The End Times

Who knew survival was so hard? Life was easy for Harry. Now, Harry struggled to eat daily. Before the cataclysm, Harry was a billionaire. One of the few that made money in his sleep. There was nothing Harry couldn’t experience or buy because of his vast wealth. It had been six months since the meteor shower destroyed the world, and four months since he had any interaction with another living soul. It was quiet now. The air stood still around him; still thick with unsettled dust. Whenever Harry went to scavenge for food, he would wrap a scarf around his nose and mouth. Six months of living like a wild animal. The only difference was Harry always returned to the ruins of his once luxurious home.

The news about the meteor shower had been a top story for months. Harry remembered the day everything changed.

“Of course I’m not worried about it….No….No…...NO STOP IT!” Harry was screaming on the phone.

“Who are you talking to?” Jessica mouthed at him.

“My mother.” Harry mouthed back. Jessica rolled her eyes. “Listen, nothing is going to happen. You always worry about nothing. There will be a meteor shower, the asteroids will pass by like they always do and we all live to see another day.” Jessica stood up from the couch and stretched. She walked past Harry and gave him a kiss. Jessica had left the T.V on the news. The anchor was dressed in a hard helmet and padded clothing. As if that helmet was going to save you from a meteor Harry thought to himself as his mother continued to speak. “Mom, listen I have to go, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“What’s her problem?” Jessica asked. She brought back with her two Granny Smith apples from the kitchen. Jessica handed Harry one while biting into the other.

“You know how my mother is. She worries about everything and believes whatever the news says.” Harry said.

“Maybe you should go see her.”

“I’m going to see her at the wedding. I don’t need to see her more than I have to. That’s the point of her monthly allowance. I pay her to leave me alone.” Jessica frowned.

“If you say so.” Harry took a bite out of his apple. Granny Smith apples were his favorite.

“I do say so. Besides, we have to meet with the cake people and I need to get my tux resized. I seem to have put on some weight.” Harry said as he rubbed his stomach.

“That’s just ‘happy’ weight. You’re going to be the most handsome groom at the end of that aisle.” Jessica wrapped her arms around Harry, giving him a squeeze and a kiss. “I am going to jump in the shower.” Jessica began to walk away from Harry.

“I don’t want ‘happy’ weight.” Harry said as he took his last bite. Jessica hollered back at him. Harry was going to respond but was interrupted by a loud crash behind him.

The impact sent him flying toward the wall. There was a scream. JESSICA! Harry summoned his strength to get to Jessica. He could feel his legs burning underneath him. There was blood dripping down his face. Another scream, and another barrage of asteroids. Harry took cover under his massive dining room table. Pieces of his home came down upon him. Harry’s ears were ringing. Dust and debris filled empty spaces. All Harry could do was stay covered under the table. Suddenly everything went dark.

Harry woke up covered in rubble. He was rescued by other survivors. Harry would never see Jessica alive again. Her body was pulled from the rubble. She never made it to the shower. There were still millions of survivors after the global meteor shower. What people didn’t anticipate was the plague that the asteroids brought with it. Doctors called it moon sickness. The sickness first appeared as a cough. Then the cough would get worse. Doctors first thought the debris in the air was causing the coughing. The difference was the cough would subside and give way to a horrific rash. The rash of sores would spread all over the body, sparing not one inch. The sores would open causing infection and the person would die in pain. Slowly the millions of survivors dwindled to thousands, which then dwindled to hundreds. Many survivors moved on from the suburbs to find other remnants of civilization.

He was offered and encouraged to leave his ruin, but Harry couldn’t bring himself to leave. He was a self-made man. All his worth was in the rubble. Harry already had plans to rebuild. He put up makeshift tarps to create temporary walls. Harry was able to clear most of the rubble from his house. Unfortunately much of the roof and walls had collapsed away leaving his open concept home extremely open.His efforts were in vain in the end. The need for control and familiarity were the reasons Harry stayed in his home alone.

Time began to feel anomalous. Every day was the same since the humanitarian efforts ceased. The only difference now was it was getting colder. Harry wrapped himself with a filthy blanket. He shivered in what was once his living room. There wasn’t much left in terms of food. Harry had saved some of his rations from what the volunteers gave him. Daily, Harry would go in search of scraps from either the ruined grocery store or the other ruined mansions. After a certain point Harry realized that the only food left were the sparse cans in the grocery store. All the fresh food rotted away at this point. This fact didn’t stop Harry from craving a bright green Granny Smith apple. He remembered the abundance of Granny Smith apples he kept in his home. Harry ate his last Granny Smith apple months ago.

Out of desperation Harry decided to venture to the grocery store once again. He knew that there were no more apples at the store. Harry didn’t care. A piece of his psyche hoped that maybe he missed a secret crate of food. Maybe this trip to the grocery store will reveal a secret cache of Granny Smith apples behind a cash register. Harry wished, but knew better.

A twelve minute drive turned into a forty-five minute walk. The grocery store wasn’t as damaged as other buildings in the area. Some government officials allocated resources to restore as much of the building as they could. Harry arrived as the sun began to set making the air colder. He walked into the deserted building. His steps echoed, making Harry paranoid. Harry only had one thing on his mind. Granny Smith apples. Immediately, Harry was accosted by the smell of rotting produce, vegetables, and meat. Harry went to the back of the store as he had done numerous times before. He took a deep breath as he approached the door.

Slowly, Harry opened the door that said EMPLOYEES ONLY. The rotting smell was strongest in the storage area. His heart sank. The smell was too overbearing, hindering Harry’s inquisition. Heartbroken, Harry began to walk back through the aisles. He looked through what was left of the canned goods, scanning the expiration dates. Then his heart stopped. What was left on the shelves in the baked goods aisle was a can of apple pie filling. Tears of joy welled up in his eyes. With haste he began looking for anything to open this can. He was ready to throw the can against the wall to open it. Luckily he found a can opener instead.

Harry began to open the can, wiping his face intermittently. The top let loose with a pop. Harry was shaking as he lifted the metal lid. He dipped his fingers into the gelatinous contents, grabbing a sliver of apple. Harry brought it to his lips trying to remember the smell. Not being able to wait a moment longer, Harry bit a piece. It was sweet and tart. Everything he needed it to be. Harry slumped down on the ground and devoured the entire can. For a second, Harry was whisked back in his home with Jessica. They were both laughing and eating Granny Smith apples. Never before was he so happy while being completely alone.