Novel & Cerita Things Have Gotten Worse

He was serving his second term in office, after all; the President of the United States had a lot of security. By the time we made it to the church parking lot, I was in a bad mood. The whole drive George was nit-picking at everything I did. Complaining about my car not being big enough for five people, how I drove too fast, how I should have pulled out at a junction when I didn’t, how long it was taking. If he was doing it to piss me off, it was having the desired effect.

There is nothing worse than old people who are set in their old ways. The man I was dealing with liked the good old times and wanted to do things the good old way. I hated when people did that. Maybe the good old times were perfect, though I doubt it, but we're not in the past. We're right here, right now. Learn from the past and move on, the world is constantly changing. Make the best out of what you have. Sure, there are things that are worse right now compared to decades ago, but instead of dwelling on them, focus on the better things, the ones that have improved. There are many. 2

“I have a bad feeling that if we don’t get this resolved soon, something else is going to happen. I don’t want something like before to happen again.” Page adds, “Or something worse.” The room instantly falls into silence. Her words ring through my head. Or something worse. I don’t even want to think about it. I hope I never find out what the something worse is.

There are far worse things out here than me. And right now, I’m the least of their worries.

And somehow… That made everything even worse.

“Then let’s get ready.” Vanessa clenched her fists. “Because whatever’s coming?” “It’s worse than whatever we’ve confronted before.” ?

Lack of sleep. But worse than that— the timeline felt wrong. Too fast. The infected migration warning replayed over and over in the back of her mind. That hadn’t happened this early before. Neither had the military collapse. Neither had the highways been emptying this quickly. The electronic tone flickered softly through her skull. SURVIVAL CONDITIONS DETERIORATING. RESOURCE COMPETITION EXPECTED TO INCREASE. No shit. Evelyn rubbed tiredly at her eyes. Across the room, Rowan noticed immediately. “You’re running yourself into the ground.”

The buildings flanking it remained intact, but the space between them— Changed. A murmur rippled through the crowd. Then silence. Because no one could explain it. Aera felt the system strain. Not outward. Inward. It was trying to stabilize around an absence that no longer allowed it to. Kael’s voice dropped. “It’s getting worse.” Aera shook her head slightly. “No.” A pause. “It’s getting clearer.” Rhyne turned sharply. “Clearer? People are losing their footing—structures are shifting—we’re on the edge of collapse!”

Their faces mirrored the shock and devastation in my own. The things that were once considered terrible had now become the norm. There were no rules anymore, and they were more unruly and merciless than ever before. It seemed like the absence of Alexei had unleashed their darker side, making their behavior even more unsettling and dangerous. It was just…terrible. Anya's sobs echoed through the courtyard, and soon, the entire gathering joined in mourning. I rushed to my friend's side, embracing her as tears streamed down my face. We had lost another precious life, and it felt like the world had turned cruel and heartless.

I took a deep breath and bit my lip, trying to distract myself and focus on the series that was playing. It couldn't be possible for that climate between us to come back from nowhere. We did get closer, but not to get to this moment where we are now. I also know that those damn pregnancy hormones have been driving me crazy ever since our first decent conversation and now, the same hormones haven't helped a bit, as I feel every corner of my body heat up even more, and my heartbeat has intensified more and more.