A Treatise on Loneliness and a Way to Live Forever
there is static on the wireless. every day, that's all i hear. static. every day, i listen for voices, for signs of others, but there's always only static. all noise and no signal, just like this whole world. mustn’t be anybody around for miles. i guess i’m all alone here. the cars don’t work anymore, see. i’ve been reading, and there’s this thing called an electromagnetic pulse, and what that does is, um, well, i can’t remember the specifics, but it fries electrical stuff. and it turns out, that includes electrical stuff in cars. so i can’t go anywhere. i’m here, just me. and now you. i sure am glad i found you. i didn’t think anything had survived this long. i’m sure there are no humans around, i would’ve ran into one already, right? i mean, we’re not that hard to spot. lot easier than your kind. how long had you been hiding in that old bus, anyway? where were you finding food? well, i guess there are cockroaches and stuff. they can survive those nuclear bombs, right? well, that’s what everyone used to say. i can’t believe you could survive for almost a year on cockroaches. well, i bet you’re glad you weren’t in the city when the bomb came down. i know i am.
I TOLD ‘EM. THEY DIDN’T LISTEN, BUT I KNOW I TOLD ‘EM. “FIRE FROM ABOVE,” I SAID, JUST LIKE THE LORD TOLD US WOULD HAPPEN. “REPENT,” I TOLD ‘EM, BUT DID THEY REPENT? LORD, FORGIVE ‘EM. GO EASY ON ‘EM WHEN YOU’RE JUDGIN’ ‘EM. I TRIED TO TELL ‘EM, BUT NOB’DY LISTENS TO ME. NOB’DY LISTENS TO THE WORD OF THE LORD ANYMORE. THEY WERE TOO BUSY TRYIN’ TO GATHER THEIR POSSESSIONS AND TO RUN, AND I TRIED TO TELL ‘EM, YOU CAN’T RUN FROM JUDGMENT, BUT THEY RAN, LORD, THEY RAN AND THEY RAN, AND TH’WEREN’T NOTHIN’ THAT COULDA STOPPED ‘EM, NOTHIN’ EXCEPT YOUR ALMIGHTY JUDGMENT, LORD. AND BOY, DID THAT STOP ‘EM! NOT A ONE LEFT, LORD, NOT A ONE OF ‘EM LEFT ALIVE. ‘S JUST ME N’ YOU, NOW, LORD. MY RIGHTEOUS SELF AND THE ALMIGHTY JESUS CHRIST. HOLY HALLELUJAH! THE HOLY JESUS CHRIST HAS COME DOWN HIMSELF UPON ME TO SHOW ME THE WAY, TO SHOW ME THE PATH I MUST WALK ON THIS OL’ SCORCHED EARTH. I KNOW YOU GOT A JOB FOR ME, LORD, AND I WILL DO YOUR BIDDIN’. JUS’ LIKE YOU SAID YOURSELF, LORD, THERE’S A TIME TO CAST AWAY STONES, AND A TIME TO GATHER STONES TOGETHER.
let me tell you something. now, you listen and you listen good. now, i never said i was frightened of dying, ‘cos i ain’t. dying isn’t something that bothers me. dying’s just something that happens. something that happens a hell of a lot more, lately. see, i’ve never been frightened of dying. i seen people die all the time. i’ve never been frightened of it. just sorta curious, really. don’t get me wrong, boy, i don’t want to die. but i’m interested in knowing what happens. where do you think you go when you die, kiddo? i guess you don’t think about those kinda things, huh? you’re just worried about when you’re gonna eat next. i suppose that’s the sorta stuff i should be thinking about, too. but i can’t help it, kiddo. hell, dying’s the biggest thing we can ever do with our lives, right? so it’s right to give it some thought every now and then. still, can’t let it take over, can we kiddo? a boy’s gotta eat, after all. can’t spend all his time thinking about death. even if it is the first thing you think of when you step outside the door and you see that desert where there used to be a town. sometimes, you just gotta push death to the back of your mind, kiddo, and focus on being alive. yeah, i ain’t frightened of dying. it’s being alone that scares me.
