Seven Days To Dead

   It all went to hell on a Monday. It was nothing like the zombie apocalypse or post nuclear fallout stories and tv shows we were oh so familiar with, nor was it an alien invasion. It was more like the Earth simply had enough of our bullshit.

   The ground shook like mad. City streets ripped open swallowing houses, cars, and anything else that occupied the same space as its wrath. The sea rose like bile in an upset stomach, and once dormant volcanoes erupted with fury. Their tops exploded or simply slid aside as the bowels of our once mystical world vomited up raw vengeance for all the years of ignorance and neglect brought on by our greed and laziness. The skies were aflame with a torrent of molten slag that descended like a rainstorm straight out of hell.

   Maybe that's what this is, hell. God knows we deserve a reckoning. Time and again we've displayed that we never learn from our mistakes. We like to think of ourselves as a sophisticated and intelligent species, and we definitely like to think that we've evolved into this majestic race of beings that have come so far in our short existence. The truth is, we never really learned a damn thing. We mock faith, we squabble and fight over existential things that really don't matter, and we go to war over resources we really don't need instead of moving beyond them when we discover an alternative that is better for our health and the world as a whole all because the one percenters hold sway over the decision makers of whole countries with their wallets.

   Truth hurts when it really boils down to it. I guess that's why I'm writing about it now instead of explaining what happened to us. Hell, what I really wish is that I could just lay back on my pillow at night and fall asleep without thinking about it all again and having to get back out of bed to empty it all out onto paper until I can't physically keep going anymore and essentially pass out instead. Can't always get what you want I guess.

   The worst of the first day wasn't all the shit the Earth threw at us at once, it was the chaos that ensued after. Our complacency became so apparent that day. We had become so blinded by the technologies we created to make the day to day easier that we literally had no idea how to react to a total cut off. All of the infrastructures for communication lasted about fifteen minutes tops. By mid-afternoon the skies were dark enough with smoke and ash clouds that it could have been dusk. All the extra energy in the air manifested into electrical storms without the thunder. Definitely not the pleasant summer storm one might enjoy witnessing in the countryside while visiting a family farm. The discharged electricity nuked most electronics within fifty miles of the storms wherever they occurred. Not like an EMP though. Some things still worked after. This just added an extra layer to the panic of course. You see, people tend to go completely mental when the world breaks as it turns out. Some have a primal survival instinct that kicks in while maintaing their humanity, but the rest just sort of crack. They instantly give into the fight or flight instincts that seem to be present in most species. More into the fight than the later.

   There was no time for anyone in the governing body or in the military to respond to anything. No emergency broadcasts, no emergency responses or aid teams, no, nothing like that. Everything just seemed to happen all at once, everywhere. The only thoughts anyone had was to save themselves. Of all the things that happened that first day, far and above it all was the very hard lesson that in the end of all things the thing to fear the most is people. We're bloody animals.

Day One

   There's nothing better than the smell of fresh brewing coffee and bacon in the morning for me. It epitomizes relaxation for me. It's the only routine I have at the end of a long week dredging through society to earn a living. Friday ends and I hit the road home forgetting all about everything that occurred over the past five days, and I let it all melt away as I pull into my driveway outside of the city. This is my fortress of solitude and peace. For two full days and nights I am the only one in charge of my destiny. I know it won't last forever, but I don't care. The door clicks shut behind me as I enter the house and that's the last I think about any of it for those two days.

   "Honey, I'm home," I shout down the hall as I wrestle out of my coat and shoes.

   "Daddy," my seven year old son shouts as he runs out of the living room to my right and jumps into my arms, wrapping his arms around my neck. My wife pokes her head out of her office halfway down the hall towards the kitchen with a smile from ear to ear and glow on her face that melts my heart every time I set eyes on her.

   "Hi there," she says as she steps out into the hall and leans against the doorframe waiting for me to close the remaining five feet of distance between us. I'm smiling like a goof as I bend around our son who's still in my arms to give her a passionate kiss as she hugs us both. All is right in the world for another two days.

   Friday evening fades away with the family and quickly gives way to Saturday morning, my favourite time of the week. No alarm clock forcing me to wake up and get out of bed before I'm ready to, the smell of fresh ground coffee and frying bacon greet me when I do. This Saturday is sunshine and blue skies. Not a cloud in sight. We eat our breakfast and sip our coffee on the wood patio in the back yard, soaking it all in, simply enjoying each other's company.

The Man With A Thousand Names

The man with a hundred faces, skald, wanderer, minstrel, heretic. These are but a few of the names collected over the many years Ahngvar had been journeying across the world. Each place he visited seemed to posit a new name, sometimes more than one. He had never been able to stay for long in one place, the longest stretch no more than a few years, to which he vowed never to do again. He had fallen into an illusion of the heart, and his mind had become weak. He allowed himself to feel safe, worse, he had allowed himself to believe that those around him could be safe.
It had been many years and many places since his first event. To think it would never happen again was folly. It all ended badly, his only recollection of the second event was that of flames licking at his cloak as he walked from the rubble of the humble little cabin he had made his home. As his awareness returned he looked about the village in horror. It had been completely leveled. Not a single wall remained intact. Shattered skeletons of homes and friends alike were strewn everywhere, burning. Acrid smoke burned his eyes and throat. He was often reminded of the second event anytime he was around a fire or caught scent of wood smoke. He had buried those he could find amongst the ruins of the village or had been flung through the air landing in various places on the outskirts. Most had simply evaporated or burned to ash. The worst of it was not finding any remains of his beloved with which to say goodbye.
He had traveled hard after that, stopping for no more than a few days to do whatever odd job he could to earn a few coins or more commonly in exchange for food for the road. His only constant companions were a simple lute, his bow, a bedroll, a backpack with a few meager belongings, and a finely forged axe.

~*~

During the onset of summer a few years later Ahngvar sat on a large flat rock that jutted out over the shore of a lake somewhere in the hinterlands. The glassy surface reflected the deep blue sky above and the sun warmed his face as he leaned back, hands propping him up as he took in the serenity of it all. Birds sung their songs as they fluttered about in the trees behind him. Somehow he had found a moment of peace once again. All of his haunts and worries melted away for a brief moment while every muscle in his body relaxed. He laid back on the rock and let it all wash over him. He wished this euphoric moment would last forever. There he slumbered.
It was dark when he awoke to the scent of smoke on the wind. A full moon danced in the reflection of the night sky off the water as a slight breeze lapped water against the shore. A flicker of firelight pulled his gaze towards the north end of the lake and his belly grumbled. He realized he had not eaten since breakfast. He rummaged through his pack for a heel of bread, his last, and a strip of dried meat. He contemplated whether to forage for food or hunt on the morrow as he chewed on his food.
The firelight which at first seemed small was now much brighter. He couldn't tell if it was one campfire or a few, or something else entirely from this distance. His curiosity got the better of him as he finished eating the last of his food. Resigned to the fact that he would most likely not get much sleep this evening due to his long sunny nap, he gathered up his belongings and trudged off into the woods heading north towards the firelight.