22 After

by Mark Thoma and Guy McPherson

There was great confusion when the United States fell. Many celebrated as the lights flickered and then blinked out. Most wandered aimlessly, unable to comprehend what had occurred. Shocked at the rapidity with which the stores were stripped bare, the few survivors nonetheless were able to keep their wits when others were blinded by normalcy bias.

Trucks, rail cars, and rivers stopped carrying food to the misinformed masses. The bizarre weather grew ever more chaotic. Every day was a struggle for survival. Mistrust was legitimately rampant.

There was no place to go and no means to travel far. Nearly everybody stayed in place despite the horrors: the smell of human corpses, the aching of unfed stomachs, the acrid taste of unclean water, the unending sights of collapse, the deafening silence a constant reminder of loneliness.

Humans are eminently adaptable. Only a few years after turning feral, the scattered survivors barely remembered the luxuries of the past. With little time for reminiscing, they muddled into the increasingly ambiguous and dangerous future. Furtive figures constantly flickered at the periphery of vision, a further reminder that loneliness was safer than most human interactions.

22 After is a reasoned depiction of our future. Set in the upper Midwestern United States, it presents a scenario grounded in realism. Mark Thoma wrote and is directing the film, and along with a full crew began production in early March. Guy McPherson is serving as an unpaid consultant. Please support this effort via indiegogo here and view the trailer below.

22 AFTER Trailer from mark thoma on Vimeo.