Digital Sneeze

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.

The prompts: This story must contain the words: airplane, mouse and sneeze

Digital Sneeze

January 21st, 2013: Entry #24

I don’t have much time to write tonight. The sun will be down soon and candles can’t be spared. I will continue to document events past and present in the hope that someone, someday, will learn what has happened here.

The intrusion was so subtle that no one noticed it for months – not until it was way too late to do anything about it.

The virus entered the webisphere through the SETI dishes at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Like the old saying goes, “Be careful what you ask for…”

With every mouse click, we invited a byte of infection into our offices and homes. We were our own worst enemies on nearly every level. First, out dependence on technology helped to spread the disease. Secondly, the attack, when it came, put an end to the very technology we were addicted to.

When critical mass was reached; when enough of the program existed on enough platforms; it began to reassemble.

The mother of all computer viruses poised for its attack. There was a monster amongst us and we had no idea. We continued to click away, feeding the beast sent to us from outer space. It grew and grew until that moment when it unleashed itself.

When that happened, every technologically advanced device got sick.

The first digital sneeze brought down an airplane. I heard tell that in some places it rained Airbuses. Cars and trains stopped too. Entire power grids went off line.

Now we’ve been brought to our knees. We’ve been thrown back into an age of darkness.

I realize that all of this probably doesn’t matter nearly as much as what I fear is coming. They have arrived. At least I think they have. I see their lights in the sky.

Word count 300