THIS WORLD HAD IT COMIN’. THESE PEOPLE HAD LOST THE WORD OF THE LORD, AND YOU SHOWED THEM THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS. YOU TOOK HOLD OF YOUR FLOCK, LORD, AND YOU GUIDED ‘EM AND YOU SHOWED ‘EM THAT THEY CAN’T FORSAKE YOU WITHOUT PUNISHMENT, LORD. THIS IS THE TIME, LORD, I KNOW IT. THIS IS THE RECKONING, THE REVELATION, THE RAPTURE. THIS IS THE TIME WHEN YOU PASS YOUR ALMIGHTY JUDGMENT UPON THE PEOPLE OF THIS EARTH, AND I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE CHOSEN ME TO BE YOUR PROPHET ON THIS NEW WORLD. THERE AIN’T A SINGLE SOUL LEFT IN THIS WORLD EXCEPT MYSELF, LORD, AND I AM TRULY THANKFUL THAT YOU CHOSE ME TO BE YOUR PROPHET, TO BE THE ONE WHO’S LEFT BEHIND.
you ever listen to the radio, kiddo? it’s a funny thing, y’know. well, i guess you wouldn’t really listen, being a cat and all. but if you did, y’know, i’ve been reading and i found out that all that noise that comes through when there’s no signal, that’s... um... background radiation from the universe. the scientists say—well, they said—that the static that comes through the radio when there’s no signal is microwave radiation that’s left over from the birth of the universe. isn’t that beautiful, kiddo? when you listen to that noise, it’s like you’re listening to the birth of the universe happenin’ all over again. it sorta makes you think. like you’re kinda never alone, even if there’s no signal on the radio and no other people to talk to, there’s still that sound of the universe. there’s always that sound of the cosmos, the sound of infinity, i guess. the sound of something that happened billions of years ago, and we can still hear it floatin’ around our radio. echoes in eternity, right, kiddo? shit, who said that? was it a movie? y’know, that what we do in life echoes in eternity? turns out it’s true, kiddo. turns out those echoes hang about for a long time, and we can hear ‘em now, if we listen. it’s a sorta hopeful sound. like, even in the middle of all this death and this desert that used to be a city and everything around here that’s died, there’s this echo of birth, sorta reminding you that things die all the time, but things are born all the time, too. it gives you hope, kiddo, and that’s all we can ask for in a place like this.
IT’S STARTIN’ TO SNOW, LORD. IT’S GOTTEN COLD. ARE YOU TESTIN’ ME, LORD? IS THIS A TEST OF MY STRENGTH? IF IT IS, LORD, YOU DON’T NEED TO TEST ME, FOR I CAN WITHSTAND. I WILL HOLD THE COURSE, LORD. I SHALL OVERCOME, AND REMAIN YOUR SERVANT, LORD. YOU DON’T HAVE TO TEST ME, LORD. YOU DON’T HAVE TO TEST ME. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, LORD. YOU CAN TRUST ME.
damn, kiddo, is it cold out there. you’re lucky to be inside. not that it’s much warmer in here. least it ain’t snowing in here. i ain’t seen snow like that before, kiddo, all grey, almost black, and big flakes, big as your hand. well, my hand. must be this nuclear winter, the fallout thing that government book said. they said it meant that nothing could live on the land or grow from the land for a couple hundred years. also said it can give you cancer. heh, you n’ me, kiddo, we might have cancer right now. you n’ me could be dying, kiddo, and not even know about it. ain’t that a thought. least we’ll be dying together. ain’t nobody should have to die alone.
