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Not My Problem
The sky was dark and bleak as the sand blew across me, caressing the land as it settled into the cracks of a nearby ruin. Coughing on a lungful of ash, I pulled my scarf tighter against my mouth to block out the elements. Earth was a harsh place to live since the world ended… not nearly suitable for human occupation, but when you’re one of the last of your species, what other choice do you have?
Fifty years ago, humans were at the top of the food chain, fifty years ago we killed ourselves with our hate, and our own advanced technology, but the thing is… we killed everything else too. We killed the planet, and now the minority of us that’re left are either just struggling to get by… or waiting to die…
My destination in sight, I made my way to an abandoned ruin on the far east horizon. The burned remains of a skyscraper laid half buried in the sand life a towering gravestone. Laughing to myself, I pulled aside the ragged curtain a entered the building through a gaping hole that used to be a window on the 27th floor.
“What’re you laughing at?” A voice grumbled from inside the doorway.
I chuckled as Simms spun around from his crumbling desk to glare at me through cracked lenses. “Nice to see you too, Simms. I was just thinking we’re living in the world’s biggest graveyard-”
“Hmph!” Simms puffed swinging back to his desk. “As if you could call this living!”
I chuckled again, and went on my way. Bernie Simms was an aging man in his seventies who was said to have been an accountant before the war. I’m still not sure what an accountant was, but he's always been a surly bastard since the day I met him, and I’ve known the guy 12 years now. They say the apocalypse changed people but somehow I doubt that could be said for Simms.
As I made my way down into the dregs of the skyscraper, I caught sight of the kids from the few refugee families living here, scurrying away at my approach. I expect you’d normally be surprised by this kind of thing, but the fact remains that there was an awful lot of people before the world ended- over 6 billion in fact. That being said, last counted there are about a thousand of us left on the planet. Apparently, Humanity doesn’t die out all that easily…
I had reached my destination on the third floor about an hour later and was surprised to see a familiar face waiting to greet me at the door. “Hey! Arnold! What’s up, ma man?”
We high-fived and he grinned as he looked me over up and down. “ Damn! Boy, you lookin' good! How you been?”
“Still trolling for more refugees.” I answered, glancing behind me. “Though I can see that you’ve added some to our ranks… Where in this goddamned wasteland did you find them?”
Arnold’s grin grew wider as he combed a hand through his hair, a...
Fifty years ago, humans were at the top of the food chain, fifty years ago we killed ourselves with our hate, and our own advanced technology, but the thing is… we killed everything else too. We killed the planet, and now the minority of us that’re left are either just struggling to get by… or waiting to die…
My destination in sight, I made my way to an abandoned ruin on the far east horizon. The burned remains of a skyscraper laid half buried in the sand life a towering gravestone. Laughing to myself, I pulled aside the ragged curtain a entered the building through a gaping hole that used to be a window on the 27th floor.
“What’re you laughing at?” A voice grumbled from inside the doorway.
I chuckled as Simms spun around from his crumbling desk to glare at me through cracked lenses. “Nice to see you too, Simms. I was just thinking we’re living in the world’s biggest graveyard-”
“Hmph!” Simms puffed swinging back to his desk. “As if you could call this living!”
I chuckled again, and went on my way. Bernie Simms was an aging man in his seventies who was said to have been an accountant before the war. I’m still not sure what an accountant was, but he's always been a surly bastard since the day I met him, and I’ve known the guy 12 years now. They say the apocalypse changed people but somehow I doubt that could be said for Simms.
As I made my way down into the dregs of the skyscraper, I caught sight of the kids from the few refugee families living here, scurrying away at my approach. I expect you’d normally be surprised by this kind of thing, but the fact remains that there was an awful lot of people before the world ended- over 6 billion in fact. That being said, last counted there are about a thousand of us left on the planet. Apparently, Humanity doesn’t die out all that easily…
I had reached my destination on the third floor about an hour later and was surprised to see a familiar face waiting to greet me at the door. “Hey! Arnold! What’s up, ma man?”
We high-fived and he grinned as he looked me over up and down. “ Damn! Boy, you lookin' good! How you been?”
“Still trolling for more refugees.” I answered, glancing behind me. “Though I can see that you’ve added some to our ranks… Where in this goddamned wasteland did you find them?”
Arnold’s grin grew wider as he combed a hand through his hair, a...
