Babylon 2030

The year is 2030. A haze of smoke hovered over a city in flames. Beneath the rubble of the city hid a 24 year old young man named Alistair. He was surrounded by scattered pockets of fire, as well as lifeless corpses belonging to men, women and even children. In the distance he could hear gunfire and bombs detonating.

Six years ago America faced one of its biggest elections in history, Harris vs. Trump. The road to the 2024 election was paved in division, but the aftermath of its end result sent the world into war. Many radicalized factions of political parties were created and grew in numbers, eventually spreading across the entire planet. Rallies turned into riots. The riots turned into martial law. Martial law turned into all out war.

Alistair Gates is a young firefighter for the New York City fire department. He was originally an accountant from North Carolina, but once the civil unrest took over he moved his wife and new born baby to New York and used his volunteer firefighter training to be a full time rescue worker so he could help save as many lives as possible hanging in the balance of the nation’s anarchy.

In a brief calm from the anarchy Alistair looked down and found a wounded man on the ground who had a hole in his stomach. The man was barely conscious, but Alistair leaned down to help sit him up. “Get-get outta here” the man strained to say.

“No, I can help you” Alistair replied while trying to lift the man. “Do-do you have even just one person you care about?” The man asked. “Yes, I have a wife and a daughter” Alistair answered. “Th-then get out of here and get home to them b-before you end up like me”.

The man passed away in Alistair’s arms as Alistair carefully laid him back on the ground. Alistair slowly stood back up and remained to the shadows. He felt a hint of sadness that he could not save the man’s life, but wanted to honor the man by making it home to his family.

“I’ve gotta get home to Carla and the baby” Alistair thought anxiously. “I’ve put out all the fires I could today, but there are just too many being set”. Alistair then pulled himself out from behind the pile of rubble he was under and began running towards an empty truck with a dead firefighter in the driver’s seat. Suddenly the gunshots and explosions started getting closer and Alistair picked up speed running past burning American flags on the ground.

As he eyed the deceased laying on the ground next to the burned and bloody flags on the ground the humanity of the world he was living in became clear. There was no more left wing or right wing, Democrat or Republican. There was only anarchy and chaos around every corner from which no one was safe. This was Alistair’s life.

Alistair pulled the body of the lifeless firefighter out of the truck and hopped in. He started the truck up as the commotion of the anarchy grew louder and pulled off. As he drove away flames and bullets rocked the truck, followed by screams of peril. The only thing left in his driving path was a large fence. With all his might Alistair drove through the fence and was finally clear of the chaos.

With exhaust weighing down on his body Alistair looked back at the destruction through his rear view mirror and had finally come to the realization that this was his world. There were no more political allegiances, only the chaotic bad seeds to which they gave birth. A world destroyed by the idol worship of politics. A world consumed by division. This was Babylon 2030.