| Horror and Thriller Fiction posted January 23, 2021 |
  |
dish delish
Skip the dishes
by Iza Deleanu
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
The author has placed a warning on this post for language.
2050, 1st of August, the first official day after the Apocalypse, when humanity was allowed to go back to its normal ways.
Humanity was ready, but what it didn't know was the enemy was still lurking in the background. After fifty years of occupation, people got used to fearing anything and everything; so for those that stayed barricaded behind the blinds of their houses, the first day was a challenge. Half the cars refused to budge. You know when you don't use something for fifty years, it's not going to work; the battery is going to be dead or there will be some other mechanical issue.
John remembered that he used to take the car on its annual check-up visit and oil change. Man, I should've known! I should've been prepared. He took the phone out to call his boss.
After the first ring, he said: "Mr. Michaelson?"
" John, I know, your car is dead. Right?"
" Yes, Sir. How did you know?"
"Guess what, I had like the entire division saying the same thing."
"Okay. I will try to get a..."
"You will try but good luck finding an Uber or a cab, they are super-hot commodities right now, and people are negotiating a super high price as fare. I am so lucky, that for all these years I was forced to work from the office. Maybe try to Skip the dishes!"
"Sir, I will do my best."
John went back to the building and thought, Daniel, can help. He used to do Skip the dishes during the pandemic, for sure his car still works. I will pay him whatever he wants. John saw Daniel going out of the elevator. "Danny, ma man, I need a huge favor, can you give me a ride to the office? My car is dead!"
"Sure, no worries, but the only thing is that you'll have to share the space with my family. I need to take the wife to work, and the kid to school. Is that okay?"
"No problem. My boss knows that I will be late! Thanks, man! You are a Life Saver, I will pay you!"
"Don't worry, we are neighbors, who know maybe one day I will need a favor too... and John, don't worry I will pick you up after work, I don't think you will get a cab with this shortage!"
After Daniel's family occupied the back seats, Daniel started to drive towards the city. John was looking fascinated towards the sky. The color was not right. It was early morning and the sky was grey and there was no sun on the horizon. Then he started seeing on the street lots of cars on fire and people running with no direction.
Daniel started to talk: "Yup, people are idiots, they thought that driving is like swimming, you don't do it for fifty years and you supposed magically to remember which one is the gas pedal, and which one is the brake!"
John: "Aha, now I understand why the sky is crying. For fifty years there were just a bunch of cars on the street, so the pollution was almost zero, now with thousands on the road, nature forgot how to function on the fumes. Probably there will be lots of buildings on fire because people don't remember how to use certain machinery. I think the government has not thought about this problem properly. They shouldn't leave the people to return back to normal without training!"
Daniel started to laugh: "Man, you are unbelievable! You are a true white collar; you can't wipe your ass without training!"
"You can make fun as you want, but look at the mess outside!"
"Well, if you weren't so obedient, you could've trained for today. You should've broken the curfew and driven in the night, parked somewhere, and had a stroll. How are your legs?"
"My legs are fine!"
"Sure, can you walk more than five meters without losing your breath?"
"I don't know, maybe!"
"I am telling you, you can't! You are not used to the uneven terrain, and if I am let you out of the car, you will not be able to breathe properly, because for fifty years you breathed in the same stale air!"
"Okay, Daniel, what's your point?"
"Well, Johnny my boy, you are defective for this new world, but some of your parts are pristine so we are going to use it for the greater good!"
"Greater good? What's that, Daniel? Are you even, Daniel?"
"Yes, I am Daniel your badass neighbor! And I am taking you to the Corporation. You are part of my order... skip the dishes!"
"What? Let me out! I will give you as much money as you want!"
"Bro, money is not important in this new world. We are fighting for doses of anti-pandemic! Today all the Ubber, Skip the Dishes, and cab drivers are going to be saved. Each of us is transporting to the corporation some suckers like you, who eagerly wanted to go back to work. There is no work, man! Now are just the corporation and the human parts!"
