El Rayo - English

Chapter 1 - Routine

A look to the present reveals that something went terribly wrong. One would expect that as of year 2046, people lived surrounded by technology and were busy and distracted in a vortex of obligations and work, in a society that should be based on the search of fleeting pleasures and the pursuit of economic comfort.

Instead, all one can see is a vast and endless desert, where people live in very rudimentary and small houses, and where time seems to have regressed to archaic periods.

Near the ruins of the capital of what once was Spain, stands El Centro, a large community of survivors who gathered after the first months of the end of civilization, a group of people whose new purpose was to rebuild the world following the unexplained disaster that began to be called "El Rayo".

"El Rayo" as they named it, was an inexplicable event of causes still unknown. The whole earth shook with extreme violence on April 17th of 2026, shaking up the cities that once stood proud, and changing the geography of the world forever. Whole continents moved within minutes and climates were also changed, something that nature itself took millions of years to do. When the movement ended and most of civilization laid under the rubbles of buildings that housed them, something even worse: Hundreds of thousands of light pillars emerged from the surface of the entire planet, moving erratically and leaving behind a trail of destruction, obliterating everything they touched, and doing the final changes to today's world. Several forests were reduced to inert deserts, and many ecosystems were eliminated, leading to extinction with the same proportions that Earth suffered previously, millions of years ago.

And yet, life continued. The few who remained after this destruction found themselves disoriented, without communication with the rest of the world, and on their own to deal with the aftermath of the disaster. Despite the difficulties, and the return of civilization to ancient times, humanity reemerged.

El Centro was built two kilometers east of what was left of Madrid, and was a beacon of hope for people who survived the event. This new city's population grew to one thousand two hundred people, each with a specific role, like the cities of old.

Around the rudimentary houses and "administrative" buildings of El Centro, rose a circumference of sixteen crudely built towers with wooden ramps that allowed access to the cabins of them, and each of these had a person armed with a hunting rifle and a small two-way radio, the same people that were rotated every day after spending twenty-four hours sitting on a wooden seat of variable model and appearance.

And in one of those towers, being 5:45 pm, is Leonard Gale, a young man with his skin slightly tanned by the desert sun, dark hair and piercing black eyes, a serene and shaven face, and an athletic physical build, ready to face the long and tiring journeys that he performed each week, although he was not too muscular. Leonard did not often show his body, preferring to hide it under the makeshift uniforms that El Centro had made for its troops, an amalgam of clear colored and not very well sewn clothes, with the golden insignia of a shield with the letters "E C" recorded at the level of chest. It was the day of guarding for the soldier, and Leonard "enjoyed" it by doing absolutely nothing but waiting. The only thing that caught his attention at that time was someone stepping up the ramp and entering to interrupt his serenity.

-Well, look who we have here- a soft voice spoke as it approached the guard.

It was Selena Plata, a 26 years old woman, with honey-colored eyes that matched her brown hair combed in ponytail, white skin and delicate appearance that belied to her real job as a soldier. She was dressed similarly to the man she was talking to, but it was clear that she did not care about her clothes as much, since hers had several patches and there were some small holes on the thighs and arms.

-Do you know what day tomorrow is? - Asked Selena, who leaned against the right wall of the cabin.

-Your birthday? - Leonard questioned, turning his head slightly to see his mate.

-Hah, how funny- she said sarcastically. -No, tomorrow is April 17th. Twenty years since everything was ruined.

-That's precisely why I say it's your birthday.

-You little...

-Easy, huh. It's just a joke.

When he said that, Selena walked up and stood in front of him, crossing her arms and looking at his eyes with an expression of tranquility.

-Ready for tomorrow's trip?

-I've always been. That has become not much more than tedious routine. Walk the desert, following horses pulling wagons with things taken from the ruins, look around and drink three bottles of water a day and a beer or two. Watch and make sure that no "Treasure hunter" takes what we have, it's the same as always.

-It's as if you had been mechanized.

-I've grown used to it.

-Yes, you even have the social skills of a robot.

-I don't like people. I've never liked them. They've only learnt to appreciate life since it all was screwed up and now we have nothing.

-And yet, here I am, chatting with you.

-We know each other since childhood. Not that I mind your presence, if you need to know...

-Ha ha, well, I won't take any more of your time. I know you're too busy doing important things from which I should not interrupt- Selena added sarcastically.

-Thanks, thanks. I've been too busy looking to the desert that I shouldn't be distracted one bit. Who knows, maybe a giant scorpion will crawl out of the sand and try to devour us all- He returned with the same tone as his partner.

-If you see one, call me. I may give it a bite or two- she said, and then walked down the same ramp she used to enter, leaving the young man to do his job.

When Selena left, Leonard showed a slight smile and his eyes revealed nostalgia. He remembered how, as children, they used to play together, talk about infantile stories and enjoy being best friends, that being something rare at that age. Perhaps they would've been separated in the future, if the same event that brought the world to its present state did not happen.
Leonard leaned against his chair, thinking again about the words he said previously. It was true; life was very boring for someone like him.

-Tedious Routine...