Armageddon Has Come

The churches have left their lights on bright and shining for what has begun. Those unfortunate enough not to have made preparations before this day are surely welcome but there is no guarantee that someone will be there to help them. Along the highways, the back country roads, and even in parking lots, cars have been abandoned and their owners are nowhere to be found. A few of the cars are even left running - perhaps the world still has a few optimists left. The aisles at the grocery store have been depleted, ransacked and gutted. Even the stuff one wouldn't think to take - like cleaning supplies, have been looted and grabbed "just in case." Offices and business throughout are boarded up and closed down until further notice. Not a peep, not a whisper, not even a charismatic ringing bell to signify a new customer will be heard on this day of reckoning and judgment.
Out in the country, a few chimneys still have smoke emanating from what are probably the dying embers of a makeshift fire from a family that's since fled or disappeared forever. All across the land, people are praying... Down on their knees they go hoping for some sign, some miracle, some daunting courageousness of relief and they hope they're not forgotten. The police and fire departments and EMT's, what's left of them, are doing their best to prevent humanity from turning its ugliest - as often happens in situations like these.

At the darkest hour of the night, approximately 3:45 A.M., a lone car drives down the highway. The driver looks out at the wreckage, the abandoned cars, and the occasional straggler walking the side of the road. He drives by the grocery stores and sees the damage done to them through the windows. He can even see the few volunteers who've decided to come in and restock the shelves in hopes that their jobs will continue after such a traumatic event. After he careens off the highway and onto the main road, he sees the police and the firefighters and the remaining EMT's doing what they can to quell the imminent uprising of the forming vagabond crowd.

As the driver passes by the brightly lit church with the "Welcome" sign on the door, he shakes his head to himself and says "You've got to be kidding me. All of this because the weatherman predicted up to two inches of snow?!"