That horrible night

Science fiction story (part 1)

2040

  Peter and Christie, a beautiful couple with a son named jacob had never imagined that their lives would take a sudden turn on that fateful night. Peter, a government officer in Minnesota assembly and Christie, a singer had their wedlock four years back (in 2036). They settled in minneapolis

11 january, 2040 (23:45)

Scene:

Peter and Christie with jacob are trying to fall asleep in a room which is endowed with oxygen supplier, automatic moisture and temperature control system. In an attempt to get some warmth in that chilly night, peter starts a conversation....

Peter: hi sweets, how was your concert at stagecoach festival??

Christie: Fine baby, it was electrifying !!!

Peter: now jacob is 3 yrs old. Its time for his kindergarten. 

Christie( with a pleasant sigh): yeah.. our little munchkin has grown up..

Peter: yup.. i am ve...........

Suddenly peter's phone buzzes....but he ignores

Peter(completing his sentence): i m very anxious about his upbringing. He is yet to learn anything about formal education. Wonder what will happen

Christie: ohhh c'mon baby, he is just 3. Things would sort themselves out gradually

Peter:yeah hope so but.......

Again peter's phone buzzess multiple times. This time he attends them.... the phone was loaded with pethora of messages..peter could sense something serious...

He immediately shouts " Christie switch on the television"

Christie suddenly wakes up in horror " what happened baby ?????"

Peter doesn't respond. He himself gets up and switches on the T.V. news

An anchor on fox news

" we are getting reports of water stinking around the cities in US and Canada. The Mississippi has suddenly turned filthy.Gradually the water of lake michigan, huron are turning black and stinky.The municipalities are finding it difficult to supply water to the residents. Only half a million gallons are still remaining. The situation feared to worsen in coming days. Scientists are trying to analyse..................."

Meanwhile jacob wakes up and looks confused.

Peter: Do we have enough stores of water?

Christie doesn't respond immediately. She is watching the news..

After sometimes, 

Christie: yes but i m afraid it's not much.....

Peter doesn't wait for Christie to finish her sentence..

......steps out of his apartment 

He could smell something stinky. Gradually the foul odour gets amplified as he moves northwards. Suddenly he screeches in fear........................................

.......................................

To be continued (1/n)........

Science fiction story (part 2) 

In halogen lights, peter could see water turning black and swarms of some organisms floating in the water in overwhelming mumbers. Peter is terrified.

He rushes back to the apartment. By that time, the serenity of the night was completely destroyed by colony people rushing out of their homes. There was a huge pandemonium everywhere. 

Jacob is wondering what has happened...

Next week was full of panic and commotion

19.1.2040

Peter and christie look somewhat tensed. Peter switches on television. A random news journalist:

" Gradually scientists are beginning to understand the underlying cause of the problem. The organism has been identified as a virus. It has been named 'maveros virus'( maveros means 'black' in greek). Scientists have traced the root of this virus.It has been found that virus has come from the melting snow in alaska. They have postulated that due to global warming, the snow has melted to a large extent and there were several microbes which were earlier hidden beneath these snow have now appeared because of the melting. The water in Mississippi has brought along with it this virus from these melting snow. The same virus is responsible for turning freshwater into black and stinky stuff. Scientists think that this has happened dur to abnormally high rate of replication of the virus. It can produce 10 billion copies in a minute..........."

Christie: ohhhhhh!! That's terrible . Now even our water stores are running out.

Peter(with anger mixed with remorse) : now, republicans and democrats will begin their usual blame game. Nobody took 'climate change' seriously and now we have come to this disaster.

Christie: yaaa..... now even municipalities have run out of their water stores. God knows wha........

Suddenly they heard a huge noise in the colony. Both of them and jacob rise up to have a look through the window. They could see a municipality water vehicle and a huge crowed of people jostling with each other to get a bucket of water.

Christie (in a terrified tone): ohh.....even we have to have a bucket. But...

Peter interrupts her : we have no time to lose baby. I an going immediately with a bucket 

Christie: I am coming too....

Peter: noooo....there is a huge crowd.....

Peter jumps over to get his bucket and runs out of the apartment.

Christie follows him..

The municipality officer yells' STAND IN A LINE.......COOPERATE WITH US....PLEAAAAAASEEE.....'

No one listens to him.there is a huge commotion.

After struggling for half an hour, peter manages to reach to the vehicle. But then someone tries to pull him back. A heated argument ensues which turns into an ugly scuffle. The man punches peter hard and pins him to the ground. Christie senses the urgency of the situation. She rushes in anger, slaps that man hard and frees peter. She takes the bucket fills it and both of them return to the apartment.  

