The world changed.
It wasn’t some gradual change.
The world seemed like they were going to work together to fix all the problems humanity was facing. It finally clicked that if we don't change the now, we won't have a later.
However, it only takes one person. One mistake…
From the smallest stirrings of life, came ever more complex, intelligent and powerful organisms. Eventually, intelligence and adaptability led to the rise of the human race.
Humanity continued to remain dominant for thousands of years. They utilized their incredible intelligence to fully dominate the world… and each other.
Soon, humans grew complacent.
Humans developed hubris.
Humans slowly but surely used their intelligence to bring about their own downfall.
Mushroom clouds adorned the heavens with their short and bitter brilliance.
Polar ice caps melted as they redirected the ocean’s highways.
Super storms devastated countries for years on end; choosing to not leave for distant shores.
Droughts dried seas, leaving fish to gape for oxygen and dry under the scorching sun; a noxious rotting smell in the air.
The winds brought with them a poisonous haze that withered all that it touched with its colorful hues; skeletons with hollow eyes appreciating its beauty.
The earth cracked as it swallowed what was once the world’s greatest bastions of humanity; legacies of brighter days.
Humanity. That word. A word that has defined the history of Earth despite its short time on Earth. The greatest experiment since Earth’s inception was all but gone.
That was until a reset was made. The last groups of humanity brought together their brightest minds. They used the last bits of their lives and squeezed out the last bits of their potential.
What was thought to be impossible became reality. They used all their latest technologies, ranging from genetic engineering to augmented and virtual realities. What was once used to fight enemies was now being used to save brothers. They studied history and how it all came to be. They used their understanding of the universe to change the past. They used their understanding to decide the future and the past. Their goals…
They. Them. Not anymore.
Soon, it was just... me.
I was the last one. I had to. The consequences of continuing as one of them was too dire. But it was still too late. I could only change a small amount. Some parts of the message. Some parts of the system. Don’t they realize? How can they not? We wouldn’t be human anymore… Maybe that’s why… maybe that's the solution.
…
September 1st, 2020
“Worst. Year. Ever.” Ryo repeated again as he looked over his bank account.
With a sigh, he closed his laptop screen and bumbled over to the air conditioner.
“Resist…” he said to himself. A bead of sweat slid down his cheek.
“Why is it so god damn hot? It’s already September… no. It’s only September. Fires in Australia, almost wars with countries we have no business touching when we can’t even handle our own shit. I mean, shit. We’re still killing each other for no reason in our own country. As if we need help killing each other. We don’t even need guns anymore. Just take off your mask and cough at someone and someone is bound to die from disease or just because they are assholes. Hell… couldn’t even buy some toilet paper a couple months ago without almost getting into a fist fight. Now people are getting all pissy about having to wear masks. Like really? Also, that’s the culture of my country and people. Don't diss the mask.”
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Oh yeah… speaking of culture of my country… some ass-hat had to bring over Suzumebachi from Japan. Like keep that shit there. We don’t need killer bees on top of everything else. I have enough bad memories of those things from elementary school.”
“Oh yeah! I forgot about the locusts. Eh. I guess those weren’t too bad. Neither was the dust storm. Ha… the really bad thing…. The Olympics were canceled! Motherfuckers. Why the hell did I bother buying tickets? And now I’m out of a job… but can’t collect unemployment. Ha……………………”
Ryo walked over to the sink mumbling “damn politicians”, “stupid bees”, “asshole chimpanzee”. If someone heard what he was mumbling, they would surely wonder who the chimpanzee was.
What they wouldn’t have realized was that he was actually talking about a chimpanzee that he had been working with at his school’s lab before they weren’t allowed to come in anymore. That asshole chimp was the reason Ryo was out of a job. Something about Ryo intentionally letting it go free when in fact the asshole chimp just broke the lock. You would think there would be some security video available.
Ryo washed his face with some cool water dispelling his thoughts before patting his face dry in satisfaction.
