He'll Be Safe - A Not So Short Story

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Skunk_Giant
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He'll Be Safe - A Not So Short Story

Post by Skunk_Giant » 11 Oct 2011, 02:50

So, I was involved in a contest. We had four days of writing, and had to produce a short story. Prizes would be given out for multiple things. For example, funniest line, best opening line, best story, etc.
Now, the average story was about two to three pages. I, as usual, went a bit further. For the first time in a long time, I had a competition without a word limit. This was the best thing. Ever.
Soooo...
I kind of took those two to three pages and raised them to 17 pages. Needless to say, I won the 'Heaviest Story Award'. I also managed to receive runner up for the best story in my section.

Anyway, since it's so long, I'm gonna split it up into three parts and release them over the next three days or so. I actually quite liked this story, and may continue with more stories in this specific universe. I'll put a bit more about the story at the end, as the rest I'd like to say spoils it a bit.


He'll Be Safe - Part One - A Dying World

People will often ask each other where they see themselves in five years. Some will respond with a family, a promotion or a new house. Andrew Leonard preferred to avoid that question. This was partly due to the fact that Andrew had never liked to think about the future. But more so, this was because Andrew didn’t like to think about his lack of a future.

“I’m sorry, Mr Leonard. There’s not much more I can say.”
Andrew averted his gaze from the doctor sitting across from him. He turned to a small photograph on the wall of a young girl smiling back at him from the wall. What would this man, this expert, say to her if he was in the same situation as Andrew? He decided it would be best not to ask the doctor a question like that. It’d be better to leave.
Walking to his car, Andrew wanted nothing more than to scream at the world. But who would listen? The world was moving faster than he could imagine. Politics, environmental disasters… what was one man’s life to everyone else?
No, he couldn’t just complain to nobody. He needed to make the next three years of his life, the last three years of his life worth it. He needed to right his wrongs and redeem himself for what he did all those years ago.
***
The first month wasted. But Andrew Leonard realised that it didn’t matter anymore. Nothing did.
Supposedly, it had been happening for years now, slowly spreading around the world with scientists never revealing they’re discoveries. Everyone thought it was just them, but it just took a few people to collect information around the world, to realise that this problem was global.
To confirm the fears.
A world without renewable resources.
A dead world.
But what did it all mean? Would it become illegal to cut down trees? Everything would have to change. Humanity’s whole grasp of survival would be changed. If trees don’t grow, if seeds can’t be planted… how would humanity survive? How would anything survive? How would little three year old Max Leonard survive?
That was the only question Andrew could focus on. How would his son survive?
As Andrew Leonard watched, the world changed before his eyes.
First, the looting began. Grocery stores were robbed. Every box, every can, every bag of food was taken. Then, the logging began. Entire forests disappeared from the map, as companies and individuals scavenged for anything they could get. Gang wars broke out as the drugs became impossible to produce, and anything that remained was fought over.
But society didn’t crumble. Cities stood, but became more dangerous by the day. Crime rates reached the highest in history, forcing families to move to more secluded areas. But what then? Surrounding the major cities was a wasteland. Roads surrounded by deserts or snow, with a house occasionally, if it hadn’t already been destroyed for the resources.
And watching it all was Andrew Leonard. With a red, tattered jacket, a bag of supplies, a hunting rifle, and a terminal illness, he watched everything change. And he didn’t want to care. He would die anyway.
But Max made him care. How could he watch this world die when it was his son’s world? This was the world his son would group in, the world his son would search for opportunity in, the world his son was supposed to live a decent life in.
But this world was dying, and his son would never live a decent life if it stayed that way.

“I said, get off my property,” Alice yelled firmly, ready to slam the door.
“Just let me talk for a second, Alice,” Andrew responded. “I want to see Max, and I want to make you an offer. This city isn’t safe, haven’t you noticed that? Every night you stay here, you’re risking your life.” He paused. “Your life, and his life. Come with me.”
“Where, Andrew? There’s nowhere to go!”
“Alice, please. We can travel, hunt for food. The animals still grow, they still reproduce. Please Alice, take Max to safety.”
“The answer is no. Max and I are staying here.”
Sighing, Andrew said his bitter goodbye, and left quickly.
He didn’t have long to prepare for the coming night.

“Daddy?”
Little Max Leonard looked out through the night as Andrew slipped the window open. His simple, innocent mind couldn’t possible comprehend what was going on. All Max knew, was that his father was here. “Max, do you think you want to come with me?”
Max nodded, grinning, assuming this was all a game, a happy adventure.
“Alright, but I need you to do me a favour,” Andrew said, pulling a slip of paper out of his pocket. He passed the note through the window to Max, and asked him to place it on his bed.
Next, Andrew reached through and lifted Max from under his arms, pulling him outside. He hugged him, and put him in his car quietly, telling him to sleep.
As he made his way to the front seat, Andrew was startled by a voice behind him. “Alice, what are you doing? It’s three in the morning!”
Andrew silently swore. David Fern, his old neighbour, a night watchman, had just arrived home across the street.
“Alice? Is that you? Wait a minute, Andrew?”
Andrew put a smile on his face and cautiously walked over to David. “Hey David, good to see you again. Yeah, Alice and I are trying the whole thing again. We have to, for Max.”
“Oh, really? I was talking to Alice just yesterday. She didn’t mention you.”
“Oh, yeah, we’re keeping it a bit low,” Andrew forced a chuckle. “For now, anyway.”
David smiled. “Well, that’s, great, Andrew. So, what are you doing then? I mean, at this time?”
“Uh, work. Yeah, just leaving actually.”
“Weren’t you a lawyer, or something?”
The smile began to fade from Andrew’s lips. “I was,” he paused. “I stopped that though. I’m working on something else now.” He pretended to look at his watch. In the darkness, David couldn’t notice that his wrist was bare. “Well, I better head off. Don’t wanna make the boss mad!” Andrew faked another laugh.
David nodded and headed home. He couldn’t possibly have known that he was talking to a criminal at that moment. He couldn’t have known that he was joking with a kidnapper.
The car started, and Andrew drove off into the night.
Alice would know who took Max.
Nobody else would leave the note, “he’ll be safe.”

Author's Note: This first part is a bit short, and also lacking much action, I think, as it's basically introducing the scenario. I would have stretched it out a bit, especially with the relationship between Andrew and Alice and Max and Alice, and the scenario of the world dying, but as I mentioned above, I was already writing about 8 times what the average person wrote. Having said that, the main plot of a dying world comes into play a bit later on, and a few more things are explained.

So, lemme know if you wanna read more!
Oh hey, I have a signature now! 26/07/11


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haxxorzd00d wrote:Keep talking, Skunk. Everybody likes you and you're stunningly handsome.

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