The Blackout Wars

Zee sat alone in the pitch-black room where she found refuge. A light flickered through the boarded-up windows and Zee immediately flashed back to the beginning of it all.

It was 2055. Society had embraced technology to the fullest from transportation, medical systems, workstations, everything. Electronics controlled everything around the world. People could no longer survive without it. We believed by embracing technology and escaping the hazards of fossil fuels, we would save our world, only to find that would be our downfall.

Although rare, some establishments still had the option of going indoors, but everything was done by self-service kiosks, which transformed the work field from what we knew thirty-five years ago. Now everyone had to be technologically versed to function within society.

Zee was very fluent with technology, but she also remembered the days when she was young where her father would force her to go camping. Her military family was always fond of the outdoors and taught all their kids at a young age about survival. Those times strongly influenced her decision to join the military at eighteen and follow her family legacy. She served two tours before the world came to order, and she transitioned back to a civilian lifestyle. The countries of the world functioned harmoniously as one unit, with a few exceptions. In many ways it made the world much less eventful but, at the time, she was grateful as many lives were being spared during the stretch of peace. Within her regular life, however, she found day-to-day life rather boring. Sitting in her home constantly staring at computer screens was far from her goal but, it was necessary at that time. To avoid being stuck in her mundane life within the walls of Washington DC, which was now its own state, Zee used to explore even if that meant walking into the bank for a change of scenery, which is exactly what she did that day.

Zee was standing in line at the bank the moment the solar flare hit. Suddenly, every self-service kiosk and all lights went black while the man behind her fell to the ground; his hand on his chest as his pacemaker failed him. She knew of solar flares, but usually they caused simple blimps. Nothing like that.

As the bank descended into chaos, Zee recalled rushing outside where she was greeted with screams and the crunching of metal as the electronic cars collided, and planes sank from grey sky. In the absence of technology, the world turned dark in what history would call The Blackout.

Then came the uprising of the militia who blamed the government for the downfall of technology and the society we knew saying it was planned. Maybe it was. It didn’t matter much. All that mattered is that the world was once again at war; a war known as The Blackout Wars. The militias against the survivors.

The militia groups, who call themselves Saviors, organized around the world that day, soon raiding government buildings. On the day of darkness, the militias had taken over. The militia, who were always against government regulations on weapons, were now hoarding ammo and guns for themselves. History really does repeat itself, but she still couldn’t comprehend how people who are supposed to be so passionate about freedom could do this. Did they really believe becoming the exact thing they feared would somehow improve the circumstances? They began trying to forcibly enroll civilians for their cause and only had one philosophy, you are either with them or against them. If you join them, they will provide protection, nourishment, and shelter; if you are against them, you die.

She found herself thinking about how temporary the philosophy of peace truly is. People will never change. They are the most morbid and ironically inhumane creatures in existence who seek to do nothing but destroy themselves. They are willing to kill for any reason: power, conflicts or, in the most disturbing scenarios, nothing at all.

Her past had created severe PTSD which become worse after the blackout, but the necklace always helped her to ground herself and return her from her nightmares. As she had done so many times before, Zee reached into her pocket and grasped the blue-grey patina locket. By now the heart-shaped locket was scratched from sitting alongside her blade. Despite the wear on the necklace, it remained her most prized possession and reminded her of her goal. She opened the broken-down heart locket and read the inscription,

“To my love, Zee Forever yours.”

She felt herself getting emotional as she gazed at his photo. He had thick, brown hair and a small smirk with piercing hazel-grey eyes. Eyes which seemed to be staring back at her. She felt nauseated. She had to find Ezra. He was all she had left after losing her family. Her and Ezra served together and understood the horrors that the other had endured. They shared the same values of integrity, loyalty, bravery. He was also compassionate and cared deeply about humanity.

That compassion for humanity had brought him to a fundraiser in the center of the city during the blackout. As the world began to spiral, Zee recalled an abandoned bakery near Georgetown that had been empty for twenty years. It proved to be a reliable shelter to avoid detection when the militia went door-to-door to “recruit” members. They had skipped over the old building assuming it was still deserted as it had been for the past two decades. Luckily, Zee was able to survive using her emergency kit, but supplies were depleting. She originally had enough to last her a month. Had it really been that long?

