In our STRANGER THAN FICTION issue, we asked you to write a story about the last day on earth, before the supposed 2012 apocalypse. Here is one student's story. Enjoy!
Gotta Live Before I Die
By Chance Walton
As he always did, Jim Sheldon rose at dawn. He went about his morning routine, showered, shaved, and threw on a clean shirt. As he looked out the window of his dormitory for the final time, he reflected on the events of the last several weeks.
Halloween seemed so long ago. Jim had come home from a party and flicked on the evening news. Astronomers at NASA had discovered conclusive evidence that a huge spike in solar flares would occur on December 21, the winter solstice, flares large enough that they would destroy all life on Earth. Jim spent the next few weeks studying on the habits of solar flares and the alignment of the planets, and confirmed the scientist’s discovery, reaching his final conclusion on December 19.
As Jim spent those few weeks secluded in laboratories and observatories, he was almost oblivious to the happenings of the outside world and the passing of time. The human race would not take doomsday lying down; there were large scale riots and fires that caused great damage to cities around the world. Luckily, Jim's sleepy little college town had all but been abandoned, save a couple hundred students and professors.
Jim had long since decided to spend this day, his final with his parents and younger brother. What he had not decided until now was how they should spend it. They met in the parking lot of a closed down Wal-Mart at around eight in the morning. The family had differing ideas on what to do that day. Jim’s dad, Dave, always trying to be the voice of reason, thought that the family should seek shelter underground somewhere. Jim had not yet told them the specifics of his research, the fact that the radiation from the solar flares was powerful enough penetrate through more than a thousand miles of carbonized steel. Because of this, efforts to seek shelter would be a futile waste of their last few precious hours on Earth.
The night before, Jim had a dream. In his dream, he was flying through infinite amounts of crisp blue sky, terrified, yet exhilarated. So the entire family was a little surprised when he said very matter of fact-like “We should go skydiving.” His mom, Beth, having always been acrophobic, said “Are you crazy?” “Why not, we’ll never get to experience it again,” said Jim. “But we could be ki…” said Mom before realizing the irony of what she was saying. It was that which changed her mind.
Most pilots had already packed up to be with their families by that time, but Jim had a friend who could take them, an old former Vietnam War pilot with no family and nothing else besides his little two engine Cessna. So it was that the family found themselves on the flight ledge, nothing stopping them but their own butterflies. Finally summoning his courage to jump, Jim turned to the old pilot and asked with finality “Where are you headed after this?” he asked. The pilot responded “I’ve gotta live before I die. Good luck and Godspeed,” and they jumped. Oh, they had never experienced anything like the rush experienced on that fall. Down and down, just like in Jim’s dream feeling freedom and terror at the same time. As frightening as it was, Jim was disappointed when the time to deploy the parachutes came. Jim spotted an empty field, and decided to guide the small group toward it for a smooth landing. Once they touched down, there was no need for words to describe what they had just experienced. All faces, Beth’s especially, just read “Wow!”
After a moment of absorbing the moment, Jim and Dave planned what they should do next. The plane had dropped them in the forests of eastern Oklahoma, dozens of miles from civilization. “Well we’re not picky people, we can make do here in these woods,” said Beth. They began walking west toward the now setting sun. “Such a beautiful sunset,” Dave remarked, and they all murmured in agreement. After walking for only a short time, they stumbled upon a little clearing in the trees. A creek ran through with an apple tree standing tall and proud on the raised bank. Jim thought it at once but it was his younger brother, Tyler who remarked “It’s like the place in the Bible.” Beth, the ever strong Catholic said it was a sign they should camp here. As the rays of the sunset faded out forever, the family managed to build a campfire and ate apples from the tree. As they snacked, all of the family reflected on the day that had just transpired, a day like no other. They experienced exhilaration and complete peace in the span of a few hours. No, they had not crammed lots of action packed activities into the day, and had not tried to seek shelter. However, as the earth spun ever more closely toward the fateful winter solstice and alignment with the sun, Jim thought to himself “Wouldn’t have had it any other way,” and closed his eyes. That night, he dreamt of flying.