It's been a gloomy day here in New York City. The rain has been pouring down non-stop, and the streets are full of people huddled under their umbrellas. The rain has been coming down steadily since morning. The roads are slick with rainwater, and the sky is a dull shade of gray. The tall skyscrapers reached all the way past the clouds. It smelled of petrichor.
It was heartbreaking seeing my life's work go up in flames. From, as young as I can remember. I had always wanted to be a NASA engineer, yet the universe didn't want me to.
Ever since I was seven I remember seeing the first man on Proxima Centauri. I decided then I wanted to work at NASA, and I worked hard. I was valedictorian, and I went to college. I got my masters in engineering, a doctorate in aerospace engineering, and an astrophysics masters degree.
I considered myself a progressive in technology, but it shocked me that even though 60% of the population is unemployed the government still won't do anything. Canada has already made a basic Universal income work, and it is easily affordable by AI doing all the necessary work.
Despite that, I was more worried about my rent I could barely afford it. 30,000 USD a month (5,000 adjusted for inflation) I could move back in with my parent, but my brother's already living there with his wife. If I move in it would be absurdly cramped.
I have been struggling to make ends meet and pay my rent. With the cost of living in this city constantly on the rise, it feels like my paycheck is never enough. I have found a job and work long hours every day but it seems like. I can barely keep up with my expenses.
I've been living in this tiny apartment ever since I started college. It's not much, but it's all I can afford. The walls are thin, and the plumbing is constantly acting up. It's far from perfect, but it's the closest thing I have to a home.
I've been trying to find a better job, but it's been tough. The job market is so competitive, and all my skills are useless. I've been sending out resumes and going to interviews, but nothing seems to be working out. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I'm worried that I won't be able to make rent this month, and I don't know how I'm going to get by. It's frustrating to work so hard and still struggle to make ends meet.
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As I thought about my sorrows I lay in my bed. The creaking frame sounded out to the apartment. I stared at a dusty ceiling dry, white chunks of paint chipped off signaling that it hadn't been painted over for years.
RRRRRIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGGGG. My phone went off I grabbed its gray exterior and checked the notification I got. One of my resumes was accepted. It was a street cleaning job. I just sit in the vehicle and sweep where the machines can't.
I got up and walked to the bathroom, I checked the mirror. I looked at my face it was unshaven scummy and grimy. My skin was a dark ecru, and my hair a dark black. A downcast look filled my face.
----------time spik----------
As I was walking over to where they told me to go. I looked up at the sky a Spaceplane model Soma V-4 flew through the sky. The Soma Spaceplanes are a line of Spaceplanes that propel themselves through space by using ionized antimatter with regular matter in a chamber to cause an internal combustion.
As I was looking at the spacecraft. HONK! An AI-driven tuck was going full speed into the busy crosswalk. People started running I was pushed over in the commotion and died.
I felt a sudden pressure on my legs, and everything went black.
----------time spik----------
When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer in my body. I was observing the scene from a distance as if I was watching a movie. I saw myself lying on the ground a tire mark over my Thighs. At first, it was a surreal experience. I couldn't believe what was happening. I tried to reach out to touch my body, but my hand went right through it. It was then that I realized I was seeing everything from a third-person perspective.
As I watched, the paramedics arrived and started performing CPR on me. They worked for what seemed like an eternity, but I remained lifeless. I could hear people around me crying and screaming, and my heart ached for them. Despite the chaos around me, I felt a strange sense of peace.
It was as if I was no longer tied to the physical world, and all my worries had melted away. I watched as my body was loaded into an ambulance and taken away, and I knew that my time on this earth had come to an end. I then heard a strange voice follow me it whispered, since I was already dead I decided I had nothing to lose and followed it.