"What about your family? Are they parts too?"
"No! My family will receive today their ten dose of survival, and I can't afford to leave them home. Why if some eager idiot will kidnap them? I can't take that risk, so they travel with me!"
"So I am fresh meat? What did they order?"
"Heart, liver, and kidney, your lungs will go to a different company, and the rest somewhere else. My deal is done once I push you through those doors! The rest is in their hands!"
John realized that there was no way he could escape from the car because all the doors were locked and smart pants installed a protective shield between the back seat and his driving area.
In the beginning, thought it was because of the pandemic, but now he realized that the entire time he uber-ed humans to their peril. Even if he got out, there would be other fishing for him! So he decided to speak.
"Daniel, have you thought about what is going to happen to you and your family when there will be no more human to transport? They know where you leave, so you will become somebody else Skip the dishes menu!"
"John, don't worry about me, I have figured it out! Once there will be no human left, I will retire to the mountains. I know how to hunt and live in the wild and I have enough supplies to leave until this shit is over!"
John realized that there was no way he could convince him to let him go, so he started to pray and ask for forgiveness and wished that they will not take his organs when he was still alive... anesthesia will be nice and then a lethal injection should do the business! Damn it! He should've never ordered Skip the dishes, no he was a freaking dish delish!
Daniel stopped the car. " Johny, ma man, now it's time to pay the favor! Be a good neighbor and shut up!"
Horror Writing Contest contest entry
2050, 1st of August, the first official day after the Apocalypse, when humanity was allowed to go back to its normal ways.
Humanity was ready, but what it didn't know was the enemy was still lurking in the background. After fifty years of occupation, people got used to fearing anything and everything; so for those that stayed barricaded behind the blinds of their houses, the first day was a challenge. Half the cars refused to budge. You know when you don't use something for fifty years, it's not going to work; the battery is going to be dead or there will be some other mechanical issue.
John remembered that he used to take the car on its annual check-up visit and oil change. Man, I should've known! I should've been prepared. He took the phone out to call his boss.
After the first ring, he said: "Mr. Michaelson?"
" John, I know, your car is dead. Right?"
" Yes, Sir. How did you know?"
"Guess what, I had like the entire division saying the same thing."
"Okay. I will try to get a..."
"You will try but good luck finding an Uber or a cab, they are super-hot commodities right now, and people are negotiating a super high price as fare. I am so lucky, that for all these years I was forced to work from the office. Maybe try to Skip the dishes!"
"Sir, I will do my best."
John went back to the building and thought, Daniel, can help. He used to do Skip the dishes during the pandemic, for sure his car still works. I will pay him whatever he wants. John saw Daniel going out of the elevator. "Danny, ma man, I need a huge favor, can you give me a ride to the office? My car is dead!"
"Sure, no worries, but the only thing is that you'll have to share the space with my family. I need to take the wife to work, and the kid to school. Is that okay?"
"No problem. My boss knows that I will be late! Thanks, man! You are a Life Saver, I will pay you!"
"Don't worry, we are neighbors, who know maybe one day I will need a favor too... and John, don't worry I will pick you up after work, I don't think you will get a cab with this shortage!"
After Daniel's family occupied the back seats, Daniel started to drive towards the city. John was looking fascinated towards the sky. The color was not right. It was early morning and the sky was grey and there was no sun on the horizon. Then he started seeing on the street lots of cars on fire and people running with no direction.
Daniel started to talk: "Yup, people are idiots, they thought that driving is like swimming, you don't do it for fifty years and you supposed magically to remember which one is the gas pedal, and which one is the brake!"
John: "Aha, now I understand why the sky is crying. For fifty years there were just a bunch of cars on the street, so the pollution was almost zero, now with thousands on the road, nature forgot how to function on the fumes. Probably there will be lots of buildings on fire because people don't remember how to use certain machinery. I think the government has not thought about this problem properly. They shouldn't leave the people to return back to normal without training!"
