Chapter 8

Three days had passed and Conor was getting very anxious about when he can reach the authorities. He had to make sure that they are informed about the situation so that they can take further steps. In the evening, Conor went downstairs and saw Kristof coming into the house. He immediately confronted him.

'So, when can we head to Moscow?' Conor asked. Kristof was pouring a very minimal amount of water into a cup.

'I am ready to head out anytime, it's your call now.' Kristof said after gulping down the contents of his cup.

'I should be going as soon as possible, there's plenty of things to be explained and made clear.' Conor said.

'You're right, you need to explain to me about you.' Kristof said.

'I'll explain on the way, don't worry. Can we leave tomorrow morning?' Conor asked. Kristof seemed to hesitate a bit.

'Sure, no matter. You should pack up, and bring some supplies, the journey won't be a breeze.' Kristof said and walked away. Conor just stood there for a minute before going back upstairs to pack his suit. The suit can be used later.

The following morning, Kristof kissed his family goodbye while Conor thanked them all for having him in the house. After that, Conor walked towards Kristof's jeep and hurled his backpack into the back. He seated himself at the front, beside the driver.

Kristof came shortly after and started the very loud engines.

'Please pardon the engine, it's been modified to run on water. So, it's a bit noisy as well.' Kristof said and chuckled lightly. Conor whispered that it's fine.

The jeep rolled along the road. To the left and right, Conor could only see miles and miles of farmland. Devastated farmland, to be exact. There was dust literally everywhere, and every now and then, he could see towers of billowing smoke.

'Hey, what are those smokes?' Conor asked.

'Oh, that's farmers burning off the failed crops.' Kristof said briefly.

'Why not just bury them in the ground?' Conor asked further.

'Because it's easier to burn than to bury.' Kristof answered. Conor was stunned.

'But, that's carbon emission!' Conor exclaimed.

'Ah, people don't care, man. They just do what is easy to them. What's the point of wasting time to dig a hole when you can just burn it all?' Kristof said. 'Drop it, man. Explain about yourself, now. You promised to.' Kristof continued.

'Alright, but I warn you, some bits are very confusing.' Conor said. Kristof just nodded and whispered, "Go on".

And off Conor went, explaining all the things that happened; the hole, the reality, the clouds of dust, how he came back, everything. Kristof proved to be a good listener as he seldom interrupted Conor and seemed to understand everything.

'Wait, tell me again about the reality a bit. The things in there turned to dust when you touched it?' Kristof asked with an amazed look. Conor just nodded. 'No way, that's amazing!' Kristof exclaimed excitedly.

'It's not amazing, I failed to bring back seeds for that. And if all these crops fail-' Conor said while gesturing at the fields 'We all are going to starve.' Conor said. Kristof's smile was wiped off instantly. He looked concerned now.

'So umm, how do you know that this place you are in, this is the real world and not another reality?' Kristof asked.

'Now that you say that, I'm not so sure myself about if this place is real.' Conor said. Kristof laughed.

'Don't worry, this IS the real world.' Kristof said.

'Yes, of course. Nothing is turning to dust here, I've noticed.' Conor said and chuckled. 'But it is pretty strange because I've never expected Earth to turn like this.' he continued.

'Yeah, it hits hard on me too. I remember when I was a little kid, Things were way better than this. Sure, it was hot but we could still see some greens. Now there's nothing anymore.' Kristof said with a long sigh.

'Don't we all feel it hit hard.' Conor said.

'You know, I have one really big regret. I made a mistake by having kids. Like, look at the mess they'll be inheriting from us. Will they even survive?' Kristof confessed.

'No, don't say that. Having kids is totally fine, you just need to train them well so they can survive. You shouldn't regret them.' Conor said.

'You might want to shut your eyes for a while, the journey's going to be a long one, and you will have to drive. Rest now so you will be refreshed later.' Kristof said.

'Yeah sure, wake me up when needed.' Conor said and reclined his seat. He leaned towards the window and shut his eyes, hoping that he would fall asleep.