Apocalypse Experiences

Illuminated in bright blue the ground starts trembling. A heavy rumbling echoes between carcasses of buildings. Buildings once buzzing with life now stand there with their orange polymers fading and stiff concrete crumbling.

The spaceship lands and slowly silence returns to the city. A large door on the side opens and an escalator brings a select group with spacesuits and measuring equipment outside. They do their mandatory analysis and send the ‘good to go’. Now the posh clientele emerges with their charismatic host in front.

“Welcome to Watercity!”

He points his cane towards a massive pipeline that works its way through the vast city. Time has weakened it and at some points it is leaning against the bleak buildings.

“This city was responsible for the freshwater supply of this entire moon! But it was most known for its dome!”

He points his cane past the far end of the spaceship where a massive glass dome rises above the buildings.

“We think that that’s the place were these citizens will have spend their last moments fighting, fornicating and freaking out! And I say THINK: because you…”

He waves his cane at the excited group.

“…are the first ones to set foot in this city and explore it!”

The group claps and whoops while he walks over to someone’s remains that stick out of the sand and dust that tried to cover it up over the past two centuries.

“Do keep in mind: you are allowed to take souvenirs with you as long as they aren’t human remains.”

He squats down and digs the skull and mandible out of the sand. Pressing his lips together he pretends to let the skull talk.

“And that includes skulls!”

Some faint laughs emerge from the group while he tosses the skull and gets back up.

“If you want to look anything up, feel free to use the ship’s database. My family has kept a detailed log from the moment they bought the moon up to the founding of Watercity and of course the catastrophe itself. On behalf of Apocalypse Experiences I wish you a pleasant day of exploration!”

The group leaves the ship and excited talks and small camera drones surround them as they walk towards the dome. Along the way some of them get distracted by the broken and empty buildings. They disappear inside to investigate what these simple lives must’ve been like in their final moments of terror as the catastrophe wiped them out. Others lag behind while taking selfies with some of the skeletons scattered in the streets. One man leaves the group by just walking very slowly but with a certain determination. Combined with his rather basic black and blue out of fashion clothing, he draws the attention of the host. He hurries over to him and smiles when the man notices him.

“What brings you to our experience?”

His smile is fake, his question prodding.

“A lot of money brought me here,” the man mumbles.

The host bursts out in laughing.

“Yes, but this is a rather unique and often once in a lifetime experience!”

“It certainly was once in lifetime for them.”

The man kicks a femur out of the sand. They walk on in silence till the dome is right in front of them. The frontrunners of the group have managed too break open the sealed doors.

“After you,” the host smiles as he waves his cane towards the opening.

“No, thank you. I will stay out here for a while to take some pictures of the scenery.”

“As you please…”

He waits for the host to join the others in the dome and then walks a few paces back to where he noticed something so ordinary that no one else noticed it: a keypad with a lit screen. Very common at home but not in a city that has been offline for over two hundred years. It is located next to a closed metal door in a common looking building. He walks over to it. The screen has enough power to tell him that the temporary lockdown has been removed but not enough power to open the door for him. With a knife in his pocket he manages to pry the door open enough to wiggle his fingers in and pull it open. From the dark corridor behind it the smell of old dust greats him. He peers over his shoulder if anyone is looking, before entering the darkness.

The flashlight of his small camera drone illuminates the narrow corridors and flights of stairs that lead him deeper into the building. The metal steps echo hollow on his final descent that stops in front of a large sliding door. From behind it comes a low humming sound. He walks over to the control panel and ignores the slight tremble in his hand while operating it to open the door. A large hiss comes from under the door and a computer voice starts speaking. It sounds crackling and distorted and he cannot understand it. The door takes it time while more sounds than just humming start to emerge from behind it. When it does finally open he has to covers his eyes from the bright blueish white light. He rapidly blinks with his eyes and starts walking forwards with his arms stretched to prevent him from bumping into anything. He keeps looking at his feet till he is able to see them properly again. Then he looks up and freezes. There is a massive machine in the middle, humming and creaking. Around it are rows of stasis pods, filled. Vast asleep like statues in cyan water colonists wait for their rescue. He is shocked, too shocked to notice the first pod lighting up green.

He walks around and takes pictures while peering into the pods to see signs of life. But not one of them twitches their nose or moves their fingers. He has to believe the screens on the pods indicating which ones are alive and which ones are not. Although the ones that are not are pretty clear: skeletons floating in brown mud. He walks over to the massive humming machine and tries to understand how it works but the technology is too ancient for him.

Suddenly goosebumps run over his skin as he thinks he hears a faint ‘hello’. He walks away from the loud humming and listens for another faint ‘hello’. In the corner of his eyes he sees something moving and he lets out a scream. A rasp and weak voice responds.

“Hello? Who are you?”

He looks at a young woman walking around the corner. She is wearing some high-tech orange overall but is shivering nonetheless. Her wet skin is white and some pieces are just hanging loose. She stops to lean against one of the pods and catch her breath for a few seconds before walking over to him.

“Are you one of them?”

“One of whom?”

He backs a few steps away from this zombie-like woman.

“The colony owners! We thought they came to collect us when all their ships entered orbit. But instead they poisoned the air to kill us all!”

“Are you sure?”

He looks at her weak eyes filled with fire.

“Yes! With the moon nearly depleted of minerals they killed us like cattle!”

She tries to walk over to him, but collapses.

“I need medical assistant. The emergency stasis abortion must have been too fast.”

“I can take care of you on our spaceship. Come with me!”

The way back up takes a long time, although with each set of stairs she conquers she seems to be getting stronger. When they finally exit the building she drops to her knees and cries. Happy tears from feeling the sun, sad tears from seeing her empty city in ruins. He lets her be and marches toward the ship. His eyes are focused and jaws are clenched.

Next to the entrance the host is standing with some of his colleagues and asks him something, but he doesn’t listen. He enters the ship and goes straight to his quarters. There he doesn't grab a medical kit; he grabs a gun. Quickly he exits the ship again where the host looks in distress at the gun.

“What….what is that? What are you doing? Who are you?”

“I am not a normal guest. I am not her to enjoy the death and decay. I am here on a mission.”

He nods in the direction of the pale woman slowly making her way towards them. The host looks at her and his face nearly goes as pale.

“That’s impossible…”

“Apparently it is not!”

Anger seeps through his words as he raises his gun.

“She isn’t the only one. There are hundreds in stasis pods waiting to emerge.”

His finger clenches the trigger and he aims… at her. She looks at the gun in disbelief as her red stained eyes open wide. She tries to speak but with a loud bang a projectile burns through her skulls. Her body drops dead on top of another colonist who gave up hope over two centuries ago.

“Who are you?” the host stutters.

“I am a health and safety inspector and you are in big trouble! Having higher life forms, especially humans, alive on this colony is a severe risk for the safety of your customers! Your family is hereby ordered to halt all excursions immediately till you can prove to the ministry that this moon has been rid of all remaining humans!”