Dreamland

The Warmth of Armageddon

I find myself in a crumbling apartment with my wife. It's on the fourth floor of a decaying brick building in the middle of a dying city. Power hasn't worked here in quite a while, no lights, no heat. Outside the wind howls, the cold pushes it's way in through broken windowpanes, chills you to the bone. I pull the moldering green velvet drapes over the windows to shut out the draft the best I can.

One of my neighbors knocks on the door: "Open up Steve!" he hollers.
"What's up, Billy?" I ask.

"The fires! The fires! They surround the city! It's the End! Armageddon! We're all gonna die!"

"Calm down! There must be a way out."

I open the heavy drapes and look through the cracked glass, I can see the flames bearing down on us, as far across as I can see. I run out into the hall and across to look out a window on the other side of the building, the flames are there too, rapidly approaching as the wind howls. There's no way out.

There's an old school canvas emergency fire hose in the hall. I grab the nozzle and pull on the hose, unwinding it as I run back towards the apartment. I yell out to Billy, "Open the valve, man! we gotta soak this place down!"

I start spraying water on everything that will hold it, the couch, beds, curtains, as I yell out to my wife: "Get everything cloth you can find! Clothes, sheets, towels, bring it all out here! If we wrap ourselves in wet clothes and cover our faces with the towels we just might survive! "

I soak everything down and stuff wet rags into the gaps of the broken windows. We reluctantly put on the layers of wet clothes. We're shivering, freezing, waiting for the flames...

Even if we don't make it, at least we'll be warm soon...