Chris Motionless Imagines

Apocalypse

A/N: this got kind of dark, physical violence, mentions of death, etc. Please read at own discretion. 

You've been seeing the signs for so long now that you're immune to them.

"The apocalypse is coming!," "Repent for your sins!" "We're all going to hell!" "What this guy said," with an arrow pointing. People standing on street corners, waving the posterboards around or handing out pamphlets full of bloodshed and God's condemnation. 

You think it's bogus. 

The earth has been around for this long, why end now? Sure, everything is kind of bad, but that's what happens. It's bad, then it's better, it's constantly a revolving door between the two. You're not exactly having a great time, you live in a one room apartment in a rather sketchy neighborhood, where you can look outside and see the neighbor across the hall blatantly handing drugs out to his runners.

You try to avoid him at all costs, he makes you uncomfortable and you feel like he's eyeballing you every time you come in contact. You're not going to sell drugs for him, you wouldn't know the first thing about it, although you're sure the money's good. More money would be a blessing in your life right now.

At least you know if you get robbed, they're not going to get anything. Your apartment is sparse, just the bare essentials, you can't afford much else. So unless someone wants to steal the frozen fish sticks out of your freezer, they're going to be disappointed... although honestly they probably would steal your food, it's getting bad out there.

You sit down slowly at your kitchen table, sighing as you prop your chin in your hands. There's a stack of white envelopes you need to open, all telling you how much money you owe. There's the mandatory taxes the government has implemented that you pay monthly for a fee for being in the country, doesn't matter if you were born there or traveled there, everyone pays it. Your rent is due again, just like it is every two weeks, not to mention your medical bills are starting to pile up. You've been trying to pay the least amount possible on them, but the interest is starting to make you think you'll never be able to pay it off. Your ribs were broken a few years ago when you got caught in the middle of a drug deal gone wrong, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that doesn't mean you get out of paying the bill for the fourteen hours you were in the hospital for it.

Your rent comes first, as always. You need somewhere to live, and anywhere is better than being on the streets at night when the hellish activities start. You suppose you are a little thankful for your drug dealing neighbor across the hall, no one wants to mess with him much so it keeps the worst of the criminals off the floor. 

Your rent is due, and then you have to pay the tax, otherwise you end up in jail working it off, and some people never come back from that. You've starved just to pay these bills, rationed your food out, and somehow you've made it this long on your own.

You just have to keep it up. 

Your eyes flick to the single window in your apartment as you hears sirens suddenly blaring, but that's nothing new. Every few minutes there's either an ambulance or a police car driving by, but that doesn't mean safety or help is coming. You can never tell if someone is good or bad these days, out to get you, hurt you in some way. You just don't trust anyone, it's the only way to survive.

You used to fantasize you could fall in with some tough crowd that would help keep you safe, you'd become so infamous that everyone would be terrified to offend you. They'd avert their eyes, avoid you if necessary, leave you alone.

It's worse being a female during these times, anyway. Men are such assholes, they think they rule the world, but it's their fault everything is falling apart. The wars, the rationing, the concentration camps for even their own citizens if they didn't pay their dues... it's not a life worth living.