WHAT IS IT YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU, LORD? WHAT IS MY PURPOSE IN THIS WINTER? GIMME A SIGN, LORD. PLEASE GIMME A SIGN THAT YOU NEED ME. GIMME WORK, LORD. GIMME A JOB AND I WILL DO IT. THIS WORLD AIN’T NOTHIN’ WITHOUT YOU, LORD, AND I KNOW THAT NOW I AM YOU ON THIS SCORCHED EARTH. I WILL DO YOUR BIDDIN’, LORD. I WILL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT ME TO, JUST PLEASE, LORD, GIMME SOMETHIN’ TO DO. DON’T LEAVE ME HERE, LORD. I BEG OF YOU, DON’T LEAVE ME HERE. I DON’T KNOW IF I CAN STAY ALIVE MUCH LONGER HERE, LORD. AND IF I CAN’T, I WILL MARCH GLADLY INTO YOUR ARMS, BUT IF I GOT WORK TO DO HERE, LORD, I BEG YOU TO GIVE IT TO ME NOW, ‘COS I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN LAST OUT HERE, LORD. I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN LAST, AND I DON’T WANT TO LET YOU DOWN.
i gotta go outside, kiddo. gotta go raid the grocery store again. you know all their microwave dinners were cooked and are starting to rot? all i can live on is canned food, but i guess that’s all you’ve ever really lived on, huh? it feels like that’s all i’ve ever lived on, too. but now i gotta go get more cans, kiddo. wish me luck.
LORD, THERE MUST BE SOMETHIN’ YOU WISH ME TO DO HERE. THERE MUST BE SOMETHIN’ I CAN ACCOMPLISH FOR YOU, SOME TASK YOU NEED DOIN’. WHAT’S THIS, LORD? SOMEBODY LIVIN’ HERE? SOMEBODY COMIN’ OUT? ANOTHER PERSON, LORD! YOU SENT SOMEONE ELSE TO BE HERE WITH ME ON THIS SCORCHED EARTH! THANK YOU, LORD! THANK YOU FOR THIS GIFT OF ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. I KNOW, IN YOUR INFINITE WISDOM, LORD, THAT YOU SENT THIS MAN HERE AS PART OF MY TASK. THANK YOU, LORD, FOR TRUSTING ME.
later, kiddo. don’t go too far while i’m gone. what? who the hell? my god, another man! hello! are you alive?
YES, MY SON, I AM VERY MUCH ALIVE.
my god, i never thought i’d see another human being again. are you alone?
I AM NOT ALONE, MY CHILD. THE LORD IS WITH ME.
what? no, i mean, are there any other people with you? where do you come from? how have you survived so long?
I HAVE SURVIVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD, AND HE HAS GIVEN ME A PURPOSE, AND I KNOW NOW THAT THAT PURPOSE IS YOU, SON.
i’m your purpose? purpose for what? what the hell are you talking about?
MY CHILD, YOU ARE THE ONE GOD HIMSELF HAS CHOSEN ME TO BE WITH.
the fuck? what does that even mean?
IT MEANS, SON, THAT THE ALMIGHTY LORD HAS CHOSEN US, YOU AND I, TO BE THE LAST REMNANTS OF THE HUMAN RACE ON THIS SCORCHED EARTH.
i know i’m the last damned remnant of the human race on earth, but what the hell does that have to do with you, or goddamned god?
PLEASE, DON’T BLASPHEME, SON. WE ARE THE CHOSEN ONES, YOU ARE MY MISSION ON EARTH, YOU ARE THE ONE THE LORD HIMSELF HAS CHOSEN ME TO SAVE.
listen, preacher, i never put much stock in your or any other god. if i’m the one you’ve been chosen to save, then you can damn well try. but i’ll tell you somethin’ for nothin’, preacher: ain’t none of us, not one, gonna get saved from here. we’re stuck here, preacher, for ever and ever, and there ain’t nothin’ you or your god can do about it.
BLASPHEMY! BLASPHEMY! THE LORD IS YOUR SAVIOUR, BOY, AND DON’T YOU FORGET IT! GOD IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN GET YOU OFF OF THIS SCORCHED EARTH!
no, preacher, there ain’t nobody can get me off this scorched earth except myself or this radiation, y’hear? there ain’t a thing you, your god or any other god can do for me now, preacher. i was born in this town, and i’m gonna die in this town.
