“The series of hurricanes in Texas continued their rampage until yesterday, when it finally gave a breathing space to the locals. It’s estimated that over 50% of the harvest was lost, so we should expect the prices to rise even further in the next weeks. Now, up next, our correspondent in Europe will comment about the efforts of divers to recover historical artifacts from the Amsterdam Museum, over 50 years after the city was claimed by the ocean.”
“That’s enough news for today,” said Henry to himself, turning off the TV. “The prices are going to raise even more… Who thought I would live to see the end of the world?”
But his thoughts were interrupted, as the door to his shop opened. He looked up while keeping his right hand under the counter, over his old .38 revolver. Two men came in, both were wearing black suits that seemed to be worth more than his entire shop. Difficult to believe there are still people wearing these kinds of clothes, he thought. “May I help you?”
“I hope so. I’ve been told you are the only remaining cobbler in this part of the city.” Said the taller of the two, he seemed to be young, about Henry’s age, between his middle twenties and his thirties. The man’s eyes were covered by sunglasses, but from what Henry could notice, he had been crying.
“Wrong. I’m the only cobbler still doing business in the city. The others either died or left for better parts,” said Henry, still measuring the men firmly, with his sapphire eyes.
“Well, I suppose shoes aren’t the most profitable business during the apocalypse…” said the other man, who was shorter and had a stockier build.
“Yeah, I’m barely making ends meet.” Henry lied. The business was doing okay, in times that getting a new pair of shoes was near impossible, fixing the old ones was the alternative to walking barefoot. He earned enough to live better than most of the people in the neighborhood, but he wasn’t about to share that with such a suspicious duo. “What may I do for you, gentleman?”
“Those are my father’s shoes,” said the younger man, putting a pair of luxurious, business shoes, the leather was top notch, and the design was certainly Italian. “Can you have them ready by tomorrow morning?”
“Well, that depends. What’s wrong with them?” Henry grabbed one of the shoes and examined it, but they seemed to be in perfect condition.
“Nothing. I just want them polished, make them as if they were new.”
Henry was dumbfounded by the response. Nobody cared about how their shoes looked anymore, as long as they were in good condition. But he wasn’t about to refuse work, regardless of how odd a request it may be, especially such an easy one. “Sure. I can have them ready by tomorrow, then. Sorry to be so blunt, but how do you intend to pay?”
“Do you still accept cash, or are you only dealing with food rations?”
“Food rations work better around these parts, but if you don’t have it on you, I can take cash too.”
“Here,” said the older man, putting a few notes on the counter, “I will give you the other half of the payment tomorrow, when we come to get them.”
Henry didn’t count the money, but just at a glance, he could tell it was about five times more than the service was worth. His moral compass was tingling, but he kept silent. Food was about to get more expensive, and those men didn’t seem like the type to be worried about money. In the end, he decided to just grab the money and put it in his pocket.
“Be extra cautious with those shoes. They are my father’s favorites. I don’t remember a day in which he wasn’t wearing them.”
That wouldn’t come as a surprise for most people, who only owned one pair of shoes, but that definitely wasn’t the case for these guys, “And what occasion is important for him to part with the shoes for a whole day?” he asked, before he could contain himself.
The man’s face darkened, “His funeral,” he said, in a sober voice. Henry immediately regretted asking the question in the first place.
“I see… I’m sorry for your loss. I assure you they will be ready by tomorrow morning.”
The mood was so dense it could have been cut by a knife, luckily for him, both men left shortly after. It was already early evening, so he decided to close the shop for the day. He took the expensive shoes and went to the back, where he kept most of his equipment. Henry laid the shoes on his workbench, but instead of starting to work on them, he went for a beer first.
“Dammit, is it the last one already?” he cursed, as he took it from the fridge. “God only knows when I will have the chance for another one, with the prices raising every other day”, he said, to himself, as he took the first sip.
Henry walked dragging his feet to the workbench, rested his beer on the side, and started to work on the shoes. It was still odd that such an easy job had such big pay, but he wasn’t complaining. It took him only about 10 minutes of work and the left shoe was shining as new. It was truly a beautiful work of art, he could see that the shoe had been made by hand and using leather of the best quality.
“It’s a shame that such a nice shoe will be buried.” He thought, as he put the left shoe back on the bench and grabbed the right one. But before he started, he noticed something was off. And upon closer inspection, the internal leather sole had been ripped and then glued together, and it definitely wasn’t the work of a professional. It probably would go unnoticed for just anybody else, but a cobbler would notice. Henry considered leaving it as it was, but his profession’s pride spoke louder. “It’s not such a big deal, and for the money they are paying, it’s only fair I do a good job,” he thought, as he carefully removed the sole.
