The Last Future

Chapter 1 Pt. I

Syntax

Farming is hard. It's like Satan himself created farming. Another thing that Satan created was this war. Or should I say crisis. Whatever it is, the world was at a state of mass chaos. In January, the population was 18 billion. Now, it was only 12 billion. In 5 months, the governments managed to kill 6 billion people. 6 billion lives lost simply because the government wasn't generous enough to invest for space exploration. Wow. Technically, the civilians are the ones responsible for the loss. We were the ones who voted for this government. Maybe not me though, because I was underaged.

"Syn, Syntax! Syntax!" I heard someone shouting my name. I snapped back to reality.

"Dude! You were staring off into the distance like you didn't hear the siren!" Syrron shouted.

"Oh, sorry. I'm still thinking about that kid who died in the court. Like seriously. Don't the soldiers have the slightest bit of mercy?" I mumbled, louder than intended actually.

"Dude, buddy boy, those soldiers did have mercy, trust me. At least the they used to. And lemme tell ya, they are enduring just as much pain as the kid was. I'll bet ya half a chocolate bar." He chuckled at that last remark. I just shrugged. He patted my back before dragging me back into our house. We locked the doors, shut the windows, and went down to the basement, our main living quarters. Cytric was roasting a few drumsticks near the fire. Syrron took a seat on the couch, while I closed the shutter doors.

Our living space, cozy as it was, was quite small. Weathered stone walls lined the interiors. The kitchen was right next to our dining table, and the couch was next to that. A toilet and a bathroom was across the room, frosted glass as its door. Next to that was a short corridor. Doors led to a bedroom, bathroom, storage room, and closet.

A siren was released every evening to inform residents of the village the time. Everyone would go back to their homes for dinner.

"Dude, that smells good, real good!" I said.

I suddenly thought of the boy we left behind.

That poor kid, I thought.

The food eventually made its way to the table, but I was lacking appetite. I went into my room and shut the door. My room was the one place I'd be in these situations. The soft beige linen paddings on the wall made me relax a bit more. With an empty stomach, I went to sleep.

~3 hours later~

A faint knocking sound woke me. It wasn't coming from my bedroom door, but from the actual front door. I felt uneasy doing it, but I went up to check who it was. I opened the shutter door, trying to make a minimal amount of sound. I picked up a steel pipe and cautiously made my way to the grey door. I opened the sight, and a teary set of aquamarine eyes stared back at me. I slowly opened the door, being careful not to wake the others. I looked at the person, and tears started welling up in my eyes. I was gawping like a goldfish, because I saw something I thought I'd never see again. Ever.