The diary continues to be told by Katheleen

1. The Sanderson Apocalypse – Chapter 1
Well, the children have been put to bed for the night, so I think now is as good as
ever a time to continue reading aloud my grandmother’s diary. This part I assure
you will be much longer as it spans grandma’s entire adult life. Yes, 28 whole
years in one entire sitting. You better be ready for it…
Okay, here we go:

2. Dear Diary,
It’s been years since I wrote inside of you, and for that I’m sorry. I’m a mother
now and the efforts to rebuild society have been successful so far. But I still feel
the need to tell you how I have gotten this far, it’s only fair.
After I began to hear that voice in my head, the rest of the day became one huge
blur. The taxi drove me to the edge of the island where I was shuffled on to a
ferry with my fellow students in order to reach the mainland. I eyed everyone in
sight. I recognized a few faces from many of my biology classes, but one
seemed to be missing: Ethan Olfski. I remember praying to the creator- the
voice- that he would guide Ethan to the next ferry for protection. I wouldn’t be
able to fulfill my mission without knowing that my darling Ethan was safe.

3. Once the ferry stopped, we were all ushered into safehouses by military forces.
Above is a rough sketch of my three level home, complete with mismatched
kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom sets.

4. As I mentioned in a previous entry, I found a job as a file clerk during my first day
on the mainland. It didn’t pay well, but money wasn’t something I was concerned
about. Creator said that by mastering a career in law, I would open up the doors
for my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to keep their efforts
stable. I scoffed as he said it with every ounce of pride he could muster. We
spent the next five minutes laughing hysterically before he snapped and said that
he was serious. I continued to giggle after that. I’m glad that I was made by a
Creator who I can enjoy the company of.

5. One week into my mission and already I could tell that I smelled disgusting. The
soap that I was left with could be classified as Grade F during the times before
the apocalypse, but now it would be classified as a luxury. So I had to choose
either feeling disgusting verses feeling nothing but pain. I can tell you with ease
that it was tough. In the end, I choose to feel disgusting. I already had enough
things that hurt in my life. Physically, I could barely move objects bigger than a
chair because my body was eating at any muscle I had to feed itself due to a
lack of nutrition (it was recommended that we only have one square meal a day).
But that wasn’t the worst part. Emotionally, I was pained by the fact that I didn’t
know if Ethan was safe or not. What if he had stayed behind on the island
because he thought that I didn’t make it to a ferry? Or worse, what if he was
here, but was part of the living dead? A few old friends from school managed to
get through the phone lines and report to me that they had seen grey, limping
men and women walk across the street looking famished.

6. Throughout the next few years, I managed to edge my way up the law career
and became an Injury Attorney. With so many people getting hurt on the job
because of a lack of sleep while at home or lack of muscle tissues because of
malnourishment, I felt it was my duty to defend them. Everyone during these
times knew what it was like to live in squalor, but no one truly realized that this
was how we were all living. It was depressing to know how little we cared for
their fellow Sim.

7. After a few more years of dirt and grime were added to my body, I finally caved
in and was forced to deal with more physical pain just to feel clean. My entire
body ached for weeks following what could only be described as my worst
bathing ever (2nd going to the time when I was 4 and got shampoo in my eyes).

8. With a few more years of work, I was soon an Entertainment Attorney with one
more promotion before mastering the law career. It was so close that I could
almost taste my victory (which tasted much better than I clearly smelled at that
point).
But something went amiss the day before I became The Law…

9. You see, there were these three men that showed up outside of my house the
afternoon before my promotion. The man with the buzzcut was nicknamed
“Rock” by his family for his rugged appearance and silent demeanor while the
man with the slanted eyes was named “Slim Johnny” for being the thinnest of the
clan. But they weren’t the ones that truly mattered; it was the fat one with the
greasy, gel-incrusted hair that I should have been concerned about. Joseph
“Joey” Comb was the leader of the family, the don per say. Behind those jolly
cheeks was a manipulative man who could make you do anything by playing
innocent. I regret every bit of that day…

10. Before I approached them, I could hear them talking from outside my home.
“Alright, Rock. I’ll be the one doing the talkin’ with the broad that lives here,”
Joey said in his fake Sim City accent, “You just stand there and look pretty while
Slim stares her down, capice?”
Rock nodded in silence.
“Good, man. Soon we’ll have her payin’ a hefty sum of money to our little
enterprise to keep her home afloat.”
Rock grunted.

