I awoke to the sound of sirens blaring, the unfortunate alarm for the passing of this world, a bitter reminder that this will be the final half an hour of humanity's existence. The air, thick with the smell of sweat and smoke, so thick that it was almost impossible to breath, almost choking to breath in these final moments. When I breathe in I can taste the dry, smoky air, similar to that of old jerked beef, almost leathery. The uncomfortable, unbearable, unreal heat of the summer of 1956 made my skin expel more water then a river. The light was both dim and light, with an orange tinge.
I attempt to stand my legs almost unable to support me, and for an instant nearly collapsed with the sudden rush of blood to the head. I proceed to get my belongings together as I hear the man on the radio informing us that we have little time left. But what have done for us, the men on the airways, spreading their lies, their propaganda, and their advances on the human subconscious killing all the possible thoughts of freedom, a prisoner of ones own mind.
This war both in and out the mind, between states, peoples, and states against peoples had caused the worlds largest period of unrest. The second dark age it is called, the wars between the soviet union and china against the US, UK and other western powers, however with the Unthinkable War, the third world war, the final war. A war that has killed more than any other combined was about to gain a massive increase. These sirens weren't a warning of another pointless air raid, but this was the final nail in the coffin for the world, the final act of incompetence by all world powers to resolve their issues diplomatically. The world could have been saved if we could have built technologies like fission reactors instead of fission bombs, landing men on the moon instead of landing men in St Petersburg. Now with the ashes of nuclear fires in the second world raining down on all of us, the spread of the four horsemen war, famine, pestilence and finally death. With the last of the nuclear weapons causing the new mass extinction of the world.
I made my way down the stairs and got onto my bicycle and road into the town, the war exhaustion was clear on these people's faces. Their dark, dark features in contrast with their pale white skin, these were the colours of ash, black and white. This war was soon to extinguish itself. I made my way into the high street. It was empty, in both ways, the stores were either looted or barred up and there was not a single soul to be seen. The place had tuned to a ghost town.
I made my way to the very centre of the high street, in the middle of this town there is a massive steeple, one that's clock had stopped forever, at twelve, midday or midnight, we never knew. I got off my bike and entered the door of this steeple, the door led to a stair well, not upwards, but down into a void of darkness. I took out a gas lantern and turned it on, like a soul descending into hell, I came into a cavern, a stockpile if nothing else. This was an ark and I was Noah, the leader and controller of this place. This place was both an archive for information and people. In a matter of moments a trickle of people made their way into the apply named ARK Charlie, the third of 28 around the country, that trickle began to become a torrent, the timer was quickly ticking away, and soon it was time.
"Close all blast doors in, three, two, one." I shouted, to the echo of clanging, each bolt screeching into its place as each doo was quickly closed, three layers of thick steel, hopefully enough to take a blast of a fission bomb. We began the slow and tedious task of taking each of these weary individuals to the central hall of this underground facility. A spotlight was fixed onto me, almost to bright for me to see clearly.
And so it was time for me to address the crowed.