Doomsday Diary

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

When the automation was sold to the masses, it was on a promise of freedom and progress. The younger generations would be saved from the stress of having to bear the burden of the older.

But the greed - it ruined everything. More and more careers were lost, casualties to progress. As the unemployment rates continued to climb across the globe, the collapse was inevitable.

She had heard the stories of the failed uprising against the machines. They had all been raised on those tales. They took place in a time close enough for the elders to remember the old world, but distant enough to feel like a fantasy for her. The very concept of so many people coming together for a common goal was an impossibility in these days. You were lucky if you could hobble together a dozen people for a simple supply run these days.

It didn’t really matter. That world was dead and gone. There was only survival now. It was the sole purpose anyone had left.

With a heavy sigh, she shook the thoughts away from her mind and packed her supplies. It would be at least a day and a half to the next site. Best to pack light. Thread, laces, fabric, metal. She repeated the list in her head as a soothing mantra.

The lists were getting more desperate with every passing year. Her community had long since given up on warehouses and hospitals. Even the schools and veterinary clinics had been completely cleaned out.

The assignments had become abandoned residential buildings - the only things that provided a small beacon of hope. It felt strange digging through the dresser drawers and closets in these long-forgotten homes. Even though the owners were gone, it felt wrong, she knew they didn’t belong there.

Because we don’t belong there. We don’t belong anywhere now. The cruel voice intruded, mocking her. And when these apartments are empty, too? What then? She shuddered at the thought.

Joining the line with the rest of the scavenger team, she waited in the morning dew for her turn for the meager food rations and tried to focus on anything but her dark thoughts. Shady Acres. We are going to Shady Acres. She repeated to herself, ignoring that hopelessness demanding to be heard. Jack, the team’s leader, emitted a sharp whistle, signaling to them.

It was time to go.

They moved along the outskirts of the woods, ready to dart into the foliage for coverage at the first sign of danger. Her community hadn’t encountered any others in at least a year, but it wasn’t worth the risk. After all, complacency caused this whole mess in the first place right? Maybe you all just had too much hope.

As the sun set on an uneventful journey, they set up camp for the night.

After an uncomfortable and restless night, they continued their travels in a predawn haze that threatened overbearing heat.

The sun climbed the sky, bringing the heavy, oppressive heat as promised. She listened to the cacophony of cicadas blended with the unsteady drumming of their footsteps. The man next to her whistled along, transforming the chaotic noise into the soundtrack of their journey. His contributions were cut short by a stern glare from the leader.

Based on their near-invisible shadows, it was noon when they reached the edge of a city in decay.

Jack turned and faced them all. “It’s three blocks south of here. I’ll go in ahead with Brad and Courtney to check for hazards. You all know your partners, you do not enter the building until I have assigned your search zone. Understood?”

There was a rumbling of agreement from the uncomfortably hot group. They would wait outside all day as long as it could be in a shady spot. Hopefully, Shady Acres lives up to its name.

Silence descended on the group once more as they forged ahead, their steps quickening with the end so close. They traversed the maze of crumbling buildings, coming to a halt at a sprawling patch of overgrown grass and unkempt trees framed with crumbling remnants of asphalt. Beyond lay a large single-storey building with smashed in windows staring at them unblinkingly.

The group, exhausted already, happily collapsed onto the grass under the trees to wait for the all-clear. They were surrounded by a silence that would swallow them whole if they let it.

She plucked at the blades of grass absently. What is the point anymore? Why bother scavenging? Why bother waking up and getting out of bed at all? To struggle and suffer? To survive as husks surrounded by echoes of real lives? The voice invaded her every thought, blocking out the world. You can’t fix it. It’s never going to get easier. You’re wasting your time.

“You okay, kid?” A deep, gentle voice broke through her darkness and snapped her back to reality. She looked over at Robbie, her partner, with a weak smile and unconvincing nod. “It’s a beautiful day and we have the best job in town. Cheer up!” He smiled broadly. He was always so happy. Sometimes being around him too much drained what little energy she could muster, still, she knew he meant well.

Jack returned. She and Robbie were assigned the west wing with his partner, one pair on the left, the other on the right.

Their entrance was announced by broken glass crunching under their boots. A chill ran up her spine as she felt that familiar sense of foreboding.

“My grandma lived in a place like this.” Robbie told her, his jovial voice taking on a soft tone as he reminisced. “She loved it! Had a whole crew of friends that would all go around wearing these hideous purple hats, stirring up all sorts of trouble on Bingo nights.” He chuckled, the mixture of nostalgia and sadness riding the sound as it echoed off the ruins of the hallway walls.

