Taking another deep breath while looking outside, the expected burning sensation in my lungs was nowhere to be found. Or, to be more precise, it was there but I could barely feel it this time.

Instead, a new feeling took over, similar to when you overeat and are now so full that you are about to burst. This was quite unnerving as the only meal I had besides the beer in my hands was the breakfast/lunch I had before falling asleep…

With my thoughts being a total mess and my brain cogs turning at faster speed than it was usually possible, I glanced outside at the new ‘additions’ to the scenery.

“Since it’s like this, it would be better to do a recap and see exactly what happened recently. Might find some clues that way…”

So, I did just that. About myself… not that many things to go through. Your usual son of a teacher that did better than average in school and was your run-of-the-mill king of the hill because of that reputation. A small ‘hill’ though, as I found out brutally in high school a while later. I was considered more mature than my actual age, so when I clashed with bullies because of the difference in our ideals… the result was unfavorable. Justice without power to enforce it, is useless against big numbers of brainless zombies that take pleasure in causing others pain. So, I rolled with the punches. Trudging through four entire years of such tedious stupidity, had my first crush and was rejected immediately, but had a couple of fortunate events as well, so I cannot exactly complain, as it helped me mature even further.

College… I dropped out of after not even 3 months as I was wasting my parents money at that point. I found it redundant and unhelpful, based on what I saw around me with a quick look. Therefore, a job. One entire year as an English teacher in a country where English is just becoming a popular choice and gaining traction, allowed me to see how it is to work for your money. Honestly though, waking up in the morning to go to school… was not that different from actually going to school as a student.

And that’s how the call-center happened. Ah! The call-center! Such a horrible and yet beautiful experience in regards to studying how fucked up human beings actually are. Meshed with hundreds of other young people filled with raging hormones… it was impossible to have even one uneventful day. For me? Well, for once, I graduated from my virginity status, grew out of my introvert shell, rose the ranks as a salesperson, realized I am quite apt at it and finally, promoted as a supervisor with a full team under my lead.

Then I got bored and left. Boredom… BIG problem! Also, spending half of the money you’re making on rent, bills and food while the other half on girls… another big problem. That’s why I decided to change jobs and start anew. I failed at my next place of employment after 1 week…and who can blame after all!? We’re talking TWINS!!!

Anyway, back to boredom… I switched to yet another job and drowned myself in reading as a newfound hobby. At work, at home, in my free time. During weekends, I would spend at least 14-15 hours a day either reading or listening to audiobooks. Soon however, it was not enough anymore. And then one night, I had this strange thought: why not write myself?

The result was… pretty awesome. My first work gained traction and had thousands of people reading it. The reviews were good and everything was going great… except for one small problem: writing doesn’t pay bills. So, another job. A more demanding one from 3PM to 1AM. One that killed my social life, free time and creativity… One year later, or rather, one year after I stopped writing, the world went to shit…

[Authorities are declaring the virus to have gone pandemic, as each continent and countless countries now have at minimum tens of infected people. The fatalities among the hotspots are growing by the day. People across the world have gone in home lockdown, helping in slowing down the virus’s spread…](anchor)

Glancing at the TV, I couldn’t help but shake my head. I am to be 27 this year and I cannot say that I led a bad life. Especially during the call-center when I cut almost all the things I wanted off my list. I did everything I wanted to and found myself some time later… bored. Is this all there is to life? Work to pay bills and have a roof over your head, start a family, work some more and then die? What sort of shitty script is that?

Now, even the living to work part was being taken away. A virus that, according to the authorities at least, started from someone eating a bat… I couldn’t help but smirk and shake my head at that. Not even 10 years olds would believe that. There are comic books with better plot than this stupidly explained lie.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Anyway, while the world was going to shit for us humans and everyone was going ballistic because of it, a strange event occurred… March, 2020, the year when humanity’s course derailed.

