by Drew Avera
"Here is your microphone, sir," the man with perfectly styled hair said to me as I approached him. He pinned the microphone onto my collar and switched it on. Another man adjusted the level on the controls so that everyone would be able to hear me. He gave me a nod when everything was set.
"Is there anything that you need before we get started?" Nila asked me.
"I could use a drink of water," I said as I still gripped my left arm in my hand. Nila walked away to retrieve the water and I stood in the square and looked out at the gathering of people. Some of them loved me, but most of them hated me, I hated myself. I pulled the picture out of my pocket and looked at it again under the light of the sun. In that moment I hoped for an afterlife, I just wanted another opportunity to tell her that I loved her.
Nila returned with a glass of water, "here you are Mr. White."
"Thank you," I said as I took the glass from her hand. I downed the cool water in small sips, stalling, hoping that everything would end without the need to make a speech. It had been my own idea, but without anything worth saying I was now regretting my decision. I finished the water and set it down. The media man nodded at me to let me know that they were ready.
I walked up to the podium and stood before the crowd gathered in the square. I was not protected by an acrylic shield like I had been before. I was out in the open, vulnerable to any attack. This was another choice that I had made. I did not care about my security. If I died before the end came then that would make things easier to deal with. It would be a kind of suicide due to a lack of planning on my part.
I made eye contact with several people as I stood there quietly. An old woman with kind eyes and wrinkles on her face, a young man who wore a scowl on his face who was standing next to another man who wore a smile on his, they all stood before me waiting to hear what gospel I had to tell. There was no good news. Every ounce of my body wanted to fall onto a sword and end my despair. I gripped my left arm tighter trying to subdue the pain. I felt a bead of sweat drip down my forehead and I watched it splash onto the podium. I looked back up at the crowd which was hushing itself, waiting to hear my words. I felt nothing in that moment. I willed myself to speak, but nothing came out. I tapped the microphone and heard three loud pops through the speaker system resonate out into the square. I swallowed hard and felt my legs give out.
I fell to the ground behind me and felt the dull pain of my head hitting the pavement. My eyes were still open as I looked up into the sky. Nila and several other people surrounded me and I could see their mouths moving but could not hear what they were saying. I ignored them and continued to look up at the sky. The sun burned, but I kept my eyes open. I could see light reflecting off of something directly above my head. It must be one of the electro-magnets that forms the magnetic field around our planet. It had been years since I had noticed one. I kept starring at it warily as someone began pushing down on my chest in rapid succession. The reflection flickered and then appeared bigger. More chest compressions followed and I could feel something tear in my chest. Why were people pushing down on me? I looked up still and this time I noticed a second reflection and then a third, followed by a fourth. This was it, I thought to myself. The end was here in all of its magnificent glory, so I closed my eyes to embrace it.
About the Author:
Born and raised in Mississippi, Drew joined the US Navy at age seventeen and began his career as an aviation electrician. During his first year stationed in Virginia he met his wife and together they have two daughters. Drew has been active duty for thirteen years and has made three combat deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Southern Watch. Drew’s other interest include playing guitar, writing music for his band, and reading both comic books and novels. Exodus is the first book that Drew has written and it will be part of a trilogy in the Dead Planet Series. Drew and his family currently reside in Virginia.
Feel free to follow Drew on twitter @DrewAvera for updates on his life and writing.
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