The post apocalyptic world is never pretty. At least not in any movie I’ve ever seen. Or, for that matter, any television show I’ve seen. The world is always in ruins, with dilapidated buildings and garbage in the streets. And then there are the bad guys. They either work for a government gone bad, or if there is no government, then for themselves. They’re always chasing the good guys who really just want to save the world. So why should real life be any different?

The news reporters told us all about it on the TV. It was just like that Orson Welles thing all over again ‘cept this time it was real. Of course, I didn’t believe the reports when I first heard them, but maybe I should have paid a little more attention. I didn’t believe it even when the news reported that people were first throwing their children off of buildings, then jumping after in an effort to save themselves. I knew all about how that man who will sell no wine before its time fooled the world once, and I wasn’t going to fall victim to this elaborate hoax. I even remember that I grinned when the news told the world that a 20 year old man first shot his wife then himself. They were too young to have children. Thank God.

When I knocked on Josh and Mandy's door to see if they were watching the news, I believed. They looked so peaceful cuddling each other while they sat on their couch with their rosy cheeks. I walked into the kitchen and opened the flue to their wood-burning stove. It's a common misconception that a gas stove will kill you from carbon monoxide poison, but it's too bad that Josh and Mandy knew better. Their dog was dead, too, but he wasn’t lying by their feet to complete the idyllic scene; instead he had clawed the back door just off of the kitchen to try to get out before he’d succumbed to his everlasting slumber.

After throwing a blanket over my neighbors, I went home to think about what to do next. It didn't take long for me to dump the contents of my oversized purse and then replace them with my iPOD, PSP, flash drive and iPhone. I wasn’t sure if the Internet or television would still work, but I wanted to make sure that I could still at least watch movies when I got to the mountains.

I hope the store is open because I think I’m going to need a lot of batteries.

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