MY SON, IF YOU ACCEPT YOUR DEATH SO READILY, WHY CAN’T YOU ACCEPT THE LORD? LET HIM INTO YOUR HEART AND HE WILL HEAL YOU, HE WILL CURE YOU OF WHATEVER AILS YOU AND GRANT YOU ETERNAL LIFE! YOU WILL NOT DIE ALONE, SON, THE LORD WILL BE WITH YOU. AIN’T NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO DIE ALONE.
you’re right, preacher. ain’t nobody should have to die alone, and i for one don’t intend to. now, if you want, you can come with me, and share in my life, but i don’t have a god. or, you can stay here and trust in your lord to take care of you.
I TRUST IN THE WISDOM OF THE LORD.
very well, preacher, that’s your loss.
IF YOU REJECT THE LORD, MY SON, YOU WILL BE CURSED WITH ETERNAL DAMNATION!
you know, preacher, i think i can live with that, seein’ as i probably won’t be living that much longer anyway.
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOIN’, SON. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW POWERFUL IT IS TO REJECT THE LORD.
yes, preacher, i know exactly how powerful you think it is, because i used to be exactly like you. i used to think that the word of the lord was the be all and end all of human existence. but, you know what, preacher? i realised that i was wrong. as soon as that first bomb fell, i realised that the lord could do nothing to save me and that i was on my own, just like you are, preacher. you’re on your own. there is no god, preacher. no god would let this happen to his flock. this is science, preacher. science wins this time. science beats god. man destroys god. now man’s on his own, preacher. man’s on his own.
YOU’LL BURN IN HELL FOR THIS, SON! YOU’LL BURN IN HELL FOR ALL ETERNITY FOR SAYIN’ WHAT YOU JUST SAID!
i already have, preacher. i already have.
MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL.
kiddo, you’ll never guess what the hell just happened to me... kiddo? hey, kiddo, where are you? ah, she must be out hunting or something. i guess she’ll be back later. i hope she’ll be back later. heh, looks like i’ve finally ended up talking to myself. i must be going insane.
I’VE FAILED, LORD. I’VE FAILED YOU. HE’S GONE, AND I’M ALONE AGAIN, LORD. I CAN’T TAKE MY OWN LIFE IN SHAME, LORD. BUT YOU CAN, I KNOW YOU CAN, AND I WOULD BE HONOURED IF YOU’D TAKE ME UP TO HEAVEN WITH YOU, LORD. I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN STAY DOWN HERE LIVIN’ IN THE SHAME OF HAVIN’ FAILED YOU, LORD, BUT I KNOW I’D RATHER BE AT YOUR SIDE. UNLESS THIS IS ANOTHER TEST, LORD. IS THIS ANOTHER TEST, LORD? ‘COS IF IT IS, YOU KNOW YOU CAN COUNT ON ME.
i think it’s a beautiful thing that you can hear the beginning of the universe on the radio. like i said, it gives hope. well, i’ve lost some hope now that i’ve lost kiddo. but not much, i mean, she did survive on cockroaches for a year before i met her. but she could have cancer. then again, i could have cancer. i probably do. i bet that cat’s dead by now. i should be dead by now, all things being equal. but i’ll be damned if all things are equal. all things are far from fucking equal after the bomb. i wonder what happened to that preacher? i bet he’s dead now, too. well, to whoever recieves this, this will be my last broadcast. please don’t confuse my voice for the background radiation: if you hear this, come and find me. i don’t want to be part of that static, but i know that’s all that my voice will be. so i’m talking to myself. but i’m really talking to the universe. talking to the beginning of time. that’s all i can hear, is the beginning of time in the static, and i think it might not be so bad to become part of that. so i don’t mind if you take my voice for part of the background radiation of the universe. i’ll probably be dead before you hear this, anyway. i’ll be part of the background of forever.