Christie (almost in a weeping tone): baby you are seriously injured.....

She rushes to get her first aid box..

She dresses his wounds and both of them sat together on the couch. 

Jacob is visibly disturbed and starts crying.

Christie consoles jacob and picks her up in her lap

Peter looks at christie in gratitude.

Christie understands him and the three of them hug each other in a wordless expression of love..

10 o clock night...

No electricity...three of them are sitting in a dark room..

Christie: baby we have to leave this place. It doesn't seem to be safe anymore.

Peter: you are right sweets. Lets go to my moms place in colorado

Christie(gleefully): yeah..that would be great!!!!

Peter: hurry up baby, lets pack up tonight itself. Tomorrow morning we have to set out...

Christie: yup....

Both of them begin packing up...

End of part 2....

TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT PART (3)

PART (3)

Peter,christie and jacob reach colorado but not before immense hardships because of huge traffic due to mass emmigration. Everybody was desparate to go to a safer place

22/01/2040

In colorado , morning 7:10

Peter's mom Everna welcomes the three of them. At the breakfast table:

Everna(who is unaware of the emergency situation that has happened): is all okay ???

Peter looks at christie with a confused look , not knowing what to say..

Peter: ummmm..... nothing serious. Just a temporary crisis and so we are here.

Everna: ohh that's good. People are creating unnecessary hysteria . I remember 20 years ago we had Covid19 pandemic (with a sigh) tremendous paronia existed.

Peter and christie continue to eat without responding.jacob is spilling the milk.

Christie (angrily): jacob...jacob....dont waste milk.

She grabs his hands. Jacob tries to free his arms in vain.

24/01/2040

After a couple of days.....

Peter and Christie are sitting at the shore of colorado river , with their feet inside the cold and soothing water of colorado river...

Christie (in somewhat tensed voice): god knows what might be happening in Minneapolis. 

Peter: dont worry... its just temporary..

Christie starts reminiscing good old days..

Christie(holding peter's hand in somewhat romantic way and with her head over peter's shoulder): remember our first meeting in college?????

Peter ( with a smile) : yes honey...it was an evening ( just like now).we had an argument over food in canteen( saying this peter laughs)

Christie (with a smile): yes baby.... sometimes love begins with hate.

Peter: true....those days were just lit..you were a singing superstar and i was a typical geek whom everyone hated..

Christie (laughs): yes and why shouldn't they hate you???you were a typical studious nerd with no sports or music or anything...

Peter interrupts her : by the way i had beaten you at tennis(he laughs)

Christie (irritated): and dont you remember when our girls team had beaten yours in volleyball..

Peter(with a grin) : yes that happened because refree was favouring girls...

Christie: u............she laughs and gives some soft punches on peter's cheeks

Both laughed and hugged each other 

Suddenly Christie cries in pain..........and takes her legs out of the water..

Peter stands up and tries to hold her. Christie's feet had red inflammation and swelling..

Peter is confused......

PART -4 

Peter: what happe.........

Before peter could finish speaking, suddenly they saw water turning black and the same foul stink making the atmosphere unbearable.

Both looked at each other in horror and move towards home; with peter assisting Christie in walking..

When they reach home they saw government officials at their home. 

Officer to peter: " sir we have to take your mother in the relief camp. It has been observed that the virus is absolutely fatal to the old people..so the old people are to be taken quickly to relief camps

Peter: please wait a minute..

He rushes immediately and packs some important things for his mom Everna.

Peter comes back, hugs everna and says"take care mommy. We will meet soon."

Peter and Christie go back to their room.

Jacob was littering things around and crying.christie attends to him.

Meanwhile peter switches on the TV.

Some random reporter:

" Gradually everything is getting contaminated . The blackened water is very irritating to the skin and can be fatal especially in the old people.scientists are working to understand the pathogenecity of.........................."

Christie (coming to the room):anything new?????

Peter(with a heavy sigh): no just the old crap....humans are so helpless

Christie: Okay...let me prepare some food.

Peter is busy watching news.

12 noon:

At the dining table:

Christie serves food to them. Peter is watching his cell phone. Jacob is hungry and begins eating. Christie goes back to kitchen to bring some more food.

Suddenly, jacob starts coughing and vomiting hard.

Both Christie and peter are heavily concerned. 

Peter: where did you get water from, for cooking ????