Daniel started to laugh: "Man, you are unbelievable! You are a true white collar; you can't wipe your ass without training!"
"You can make fun as you want, but look at the mess outside!"
"Well, if you weren't so obedient, you could've trained for today. You should've broken the curfew and driven in the night, parked somewhere, and had a stroll. How are your legs?"
"My legs are fine!"
"Sure, can you walk more than five meters without losing your breath?"
"I don't know, maybe!"
"I am telling you, you can't! You are not used to the uneven terrain, and if I am let you out of the car, you will not be able to breathe properly, because for fifty years you breathed in the same stale air!"
"Okay, Daniel, what's your point?"
"Well, Johnny my boy, you are defective for this new world, but some of your parts are pristine so we are going to use it for the greater good!"
"Greater good? What's that, Daniel? Are you even, Daniel?"
"Yes, I am Daniel your badass neighbor! And I am taking you to the Corporation. You are part of my order... skip the dishes!"
"What? Let me out! I will give you as much money as you want!"
"Bro, money is not important in this new world. We are fighting for doses of anti-pandemic! Today all the Ubber, Skip the Dishes, and cab drivers are going to be saved. Each of us is transporting to the corporation some suckers like you, who eagerly wanted to go back to work. There is no work, man! Now are just the corporation and the human parts!"
"What about your family? Are they parts too?"
"No! My family will receive today their ten dose of survival, and I can't afford to leave them home. Why if some eager idiot will kidnap them? I can't take that risk, so they travel with me!"
"So I am fresh meat? What did they order?"
"Heart, liver, and kidney, your lungs will go to a different company, and the rest somewhere else. My deal is done once I push you through those doors! The rest is in their hands!"
John realized that there was no way he could escape from the car because all the doors were locked and smart pants installed a protective shield between the back seat and his driving area.
In the beginning, thought it was because of the pandemic, but now he realized that the entire time he uber-ed humans to their peril. Even if he got out, there would be other fishing for him! So he decided to speak.
"Daniel, have you thought about what is going to happen to you and your family when there will be no more human to transport? They know where you leave, so you will become somebody else Skip the dishes menu!"
"John, don't worry about me, I have figured it out! Once there will be no human left, I will retire to the mountains. I know how to hunt and live in the wild and I have enough supplies to leave until this shit is over!"
John realized that there was no way he could convince him to let him go, so he started to pray and ask for forgiveness and wished that they will not take his organs when he was still alive... anesthesia will be nice and then a lethal injection should do the business! Damn it! He should've never ordered Skip the dishes, no he was a freaking dish delish!
Daniel stopped the car. " Johny, ma man, now it's time to pay the favor! Be a good neighbor and shut up!"
Humanity was ready, but what it didn't know was the enemy was still lurking in the background. After fifty years of occupation, people got used to fearing anything and everything; so for those that stayed barricaded behind the blinds of their houses, the first day was a challenge. Half the cars refused to budge. You know when you don't use something for fifty years, it's not going to work; the battery is going to be dead or there will be some other mechanical issue.
John remembered that he used to take the car on its annual check-up visit and oil change. Man, I should've known! I should've been prepared. He took the phone out to call his boss.
After the first ring, he said: "Mr. Michaelson?"
" John, I know, your car is dead. Right?"
" Yes, Sir. How did you know?"
"Guess what, I had like the entire division saying the same thing."
"Okay. I will try to get a..."
"You will try but good luck finding an Uber or a cab, they are super-hot commodities right now, and people are negotiating a super high price as fare. I am so lucky, that for all these years I was forced to work from the office. Maybe try to Skip the dishes!"
"Sir, I will do my best."
John went back to the building and thought, Daniel, can help. He used to do Skip the dishes during the pandemic, for sure his car still works. I will pay him whatever he wants. John saw Daniel going out of the elevator. "Danny, ma man, I need a huge favor, can you give me a ride to the office? My car is dead!"
