Hell breaks loose

I stood outside the hotel at the agreed hour. The sky was hazy, the sun was absent, hidden behind 

invisible cloud. There was a strange eerie stillness in the air, that feeling of the calm before the storm.

I sensed a nervousness from both the guests and hotel employees. There seemed to be a sudden exodus going on. Taxis drawing up to whisk away the guests to who knows where? Home? Where was safety?

Suddenly the jeep screeched to a halt before me. He always had to make an entrance. He jumped down and greeted me somewhat abruptly. “Morning. Quick, jump in before I change my mind. Things are moving fast. I almost called to cancel but…” His voice trailed off. I jumped in hastily before he did change his mind. Perhaps this was foolish and irresponsible of me, of him but I sensed if I didn’t spend these last hours with him now, I’d never get to know what he wanted to share with me.

He drove fast and slight carelessly, his mind obviously on other things. My mind too was miles away. Back to a time when this trip had filled with huge excitement and anticipation. Spending times with my loved ones, preparing to start a new life, excited for the future.

His cell phone rang. He answered with one hand while steering with the other. I almost volunteered to hold the phone to his ear but decided it best not to interfere given the darkness of his mood.

He listened in silence and hung up, barely saying a word to whoever was on the other end.

Just as I was about to speak and break the uncomfortable silence, I became aware of a strange sound that I couldn’t quite identify. I looked up and around me as did he. Then they came into view. A fleet of military helicopters flying back in the direction of city. They looked dark and ominous.

“Oh fuck.” He punched the steering wheel, making me jump nervously.

“I may as well tell you what I was just told. Besides all the other shit that’s going down, I’ve just been warned of an imminent attack. Involving the countries round here that begin with I.” I looked at him in confusion, slightly puzzled at the way he was talking. Then he pointed at his phone wordlessly. Bugged?

Surely, they can only listen in when you’re talking on the phone? I wasn’t about to question anything right now.

He spotted a place to pull over and came to a screeching stop. He motioned for me to leave my bag and phone in the Jeep. He did the same. We both jumped out and headed into the desert dunes. I was quite happy just to keep wandering, into the great open, vast space. Away from the madness.

“Okay, let’s stop here. Sit.” He ordered me as if I were his pet. If I wasn’t so alarmed at the turn of events, I’d have laughed or retorted rudely at least. Now was the time to obey. I was in unknown territory. We both sat side by side, staring into the great beyond, the desolate beauty of the desert.

“My phone is tapped. I’ve known that for a while, hence most of my conversations are bullshit. Though I’ve been told that they’ve place a bug, listening device to keep tabs on me at all times.”

“What the fuck?” I was incredulous. “Jesus Christ! If I had known I was walking into a scene from a Bond film, maybe I would had thought twice about all this! How long have you known? Doesn’t that mean that they could be suspicious about anyone in contact with you, including me?”

“Obviously. They probably tapped your phone. Hope you haven’t got any nudie pics on there.” He laughed somewhat halfheartedly.

“Can we just finally have this conversation once and for all? Let’s just summarize what the fuck is going on here.

1)      We have a virus that is now declared a pandemic. A virus that started either in a meat market as officially stated or in the lab in same city which was either accidentally or purposely released.

2)      The way it spread was rather odd made no fucking sense. The closest nations geographically barely seemed to have that many cases if the news slash official sources were to be believed yet all of a sudden, one of the nations beginning with I (this is like playing fucking I spy!) suddenly seems to be number 2 in the world not long after apparently blowing a passenger jet out the sky in their own airspace and were condemned worldwide and were about to trigger world war 3 with Mr Trump. Why the fuck were they suddenly struck down? Something to do with their trade agreements with China? Then Italy? Then Spain worse than China!? The world knew back in December well actually some knew in November and they did nothing despite the warnings! Are you telling me the governments, knowing how this virus worked, how it attacked the respiratory system, didn’t consider stocking up on respirators and masks? Fuck!” I stood up and begin stamping the sand in fury.

“All these people dying. I know we can’t control everything in life but seriously! Some measures could have been taken. Funny how Italy and Spain statistically have some of lowest birth rates and longest living elderly. Funny how they were talking pensions, how there wouldn’t be enough workers to sustain the pensions system.” Man! I was getting dark. He echoed my thoughts.

“Man, you’re getting dark.” Though he sniffed and looked down, rubbing his nose thoughtfully as he gazed at the grains of sand. “Though you’re not the first person I’ve heard repeat those sentiments and I believe you won’t be the last. The Horrendous decisions the doctors and nurses on the front line are being forced to take, remember the orders come from above. These people are putting their own lives and sanity on the line.” I nodded sadly. I couldn’t bear to be in their shoes. “Though you do realize you are accusing the governments of murder, right? Though there is still over population, climate catastrophe. You haven’t got on to that yet.”

Hmmm. Yes, I think I was making some serious accusations, though they were in the middle of the desert to one man. I try not to think too much on that side of things, but would it be the first time a government had made sacrifices for the’ greater good?’ Kind of like collateral damage. “You haven’t even given me time to get on to the rest yet! Let me continue…

3)      The economic crash, which was predicted by many in 2017, has now well and truly started. Back then we didn’t quite know how or what would be the big trigger. Now we do. There was talk of a complete economic overhaul, restructuring of the whole system. Very conveniently blame a virus/pandemic so all governments and multinationals will be completely blameless themselves. Not like 2008 when all financial institutions were blamed alongside the massive real estate bubble and the governments for allowing it to happen. Now with a dangerous mixture of fear and ignorance, very few people will take the time to look behind the scenes. The government has our best interests at heart, we will defeat this common enemy! We are at war!” I was almost shouting at this point.

“Calm down. I’m listening. My hearing is not yet impaired, but it will be if you don’t stop shouting.” He patted my hand kindly in a vain attempt to quieten me.

My brain was racing. My thoughts were jumbled. I was aware that I wasn’t being particularly articulate and actually I sounded completely mad and paranoid, but I had to express this and get it out of my head. Now! Here, in the desert with this man who seemed to understand me and believe me, not just humor me.

“You know something else? There are obviously certain requirements in order to declare a global pandemic but once they meet them, certain important financial ???? can be implemented. I know it’s bad but is it truly a pandemic? You know when they talk about the Spanish flu of 1918 or whenever it started. People seem to forget the conditions of the time, the end of the first World War. Four years of hell. How many people were malnourished, living in squalor, gone through hell? Their physical and mental states would have been catastrophic, the ideal conditions for a virus to decimate them.” I sighed again. “Is this bio-warfare? Is this their way to decimate the human population?

The world was never the same again after 9/11. Travel became hideously stressful, gone were the days when it was fun and peaceful. We are all treated like potential terrorists. But really, who were the terrorists all along?” I kicked some more sand.

“Wow, you really are going for it! I think you need to calm your brain a bit before you start on the alien theories,” He paused and looked at me. “I was joking. Please don’t…I will listen to the rest but not those too!” I shot him a dirty look.

“So, you can believe in some bearded bloke in the sky but an intelligent race, somewhere else in the universe is hugely far fetched.”

“Stop! We will have that conversation another time, some day when this load of shit is over, whenever that may be but I can say, it ain’t going to be anytime soon and yes, I do agree, life as we once knew it is over.”

That certainly stopped me in my tracks. I was on such a roll I hadn’t really expected him to agree. To be honest, it frightened me more than I’d like to admit.