Outage

Brian clicked the remote and saw nothing but a blue screen. He picked up his laptop to look up the phone number of the cable company. No Internet. Damn. He tried retraining his cable modem, restarting his computer, and repairing his network connection. It was official. His cable was out.

He picked up his cell phone and tried calling information. No bars.

As he sat in silence, staring at the bleached wall of his apartment as the fear began to creep up his spine. It was a bewildering and unfamiliar feeling. He could feel his heart rate accelerating. He began to sweat.

After about 3 minutes the paranoia began en force. Who had emailed, who had called, who had texted since he lost service? Did everyone else know? Was everyone trying to warn him? He was sure they were. The vacant blue of the television taunted him.

He listened and noticed something. Nothing actually. No planes, no cars, no dogs. He walked to the window and looked outside. It was quiet, but also 4 in the morning. Still, this was exactly what he had expected, and he was prepared.

He opened his closet and hefted a large black case onto his coffee table. He opened it and withdrew the M24 SWS, affixing the telescopic sight. It was a beautiful sight, the sleek black metal exceptionally clean. He sat on his couch, polishing the barrel with his shirt. Within moments his heart rate decelerated, his palms dried, and his hands stopped shaking.

He waited for it to arrive, and was ready. He knew this would be the moment he was waiting for. He had made the decision long ago, and knew his chances. They were not good. But, the fear was gone knowing he would be able to pump out a few rounds before it consumed him. His breathing slowed to a crawl.

Suddenly, the blue snapped to Oprah. His phone chirped. He shuddered and closed his eyes.

He placed the rifle back inside the case and returned it to the closet. A part of him was relieved, but most of him had accepted his fate, and knew the inevitable was relentless and approaching. He was satisfied having come one step closer to welcoming it.