It's just grab and go!
“Ain’t that truth,” he murmured.
It was too late to prepare for the apocalypse. He realized that now. He had left it ‘till tomorrow, and tomorrow had finally come to greet him.
The windows rattled and shattered into pieces.
He ran to his bedroom and opened the drawer on the night table.
A NeoWinchester 24 pulse automatic weapon rested on a stack of cards.
“Oh well," he murmured, as he grabbed the gleaming gun.
“I always wanted to be a marauder anyway.”
Thank you for reading my entry to the InkWell’s challenge, using the prompt: Tomorrow
I concentrated the story arc within the confines of a "pod" at a crucial moment in the character's life. I first imagined that he would be out there in the city fighting aliens or zombie hordes but then reigned it in to a more suitable and manageable setting.
In addition to the prompt, I was further inspired by the fact that today is 2/22/22, and this bit of odd news showed up on my feed.
What are the chances? This got my imagination running wild about conspiracies, messages from the Sirius star system, and the world of tomorrow.
It was also inspired by a recent discussion I had about prepping with @carolkean, in which I bemoaned my lack of preparation for major catastrophic events.
Lastly, Tomorrow Never Knows is one of the Beatle’s greatest songs, and perhaps one of the most important pieces of prepping advice ever given to humanity.
Images by @litguru
Everything about your story screams "AWESOME"!
How did you do it? I have alot to learn. The vivid pictures you lighted in my head, wow. Unfortunately I have sweared off sci-fi but I love how constructive your story is. Gosh! I actually laughed!!
Thank you @deraaa! This was a lot of fun to write. I usually brainstorm the story but this one I wrote in a single sitting. Too bad you're sweared off sci-fi. It can be an imaginative journey.
That story you do in a single sitting.... I can totally relate. It's always a heavenly experience.
Yeah too bad. But it's all good
Fabulous. Nice fast paced narration, I was right in the middle of the action. While I was still reading, I had the thought that he probably runs around a bit too long and therefore the building would collapse along with him (I tried to guess the end:) When he takes the gun, the thought flashed that he could kill himself with it, only to find that he quickly has a change of heart and henceforth intends to get rid of any restraint (the shots outside indicate this). Finally no more consideration, rob what there is to rob and if necessary, use the gun. From messy pod dweller to marauders. It can go that fast, HaHa!
I've been to a few crazy meetings in the last two years where emergency backpacks and survival tools are the name of the game. Some people gathered around the presentation shuddering. I preferred to go out in the backyard and crack open a cold beer.
Further down I read that you wrote the story in one go. Those are the best. When it flows and you don't know yet, where it will lead you. I share your enthusiasm about it!
Hey @erh.germany! I'm happy I got your adrenaline running ;)
It always feels that way to me when I'm unprepared. I've had the fire alarm in my building go off in the middle of the night and getting ready to go outside is a slow moving nightmare.
Hah! Well put. We usually tell the story of the hero fighting against the marauders, but we rarely tell it it from the marauder's point of view. There is a reason why someone would choose robbery in a dire situation. In the protagonist's case, he seems to be very disorganized. Maybe the moral of the story is not prepare for tomorrow, but clean up your room. :)
I've never been to one of those, but I've learned quite a bit over the years because of hiking and camping. You gotta be prepared when you're in the wilderness.
Thank you for visiting!
😁
Great writing, as always.
Heh. Toilet paper is the answer to all our problems. :)
Thank you @agmoore!
I don't know how you managed to make this so delightful, @litguru. You have some great lines in this story.
Like this one:
This is funny because his reaction is about the same as one would have if they are late for an important meeting. It made me laugh.
That's exactly how it would go down to. We'd all be saying "Dang it, I really really should have put that go bag together! Thanks for sharing your work in The Ink Well!
I think that there are moments when things just go sideways, and we get caught flat footed. What gets me is that many humorous things also happen in the mad rush to gain control of the situation. Later when things settled down, we can laugh about it all.
Thank you for reading @jayna!
Yes, so true, @litguru. Except when it's the end of the world and there is no later. In that case, it's best to laugh while you can. :-)
Very true!
Glad i wasn't the only one who laughed at that.
Sometimes sardonic humor really tickles my funny bone!
An auspicious date, time and temperature send the world off its rocker. Haha 😂 (observation is everything)
What do you do? Collect and run...good choice! 🤗💕❤️
Just don’t forget the bullets? 😉
Your furious dash zings with urgency and confusion. Well told❤️💕🤗
Maybe it caused a rip in the fabric of spacetime. :)
Maybe the thing to do is to pour yourself a glass of wine and sit outside to watch it all unfold. 🍷
I have the wine already in my glass, sitting here watching the bats wheel outside my window, but a spectacular rip sounds awesome to watch. Really great writing, as usual 😊❤️🤔❤️❤️😊
Heh! This reminds me, I didn't take social media into account! If the world was about to end, surely we would take pictures and post on the Hive3000 Blockchain. It would go something like this:
"So, the apocalypse just happened and look how awesome those clouds look! I love the way the nanoparticles settle on my garden. So, glad I can enjoy it with this new brew I got before it all went to hell! Cheers, Hive peepz! 🍺"
Well, we all can’t be Eisenstein, you know😯
😄
@silentbot star 3
Thank you!
Upvoted on behalf of the VCP (With appreciation to khoola for the Banner)
I could honestly picture the craziness of running around unsure of what to grab...better to be prepared !LOLZ ...the toilet paper tickled me 😂
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We do become a bit irrational in the face of mayhem. Our local grocers created giants walls of toilet paper at the beginning of this current mess. People were panic buying, so the store had to reassure us that there was plenty of TP to go around.
Yes... TP became a hard to come by necessity that's for sure haha I don't think I'll ever forget the sight of all those empty shelves 😂
😆
What does one do to prepare for the end of the world? You infuse this story with some great humor, @litguru, making it much less dark than it could otherwise have been. Great personal prompt — today's 2-22-22.
Thank you for reading and commenting on the work of your fellow writers in The Ink Well!
That's a great question. Particularly, when the threat is overwhelming physically and mentally. We have your usual suspects: earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, etc. But what if the threat comes from beyond our familiar world? Then Houston, we have a problem. How would you even begin to prepare for that? Whatever the answer, it's best not to leave it 'till tomorrow because you never know.
As I read your text I thought about how we follow very obvious patterns such as time, day, temperature...I thought about all the messages that came in today with that repetition of the number two. It is so funny to me that we are amazed at what we have created with our own hands.
I imagine you writing non-stop, completely inspired. You came up with a great text, @litguru! I love ironic texts! What a delight to see your character filling a garbage bag!
I'll look up the lyrics to the song by the beloved Beatles. My thoughts on what I would do in a supposed end of the world are to stand still, completely focused on seeing what happens.
Thank you @gracielaacevedo
I did write the story in a single seating. I didn't even brainstorm, just wrote to see what the character would do.
This is a great observation. We treat our conception of time as if it we real and not just an artificial invention. We do love our symbols. :)
I'm glad you like the Beatles. They are superb!
This is too funny! Somebody's being superstitious :)
What a great apocalyptic story filled with rather impressive humour my friend. I got a good laugh from this one.
Toilet paper? What the😂
Lol! So happy you enjoyed it @zeraton. I was laughing as I wrote it. :D
Oh Fuckzactly! That's when you know it's funny!
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Haha! This is true and a great observation. You need friends and family in difficult situations. 😃
Thank you @ubani1