"Sure, no worries, but the only thing is that you'll have to share the space with my family. I need to take the wife to work, and the kid to school. Is that okay?"
"No problem. My boss knows that I will be late! Thanks, man! You are a Life Saver, I will pay you!"
"Don't worry, we are neighbors, who know maybe one day I will need a favor too... and John, don't worry I will pick you up after work, I don't think you will get a cab with this shortage!"
After Daniel's family occupied the back seats, Daniel started to drive towards the city. John was looking fascinated towards the sky. The color was not right. It was early morning and the sky was grey and there was no sun on the horizon. Then he started seeing on the street lots of cars on fire and people running with no direction.
Daniel started to talk: "Yup, people are idiots, they thought that driving is like swimming, you don't do it for fifty years and you supposed magically to remember which one is the gas pedal, and which one is the brake!"
John: "Aha, now I understand why the sky is crying. For fifty years there were just a bunch of cars on the street, so the pollution was almost zero, now with thousands on the road, nature forgot how to function on the fumes. Probably there will be lots of buildings on fire because people don't remember how to use certain machinery. I think the government has not thought about this problem properly. They shouldn't leave the people to return back to normal without training!"
Daniel started to laugh: "Man, you are unbelievable! You are a true white collar; you can't wipe your ass without training!"
"You can make fun as you want, but look at the mess outside!"
"Well, if you weren't so obedient, you could've trained for today. You should've broken the curfew and driven in the night, parked somewhere, and had a stroll. How are your legs?"
"My legs are fine!"
"Sure, can you walk more than five meters without losing your breath?"
"I don't know, maybe!"
"I am telling you, you can't! You are not used to the uneven terrain, and if I am let you out of the car, you will not be able to breathe properly, because for fifty years you breathed in the same stale air!"
"Okay, Daniel, what's your point?"
"Well, Johnny my boy, you are defective for this new world, but some of your parts are pristine so we are going to use it for the greater good!"
"Greater good? What's that, Daniel? Are you even, Daniel?"
"Yes, I am Daniel your badass neighbor! And I am taking you to the Corporation. You are part of my order... skip the dishes!"
"What? Let me out! I will give you as much money as you want!"
"Bro, money is not important in this new world. We are fighting for doses of anti-pandemic! Today all the Ubber, Skip the Dishes, and cab drivers are going to be saved. Each of us is transporting to the corporation some suckers like you, who eagerly wanted to go back to work. There is no work, man! Now are just the corporation and the human parts!"
"What about your family? Are they parts too?"
"No! My family will receive today their ten dose of survival, and I can't afford to leave them home. Why if some eager idiot will kidnap them? I can't take that risk, so they travel with me!"
"So I am fresh meat? What did they order?"
"Heart, liver, and kidney, your lungs will go to a different company, and the rest somewhere else. My deal is done once I push you through those doors! The rest is in their hands!"
John realized that there was no way he could escape from the car because all the doors were locked and smart pants installed a protective shield between the back seat and his driving area.
In the beginning, thought it was because of the pandemic, but now he realized that the entire time he uber-ed humans to their peril. Even if he got out, there would be other fishing for him! So he decided to speak.
"Daniel, have you thought about what is going to happen to you and your family when there will be no more human to transport? They know where you leave, so you will become somebody else Skip the dishes menu!"
"John, don't worry about me, I have figured it out! Once there will be no human left, I will retire to the mountains. I know how to hunt and live in the wild and I have enough supplies to leave until this shit is over!"
John realized that there was no way he could convince him to let him go, so he started to pray and ask for forgiveness and wished that they will not take his organs when he was still alive... anesthesia will be nice and then a lethal injection should do the business! Damn it! He should've never ordered Skip the dishes, no he was a freaking dish delish!
Daniel stopped the car. " Johny, ma man, now it's time to pay the favor! Be a good neighbor and shut up!"
Skip the Dishes and Uber Eats are two apps used in Canada to order food from restaurants, that is delivered to your door.
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