My son the writer

My son the writer

This is a short story he wrote for his creative writing class.

When the Lights Go Out

By Richard J. Dion

July 10, 2124    8:36 P.M.

My name is Noah. Today is my birthday. Today is also been eight years since “The Great Shutdown” occurred. After a solar flare entered our atmosphere, everything electronic shut off. Cars, phones, T.V.’s, and so on. But that wasn’t the only thing that went wrong. After all electricity shut off, the weak governments fell like Serbia, Cuba, Indonesia, and, of course, the U.S. The ever growing conflict between the Democrats and Republicans and the rise of the Anarchist party led to the fall of the U.S. government. After president Willis resigned, the states separated into individual governments. Most of which were led by the Anarchists.The remaining states not controlled by the Anarchists belonged to the “Holy Alliance”. To be honest, I think that the Holy Alliance is doing worse things to its citizens than the Anarchists. The Holy Alliance took my family. They took my family saying that they were prophets of the devil or something. But we all know why they took them. They were smart. The Holy Alliance has been taking away the individuals that they think to be a danger to their “way”. Other smart people, like myself, have been acting as if we weren’t for the fear that we too will be taken away. Tomorrow i’m going to try to trek through the destroyed ruins of Albany to find a library. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day, i’ll write later, bye.

July 14, 2124    12:43 P.M.

I woke up this morning to the sounds of gunshots. The gunshots must have come from downtown but i’m not sure. I walked to the nearest grocery store to see if I can scavenge any food or water. Since the solar flare hit earth, all perishable food went bad leaving canned goods. All that wasn’t looted or already gone was scarce. But usually i’m able to find a can of brussel sprouts or spinach. But once in awhile I find a can of meat and beans! Ah, my favorite. But alas, it is scarce like all the other food. Oh, I forgot to mention my findings at the library. I have found records of the Holy Alliance being in other countries other than the U.S. The Holy Alliance have been in places like Afghanistan, Norway, and places in Central America. There were reports of massacres as well as large revolution type uprisings in Holy Alliance controlled nations. Most were of citizens that had a higher IQ than the others. Some were scholars whereas others were just common people that were just intelligent. But these revolts were crushed by the Holy Alliance because of their sheer numbers. I’m not looking to start a revolt, I just really want out of New York. But I don’t want to go to an anarchist nation. The Anarchists are people less dangerous than the Holy Alliance but are still cruel. By what the name implies, the nations under Anarchist rule are nothing but chaotic. With people running through the streets toting guns and the rage of unintelligent men. Im now going out to scavenge for food, i’ll write later. Wish me luck.

July 21, 2124    7:54  P.M.

The Holy Alliance just slaughtered Alec and his children! I left the library at around noon to hear a commotion. I got closer to investigate to see General Jacks kill Alec in cold blood. Him and his men had walked right up to his door, knocked, and when he opened the door, they shot him! His children tried to escape but were captured and executed. This is what I mean by the Holy Alliance being nothing but tyrants! What if i’m next. I need to get out of here, NOW! But the only question is how. Maybe I  take to the sewers. The Holy Alliance doesn’t have patrols there. But who knows what’s down there. The only problem with going through the sewers is that the Holy Alliance uses the sewers as a place to throw failed experiments so who knows what i’ll find. For all I know, there can be mutant, bipedal alligators down there. But it is a risk i’m willing to take.

August 12, 2124    4:22  A.M.

Sorry I haven’t written in a while. I’ve been too busy planning my escape, plus i didn’t have enough time to find ink for this dinosaur of a typewriter. Anyways, all my supplies are ready. I have my backpack filled with canned food, water, ink, and a gun I found the other day. The gun looks nice and clean and seems to be in working condition. I also have some bullets to go with it. I’ve found some ammunition through my days but never tossed them, thinking that maybe I might need them in the future. Well im off, hopefully the dark of the morning will aid me in sneaking out of this place. I will write again when i’m safe within the sewers. Bye.

August 22, 2124    10:19  A.M.

After I successfully made it to the sewers I took a quick nap. This is one of the most soundest slumbers i’ve taken in a long while just because today i’m finally out of here. I’ve heard that Canada still seems to be intact so to Canada is where i’ll go. I wonder how it’s going to be like. Maybe they have electricity there! Maybe they have working faucets, and fridges, and plumbing! But I shouldn’t get my hopes up because it is yet, just a maybe.

August 25, 2124    --:--

I’ve been walking a days now. I’ve lost track of time. But I must remind myself that that is not important. There is no life down here. There is no light or anything making a sound other than the pavement beneath my feet. I’m lonely. I have been. But one will ever know what loneliness is, until they have been in a dark sewer for a couple of days. But I have to admit, at least the fear of my brains getting splattered against asphalt is no longer existent. I’m feeling sleepy so i’ll write later, goodnight, if it is even night.

