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It was in the year 2021 we learned the extent of man's madness. On the morning of April 7th, at approximately (no one remembers the exact time) 5pm Eastern Standard Time, life met its counterpoint in a most awful way. The storms had been predicted for sometime by the men set to monitor them: NASA Scientists, the head of the Heliophysics Division and the dedicated commission. With resources dwindling, a battered economy, wars (at home and abroad) and ever present dangers from outside hostilities, no one was prepared.

The coronal mass ejection left the sun at 4:42pm and within 8 minutes, traveled 93 million miles to tear the heart from our civilization. The brilliant auroras that filled the sky were temporarily enough to keep the public from outright chaos but within hours the Great Panic had begun. Without our third hand, our electric god(s), our crutches, we fell into primal insanity instinctively and without hesitation. Some survivors still say that had we not had the lion's share of our forces stationed abroad that perhaps we could have done better, that we could have had order but I find the notion naive; all of mankind stood united, on the brink of oblivion.

Within the first month, 65% of the population of the United States was dead or unaccounted for; other "civilized" nations suffered similar casualty numbers. The destruction of our power grid, our ability to communicate, have access to fresh water, food and oil caused hysteria of such horrific proportions, the air seemed to tremble in its wake. To call the feeling "unease" would be to do it a disservice, it was an everpresent sick feeling, the soft caress of death's fingertips at the nape of your neck; of goosebumps, and nightmares. It was the end of times so many believers had prayed for and so much more.

I sat in the room and held her lifeless body as close as I could. My arms and upper body shaking from exhaustion; long since dehydrated, tears did not flow but I felt them fall just the same. "T-t-take me", the whimper limped from that hollow place, into the darkness, where I shook. "Take me", I pleaded with death.

 

This is not a test.