11. “Aw come on, Rocky. You now we got our family to feed. What did mama tells
ya when we were just kids?”
Rock mouthed a couple of words.
“That’s right, family does come first. This broad ain’t a part of our family, but she
sure is gonna help. Word on the street is that she’s about to become The Law of
the world, so we need to get a holda her before she makes our family starve to
death.”

12. I began walking down the staircase as the three men were in mid-conversation. I
pretended to be reading from a skill book to not draw their attention, but Rock
had tapped Joey’s shoulder and pointed toward my figure.

13. Joey turned around and greeted me, “Well, well, well, aren’t you a lovely young
woman. It takes a lot of effort to stay classy like yourself in these times, don’t it
Ms… uh…”
“Sanderson, Michelle Sanderson.”
“Ms Sanderson.”
“Listen buddy, what do you want from me?”

14. “Well, my name is Joseph Comb, but everyone calls me Joey.”
“Okay.”
“Ya see, I run this little, erm, ‘family business’ with my brother and couple of
other relatives and we was hoping for a favour.”
Immediately, I knew what he meant by ‘family business’. Maybe it was the fact
that owning your own business in these times was a rather absurd idea because
the economy had crashed, or maybe it was the fact that he acted like a blatant
stereotype, but I sure as hell knew I was dealing with the mafia don.
“You’re part of the mob, aren’t you?”
“Ah, the classy lady is also very intuitive. It’s good to see that the world is about
to be run by someone as intelligent as yourself.”
“Cut the sweet talk, Comb. What do you want?”

15. It was after hearing my words that he put on a little of his charm, “Well, Ms
Sanderson, I can assure you that all I want is what would be best for the both of
us. My family and I will abide by any laws you make as long as you pay us a
nice sum of money every week. How does $1000 sound to you? Good?”
His teeth shone bright. I tried to look away.
“Ms Sanderson, I do have a family of my own to feed and clothe. My wife Sofia
has always wanted to have six children and I won’t be able to do any honest
work while I take care of her during her pregnancies. Besides, you can afford
this. It’s only $1000, and didn’t you once say during a case that you wanted
everyone to be equal in these times?”

16. He was right. Years ago, I had said that I wanted everyone to be treated equally,
but I didn’t believe this scumbag. I had to make a choice and fast, but I didn’t
want to make the wrong one. I began thinking as loudly as I could in hopes that
Creator would respond.
“Creator?” I asked through a thought.
“Yes, Michelle?” he replied.
“What should I do? Should I pay this man? I mean, I really don’t want to and-“
“Listen to me for one second, Michelle. I want you to trust me on this. You need
to earn his trust and pay him. It’s the only way that your family will ever be able
to be free to overthrow his power.”
“But I thought that I would have full power once I become The Law.”
“You’ll have power, yes. But it doesn’t mean that you alone can fix everyone.
One day, a descendent of yours is going to take over as the mafia leader by
overthrowing Joey. I know it to be true.”
“Okay, I’ll trust you on this one.”

17. “Alright, Joe, we have a deal,” I said calmly.
“Wonderful, Ms Sanderson. It’ll be a pleasure to work with you.”

18. I trust Creator, I really do. But I do regret the deal I had made with Joey. $1000
soon became $5000 as he saw that I was making even more money.
Eventually, it became $10 000 and later he forced my family to pay over $50 000
just so he wouldn’t rat me out for being corrupt. But that began only recently. I
need to keep up with the timeline that I’m trying to remember.

