Darkness Falls

By David Allen

Day One

5:38am

I sluggishly climbed out of my car and glanced up at the star-lit sky.

Another late night at the office, I would fall asleep just as the sun rose and wake up just as it set. The whole thing was a little depressing. It had been months since I'd seen daylight. I felt like a vampire, cursed to live at night and sleep during the day. Of course, I hadn't gotten to the point where drinking blood sounded like a great time... But I still couldn't shrug off the feeling that I was some kind of freak.

I went through my usual routine to get in the house. That is, I fumbled with my keys for what seemed like decades, trying to find the right key and then trying to convince it to go into the key-hole. By the time I got into the house, I was just about to collapse with frustration. As I closed the door and made my way through the darkened halls I decided that it would be perfectly acceptable to have the entire door removed so that I could get into my house with ease. Of course that probably wouldn't have made it easier, my house would be gutted of every valuable item by the end of each day. Which was basically a tiny black and white television and an old molded mattress. But hey, I love that mattress.

You would think that someone who lives at night would have gained the skill of moving through his home in the dark. I did not posses the slightest skill in this area. Every morning on the way to bed the same thing always happened. I would trip over a particular loose floorboard and land violently at the foot of my mattress. Usually, I would simply fall asleep right there and not wake until my alarm started shrieking. There was no exception this time. My left foot caught on the loose floorboard and I went sprawling to the floor without a sound.

I was asleep before I hit the floor.

My alarm did not wake me up. I really have no idea what woke me up. But I suddenly found myself sitting bolt upright, wide awake. I sat there in a daze for about five minutes before I realized that my bladder was just about to burst. Taking the logical route, I stood up and made my way to the bathroom. The hall was just as dark as it was when I came in from work. That was either a good sign or a really bad sign. I was either early or really late. I did not take the time to glance at my watch until after I had relieved myself. I finally summoned the effort needed to look down and push the little black button, confusion hit me like a twenty ton brick from hell.

It was 11:58. AM.

It was nearly noon. My half-asleep brain suddenly lurched to its full capacity, which isn't very high, and I realized that something was seriously wrong here. If it was actually noon then the sun would be up. It was not up. The sun was not up.

My logical mind told me that my watch was just messed up. Perhaps the battery was laying precariously on its death bed. I decided to check the only other clock in the house. The dreaded alarm clock that sat on top of the television in my room. I made my way back down the hall and stepped into my bedroom.

The side of my right foot hit the loose floor board and I crashed to the ground. It didn't phase me. I immediately turned my head and read the large red numbers on my alarm clock.

12:02pm.

It was noon. There were no doubts in my mind. The alarm clock never lied. I sat silently at the foot of my bed and gazed out the window at the stars. I really couldn't think of a logical reaction. I stood up and flipped on the television. Through the thick haze of interference I could see one of the channel three reporters rambling about riots and chaos in the city. Pictures of buildings engulfed in flames, angry mobs surging into appliance stores and bloodied police officers being dragged off by rioters flashed across the screen. The camera then cut to a picture of the president beckoning for 'his fellow Americans' not to panic. And then the head reporter was smiling into the camera while his partner, a rather repulsive woman with far too much make-up smeared across her face mumbled something about marshal law being declared.

I flipped channels and saw that a similar news cast was being put on by channel six and their 'top news team.' The reporter nodded solemnly and began to talk about the loss of the sun. Now there was something useful. I listened closely.

"...has become a lifeless ball of hardened molten. Scientists are baffled by this sudden..."

I laughed out loud. I really don't know why. I suppose that it was the only reaction my brain could conjure up. The sun was dead. A lifeless ball of lava rock. Dead. So much for seeing daylight again. The world was finished. Everything was already falling into chaos. I really had no idea what to do.

"...be sure to lock your doors..."

I laughed again.

"...reports of hundreds of suicides... crime off the scales..."

I shook my head and laughed. It was about time to take a shower and prepare for... well nothing really, my office was in the city and the city seemed to be just a little busy burning down, so I wouldn't have to go to work anymore. How nice, I thought, a vacation.

I showered and got dressed within about five minutes. Afterwards, I went to the basement and found my shotgun and some shells. I wanted to be ready for any uninvited guests. I climbed back up the stairs and ate some leftover pizza. By the time 2:00pm rolled around I could hear gunshots from a few blocks over.

It was starting.

