Fade to White
A recurring dream of apocalyptic nuclear holocaust
I push open the door to a warm, dimly lit concrete stairwell and begin my ascent toward the dark corridor. As I reach the apex of the staircase, I step into a hallway illuminated solely by emergency lighting. Did the power go out? I wonder. It's summertime, and the lack of air conditioning in the building has caused the air to grow dense, reminiscent of a muggy summer’s night.
As I made my way down the hallway, I noticed that the building is indeed occupied. Everyone is puzzled, but they don't seem to notice me. Strange, I think to myself. Weaving through the group of panicked strangers, I spot a familiar face, my sister, Roxanne. What could she be doing here? This is neither her home nor mine. Deciding to go along with it, I accept her invitation into an apartment.
As I step into the open living room, I'm struck by the apartment's stark concrete floor, ceiling, countertops, everything. Every face in the room is familiar to me in some way or another, family, friends, or foes. Yet, there's no trace of animosity; instead, an unexpected sense of peace permeates the room.
An eerie feeling settles in, to my left, a large window reveals a highly urbanized landscape. It's a setting completely alien to me as I've always preferred the solitude of rural areas, yearning for the remoteness of the countryside. Finding myself in the heart of the concrete jungle is the antithesis of my conscious desires, nevertheless, here we are.
The feeling of anticipation continues to grow stronger and stronger, it’s palpable. Amongst the people there are children, mine, my sisters, and others, they seem to be oblivious to the high strangeness of the situation.
A shift in the air happens and the power comes back on, lights, air conditioning, TV, everything. There must be a generator I thought, what is going on?
We all gather around the TV as an emergency broadcast seizes control of the airwaves. Our phones begin to ding one by one, the atmosphere grows increasingly somber. Just as my sister is about to say something, the broadcast delivers its grim message, “A nuclear strike is imminent, only 30 minutes until impact”. Mutually assured destruction looms over us, What can we do?
We turn off the TV, resigned to the inevitable storm of bad news. Instead, we choose to cherish the moments we have left. Stories are shared, memories recounted, all while staring out of the large window, awaiting the flash that summons the beginning of a nuclear apocalypse, The Four Horsemen are near.
As the countdown to impact dwindles, we observe a moment of silence. The realization dawns upon us that the end is knocking at our door. With a heavy heart, we turn our gaze once more to the window, where the initial impact becomes visible. We brace ourselves for the blinding light, curiously awaiting the morbid unknown.
As the world fades to white, I prepare myself for the transition to the next plane of existence, grappling with thoughts of my own mortality. But suddenly, a loud noise jolts me awake. BAM! I open my eyes, expecting to find myself in a state of ethereal transcendence, only to find myself safe and sound in my bed, the remnants of a vivid dream still lingering in my mind.
This recurring dream has been playing in my mind every so often for a few years now, so I thought I would share it with you for this week’s Sci-Friday.
For more Sci-Friday fun check out these incendiary contributors,
That's horrible! But also: imaginative. I'm glad you shared it with us.
Living through 80s elementary and middle school life, I remember how scared we were of Soviet nukes. The world seemed destined to destroy itself. I'm sure that contributed to this mindset!
A very vivid dream indeed! It has to be a sign of the escalating times in which we live! Thanks for sharing.