there is static on the wireless. every day, that's all i hear. static. every day, i listen for voices, for signs of others, but there's always only static. all noise and no signal, just like this whole world. mustn’t be anybody around for miles. i guess i’m all alone here. the cars don’t work anymore, see. i’ve been reading, and there’s this thing called an electromagnetic pulse, and what that does is, um, well, i can’t remember the specifics, but it fries electrical stuff. and it turns out, that includes electrical stuff in cars. so i can’t go anywhere. i’m here, just me. and now you. i sure am glad i found you. i didn’t think anything had survived this long. i’m sure there are no humans around, i would’ve ran into one already, right? i mean, we’re not that hard to spot. lot easier than your kind. how long had you been hiding in that old bus, anyway? where were you finding food? well, i guess there are cockroaches and stuff. they can survive those nuclear bombs, right? well, that’s what everyone used to say. i can’t believe you could survive for almost a year on cockroaches. well, i bet you’re glad you weren’t in the city when the bomb came down. i know i am.
I TOLD ‘EM. THEY DIDN’T LISTEN, BUT I KNOW I TOLD ‘EM. “FIRE FROM ABOVE,” I SAID, JUST LIKE THE LORD TOLD US WOULD HAPPEN. “REPENT,” I TOLD ‘EM, BUT DID THEY REPENT? LORD, FORGIVE ‘EM. GO EASY ON ‘EM WHEN YOU’RE JUDGIN’ ‘EM. I TRIED TO TELL ‘EM, BUT NOB’DY LISTENS TO ME. NOB’DY LISTENS TO THE WORD OF THE LORD ANYMORE. THEY WERE TOO BUSY TRYIN’ TO GATHER THEIR POSSESSIONS AND TO RUN, AND I TRIED TO TELL ‘EM, YOU CAN’T RUN FROM JUDGMENT, BUT THEY RAN, LORD, THEY RAN AND THEY RAN, AND TH’WEREN’T NOTHIN’ THAT COULDA STOPPED ‘EM, NOTHIN’ EXCEPT YOUR ALMIGHTY JUDGMENT, LORD. AND BOY, DID THAT STOP ‘EM! NOT A ONE LEFT, LORD, NOT A ONE OF ‘EM LEFT ALIVE. ‘S JUST ME N’ YOU, NOW, LORD. MY RIGHTEOUS SELF AND THE ALMIGHTY JESUS CHRIST. HOLY HALLELUJAH! THE HOLY JESUS CHRIST HAS COME DOWN HIMSELF UPON ME TO SHOW ME THE WAY, TO SHOW ME THE PATH I MUST WALK ON THIS OL’ SCORCHED EARTH. I KNOW YOU GOT A JOB FOR ME, LORD, AND I WILL DO YOUR BIDDIN’. JUS’ LIKE YOU SAID YOURSELF, LORD, THERE’S A TIME TO CAST AWAY STONES, AND A TIME TO GATHER STONES TOGETHER.
let me tell you something. now, you listen and you listen good. now, i never said i was frightened of dying, ‘cos i ain’t. dying isn’t something that bothers me. dying’s just something that happens. something that happens a hell of a lot more, lately. see, i’ve never been frightened of dying. i seen people die all the time. i’ve never been frightened of it. just sorta curious, really. don’t get me wrong, boy, i don’t want to die. but i’m interested in knowing what happens. where do you think you go when you die, kiddo? i guess you don’t think about those kinda things, huh? you’re just worried about when you’re gonna eat next. i suppose that’s the sorta stuff i should be thinking about, too. but i can’t help it, kiddo. hell, dying’s the biggest thing we can ever do with our lives, right? so it’s right to give it some thought every now and then. still, can’t let it take over, can we kiddo? a boy’s gotta eat, after all. can’t spend all his time thinking about death. even if it is the first thing you think of when you step outside the door and you see that desert where there used to be a town. sometimes, you just gotta push death to the back of your mind, kiddo, and focus on being alive. yeah, i ain’t frightened of dying. it’s being alone that scares me.