Within an hour the sparse gunshots had multiplied. It sounded like a war over there. The whole time, I sat in the living room with my shotgun, just waiting for someone to bring their problems to my doorstep. Their was a sudden explosion a few houses over and then another next door. It was right about then I realized how cold it had gotten. It did make sense, without the sun temperature would just keep on dropping. I stood up, went over to the thermostat and cranked the heat. Just then there was a knock on my door. More like a severe pounding actually.

I cradled the shotgun in silence, just waiting for the door to come flying open.

It did just that. After another short series of pounding, the door swung open and a man with a revolver rushed inside the house. He obviously didn't see me standing in the corner. I pointed the shotgun and squeezed off a round. The spray of bullets caught him just above the chin. His twitching corpse went flying out the door.

I rushed forward and slammed the door shut. Glancing out the window I noticed with relief that the man had been alone. His body was sprawled out across the lawn, just another shadow in the starlight. I reloaded the shotgun and took a deep breath. I had never killed anyone before. It was slightly exhilarating.

I walked back over to my tattered recliner and sat down.

It was a matter of minutes before I fell asleep.

Day Two

9:43am

My eyes fluttered open and I glanced around the dark living-room with a little confusion. It took a moment before I remembered what had happened to the world. Laughter over-took me again. I stood to my feet and decided to check the news. I set my shotgun against the wall by the door and walked down the hall to my bedroom. My right foot caught the loose floorboard and I hit the ground with a distinct thud. I sat up and flipped on the television.

"...anarchy is a very good word for what has happened to the... Every man for himself it seems... Washington in flames..."

I snickered. The world was going to kill itself. What a bunch of morons. It was then that I realized that I was included in the same package as the rest of humanity. If they were going to die then chances where extremely high that I would die too. At first it seemed like no big deal. But as the whole idea sunk in, I became very sad.

My thoughts were interrupted by an all too familiar sound. My front door being kicked open.

I raced down the hallway and snatched up my shotgun. The door was wide open. I glanced around and saw a flicker of movement in the kitchen. I levered the shotgun and eased into the shadows. I would blow this guy away as he left. Sure enough someone hefting a large bag came slowly out of the kitchen. It was definitely a man. His white-beard was completely visible from where I hid. He glanced around nervously and made a break for the front door. I fired just as he crossed the threshold. His back side erupted into an explosion of blood. He crashed onto the lawn next to the first man.

I caught my breath and reloaded the shotgun.

The silence was suddenly shattered by gunshots from the street. Bullets flew through the door and poured through the windows. I threw myself to the floor and kicked the door shut. This man had not been alone. Guns continued to fire from the street, the bullets pounded their way through the walls and the door. I was beyond frightened. I did not want to die. My mind raced but I could think of no escape. There was an explosion in the kitchen, flames raced up the walls and across the carpet. I was trapped. I would die right on my living room floor like some kind of animal.

I fired a shot through the shattered window and fell back to the floor. That had been my last shell. I was done for. Panic set in. I closed my eyes and cried out a plea to whatever supreme forces happened to be listening. I wanted it all to go away. I would give anything for the sun to have never died. Anything.

I did not notice the sudden silence as my panicked mind shut down and I fell asleep.

Day Three

7:56am

Daylight stabbed through the bullet holes in my front door and walls. The living room looked as though it had been through a fierce battle. There was even a small pool of blood in front of the bullet ridden door. I yawned, not realizing the sudden appearance of natural light. My mind suddenly kicked in and I found breathing to be nearly impossible. The sun was up. The shock and delight hit me like a steel whip. The sun was up.

I jumped to my feet and screamed with delight.

My excitement was cut short by the sound of gunshots from the street. I threw myself back to the floor. Once again, I was confused. If the sun had never died then why on earth was I still being shot at? I glanced out one of the larger bullet holes in the door. Any trace of happiness and excitement that had been in my plummeted into the depths. My entire front yard was jammed with police cars. I took a second and more complete look. Several of the cars were eaten up with bullet holes. And a pair of shotgun mangled bodies lay in the lawn just in front of my door. The first corpse was missing half of his head. The second wore a bullet ridden jacket that read, NEGOTIATOR across the back.

I gulped. This was very bad. Very, very bad.

What was going on? My mind reeled.

I decided that I should get to the television and see what happened.

I crawled along the floor all the way to my bedroom. My knee hit the loose floorboard and pain raced through my leg. I cursed under my breath and switched the television on. The channel three news team sat sternly at their desk mumbling about the terrible events that have been unfolding...

"...shot a door-to-door salesman out of rage... allowed a negotiator to enter... murdered out of cold blood before negotiations even began... police are preparing to make the final move..."

I did not laugh.

THE END

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