Capsule

Chapter 3

Part Two: The Car

A rabbit sits in the middle of tall grass growing out of what used to be a road. It hops through the street but stops when it smells something. It hops towards the scent, and the closer the rabbit gets, the more excited it becomes. Finally, the rabbit dives towards a small patch of star plant, blind to the taught homemade twine tied next to it. As it begins to eat, twine wraps around its hind legs and lifts it off the ground in the blink of an eye. The rabbit struggles and screeches and tries to bite through the twine, but a glass shard pierces its skull before it can finish. The man collects the trapped rabbit, happy with another successful catch.

He looks different. He seems to be better fed and a little dirtier. He has been a part of this new world for a month, he estimates, but since discovering the library, his situation has improved. As he moves to inspect another trap, he hears something. Not an animal, nor the creaking and crumbling of concrete and steel, it almost sounds like... music. He stuffs the dead rabbit into his bag and rushes towards the sound. The song grows more familiar the closer he gets.

Elvis Presley: Jailhouse Rock.

"How do I know that?" He asks himself aloud.

He begins to realize that the sound is moving. He quickens his pace to keep up with the sound. He watches his footing, careful not to step on any dangerous debris or one of his other traps. As he gets closer to the sound, he sees a trail of steam disperse between the abandoned buildings. After quickly analyzing the trail, he moves to intercept its source. After a brief sprint through the decaying lobby of an old hotel, he runs out into the middle of an intersection. He quickly discovers the sources of the sound and jumps out of the way as he is almost hit by what appears to be a car with a tank strapped to the back. The car swerves out of the way, nearly hitting a tree and grinds to a halt. Amidst the fury of steam pouring out of the tailpipe and hood of the car, a tall, well-built man with short brown hair hops out.

"Holy Shit! Are you okay?" The driver asks in astonishment.

The man does not respond at first. After a month of being the only person in this city, he is completely shocked to see another human being, and to his knowledge, the world. Yet here, after nearly being hit by a car — an insane idea in the world he has awoken to— another offers his hand to help him up. He grabs the driver's arm, and the driver helps him up.

"Um... yeah, yeah, yes, I'm fine." The man says, stumbling to find the words. "Um... hi!"

"Hi. Who are you?" The driver responds curtly.

"To be honest, I don't fucki— I don't remember."

"I would be weirded-out, but honestly, I can't remember either."

The two sigh with relief as the initial tension of the incident fades into excitement and curiosity.

"What happened here?" The man asks.

"I have no idea." The driver says in a more calm voice. "Everyone is gone. It was strange when I woke up—"

"Woke up? Like, in the ground? Were you..."?

"... in a Capsule?" They both finish in shared realization.

"Yeah!" The driver answers. "So you're the other guy. Damn."

"Okay, Two questions: Where are you from and Where am I?" The man asks hopefully.

"I was buried and presumably woke up in Toronto, Ontario. We are currently in Winnipeg, Manitoba."