August 29, or is it the 30th, I don’t know.

I’ve been walking for what seems like forever. Maybe I should search above to see where I am. I’m not sure but I think i’ll have to sooner or later because i’m running out of food and water. The gun in my backpack seems to be beckoning me. I’m starting to think of what might be in Canada. What if it is just like the U.S.? What if all my hopes and dreams are just what they are, dreams? I’m not sure but i’ll end up finding out, unless this tempting desire to end my own life gets the best of me.

September 2, 2124    noonish

I’ve risen, from the putrid hole that the sewers are, into sunlight. I seem to still be in Holy Alliance territory. But this place seems to have less Holy Alliance influence than Albany. I seem to be in a town by the name of Ogdensburg. The people say that Canada is in their backyard. I’ve asked the locals of what they know of Canada but came up empty-handed. I still don’t know if i’ll find what I want to find when I reach Canada, but I should still keep my hopes up. I’ll write later, bye.

September 4, 2124    6:43 A.M.

I haven’t slept for about a day and a half because of the pure excitement that Canada will bring. Once I reach a nice spot in a nice town, i’ll build a house, have a library, and have a garden. I have always wanted a nice and peaceful garden. I find that some of the small things in life are the best things in life. Maybe after some time, I can find a girl to settle down with. Maybe i’ll have two kids, no three. And one of them will be a nice baby boy. I can teach him how to garden with me, how to throw a ball, and how to read. Oh how i can’t wait to reach Canada. And we can have walks in the woods and fish. Well i’m too excited to write, so i’ll write later, bye.

September 6, 2124    10:38 P.M.

Canada is not what I dreamed of. I thought i’d make it to a place of peace and prosperity, but instead have made it to another nation under Holy Alliance control. And upon entering a town, I was taken. The Holy Alliance was going through the city in, what the others tell me, is the daily cleansing. Anyone who is out past curfew is taken to a sort of prison where they torture you, starve you, deprive you of sleep until your eyes start to bleed, and when they are in a good mood, will just shoot you. But in these two hours i’ve found a sort of friend. He reminds me of Alec. I met him on the ride over to the camp. He talks about how he had the same idea as me, and that he too was just as devastated with the result as me. I’m called for labor, i’ll write later, if i’m still alive.

September 27, 2124    9:21 P.M.

His name was Jason. But now, it’s deceased number 2-85-732. Jason died honorably. He tried to take a stand and  rise up against the guards. He was able to take out two of them but was taken down by the others. But the thing that, sorry for my language, PISSES me off the most is the fact that they didn’t just kill him. They made him suffer first. To send a message to the rest of us, they rounded all of us captives and made us watch as they cut off Jason’s fingers one-by-one. They then dipped his freshly cut fingers in lemon juice. His cries of pain and for help were unsuccessful due to the fact that they cut out his tongue. After this excruciatingly painful event, they slit his throat will a rusty old kitchen knife. I don’t know how long my sanity can keep in tact after seeing something like this happen to somebody that I was beginning to befriend. I can hear the guards walking down the hall, I will write to you later.

September 29, 2124    9:47 P.M.

Society is corrupt. But now that I think of it, has it ever not been. I’ve been reading books about how the world used to be before the flare. I’ve been reading about things as far back as around the date of 2010. I’ve been reading of the hate of the races. Of the hate of the world. Of the hate of someone, just because they are of a different country or of a different color. I’ve read that even before the flare, even before the great war with China, the U.S. government has been corrupt. With the fate of the whole nation practically being with a few men who sit behind desks and bark orders to their followers. I’ve been raised to be taught that this nation is run by the people, for the people, but is it truly? I have managed to smuggle the gun into my prison cell. Should I use it? Should I end my life and the suffering this world has brought it? Or should I hold onto hope and wait for this to all be over, if it ever does end? Either way, the call of the trigger is beckoning me to follow its sweet release of this life, and to send this sorry soul into the afterlife. I think that the guards let me keep this typewriter and my journal to keep hope for an end in my heart. But there will never be an end. Society never gets better but just continues to get worse. In this world of hate, there is no hope.

October 1, 2124    10:03  P.M.

This will be my last journal entry. Tonight I will give into the desire and take my life. I am writing this journal so that whoever might get their hopeless hands on it might give them this extra hope to take a stand, to start a revolution. To whoever’s hands this is in I say goodbye, forever. I will leave this world thinking that maybe, just maybe, that this journal might change the world for the better. And with this I give you a final goodbye.

April 28, 2378    

Today is World Unification Day, and my name is David.

The End

For now...

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