“Eager souls, mystics and revolutionaries, may propose to refashion the world in accordance with their dreams; but evil remains, and so long as it lurks in the secret places of the heart, utopia is only the shadow of a dream.” Nathaniel Hawthorne
Writing Challenge: The Demons Of Dystopia…
Writing Challenge: The Demons Of Dystopia…
Synopsis: A young museum curator lapses into a coma after a horrific accident. 100 years later, Maya wakes up to a changed world – Dystopia. Dystopia is a world characterized by human carnage, oppression, squalor, disease, mounting misery, water shortages and overcrowding. A meteor crash in 2101 decimated the earth and unleashed 7 demons who battle for control of the continents. Earth is now dominated and ruled by the seven deadly sins embodied in the giant demons; each demon is the manifested form of one of the deadly sins. Maya has been assigned to Group Pride ruled by Lucifer and must learn to find her way in a new world order.
Each of us arrived on earth by agreement. We also agreed to a departure time, which, as earthly time goes, is short… But, from time to time, a few souls fall through the gap, straddling two worlds; the earthly world, and the spirit world which is separated from earth by a thin veil. Behind the thin, opaque veil, effused with shimmering crystal light, is the realm of divine spirit; some would reference it as the ancestral abode or the doorstep to heaven.
On January 12, 2013, Maya Stroll, 35, museum curator, tall, pretty with emerald colored eyes and long, jet black hair, and of Mediterranean extraction, stepped out the front door of her Park slope brownstone. It was a cold, gray, dreary day; perfect for staying indoors unless one had no choice in the matter. Distracted by the loud noise of the construction site across the street, Maya didn’t see the black sedan, a gypsy cab, hurtling in her direction. “Those bastards never take a day off; they must be running a racket!” she muttered under her breath as she stepped off the curb, eager to get to her beige mini cooper across the street and head for work. Seconds before the gypsy cab hit her, Maya looked up, braced herself, “Oh God!”
The gypsy cab driver, Salim Hayes, lost control of his car when the brakes failed and watched in horror as the 2.25 ton car slammed into Maya. Salim remembered the look of sickened horror on her face as the impact of 4,500Ibs of metal against flesh ripped a huge gash in her left thigh, snapped her left fibula in half and tossed her 50 feet in the air before flinging her like a rag doll against the concrete wall of the construction site where part of her scalp was torn off. The cab slammed into two parked cars before coming to rest halfway up the hood of a minivan; leaving a trail of glass and twisted metal everywhere. Salim passed out. Maya lost consciousness.
“Because power corrupts, society’s demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.” John Adams
Writing Challenge: The Demons Of Dystopia…
“Oh my God, Oh God! Call 911” someone yelled. A few site crew members ran to check on Salim. Fortunately, he had a concussion and some bruises but would recover. The site foreman and another worker, a structural engineer, grabbed a hand towel and a jacket and ran to assist Maya. They covered Maya’s bleeding leg with her fibula bones exposed. “She’s dead.” The foreman said solemnly as the distant sirens drew closer and closer. The first ambulance stopped right in front of Maya’s home and the first responders jumped into action.
“Come, come, she’s over here!” The engineer shouted. The responder moved quickly to help Maya. Minutes later, a second Ambulance arrived to help Salim. On the way to St Bart’s Hospital, Maya went into cardiac arrest twice. The doctors did everything to save her. Maya soon lapsed into a coma leaving behind a chaotic world in deep economic recession, wars raging, food and water shortages, and growing concerns about the environment.
Writing Challenge: The Demons Of Dystopia…
100 Years Hence: Cut to Dystopia
100 years later, it’s 2113, Maya stirs, slowly coming out of her coma. Attached to tubes and machines, she tries to move an arm but can’t. The machines come to life printing data and announcing, seemingly to no one in particular, Pride- Maya SSS754449 is awake. Pride- Maya SSS754449 is awake. Soon, her room is teeming with medical staff checking her vitals and gathering more data. Maya is identified as Pride- Maya SSS754449 for a reason. She is in Deadly Sins Dystopia; specifically in Lucifer’s territory.
After the last meteor attack on earth in 2101, seven giant demons rose from the dust, each representing one of the seven deadly sins. They battled each other for territories and, soon, divvied up the earth into seven barren hellholes, dominating all remaining life forms. The Seven Deadly sins and corresponding giant demons are: Lucifer: pride, Mammon: greed , Asmodeus: lust, Leviathan: envy, Beelzebub: gluttony, Amon: wrath and Belphegor: sloth.
Over the next twelve weeks, Maya comes in and out of consciousness. She is monitored and encouraged to respond to music, words, and touch. Speech and physical therapists are on board. Specialists run tests and stop by to update her chart. At first, she is confused, unable to say more than one word. The bright fluorescent lights burn her eyes and the face of medical staff are unfamiliar, but something within drives her; an inner resolve goads her on. Her recovery is gradual, slow, as is expected with her type of injury. In week 12, as Maya opens and closes her eyes, she notices how brightly lit her room is, and how grey and wet it looks outside her window. For a moment, she wonders, “Where am I? What’s going on?” Then Maya remembers she’s in a hospital; her treatment and therapy are going well. More below!
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