Why can't my apocalypse dreams be funnier, or at least more fun??
Maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did...
It seemed like that time of the evening when a party either: naturally subsides into a collection of sleeping people passed out on various couches and floor; or it gets a second wind when an especially nostalgic song cranks up. Sparking enthusiasm that can form into movement or just -the usual- general debauchery ensues. This was happening but it wasn't actually a party (I guess that's a semantic debate) more a collection of people, brought together by circumstance, location and the day's events. People would usually have left but there was still a large contingent assembled, more through necessity than planning, comfort or for any other reason, than not wanting to be alone (or separated from a larger mass) right now.
I had no idea what time it really was, 3am at a guess? Most people in the room were still conversing in some fashion, even if a little nonchalantly or hardened. A natural reaction I guess to the day we'd been through. Emergency evacuations are never usually the most fun experiences of the year.
When I stood up in the doorway and looked at my phone I could feel the house (well old fashioned apartment building really) shaking again. Everyone was so over the aftershocks they were either too drunk to notice or purposely trying to forget.
The building we were in seemed okay, just as fine as when we had congregated there, due to it's proximity.
The last jolt seemed to be a bit longer and rougher than others and even raised some ironic shrieks from the cynical mass determined not to let it all get them down. They could suffer thinking later, that's a job for future us. Ignorance was bliss.
I don't know why, but something led me to go out the dark hallway lobby, toward the main door of the building.
Another stronger shake started, instinct or flight or fight led me out the door. I heard a female voice not too far away ask "Is the sky is on fire?"
Pretty soon I was outside in the cool dark night, looking for open space, as I looked up and realised I didn't really like the look of the tall building I was just in. Panic sent me out to the front garden, but suddenly I noticed all the trees had flames spreading through their long twisted branches. As wisps of flame and ash fluttered around in the wind.
On the front grass lawn looking up, it seemed like all I could see was trees, they were all around me. All with flames. I run out into the street. As I passed taller newer apartment blocks, I heard a disembodied voice yelling repeatedly and desperately "Put the fire out" the yelling was so piercing and shocking that I couldn't establish gender. Males and females can sound very similar when they are screaming for their lives.
I helplessly noticed flames in various areas above me and knew I could do nothing right now to help.
Ominously there were no sirens anymore, their calls had been heard all through the day as fire crews, ambos and cops had needed to slice through the gridlock to get to their awaiting emergencies. Had they been overwhelmed? Obliterated?
I stopped running for a moment and had my first unhurried thought for several minutes. I knew I had to go back to the party and get them all out of there, to somewhere safer. But where that was, I did not have a clue. Maybe a hill overlooking things with nothing above us? From my perspective the world was about to end and all I wanted was to watch it painlessly. But really there was far more that we would have to do, to get anywhere near safety again.
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