Dreamless Souls - A Sojourn of Fools

Sequence 1. Prelude into the Nightmare

Sequence 1. Prelude into the Nightmare

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"When you're born into this world you're given a ticket to the Freakshow, and when you're born in America, you're given a front-row seat." - George Carlin, comedian and philosopher of early 21st Century"

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"What the hell's with this traffic!" For the umpteenth time, Todd Griffin swears into his car, his words audible only to himself as the radio talk hosts continued to spit out disinterested words.

This Christmas Day, the President of United States will be holding a press conference to address what the world has already written off as a rising Pandemic. At the same time, is War the Only Answer? With rising body count and conflicts across Euro-

"And this radio is no fucking better." Irritated, he twisted the knob and adjusted the broadcast with disdain. What followed was the Christmas classics that his grandparents had listened to. "As if today couldn't get any worse..." Yes, today was Christmas Eve, and he was late.

How can he, the pillar of the family, be late for Christmas Eve Dinner? Never mind the fact that the world was becoming more and more chaotic and crazy. He was a man on a mission, aiming to survive the holidays and become a symbol of familial success among his colleagues. Not even a few setbacks at the stores, the malls, and the parking lot involving crowbars and rocks will stop Todd from making it home before the kids return from their Grandma's.

He was prepared. The conqueror of Macy's was returning with spoils of the Jingle Bells skirmish. The backseat was stuffed with the latest iPad Air for his wife Chrissy, a giant Coca Cola Polar Bear, and monstrous Lego sets for his twin daughter and son, along with the cheap Rent-a-Santa outfit complete with the hat and crude beard. Even the trunk was cleared of his office supplies and replaced with one of those homegrown Christmas Trees, its fir top sticking out.

Unfortunately, no matter how many obstacles he triumphed over, the one thing he could not conquer, much to the dismay of other likeminded holiday shoppers, was traffic - modern commuters' nightmare.

"C'mon, Google maps, how long's the damn hold-up." Looking up at the digital dials of his Android Watch, Todd stomached another growl of malcontent. "Another 40 minutes... at least, shit. And the damn fog's here!"

He had been here since 5:40 PM, and cursing his fate, Todd just had to be stuck on the Golden Gate Bridge as fog enveloped his surroundings. With one last struggle in vein, the furious father rolled down his window, stuck his head out, and yelled, "C'mon you assholes, what the fuck's with the hold up, huh!"

Needless to say, the peanut gallery of drivers had only two reactions: ignoring him completely, or mirroring his anger with various gestures that had seen popular use since late last century. The emotions running through everyone was the same since all of them were stuck in the same situation - 6 lanes of traffic meandering through bumper to bumper in the eve of one of the nation's most beloved holidays.

The damp air tasted salty and clung to Todd's fingers and face. Quickly, he ducked back in and shut the window, sighing in relief at the warm heat and saxophones only to note that raindrops had begun to clatter against the windshields.

"Great, first fog and now the rain. What's gonna happen next." Muttering darkly, he returned to manning the steering wheel as cars in front inched forward only to flare their brake lights a foot after.

Only then did Todd notice the green and red flashes and digital display on his watch. "Ah fuck." They've only been married for three years and he already knew if he didn't answer his phone immediately it would be like the Spanish Inquisition all over again.