[In order to keep people in quarantine and self-isolation, the authorities are finding new ways to help the citizens through it. In Spain, the police is singing on the streets alongside with the people, while in Brazil, the organized crime is enforcing the ‘Stay at home’ policy instead of the unresponsive government. However, the biggest and the most surprising tactic comes from Russia. Our reported on site in Moscow, Irene has the details. Irene!](anchor)

[Indeed Lex, the Russian president Vladimir Putin has opted for a rather, unorthodox measure in order to keep everyone at home. First off by imposing the ‘2 weeks at home or 5 years in jail’ method and now since it was proven ineffective… the president ordered the release of 500 lions and tigers in the streets of Moscow. People thought that he was joking initially, but as you can see under me at street level, that it’s not the case. The predatory animals have split their territories accordingly and now are prowling the streets while looking for prey. PETA has been thoroughly enraged by such ‘inhumane action’ as they claim that the predators do not have sufficient game to hunt on the streets of a big city. Stoking the fire, the president replied to them the following statement on his social media account: ‘If people stay indoors, then only the livestock we feed them. If not, they will have… alternatives.’ Worldwide, the heads of other countries have been rendered speechless by such actions and cannot comment on it. Back to you Lex!] (Irene)

I watched the TV at a loss for words. Then I looked my phone. An app that shows the world’s map with the spreading of the virus… 5 cases in Russia so far, three of which have already recovered. Guess it is not stupid if it works now, is it?

Anyway, this day was about to get even stranger. After switching through the channels in order to find something more… normal, I stumbled upon yet another weird situation.

[As you can see, using the satellites to track the decrease in global pollution after the impact the virus had on the entire world, this strange ‘cloud’ has been spotted forming above the Easter Island. We say cloud, however the altitude at which it had formed it’s so high, that it’s impossible for it to be an actual one. To make matters worse, the temperature readings in this area have considerably dropped, a thermographic view showing a disturbing sight…]

I watched as the program explained how the rays of light were unable to penetrate through the said ‘cloud’ and were being swallowed instead. Since this was a live coverage, you could see the face of the host turning pale, as the words ‘similar to a black hole’ flew out of his mouth.

I blanked out and kept staring at the TV. A pandemic is not enough!? Now a black hole as well… Why not throw an asteroid in the mix and we’ll have ourselves a rather interesting year besides the earthquakes, volcanos that are becoming active and about to erupt and plagues of locusts in such numbers that they were covering the skies.

“I guess if the world wants you dead, you won’t live to see the sunrise…” – I muttered

To further prove my point, the cloud of darkness was spreading at an alarming rate, similar to a thin film across the outer limits of the atmosphere.

[We have returned with urgent news ladies and gentlemen at home. The new ‘darkness’ discovered above the Easter Island has already spread out to cover 10% of the entire world. People under its influence have been reported falling asleep where they stood, unable to keep their eyes open even for a second longer. In a live footage, a person was explaining the exact process his body was going through while only 5 minutes later, he fell in a coma-like sleep in front of his camera. We urge the people at home not to get scared and panic. World-wide, the heads of the state are working in order to find a solution…](anchor)

I rubbed the bridge of my nose and sighed while seeing this. Glancing outside the window, I could already see a portion of the horizon blackening, like a tumor spreading. Looking at my late and unfinished breakfast/lunch at 4PM, I reached out in one of my drawers, pulled out a small sealed bag and started rolling a blunt.

Once finished, I moved one of my armchairs on the balcony, grabbed a clean set of clothes, took a shower and then relaxed while looking outside. The weather was good and the sky clear. I lit up the cigarette and inhaled… ‘Strong stuff’, I praised and then finished a barely-eaten sandwich.

By the time I was halfway through the blunt, a feeling of drowsiness took over me. It felt impossible to resist it, so I did not. I glanced at the smoking wonder in my hands and sighed again, feeling unpleasant that I wasn’t even able to finish it. I placed it in the ashtray, switched to a more comfortable position in the armchair… and fell asleep.