By Rob Sackett
I don’t know what caused it or why we ever let it get so bad; just that I’m still here paying for it. I just keep
moving forward, wandering in search of answers I may never find. When it all started, I thought we could stop it
from happening. I thought if we worked together, if we just stayed positive, that it would be enough to turn back
the clocks. Maybe I was naive, but I’m still trying to find a way to take it back to a better time.
Everyone started out optimistic it seemed, but I think a lot of that was a misplaced faith in systems that were
never designed to handle this. When they failed to protect us, we were blindsided to a degree. It’s not that we
didn’t have warning signs; it’s just that most didn’t pay them any mind. They were lost in dreams of glamour and
digital escapes, droning through their lives only to reach their next date with a screen. You’d think with
everyone spending dozens of hours in front of monitors, phones, and televisions that we’d have known more
about what was happening in the world.
No one thought this would ever happen, not in our lifetimes at the very least. Sure, some fantasized about it
and would tell stories of how they’d sway the fate of humanity if put in this very scenario. Others just tried to
prepare for it, positive it would happen eventually. Most of us, though? Not in a million years did we think we’d
be dealing with this.
People tried to scream out, to warn us that we were on a path of destruction. I had a friend that tried to warn
me. He’s gone now. So many are gone, and if you’re reading this then learn from our mistakes so you can
make your world better. I didn’t wake up until I was staring one of them in the eyes, trying to talk reason into
them. You can’t reason with them if they’re not even listening. His face didn’t even change; he just lunged at me
and tried to take a chunk out of me. I kept trying to talk sense into him, but he wouldn’t stop coming at me. My
friend is gone, but I’m still here.
I’ll write again, soon.