THIS WORLD HAD IT COMIN’. THESE PEOPLE HAD LOST THE WORD OF THE LORD, AND YOU SHOWED THEM THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS. YOU TOOK HOLD OF YOUR FLOCK, LORD, AND YOU GUIDED ‘EM AND YOU SHOWED ‘EM THAT THEY CAN’T FORSAKE YOU WITHOUT PUNISHMENT, LORD. THIS IS THE TIME, LORD, I KNOW IT. THIS IS THE RECKONING, THE REVELATION, THE RAPTURE. THIS IS THE TIME WHEN YOU PASS YOUR ALMIGHTY JUDGMENT UPON THE PEOPLE OF THIS EARTH, AND I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE CHOSEN ME TO BE YOUR PROPHET ON THIS NEW WORLD. THERE AIN’T A SINGLE SOUL LEFT IN THIS WORLD EXCEPT MYSELF, LORD, AND I AM TRULY THANKFUL THAT YOU CHOSE ME TO BE YOUR PROPHET, TO BE THE ONE WHO’S LEFT BEHIND.
you ever listen to the radio, kiddo? it’s a funny thing, y’know. well, i guess you wouldn’t really listen, being a cat and all. but if you did, y’know, i’ve been reading and i found out that all that noise that comes through when there’s no signal, that’s... um... background radiation from the universe. the scientists say—well, they said—that the static that comes through the radio when there’s no signal is microwave radiation that’s left over from the birth of the universe. isn’t that beautiful, kiddo? when you listen to that noise, it’s like you’re listening to the birth of the universe happenin’ all over again. it sorta makes you think. like you’re kinda never alone, even if there’s no signal on the radio and no other people to talk to, there’s still that sound of the universe. there’s always that sound of the cosmos, the sound of infinity, i guess. the sound of something that happened billions of years ago, and we can still hear it floatin’ around our radio. echoes in eternity, right, kiddo? shit, who said that? was it a movie? y’know, that what we do in life echoes in eternity? turns out it’s true, kiddo. turns out those echoes hang about for a long time, and we can hear ‘em now, if we listen. it’s a sorta hopeful sound. like, even in the middle of all this death and this desert that used to be a city and everything around here that’s died, there’s this echo of birth, sorta reminding you that things die all the time, but things are born all the time, too. it gives you hope, kiddo, and that’s all we can ask for in a place like this.
IT’S STARTIN’ TO SNOW, LORD. IT’S GOTTEN COLD. ARE YOU TESTIN’ ME, LORD? IS THIS A TEST OF MY STRENGTH? IF IT IS, LORD, YOU DON’T NEED TO TEST ME, FOR I CAN WITHSTAND. I WILL HOLD THE COURSE, LORD. I SHALL OVERCOME, AND REMAIN YOUR SERVANT, LORD. YOU DON’T HAVE TO TEST ME, LORD. YOU DON’T HAVE TO TEST ME. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, LORD. YOU CAN TRUST ME.
damn, kiddo, is it cold out there. you’re lucky to be inside. not that it’s much warmer in here. least it ain’t snowing in here. i ain’t seen snow like that before, kiddo, all grey, almost black, and big flakes, big as your hand. well, my hand. must be this nuclear winter, the fallout thing that government book said. they said it meant that nothing could live on the land or grow from the land for a couple hundred years. also said it can give you cancer. heh, you n’ me, kiddo, we might have cancer right now. you n’ me could be dying, kiddo, and not even know about it. ain’t that a thought. least we’ll be dying together. ain’t nobody should have to die alone.