 Christie :from tank.......why ?????

Peter: oh no....i heard in the news hat even ground water is getting contaminated..

Peter rushes of the home with jacob in his lap to a nearby doctor..

The doctor prescribes some medicines and peter and jacob return home..

Christie is anxiously pacing up and down.

The moment peter and jacob come in. She rushes to see jacob.

Peter comforts her.

PART 5 

Evening the same day:-

 

Christie(Somewhat tensed)- what will happen next? There doesn't seem to be an end. Even ground water has become unsafe to use.where would we go now????

Peter: can we shift to Hansbach's home in london?

(Hansbach is Christie's brother)

Christie: yeah why not!!!!

Peter: yes i think london should be safe.

Christie:yaaa..........

Peter: let me book the flight ticket immediately 

Christie:yeah......

Peter books the ticket in his tab

The three of them set out for the airport in their car.

They reached the airport by 8pm 

Peter: how is jacob now?? Is he okay???

Christie: yahh he is doing fine. In the afternoon......

Even as christie was saying this, a loud announcement started:

"Due to the emergency situation all flights stand cancelled.inconvenience caused is deeply regretted "

Both peter and christie are horrified

Christie:now what will happen.

Peter couldn't respond immediately. He is thinking. 

After a few minutes of awkward silence.

Peter: ohio beach is almost 369 km away from this place. Can we drive through arizona desert and take ship from there to london.

Christie: yes, i dont think we have any other option.

The three come back to the home. They collected some essential documents and money and set out in their car.

They drove alternately through arizona. 

24/1 (morning 6 am)

Peter is driving the car. They are almost 100 km away from their destination. 

Suddenly something happens in the car. The car stops with a jolt.

Christie wakes up with a jolt.

Christie : what happened baby??? Why have we stopped ????

Peter doesn't respond. He is desparately trying to start the car , " i think we have messed up. The car isn't moving.

After half an hour of unsuccessful attempts , peter comes out of the car.christie and jacob follow him.

Peter:we are in a desert . No mechanic shop seems to be near.

Christie looks around her in all directions

Christie(pointing her fingers northwards):look there, an oasis seems to be there. There must be some human settlement around it.

Peter: yes but we must be careful. People of kenzhari tribe live in this desert. They are highly aggressive and fearsome

Christie: yes come.......

The three of them go near the oasis. Suddenly a tall, well built and muscular tribal man comes out of his hut and comes towards peter.

Peter tries to persuade him peacefully but the tribal man doesn't understand his language. 

After a few moments of futile persuasion, peter tries to go back to his car. But the tribal man attacks him. They get into an ugly fight. The tribal man was far more powerful than peter. He throttles peter with his huge arm and peter is helpless and gasping for breath.

Christie senses the danger. She immediately goes and kicks the tribal man hard in his nuts. The tribal man falls screaming in pain...

Christie (breathing fast): come baby , we need to get out of here as quickly as possible otherwise more tribals may come.

Peter: yeah......fast.

Peter tries to start the car again but fails..

Christie: okay lets take the articles and go forward. There may be some human settlements ahead.

By this time, the three of them are exhausted owing to the lack of food and water.

Somehow they drag on weary and tired.

PART- 6

Luckily a kind hearted man was going by that way in a car.

Peter makes desparate signs for him to stop.the car stops and a middle aged man pops out his head , " yes????????"

Peter: sir.....sir....we are highly exhausted . Plz give us a lift sir ...

The man (after thinking for a while)

Okay come in.

Peter(with a sigh if relief): thankkkkkkks a lot sir..

The man takes them and drops them near the ohio beach...

The three of them take a ship and within 3 weeks reach london. They are welcomed warmly by hansbach(Christie's brother)

they live with him for almost 2 months. 

Meanwhile , as the virus was habituated to survive under the sheets of snow in the glacier at a very low temperature, so the virus cant survive after coming suddenly into the normal atmosphere. Within 2 months all gets cleared. Peter, christie and jacob return to Minneapolis, in USA to lead their normal happy life together. 

March 2040: 246 countries around the world take pleadge of fighting climate change so that such disasters dont happen again.

An appeal from the author: my appeal to the readers and everyone in the world is that we need to take climate change seriously. As the ice is melting from glaciers , lots of viruses, bacterias which were earlier trapped in those ice will come in open environment.The results will be unpredictable. It may lead to annihilation of entire humanity...........

P.S. This is a fictional story..Any resemblance to anything or anyone living or dead is purely coincidental..