His eyes twinkled when he glanced back at her, a weak smile faltering beneath his overgrown mustache. Grey hairs were winning the battle for territory on his face despite the mane framing it maintaining its rich chestnut hue.

Returning the smile, she quickly turned her focus to the first door as loneliness moistened her eyes. You don’t even have a grandma to remember. You don’t have anyone.

With more than a little exertion, Robbie was able to force the door open with a deafening metallic scrape. It revealed a black void. No windows.

Couching down, he rummaged in his bag, quickly producing two metal lanterns, the half-burned candles fused in place by melted wax from older journeys. Once lit, he handed her one and together they entered the room. Collectively, they let out a small gasp as they saw that the dusty shelves were lined with more medical supplies and pill bottles than their infirmary had ever seen.

“Jackpot!” Robbie exclaimed excitedly, swinging his bag forward and opening it wide. As he crammed as much supplies as he could into his bag, he let out a whistle. Jack and his partner appeared out of the shadows and happily took over packing up the supplies, sending the other pair to find more bags.

The first few rooms were barren, Robbie speculated that they were likely vacant when the facility was still running.

After wincing at the loud squeak of the fourth door opening, she entered the stuffy room. Faded floral patterns and an overabundance of ruffles peeked out through the layers of dust. The dancing light in their hands bringing the decor to life as it danced before them.

Setting his lantern down on the bedside table, Robbie flung open the closet door and began sifting through its contents. Setting her own lantern atop the dresser, she began to rifle through the drawers. The top one had a well-stocked sewing kit buried under neatly folded stacks of moth-eaten fabrics.

Slipping it into her bag, she grasped the dresser’s edge to pull herself up only to have her attention snagged by the small wooden box on top. It was dulled by the ever-present decades’ old dust but a quick swipe with her sleeve revealed intricately carved flowers on a shiny, polished surface.

Curiously, she raised the lid, becoming startled as tinny notes lilted out of it. Closing her eyes, she felt goosebumps creep up her arms as the notes formed a song.

“Ode to Joy” Robbie’s voice called out, muffled by the moth-eaten contents of the closet. “I haven’t heard that song in ages.”

As she reopened her eyes and examined the inside of the box, Robbie approached to catch a glimpse of the treasure.

In the middle there was a cylinder with bumps on it and a comb held to its side. As it spun, the teeth of the comb emitted the perfect notes as if by magic. She remained mesmerized even after it came to a stop. Released from its spell, she studied the rest of the items. Various pieces of jewelry, including a silver chain. Raising up the chain, she discovered a hearth-shaped decoration attached. On its surface, the words “When we have each other, we have everything” were etched in tiny font.

“It’s a locket.” Robbie told her. When she responded with a look of confusion, he took the metal heart in his hands and split it open along the seams.

Her eyes widened with distress, thinking he had broken it. Then, she noticed the hidden smiling faces of two young children peering out at them, frozen in time forever. She found herself smiling back at them, filled with an unfamiliar warmth she couldn’t comprehend.

Taking the chain from her hand, Robbie clumsily unclasped it before securing it around her neck. She stared at her blurred reflection in the mirror above the dresser, Her smile still fixed on her face as her fingers searched and then wrapped around the little heart. Her fingertips could feel the engraved words as they echoed in her mind.

“It suits you.” He beamed. His eyes drifted down to the musical box. “You don’t have any family left either, do you?”

She shook her head.

“My daughter would’ve been around your age.” There was a sadness in his eyes that shocked her almost as much as his words. In the two years since he joined the community, he had never mentioned a daughter.

“Do you ever wonder why we even bother anymore?” He asked, suddenly earnest. “Sometimes I don’t know why I get out of bed. Things are never going to go back to normal anyways.” He closed the lid of the box gently and handed it to her. “Aisling, that was my daughter’s name. She used to say that wasn’t the point. That it wasn’t about the world or the people we lost. Its about who we have now and building a better future together.” He shook his head, a tear spilling over his eyelid and running down his cheek.

Taking the box, she gave his hand a small, reassuring squeeze. She never knew others had her same dark thoughts. If he can have them and still have hope, maybe she could try a little harder.

They headed to the next room, the engraved words still resonating in her mind as they went. When we have each other, we have everything, she thought, hopefully. And for once, the other voice stayed quiet.