19. The day after my meeting with Joey, I became The Law of the world. Creator
explained to me that, by becoming the law, I had made it so that my future
descendents who mastered other careers would be able to keep their changes
set in stone rather than to be reset after they passed on. I wasn’t to clear on
what he meant by that.
Besides becoming The Law, a new feeling of euphoria could be found across the
land. People felt hopeful now that someone had restored order and had begun
their hand at making change. Unfortunately, Creator told me that only a certain
few would be destined to be successful in their ventures because they were
meant to become a part of my family.

20. But bringing back order and hope did not make me any happier. I still missed
Ethan and, by then, I had lost all hope of ever seeing him again. Most would
have told me to toughen up, be strong and find someone else, but that was
impossible. I loved him with all my heart.
Then, a miracle happened.

21. One night, as I returned home late from work, I saw a man standing beneath my
home. I approached him and little by little I began to recognize his face…
“Hi honey,” he said sweetly.
“E..Ethan?” I stuttered, “Is it really you?”
He nodded.

22. We held each other in a tight embrace.
“Ethan, where have you been?” I said, “I thought you were dead!”
He laughed, “I thought you were dead, too. I must have taken a later ferry than
you to get to the mainland.”
“Well, why didn’t you try and call?”
“Because I didn’t know where I you were living. As soon as they moved
everyone into a safehouse, the military left us on our own. Their duty was done.
I tried to ask them about you, but they just ignored me. Luckily, because of you
now being The Law and all, everyone knows who you are and where you live.
Oh Michelle, I’ve missed you so much! I love you.”
“I love you, too, Ethan.”

23. Ethan moved in that night and the two of us were wed outside in the middle of
the night. That was the same night that we conceived our first born child. Ethan
and I were reunited at last and could finally be a family that he and I had always
wanted.

24. Ethan began work in the Medical field deciding that his part in fixing the
apocalypse would be to restore medicine using the knowledge he had acquired
majoring in biology.

25. Within a couple of weeks, Ethan had already moved up to the level of an Intern.
Many of his fellow employees lacked the knowledge demanded to be a doctor so
Ethan shone in front of his higher ups. They didn’t care that he hadn’t been in
medical school for as long as they had, they knew that he would be able to be
just as good with the knowledge he already had.

26. As Ethan rose through the ranks of the medical profession, it soon became
evident that I was with child. My wavy hair was pulled back into rows to allow me
to watch my baby bump grow day in and day out without it getting in the way.
Yes, it was a silly idea at the time and I’m sure there were people that snickered
at my look, but I enjoyed getting to watch my little one grow from the outside. It
gave me a great deal of satisfaction to know that she would restore something
from the past.

27. Unbeknownst to me, this little one also had a knack for tiring me out after only a
few hours. Every few weeks, there would be a day that I would pass out on the
floor because my muscles weren’t strong enough to carry her everywhere I went.
Soon, Ethan recommend for me to stay in bed while he was at work as he didn’t
want either his wife or his child to perish. He truly is a family man.

28. I went into labour on the second floor of the safehouse while Ethan was at home.
Lucky for me, he had known how to deliver a child because I was quite useless
at it.

29. On that day, our eldest child and only daughter was born. Nadia Sanderson had
her father’s hair and my eyes and face. Nadia was a beautiful baby despite
being a little sleeping, eating and pooping machine.

30. Ethan began to put on weight as he and I aged. He became self-conscious of it,
but I found it made him look adorable.

32. Nadia was growing up very quickly. In a matter of only a few years, she had
begun to go to school, which turned out to be much harder than it used to be.
Without the presence of secondary or tertiary education, young Sims were forced
to learn things beyond their capabilities. Some nights I found myself doing
Nadia’s work for her so that she would be able to pass.
By the time Nadia was a child, Ethan had already become the Chief of Staff at
the hospital here on the mainland. By doing so, he invented new contraceptives
and medicines as well as created tablets that could purify the oceans around
SimEarth.

33. During this time, I had become pregnant once again and soon found myself
giving birth to my middle child.

34. This time around, I gave birth to a son who Ethan and I decided to name Clark
Sanderson. Clark had his father’s face and hair while he bore my eyes. Nadia
was quite happy to be a big sister despite not being able to play with Clark due to
his small size. She felt as though she was the one who would be responsible for
him. Nadia really does care about our family a lot, doesn’t she?