WHAT IS IT YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU, LORD? WHAT IS MY PURPOSE IN THIS WINTER? GIMME A SIGN, LORD. PLEASE GIMME A SIGN THAT YOU NEED ME. GIMME WORK, LORD. GIMME A JOB AND I WILL DO IT. THIS WORLD AIN’T NOTHIN’ WITHOUT YOU, LORD, AND I KNOW THAT NOW I AM YOU ON THIS SCORCHED EARTH. I WILL DO YOUR BIDDIN’, LORD. I WILL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT ME TO, JUST PLEASE, LORD, GIMME SOMETHIN’ TO DO. DON’T LEAVE ME HERE, LORD. I BEG OF YOU, DON’T LEAVE ME HERE. I DON’T KNOW IF I CAN STAY ALIVE MUCH LONGER HERE, LORD. AND IF I CAN’T, I WILL MARCH GLADLY INTO YOUR ARMS, BUT IF I GOT WORK TO DO HERE, LORD, I BEG YOU TO GIVE IT TO ME NOW, ‘COS I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN LAST OUT HERE, LORD. I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN LAST, AND I DON’T WANT TO LET YOU DOWN.
i gotta go outside, kiddo. gotta go raid the grocery store again. you know all their microwave dinners were cooked and are starting to rot? all i can live on is canned food, but i guess that’s all you’ve ever really lived on, huh? it feels like that’s all i’ve ever lived on, too. but now i gotta go get more cans, kiddo. wish me luck.
LORD, THERE MUST BE SOMETHIN’ YOU WISH ME TO DO HERE. THERE MUST BE SOMETHIN’ I CAN ACCOMPLISH FOR YOU, SOME TASK YOU NEED DOIN’. WHAT’S THIS, LORD? SOMEBODY LIVIN’ HERE? SOMEBODY COMIN’ OUT? ANOTHER PERSON, LORD! YOU SENT SOMEONE ELSE TO BE HERE WITH ME ON THIS SCORCHED EARTH! THANK YOU, LORD! THANK YOU FOR THIS GIFT OF ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. I KNOW, IN YOUR INFINITE WISDOM, LORD, THAT YOU SENT THIS MAN HERE AS PART OF MY TASK. THANK YOU, LORD, FOR TRUSTING ME.
later, kiddo. don’t go too far while i’m gone. what? who the hell? my god, another man! hello! are you alive?
YES, MY SON, I AM VERY MUCH ALIVE.
my god, i never thought i’d see another human being again. are you alone?
I AM NOT ALONE, MY CHILD. THE LORD IS WITH ME.
what? no, i mean, are there any other people with you? where do you come from? how have you survived so long?
I HAVE SURVIVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD, AND HE HAS GIVEN ME A PURPOSE, AND I KNOW NOW THAT THAT PURPOSE IS YOU, SON.
i’m your purpose? purpose for what? what the hell are you talking about?
MY CHILD, YOU ARE THE ONE GOD HIMSELF HAS CHOSEN ME TO BE WITH.
the fuck? what does that even mean?
IT MEANS, SON, THAT THE ALMIGHTY LORD HAS CHOSEN US, YOU AND I, TO BE THE LAST REMNANTS OF THE HUMAN RACE ON THIS SCORCHED EARTH.
i know i’m the last damned remnant of the human race on earth, but what the hell does that have to do with you, or goddamned god?
PLEASE, DON’T BLASPHEME, SON. WE ARE THE CHOSEN ONES, YOU ARE MY MISSION ON EARTH, YOU ARE THE ONE THE LORD HIMSELF HAS CHOSEN ME TO SAVE.
listen, preacher, i never put much stock in your or any other god. if i’m the one you’ve been chosen to save, then you can damn well try. but i’ll tell you somethin’ for nothin’, preacher: ain’t none of us, not one, gonna get saved from here. we’re stuck here, preacher, for ever and ever, and there ain’t nothin’ you or your god can do about it.
BLASPHEMY! BLASPHEMY! THE LORD IS YOUR SAVIOUR, BOY, AND DON’T YOU FORGET IT! GOD IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN GET YOU OFF OF THIS SCORCHED EARTH!
no, preacher, there ain’t nobody can get me off this scorched earth except myself or this radiation, y’hear? there ain’t a thing you, your god or any other god can do for me now, preacher. i was born in this town, and i’m gonna die in this town.