However, he didn’t expect to find something hidden inside the shoe. It was some kind of shard, it was transparent and irregular. As a man that worked with his hands, he couldn’t resist the urge to take it and examine it closer. It didn’t seem special, like something that might be used as a paperweight. “If he took the time to hide it inside the shoe, then it certainly is worth something… Could it be a rough diamond?” he whispered, under his breath, excitement for the discovery filled his chest, but he couldn’t help but worry that it might be some kind of elaborate plan from those men. For all he knew, they could have done it on purpose and had some ulterior motive to it.
“It’s not a diamond, it’s a crystal.” He heard a female voice say next to him.
Henry was startled Someone broke in! was all that came into his mind. Break-in and robbery weren’t such uncommon occurrences, as people got hungrier and more desperate. He tried to reach for his gun, but cursed, as he remembered he had left it under the counter of the shop, instead he grabbed a hammer that was sitting on top of his workbench and turned to face the intruder.
He didn’t expect her to be the most beautiful woman he had seen in his entire life. Her fair skin and silver, silky hair didn’t fit the profile of a robber, and he couldn’t help but notice her eyes were purple. Who the hell wears contacts while invading someone else’s house? He thought. But maybe that’s the point, maybe she’s just a distraction, as others do the muscle work. Henry raised the hammer and asked in a commanding voice, “How many are with you? Where are they?”
“I’m alone, but-”
Henry interrupted her before she could finish “Don’t lie to me! Come here!” he said, as he went for her arm, only to have his hand pass through her image. He looked at her, wide-eyed, “What’s happening?” he asked, almost blind by fear. His gaze fell back to the bench, where his beer stood. “I just drank half a can, I shouldn’t be hallucinating…”
“And you aren’t. Now, can you put that hammer down before you end up hurting yourself?”
He hadn’t even realized he was still holding the hammer up, ready for a swing. He slowly lowered it, and put it on the bench, his mind was buzzing with so many questions, he didn’t have the willpower to oppose her. “What the hell are you?” was all he managed to say.
“That’s… complicated. For now, let’s say I’m a guide. And thanks, by the way. If it wasn’t for you taking the crystal out of the shoe, I would end up inside the earth for years, and then it would probably be too late.”
“A guide? Of what? And being too late for what?” Henry rested his fingers on top of his eyes, wishing this was all a nightmare.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, but we don’t have much time right now, so I will give you the general idea. I will explain everything in full detail eventually. I’ve been guiding people through millennia, and the former owner of these shoes was my last vessel. As you touched the crystal that makes you the next vessel, if you so wish. In normal circumstances, that would mean I would guide you and help you develop your full potential while working towards the benefit of mankind, but now we have bigger problems.”
“What? You can’t just dump all of that like it’s nothing. I don’t even know what you are or how to call you.” He felt as if his brain was about to short circuit.
“Sorry, I know it’s sudden, but we are running out of time. It’s a matter of life and death. And you can call me Lucy, by the way.”
“Life and death? Of whom?”
“Mankind.” She said, simply.
“Are you serious?” Henry looked at her, hoping she would play it off as a joke, but she held his gaze, and he could see it in her eyes that she was dead serious. “And what do you want me to do? Should I give this crystal thingy back to the family of the deceased?”
“That depends. Do you trust them to be responsible with the fate of the world?” her purple eyes were locked in his, her gaze was so strong Henry felt like she was staring directly at his soul.
“Well, I don’t know them very well, but they certainly have more means to help you than me.”
“And what makes you think that?”
“For starters, I’m just a cobbler. I’m nothing if not ordinary.”
“History is made by ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I can see that you have the potential, we just need to work on it, just like a rough diamond.”
“Okay, suppose I decide to help, what are we gonna do? You didn’t even tell me what’s this big threat.”
“You seriously didn’t figure that part out by yourself? Look around.” She said, waving her hands. “The world is broken, the climate is going crazy, natural disasters are an everyday occurrence, and yet people are not adapting. At this rate, the planet will wipe out human life entirely.”
“I know all that, there’s a reason why many people say this is the apocalypse. But what would you have me do? It’s not like we can just leave this planet and go to another.”
“The answer is not to leave the planet, but to change how you currently live. You must adapt to the new environment, not hope that it will accommodate your needs.”
“That makes sense, I guess… But what can I help you with?”
“According to my calculations, we still have a few years until we reach a critical point. Until then, we will gather the resources we need to build a city like no other before, it will be the last, safe haven of mankind.”
“Mankind? Isn’t that too much to hope for? Aren’t we talking about a single city?”
“As I said, it will be a city like no other. But don’t worry, I will guide you through every step of the way. I even have the perfect name for the city in mind.”
“And what’s it?”
“Emporion.”