Inconceivable

Everyone knew we would eventually kill the planet; we just didn’t think it would happen like this or this quick. Industrialization in all its glory, allowed for easier living for all of humankind. Machinery lifted the burden from the individual to complete daily tasks which allowed for more idle time. We invested our efforts into that idle time to come up with more ways to make life easier yet. It was no secret the industrial machine would eventually consume all resources, or the wars we fought over those resources would speed us on our way to scorching heat and dry desolate landscapes devoid of all plant life, where only a few survivors would scratch out their meager existences until they too perished. The thought brings to mind images of Mad Max walking along the dusty expanse, looking for food and fuel as he trudges towards a blank horizon. That was the future we all knew was coming and we were doing little to nothing to prevent its arrival. 

Oh sure, there were plenty of organizations who made sure to tell everyone they were working with governments around the world to head off this impending catastrophe. They hired celebrity spokespeople to plead with the public for support and to challenge the world to change the way they consumed the resources.  They held benefit concerts to raise money to clean up pollution and to educate the younger generations about the potentially devastating affects of our modern lifestyles. In the end, all that really improved was the bank accounts of the people in charge and those who organized the symbolic dog and pony shows. No one was really interested in giving up their comforts despite the potential outcome. Besides, it wasn’t going to happen for a long time and by then the next generation will have been able to fix it. Instead of working on a solution, the world governments waged war on each other to gain control of their resources in desperate attempts to prolong their greedy existences. 

Many of us saw what was coming and made plans to survive the coming apocalypse. It was no secret that we were burning through the world’s resources at increasing speeds. Eventually the supplies of fuels would be exhausted, and the air would be too polluted to maintain life as we know it. The particulates in the atmosphere would first blot out the sun, causing all plant life to perish, plant eating animals would soon follow. After several months when the debris settled from the air, the sun’s rays would gradually super-heat the earth and eventually incinerate every living organism remaining on the surface. All sources of fresh water would evaporate into the upper atmosphere only to fall back in the form of acid-rain over the salty oceans. The land would dry up and turn to dust, unable to support life. 

There were about a dozen families that came together to execute a mutual plan. We spent months and even years preparing by installing underground bunkers and vaults on land owned by families in the group. Everyone chipped in by providing labor and money. After twenty-five months we had installed seven bunkers, each stocked with enough supplies for eight people to survive the first year.  Underground wells would provide drinking water and miles of pipes connected each of the bunkers to these sources. Additionally, there were a dozen buried vaults near these bunkers with additional rations of food and new clothing to be accessed as needed. We finished the work in the middle of August, none of us could have predicted we were in the final months of civilization. 

As autumn arrived, we continued to meet and discuss plans to survive the coming calamity once we determined it would be safe to return to the surface full-time. We considered the possibility that other groups of people had planned as we had, and hoped to one day make contact with them, providing they were civil. Unfortunately, hostility is an easy response for people who have endured extremely stressful situations. Several members of our group were initially against the idea of procuring weapons, but they were soon swayed when confronted with the idea that not everyone would be peaceful if supplies were in high demand. It was sensible to have the ability to protect our families and our property should the need arise. By January, there were two rifles, one shotgun and several hundred rounds of ammunition in each of the bunkers. The Mad Max idea was catching on. 

Winter soon settled in and we continued our preparations by training with the firearms and building devices to sterilize water. An additional vault was installed and stocked with a variety of edible plant seeds along with seeds for several different fruit trees.  Half of the bunkers had been fitted with small solar panels and windmills to generate electricity. In another six months we expected to have the remaining bunkers fitted with the same equipment. We were making steady progress and our hopes were high as we prepared to save humanity. 

Spring rains came later than usual but none of us put much thought into that since seasonal changes had become erratic and less predictable over the past few years. One thing that remained consistent was the evening thunderstorms. Record amounts of ran fell in the first two weeks of May, which caused extensive flooding throughout the entire country. When the rains finally stopped the flooding was slow to recede. Each day the water retreated by barely perceptible amounts and after two weeks it appeared as though the water would remain in place indefinitely. Then the unimaginable happened, the temperature began dropping. Every day was colder than the last. By the time the snow started falling the ground was frozen solid. The storm lasted for a week with no breaks. Road crews were unprepared to deal with these unusual conditions, so they were forced to clear only a few select roads and highways. 

Power grids were compromised by the excessive demand and many people were required to move in with friends and family to lighten the load on the power stations. Rolling black outs were common as the workers frantically labored to keep the generators running. The snow stopped falling one day and everyone breathed a sigh of relief even though the temperature remained well below freezing. Nearly two feet of snow covered the ground in most parts of the country. Road crews kept at their tasks with the knowledge that no new snow was falling to prolong their labors. Within a couple of days, they would be able to take a break. 

It was a soul crushing blow when the country woke the next day to another storm dumping even more snow on the frozen wasteland. Like the previous storm, this one would last for days. The amount of snow was overwhelming and before long there was nothing to be done about it. Most cities gave up all efforts to clear any roads and instructed citizens to shelter in place. Unfortunately, no one was prepared for this so sheltering in place was little better than sitting outside on the curb. Within a week the smaller cities went dark as their power sources were completely exhausted. The larger cities were able to keep the lights on for a little while longer. There’s no way of knowing how long most people lasted during this time since it was not possible to go out and buy groceries. 

Many of us moved into a shopping mall near the center of town. There we were able to work together to survive. After a few weeks’ food started to become scarce and people worried less about everyone else and more about themselves. We worked on plans to get to our bunkers to retrieve the tons of food we had stored there but every attempt was quickly defeated because the snow was several feet thick and frozen solid on top of the entrances to the subterranean fortresses.  As the days marched on our numbers dwindled, soon the dead outnumbered the survivors. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened next. Over the course of the next several weeks more and more of us succumbed to the cold. Now there is only Thomas and I left. We have eaten all the food and our bodies are wasting away as I record this story. This is all I do any more, I write about this damnable situation I find myself in. It’s the only thing I have to keep my mind sharp. I noticed Thomas hasn’t moved in a while or made a sound. He’s been sleeping for a long time now. I should check on him, I hope he’s still sleeping. Or do I?