The man stood by the river, staring out into the water as the boy flailed in the rapids. The boy screamed out for help and then sunk beneath the water again. The man turned, prepared to walk off into the forest, but then the boy bobbed up in the waves again, clutching at a rock. He stared for a moment more, waiting to see if the boy would drown. The boy was pulled under the water again.
The man began to walk away when the boy reached the surface once more releasing one last scream for help. He sighed, set down his bag and dove into the water, swimming for the boy. For a moment, neither the man nor the boy was visible beneath the water. Then the white bubbles turned red. A body floated to the surface, catching on rocks every so often before disappearing into the current.
A moment later, he flopped onto the floor next to the bags. Climbing to his feet, he reached down and sorted through the gear. Satisfied with the find, the boy lifted up the bags and walked away.
*****
The year is… well no one really knows. Year 104 by the count, but that’s just when people cared enough to count again. It seems that at first, no one thought anyone would survive. We don’t know much, but we know there was a Before Time. We know they lived in giant cities, filled with more people than you could even imagine and built buildings in an effort to reach the sun. They flew in hunks of metal and by some accounts could even breathe underwater.
Some say the Before Timers thought they were Gods so God punished them. Others say that because the Before Timers wielding God-like power, destroyed the earth and each other themselves.
The hows and whys don’t really matter so much. All that matters in the end is survival. In order for the strong to survive, the weak must be crushed along the way. There are multiple groups trying to eke out a living in this world and they are constantly at war with one another. Ultimately, it's everyone for themselves.
This Too Shall Pass
Original
Are you ready for the apocalypse?