Sunday, January 15, 2017

Maggie

Maggie awakens from a nightmare of being pursued in darkness, running in slow motion from fear of the unknown.  It was the flash of light that woke her up.  She is sweating the kind of sweat that smells of stress and anxiety, the smell of decaying youth, hormones, and courage.

She swiftly sits up and rubs her eyes, hoping to rub out the dream.  She notices how hot it is in her room, which is odd considering it's January in the Midwest.  Should be snow on the ground, not a heat wave.  She slowly eases her tired body out of bed and walks to the kitchen, ready to drink a nice big cup of coffee that should be brewed on automatic programming.  It isn't.
The power is out.

"Great.  Insult to injury."

Maggie lives ten miles from town on land her grandfather had purchased after WWII.  Her parents lived there until they died, and now it belongs to Maggie.  She hops into her pickup and heads to  Mac's Diner for coffee and eggs, and to find out if anyone else has lost their power.

As she drives down the main street of downtown and into Mac's parking, she notices that most of the town folk are gathered in and around Mac's diner.  Maggie has a foreboding feeling that the news isn't going to be good.

"Hey everyone, what's going on?"

"Maggie, haven't you heard?  Missiles all over the world hit everywhere.  China, Russia, North Korea, Iran...  They hit us, we hit them, they hit each other, everything is gone.  D.C got hit, the whole city and everyone in and around it are gone. New York, Chicago, the West Coast, gone. Just gone.  We're on our own."

"How do you know all this?"

"Mac has an old CB radio, we've been talking to people South of here.  It's bad.  No government, no power, and little information."

Maggie's mind starts racing, trying to think what needed to be done first.

"Food, water, and shelter.  We have to secure those first.  Then law and order."

A month has gone by since the end of the world.  Most have committed suicide.  The food is running out, water is scarce.  Maggie spends her days lying in bed wondering how it all happened so fast.  She keeps her pistol in hand just in case.  Today is the day, she decides.  Today she ends her life because there is no longer hope.

Maggie puts the gun in her mouth and pulls the trigger.

Maggie wakes from a nightmare.







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