Darkness

As James watched the sun fade into the dark horizon, he tried not to think about tomorrow. Tried not to think about food, or water, or shelter. His family was safe; at least for the time being. Henri whimpered next to him, barely loud enough to hear over the chaos in the distance. He was glad that he bought this home overlooking the city in the valley years earlier when the whole catastrophe was still just silly hypothetical theory.

"Daddy, I can't sleep."

James turned to see his son standing in the doorway wearing his red and blue Spider-Man pyjamas. He smiled and opened his arms, inviting the boy onto his lap. It wasn't a great time for sleep anyway, he thought. Not much point to it now.

"Is it really bedtime?"

James shook his head slowly and looked his son in the eye. "No, it's not."

"Then why is it so dark?"

James looked down over the treetops below. The city was on fire. Still. Vicious mobs of people, all running scared trying to find supplies. There was no humanity left in the madness, and it was like this all over the world. There was no good left in people, not when they were as panicked as this; and soon there wouldn't be any bad left in them either. There would be very little left to show of any of us. Nobody expected this. Nobody.

He thought about what to say to his son, then finally settled on something, which, he presumed, was better than nothing. At least for now.

"Because the sun is burned out," he said.

He looked up into the sky hoping that it might come out again.

It never did.