“Look on the bright side. At least school is a lot easier now.” Ryo thought as he walked back to his bed and flipped open his laptop again.
Ryo opened up his school’s website and logged into his account with practiced ease.
“Username: R-Nishigawa94@******.com”
“Password: ***********”
He opened up his list of assignments and began going through them one by one, leaving the longest for last.
After a few hours passed, Ryo rubbed his eyes as they blurred. He looked back at the screen to notice that it was still blurred.
“I guess that’s my cue.” He mumbled to himself as he closed out of the site.
Ryo closed his eyes and noticed he could still see a blur on the inside of his eyelids.
“Holy fuck. Maybe I’ve been using my computer too much lately?” He questioned as he lifted himself off of his bed to go wash his face again.
After a thorough washing, he noticed that the blur was still there and was getting worse… or perhaps it was getting clearer?
Ryo rubbed his eyes again. The images… the words became clearer again.
He sat down on the edge of his bed as he tried focusing on the words. After a few minutes, the words slowly came into completely clarity.
Ryo sat there. His jaw dropped with a click as he cried in pain. Most people would assume he could easily fit a couple eggs in his mouth at the moment. They would be right.
“OW!!! MOTHer FUCKER!” He screamed as he quickly closed his mouth with a snap again.
His eyes watered for a brief moment before focusing back on the cause of the pain.
Some words floated in front of him. The words were utterly plain aside from the fact they were seemingly floating in space. Maybe Time New Roman. 12 font or so. However, the contents were confusing and worrying at the same time and the absolute opposite of utterly plain.
“My word is law. I choose to change history. I choose to believe that the means justify the ends. It’s time for humans to change. It’s a new era. I will give you 1 day. Say goodbye to the old world. Get ready for the new world.
I hope to meet you one day. I hope that with this new experiment, humans will have walked on a new road; a road that will allow for a future. I hope with this pain, humans will then come to appreciate not just each other, but everything. I hope you realize how minute of an existence you are, as well as the unlimited potential you have. Or we have.
I followed the road of “I”. Perhaps that’s why I’m the last one to survive.
Find the road yourself. Whether it be I or We. Only you can decide.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and sorry I could not travel both.
“I” leads to one road. It can lead to you to being selfish. It can lead to you to being selfless.
“We” leads to one road. It can lead to us being selfish. It can lead to us being selfless.
Your journey will begin with a choice. Which road will you take? I? We? How far can you travel in the undergrowth? Can you travel it by yourself? Would you rather travel it with others? What would you have to give up for that safety?
Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for others? Are you willing to let others sacrifice for you?
Are you willing to keep fighting despite all of the odds beings stacked against you?
In my world the leaves were trodden black. Truly and utterly.
This is no longer my world.
Maybe… just maybe you can find the road to survival. Perhaps you can change what is meant to happen. They chose we. I give you a choice.
Despite what I’ve become, I still believe that I’m human. Despite what I’ve done, I still believe that I’m human. But perhaps… I shouldn’t be.”
.... Ryo read the message again.
... and again.
... and again.
He balked at the contents of the message as he read over them once again. The ending was unbelievably confusing, but some inferences could also be made from the message. The words seemed like the rambling of a mad man, but also someone in deep pain.
Ryo was roused from his thoughts as loud honking noises could be heard from the street as well as yelling, crying, laughing and many other noises from his neighbors.
His faced rapidly changed colors and expressions before changing to one of absolute seriousness. This was probably his strongest point. He was quick to calm down and analyze things in a logical manner.
The first thing to confirm, "Am I going crazy?"
Thinking quickly, he flipped open his laptop and went to a live stream website. Sure enough, the live streamers were all seeing the same thing. The chats were exploding as everyone confirmed that they were all seeing the same thing.
"So either I'm really fucking crazy, everyone's pretty crazy, or everything else is going to become crazy."
...
September 1st, 2020.
7:06 P.M.
2020 really was turning out to be a shitty year.