Jimwills Page
From The Book of THoTH (Leaves of Wisdom)
The tall, slim, raggedly dressed man paused in the shade of a boulder to catch his breath and enjoy what little coolness there was in the shade. He had been heading southwest over the last few days. Maybe he was trying to escape, although he knew that was impossible.
There was no place on earth where he could escape to. And the destroyer was coming, no doubt about that.
He turned his gaze to the northeast, studying the sky with a burning intentness. Notheast, that was where the calculations indicated it would start. Nothing yet, but it was about time. He decided to sit beside the boulder and wait, running further would not add even a faction of a second to his life. He glanced at his watch. There were only a few minutes left. His thoughts turned to his wife, and he was glad she wasn't alive to suffer through the last few years, and what is about to happen.
He sits and remembers all that happened since the news of the approaching destroyer was leaked to the world. The denials, the lies and scams. Then, when it was confirmed, there were the worldwide riots.
He learned of the possibility of a few escaping the earth, there was a launch complex in the south that was going to try to save some of humanity. Convincing Adrian that they should try to make thier way to the launch site. Thinking that surely they could be among the ones that would be taken! He being a top notch programmer and she a renoun artist.
Then during the boarder crossing they had been caught up in one of the many riots. Adrian had been killed by some filthy, stinking teenage punk. The memory of her accusing look as she died in his arms still tore at him, even after all that had occured since.
He finally arived at the launch site. Although he no longer cared if he went or not. He spoke to one of the guards at the only gate to the complex and presented what credentials he had managed to hang on to. The guard called on a telephone inside the guardshack. He remembered thinking this must be the only place on the earth where telephones still worked!
He was admitted under guard and closely checked by several different people. Then after the required medical exam he was informed that he had a genetic defect that would prevent him from being allowed to join the exodus. He didn't care, but he needed something to do and if he could help with the programming or even guard duties then that was what he would do.
He became a guard. Carring an automatic rifle and patrolling a section of the perimiter fence. The first mob attack happened a few days after he got there. He had never shot a person before, but the memory of what those stinking people did to Adrian helped numb any feelings he may have had. There were many attempts by the mobs in the months that followed.
Afer the first attack was when the defoliants and fires had been used to clear a wide area around the complex. It allowed the guards to see approaching trouble before it was upon them. It was all a blur now, but he knew that he had killed many people who's real crime was wanting to escape and survive. I know that's a change of opinion, he thought. But, after all, he was now one of those stinking filthy people who could only wait and watch.
The final ship lifted off during the most massive attack they had experienced. Due to a glancing blow to his head, he was unconsious when it left. Waking the next day he saw that the complex had been reduced to smoking rubble and he saw no living person. That was when he decided to head to the southwest, to add time to his life. However few milliseconds it was, he wanted to have it.
Now, here he was. Sitting in the shade of a boulder that would not last much longer than he would, waiting for the end.
A sudden brightning of the sky to the northeast drew his attention. Here it comes he thought. Not long at all now.
Adrian! I love you!
I hope you are waiting for me!
