I’ve always had three options: 1, do the right thing; 2, be the worst you can be; 3, forget the first two and book it. The fate of the world was preventable, but it’s 2058 now and Earth is pretty much dead. I’m only 56 years old, and never in my wildest dreams, would be living in a nightmare, but it’s not so bad. I mean there’s a sanctuary every what—five months of travel? The sanctuary is  being ransacked all the time. So what? I guess some people are trying to make the best of it, or have a gang to support them if things go south.

I guess I should explain myself. it all started when all the resources were gone in 2040. China was at war with the United States for more resources; nukes flying everywhere, death left and right, and a world once whole now in pieces.

The sanctuary has a bit of food, water, housing, and people making the best with what they got there.  For the unlucky ones, like me, we had to stay on Earth while the radiation goes away, or until death comes (if it hasn’t already). Fortunately, I was in Antarctica on a trip (which is now just a miniscule ice cap) when the war began. So many people were in panic; so many lives were lost to primitive instinct. I chose to panic a little, then reminded myself that this was the inevitable; a desperate time calls for drastic measures.

There were other survivors and well, not many people talked that night. There were barely any sounds, other than a baby crying. It seemed that I was deaf, or everyone else was mute. I still remember what the first person to talk after what felt like an eternity said.

“Alek, what are we going to do love? We still got the kids and the grandkids. I think one of them got hurt when everyone went nuts.”

Everyone looked at us with blank expressions. My granddaughter stopped crying.  That’s when I realized it was her crying. I had three options, and I chose the best one.

“We check how we are on supplies, how the people are doing… Wait. Do we still have a time machine? Can’t we just use that?” I reply. A man puts on his lab coat and walks to me, “Mrs. Alek, after The United States and China declared war the time machines… were… demolished in case the enemy got ahold of it.’ He hesitated,“It was in Alaska, your home state... I’m sorry to hear you no longer represent them, you did a good job. The citizens liked that you made Alaska a better place.” I guess Alaska was demolished after the nukes hit America. I was unconcerned, we acted upon fear, unable to dismiss our differences. My family worried the most, looks of terror spread like wildfire. “Not to worry, there’s a vault in Norway that’ll have every plant known to man, I’m certain that if we explain we should use those seeds, we shall live another day.” I said.

So that’s what we did.  Slowly we start to put the pieces back.  We will try to repair the broken planet. The radiation from what was America and China, left us with unuseable plains, unharvestable food sources, contaminated mutants (the survivors),  and undrinkable water. We have three options: 1. Make the best of it with allies, 2. Be selfish and hated, or 3. Forget that and,you know have, death be upon you. Many chose the first option, same with the second, but few choose the third.

If only the country representatives talked things out, we wouldn’t have been in this mess, if everyone actually tried to save the planet, we wouldn’t have fought for resources. If I could change anything, it would be to not have war as a first option. So we didn’t end up destroying our planet, our home.