Apophis

Apophis - Chapter 5

April 5, 2036 - 8 Days Until Impact

It's 3am and I just got back home. I'm drunk. You would think with only a few days left, one wouldn't worry about personal space or alone time, or fun - but you would be wrong. I couldn't sleep. So a little after 11pm I decided to go for a walk. I walked a couple blocks. Then a couple more. I walked towards the old downtown. Then I saw a light. The flickering neon coming from this old strip mall. I had heard about this place. It was on old pool hall. A towny bar. I had never been there. As I approached I started to hear what sounded a little like music....and laughing? I pushed the door open expecting to see a couple of old timers playing cards, but...

THE PLACE WAS PACKED!

I took a step inside. It smelled amazing. But, I couldn't figure out what the smell was. People were dancing, playing pool, darts, and old video games like Golden Tee. Everything in this place was old! I was greeted by a giant of a man whos nametag read "Nick". "Can I get your ID babyface?" asked Nick. "Sure!" I smiled and started to grab the wallet from my pocket. I only had the wallet because it was full of pictures of my son. Nick grabbed my ID and laughed a booming laugh "Jesus Bro - I'm just messing with you!" Nick threw his arms in the air and belted out the words to the song playing "It's The End of The World As We Know It!". Then he threw my ID like a Ninja star across the bar. "Welcome to Nick's Bar, brother!" He slapped my shoulder, smiling sincerely. "This is the last night we'll be open. Have a great time." I nodded and smiled back. 

"Thanks Nick."

Just a few more feet in, there stood a girl standing behind a livestock feeder full of ice and beer, chomping violently on her gum. "Watcha' drinkin' honey?" I looked closer at the cooler. There was 1 kind of beer - Busch Light. "I guess I'll have a Busch Light" I said with a chuckle. "My ,that's been a popular one tonight." We both laughed. I'm sure she told that joke 500 times tonight, but I appreciated the effort.

I grabbed my tallboy and headed to the bar. I love sitting at the bar. There's something about the TV's, the bottles of booze, the bartenders and the strangers on either side of you. A couple stood up from their seats, made out for a about 90 seconds, then stumbled their way the to the door. I quickly snatched up one of the seats.

"Need a menu buddy?" I always loved how you became someone's buddy when you bellied-up. It was like having an insta-friend. It felt good even if it was an act. "What's the special tonight?" I grinned because I knew there wouldn't be a real special. I assumed there might be some SPAM or bologna on the fryer. The bartender leaned over while drying out a beer mug, raised an eyebrow and asked "How about a Ribeye - On the house?" My god, that was what I was smelling. I haven't had a steak in 2 years - not since the price of beef went up by 1000%. "YES! I definitely want a one! Please!" "You got it buddy." The bartender placed a shot of something down in front of me and him. "What is it?" I asked. "Does it matter?" He replied. "No, it definitely doesn't." We toasted and he left to put in my order. When it came out I just looked at it and smelled it for a couple minutes. It was beautiful. It was a $500 steak, and it was the best meal I can ever remember eating.

I proceeded to have 2 more shots. And 4 more beers. And then 2 more shots. I told jokes and stories with the bartender and with the strangers at the bar. Nobody mentioned the thing that was coming in 8 days. I got my ass kicked in a game of darts by an 80 year old man. I sang songs along with everyone else in the bar. Then, before I knew it, it was closing time. Slowly the crowd exited the old pool hall. I was sad to think that I wouldn't see any of these people ever again. I wondered how many of them had families to go home to like me. I hope they do. I started my walk home.

I walked up to my front door. "Damn, I'm drunk" I whispered to myself. I decided to lie down on the grass to sober up a bit before going inside. One of my favorite things to do with my wife was to see who could find the most satellites in the sky. There are over 15,000 satellites that orbit earth at 18,000 miles per hour. If you look up, and it's dark, you'll likely spot one within a minute or two. I layed on my front lawn for an hour before going inside. It felt good to lay in the grass and look at the stars. They were bright and you easily make out the constellations. Strange thing though. I didn't see a single satellite. I wonder how long they've been gone.

I went inside and laid in bed with a smile on my face, recounting the stories that were shared that night. I think a lot of those people could have been my friends. I wish I could remember even 1 of their names now. Oh right, I remember 1 name - Nick.