35. Clark grew up into a toddler only a couple years after his birth. We celebrated by
making gelatin so he could have some, but soon realized that the package was
too ancient to produce anything that we could possibly eat after we noticed the
specks of mold inside the final product. We immediately through it out and went
hungry for the day.

36. Nadia told us that she wasn’t too happy about the situation. She hated the idea
of going hungry when we had so much food around us. I had to explain to her
that we were on rations because the food supply could run out at any time. She
scoffed and said that one day she wanted to be a chef so she could produce
exquisite food for everyone in the family and know how to preserve food once
again. I do hope she achieves her dream.
By this time, I was also pregnant with Ethan and my third and final child.

37. Our final baby was little Steven Sanderson. He took on nearly the same genetic
code as his older brother, but managed to have the lower half of my face. I
found him to be just as adorable as our other two children.

39. Clark and Nadia soon reached the next steps in their developments. Clark had
become a very excited child while Nadia reached her adolescent years. Nadia
told us that she dreamed of romance and woohooing 20 men when she was
older. I was shocked to hear that this was her dream, but she laughed and told
me that it didn’t mean that she would stop loving her family. She felt that being a
family oriented Sim was second on her list of aspirations.
Nadia was truly a family Sim deep down, like her father. She cared a lot for both
Clark and Steven no matter what she said about woohoo and promiscuity. I
remember overhearing a conversation she had with her younger brother one day
in the living room which went something like…
“Nadia, I’m worried,” Clark told her, “Who’s gonna take care of Stevey while mom
and dad are at work?”
“Well, I guess I will,” she said.

40. “But that would be skipping school!”
Nadia sighed, “Clark, teenagers don’t have a school to go to. After sixth grade,
we’re done. You will be too once you get to be my age.”

41. “But how are you going to get a good job without going to school like mom and
dad did?”
“Well, I have the time to learn about things from the skill books mom and dad
have and I can learn some basic life skills while at home. Besides, it doesn’t
take learning algebra to become a chef, it takes time and practice.”
“Will you at least let me like the spoon when you make cake batter?”
“Sure, buddy.”
“You’re awesome, Nadia!”

42. Nadia did spend a lot of her time at home learning how to become a great chef,
but I felt as though something was on her mind the entire time.

43. She spent most nights staying up late just lying in bed staring at the walls. One
night when I caught her doing this, I asked her what she was thinking about and
she replied with, “Stuff.”

44. She would then get up and proceed to head downstairs. Nadia always worried
me the most out of my three children. Maybe this is what Creator meant when
he said the heir would choose themselves.

45. But I couldn’t worry about just one of my children. At the time, I had to get
Steven potty trained so he could be out of his diapers and we could save them
for the next generation.

46. Nadia kept to herself for most of her teenage years. By the time she was
seventeen, she had already mastered the art of cooking by reading the skill book
we had in our bookcase. When I told her how proud I was, she blushed and
whispered a thank you before going off to work on other skills.

47. Every time I saw Nadia when I got home from work, she was taking care of her
siblings. She was beginning to be more of a mother to them than I was. By then
I was sure that she had chosen herself to be my heiress. I was glad to have her
so dedicated to carrying on the family because, at that point, strange things
began happening to me…

48. “Creator, I need food! Just cheat this once!” I yelled toward the direction I hoped
Creator was in.
“Uh, Michelle,” he replied.
“Yes?”
“You may not want to talk out loud.”

49. Clark turned to his older sister, “Nadia, who’s mom talking to?”
“Look, Clark, mom is getting older and you know that most old people begin to
go through dementia, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe its just mom’s time…”
“Oh…”

50. Things proceeded normally in the house for a while. The kids became older and
things were running smoothly until Nadia approached me one morning to talk
about the apocalypse.

51. “Mom, can we talk when you’re finished?”
“Mhm, yes dear. Just give me a second.”