MY SON, IF YOU ACCEPT YOUR DEATH SO READILY, WHY CAN’T YOU ACCEPT THE LORD? LET HIM INTO YOUR HEART AND HE WILL HEAL YOU, HE WILL CURE YOU OF WHATEVER AILS YOU AND GRANT YOU ETERNAL LIFE! YOU WILL NOT DIE ALONE, SON, THE LORD WILL BE WITH YOU. AIN’T NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO DIE ALONE.
you’re right, preacher. ain’t nobody should have to die alone, and i for one don’t intend to. now, if you want, you can come with me, and share in my life, but i don’t have a god. or, you can stay here and trust in your lord to take care of you.
I TRUST IN THE WISDOM OF THE LORD.
very well, preacher, that’s your loss.
IF YOU REJECT THE LORD, MY SON, YOU WILL BE CURSED WITH ETERNAL DAMNATION!
you know, preacher, i think i can live with that, seein’ as i probably won’t be living that much longer anyway.
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOIN’, SON. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW POWERFUL IT IS TO REJECT THE LORD.
yes, preacher, i know exactly how powerful you think it is, because i used to be exactly like you. i used to think that the word of the lord was the be all and end all of human existence. but, you know what, preacher? i realised that i was wrong. as soon as that first bomb fell, i realised that the lord could do nothing to save me and that i was on my own, just like you are, preacher. you’re on your own. there is no god, preacher. no god would let this happen to his flock. this is science, preacher. science wins this time. science beats god. man destroys god. now man’s on his own, preacher. man’s on his own.
YOU’LL BURN IN HELL FOR THIS, SON! YOU’LL BURN IN HELL FOR ALL ETERNITY FOR SAYIN’ WHAT YOU JUST SAID!
i already have, preacher. i already have.
MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL.
kiddo, you’ll never guess what the hell just happened to me... kiddo? hey, kiddo, where are you? ah, she must be out hunting or something. i guess she’ll be back later. i hope she’ll be back later. heh, looks like i’ve finally ended up talking to myself. i must be going insane.
I’VE FAILED, LORD. I’VE FAILED YOU. HE’S GONE, AND I’M ALONE AGAIN, LORD. I CAN’T TAKE MY OWN LIFE IN SHAME, LORD. BUT YOU CAN, I KNOW YOU CAN, AND I WOULD BE HONOURED IF YOU’D TAKE ME UP TO HEAVEN WITH YOU, LORD. I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN STAY DOWN HERE LIVIN’ IN THE SHAME OF HAVIN’ FAILED YOU, LORD, BUT I KNOW I’D RATHER BE AT YOUR SIDE. UNLESS THIS IS ANOTHER TEST, LORD. IS THIS ANOTHER TEST, LORD? ‘COS IF IT IS, YOU KNOW YOU CAN COUNT ON ME.
i think it’s a beautiful thing that you can hear the beginning of the universe on the radio. like i said, it gives hope. well, i’ve lost some hope now that i’ve lost kiddo. but not much, i mean, she did survive on cockroaches for a year before i met her. but she could have cancer. then again, i could have cancer. i probably do. i bet that cat’s dead by now. i should be dead by now, all things being equal. but i’ll be damned if all things are equal. all things are far from fucking equal after the bomb. i wonder what happened to that preacher? i bet he’s dead now, too. well, to whoever recieves this, this will be my last broadcast. please don’t confuse my voice for the background radiation: if you hear this, come and find me. i don’t want to be part of that static, but i know that’s all that my voice will be. so i’m talking to myself. but i’m really talking to the universe. talking to the beginning of time. that’s all i can hear, is the beginning of time in the static, and i think it might not be so bad to become part of that. so i don’t mind if you take my voice for part of the background radiation of the universe. i’ll probably be dead before you hear this, anyway. i’ll be part of the background of forever.
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