There were rumors that the National Archive Building is where people were enlisted with the militia. Apparently, the displayed Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights is significant to them. That is where she needed to go. She had to find him and save them both, and it had to happen now.

Zee pulled her mid-length, black hair into a tight bun, put on her broken-in combat boots, and grabbed her gear. She held to her locket for one more moment, ensured her knife was concealed, and opened the door to the stale air.

This was her first time venturing into the wreckage. It was an eerie feeling. She had been here many times before, but things have changed from the bustling city she once called home. Walking through the nearly empty city, Zee noticed buildings were burnt to the ground, graffiti colored the walls, and propaganda for The Saviors littered the streets promoting people to join them. Luring people in by convincing them they would be helping society and stay protected.

The few civilians that were still walking around the city seemed lost, wandering with nowhere to go. She tried to blend into the small groups as much as she could, keeping her head down, and mimicking the persona of those around her until, after nearly an hour of walking, she saw the National Archive Building. A militia group was patrolling the streets, but she was able to duck seamlessly down a side street to avoid them and observe.

The Archives were about two blocks down and the militia disappeared inside. Surprisingly, it didn’t seem as though the building was being guarded. Zee assumed this was only to further the deception that the militia was welcoming, but she would not allow the lack of guards to deceive her. She knew she had to be on alert. She crept her way nearer to the building. Thankfully, she knew the layout decently well from her time spent here reviewing Veteran Service Records. This knowledge led her to believe that the public vaults were likely where people would be held. She peered into the window before moving forward though her view was heavily blocked by the panels on the windows.

She entered the building, preparing for a fight, but found the entrance oddly empty. She made her way through the building to the upper level where she recalled the public vaults were kept. She snuck a glimpse around the corner and found more militia patrols heading away from her. Once they rounded the corner, she moved forward listening for a sign.

As she neared the vault at the end of the hall, she heard voices. They appeared to be in distress. They were refusing to join. The second voice sounded particularly familiar. Then she heard the pop of the shot behind the door. Her thoughts flashed to that familiar voice. Ezra… he was in trouble. Despite her training, she rushed in the door without another thought. Standing with his back to her was Ezra. A sigh of relief hit her. He was okay.

Then she noticed, a civilian laying on the floor, in a manner too gruesome to recreate, yet she did not flinch. She was callused to the visuals of war. Then slowly Ezra turned to face her, and the heavy weight of the vault door slammed behind her. It became clear that something was wrong. Ezra didn’t speak, just stared at her. He seemed to be in some type of trance.

“Ezra, love, we have to hurry. I can get us out of here.”

As still as a statue, he just continued to stare.

“Baby, please, let’s go. I have somewhere safe.”

He finally spoke,

“Zee, you don’t understand. I’m already safe. The militia has saved me. They can save us all.”

She finally understood, he had betrayed everything they believed in. What had he gone through to force such a drastic change? Her mind, once again, wondered. She couldn’t help but think of him being tortured forcing him into this life.

Would it have been different if they were together that day? No, she shook her head slightly. She couldn’t let her mind go there. This was reality. She had to keep a clear head.

In a harsh voice, Ezra asked, “which side are you on?”

“You already know the answer to that,” she said solemnly.

Without another word, he reached for his weapon. He stood steadily in front of her, no longer the man she once loved. She looked back into his eyes, which now looked empty and dark. He had become a hollow shell of the man she knew. The nausea returned as their eyes met. With his finger just a hair from the trigger, he aimed directly for her just as the militia demands. Join them or die.

She looked back once more. She remembered when it was just the two of them, with their futures ahead of them. They were going to have kids and a small cottage in the country. They were going to get away from the technology-infested world and enjoy their lives together. She couldn’t hold it back as a tear fell from her eye. How could she allow herself to become so emotional? Her former platoon sergeant would be ashamed.

She could hear the thud of footsteps as the patrol circled back around, snapping her back from her thoughts. In this moment, she was thankful for her military training, not that being a sharpshooter would help her now. She didn’t need a gun. Twenty-one feet is all she needed to close the gap; he was only ten. Knowing what she had to do, Zee reached into her pocket and grasped her knife.

Then she lunged, knife in hand, confident she would hit her mark. A crack thundered through the room as the trigger was pulled. Then it went silent, except for the small clink as the necklace crashed to the floor.

Many believed the world ended the day the solar flare struck but that was just the beginning. The Blackout Wars had just begun.