52. “Alright, sweetie, what is it?”
“Well, mom, I feel that, now that you’re older, I feel that someone should take
over the restoration efforts from you.”
I beamed, “The Creator did say to me that the heir would choose themselves.”
Nadia stopped dead in her tracks.

53. “Mom, look around us. There’s only you and me. No ‘Creator’.”
I laughed, “Well, I know that. He only speaks to me.”
Nadia sighed.

54. “Mom, dad and I have talked and we both think you might be suffering from a mix
of…”
“Yes?”
“Well… we think you might have schizophrenia. Remember how you told us that
the ‘Creator’ told you to start your ‘mission’ of rebuilding society? Well, that was
probably just an auditory hallucination you had. You also seem to cling to the
delusional belief that there’s a ‘Creator’ who tells you what to do. With at least
two symptoms like that, dad says he can diagnose it officially and put you on
medication.”
It felt like a knife had gone through my heart. My own daughter was accusing
me of being mentally ill just because I could hear the voice of the ‘Creator’. I felt
betrayed.
“Mom,” she said, “I think I should take over your efforts. It would be for the best.”
I looked past her and sighed, “Okay. I agree with you.”

55. Not long after my conversation, it was time for two birthdays to be celebrated in
our home. The first was Steven’s celebrating him becoming a school-aged
child…

56. And the second was my own. I was now an elder and was forced to quit my job
due to a lack of muscle tissue allowing me to leave my home.

57. With only one thing left to do, diary, I felt it necessary to write within your pages
about my time as an adult. If one day, my descendents read this, I want them to
know that I’m not crazy. The Creator does speak to me and has guided my
every step within this apocalypse. I want them to know that I believe in them and
so does he. We’re all counting on you to finish what I started and bring back the
society which we once knew. And Creator…
“Mi-…”
Creator, can you hear me?
“I… I’m…ing…up…”

58. “Creator! Creator, speak to me! What’s going on?” Michelle screamed at the top
of her lungs, “Creator?”
“Come on mom,” Nadia said as she touched her mother’s shoulder, “Let’s get
you to bed; you’ve had a long day.”
“Oh Nadia, the Creator can’t speak to me anymore,” Michelle was sobbing.
Nadia put her arm around Michelle’s shoulder, “I’m so sorry, mom.”

59. “Steven, you wait for dad to get home and tell him what happened. I’ll take care
of mom.”
“Who made you the boss?”
“Steven, don’t talk back to me; this is an emergency.”
“Creator…” Michelle whispered.
“Come on, mom; take my hand.”
“Thank you, sweetie.”
***

60. The last part I know only because my mother, Nadia, told me of it when I was a
teenager. She said that the day that grandma stopped hearing the Creator, she
was incredibly distraught. Any by reading her diary, I don’t care whether or not
she was crazy. She was lucky to have something or something guiding her
along the way. We wouldn’t be where we are now without the voice’s help.
When I asked mom if she had ever heard the Creator, she looked toward the
walls. She said nothing.
Next time, maybe instead of telling you the story my mother had told me that
begins where we left off, I will have her tell you myself.

61. ***
Hey, Reggie/rcubical/Gamecube20041978 here to end off the
story. So last time, I didn’t properly introduce the characters
with their aspirations/personalities and the whatnot, so I’m
including it at the end here:
Michelle Sanderson - Founder
Popularity – Become a Media Magnate
5/5/6/2/7
Ethan (Olfski) Sanderson - Spouse
Family – Graduate 3 Kids from College
8/6/7/0/4
Nadia Sanderson - Heir
Romance/Family – Woohoo 20 Sims
5/5/7/2/7
Clark Sanderson
Fortune/Popularity – Become Business Tycoon
6/10/10/0/7
Steven Sanderson
Family/Grilled Cheese – Have 6 Grandkids
8/5/6/2/7
The restrictions I can cross off now (after this chapter) are:
Hopelessness, Law, and Medical
See ya later!

62. PS – Above is Katheleen Sanderson if you need proof of her
existence. Yes, I am on generation four right now and am just
starting to write out the story. I wanted to get a lot of playing
out of the way first.