Apocalypse Dreams

Duality

"Now, I made a dozen sandwiches, restocked on cereal, bought more junk food, and prepared more boiled eggs... and I guess that's it," a more chipper version of James replied. I could imagine him as more of a happier person than he looked at the very moment. No scars on his face, or graying hair. James Thompson, as it stated on his uniform name tag, gave him a sense of pride for working in a secret military facility in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"Why can't you just quit?" little Clementine Thompson said after lifting her head from the cereal bowl to reveal milk tracings left on the edges of her lips.

"Why can't we all just quit?" James replied with a question. "Because sometimes in life, you have to struggle to prosper."

"He's going to later," Jenna Thompson chimed in with a smile from across the table from her daughter.

"We'll see," James replied while shaking his head. "I'm only gone for five days."

"And that sentence does not bother you at all?" Jenna asked sarcastically, while still trying to keep

"It's already been a year, I'm sure it's up from here on out," James replied with a smile. "Trust me, once I rise up the ranks, I'll make sure everything goes well."

"We shouldn't discuss that in front of, um," Jenna began to speak while staring at Jack. "Don't you have to leave soon?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," James replied while staring at his unfinished cup of tea, while his reaction in the liquid stared back at him. "I'll see you again next Friday, Cam."

He got up out of his chair to hug his daughter, while Jenna began to get up out of her chair to get ready to walk Jack out of the house. She seemed impatient and anxious as she stared at him hugging his daughter. James was eventually finished saying goodbye to Cameron. He grabbed a bunch of protein bars, chocolate bars, and pieces of candy off the table and placed them into his right pants' pocket. He wore black colored slacks, a plain light blue buttoned shirt. James had a duffel bag with his personal belongings and he grabbed it before coming into direct contact with his wife.

Jenna and James started walking out of the dining area and into the living room, where they both looked at the door. After opening the door and stepping outside with his wife, James sensed another lecture from his wife about to commence.

"Just quit the job before anything bad happens," Jenna spoke quietly. "We are not in a position to change anything."

"It's all about morality," James replied softly. "I cannot turn my back on my coworkers. These are good people and they are slaving away for this company with questionable intentions. I just can't."

"We do not know what he's capable of," Jenna replied with a depressed undertone.

"Everything will be alright," James replied with a smile. "I'll take care of it."

Deep down, James realized that everything was not okay and that he probably would not be able to come out of this situation alive. That might've been hyperbole at that time, but he realized that it could've been a consequence for being righteous, as he perceived himself to be. He was just more concerned with doing the right thing as he saw it.

"Look, he's too worried about saving the world," James said. "In his own way; he's just trying to be a god."

"You're no saint, yourself," Jeanna replied.

"Whatever happens, I'll never be like him," James retorted. "Clem is the only thing..."

"Clem will be leaving with me this weekend to go to my mom's," Jeanna stated. She nervously took out a cigarette from her left breast pocket of her shirt. She lit it up with a match and anxiously began to smoke. She shook out the light that was left burning on the matches and placed it in the same pocket. "I'm divorcing you, James."