[ WP ] On his last day in office the US president gives a short farewell speech on live TV . Minutes later the streets everywhere in the country are filled with people - armed and angry people .

The President stood before the crowd. The two long terms had certainly taken their toll on him; to any observer it was obvious that any semblance of youth had long since disappeared from his face. The years had locked his expression into a sort of permanent scowl, forced it into a perpetual sneer that even now he could not escape. While cheers rang out all around, he could barely muster the subtlest of smiles. He was a broken man, the President, and there was n't much left for him. 
 
 
 The noise subsided, and all was still; the air stirred ever so softly as the silence rose higher and higher. Then he spoke, voice still smooth as silk -- it had been his defining characteristic back in the polls -- and all around the nation, people watched and shuddered in anticipation. 
 
 
 `` My fellow Americans,'' he began, per the norm, `` it has been an honor being your president and serving this country.'' A bout of applause broke out here. 
 
 
 He cleared his throat and continued: `` And over these eight years, I must say that the greatest thing about the American people is their resilience and determination and persistence...'' he paused, flummoxed by the sudden synonyms, before clearing his throat once more. `` The people of this nation are what make it the greatest on Earth. And I believe that, in spite of all that has happened over these two terms --'' 
 
 
 He fumbled with the cue cards for a moment, muttering something to himself. `` No, that's not... here it is.'' Once again, he cleared his throat, and the audience was captivated. `` My fellow Americans, I have a story to tell you. I believe it encompasses everything that is just so noble about our nation's spirit. I really do just have to share it.'' 
 
 
 `` Several years ago,'' he started. `` Decades, actually. Back in law school. I was still studying, taking classes at Harvard, I did n't know I would be a politician just yet, and I certainly did n't know I'd be President of the United States.'' Laughter from the crowd. `` That was back in...'12?'13? Forgive me, my memory's not too precise. But as the story goes, I was lonely. Nowadays I'm thankful for my lovely wife, Linda --'' he gestured towards the First Lady, prompting applause, `` -- but back in those days, I did n't really have anybody. And this is personal, you know, but I need to share it.'' 
 
 
 `` So back in those days, I think it was October of my junior year, to be exact, I met someone. She was special. She was really something.'' Cue the awwwwws. `` So, we were both in the same class, and we did n't talk much, and I guess I never really noticed her until that day. And on that day -- my memory's coming back to me -- I think it was a Tuesday, and I bumped into her after class and we hit it off. And right away, I knew there was just something special about her.'' 
 
 
 `` So I get to know her better, and I find out about her life and everything. She was a scholarship student, absolutely brilliant, actually, and came from a broken home in a bad part of Philly and all that. And I admired her tenacity, because she would never give up at anything. Ever. This girl would just, never give up. She believed truly in the causes she supported, the very same causes I support to this day. And I guess... I was in love. But that's when the story goes a little downhill.'' 
 
 
 `` So, many of you may know of an anecdote that's gone around, about my past and all that. If you have n't heard it... well. I was a bystander in a bank robbery. Yeah. Well, already you can tell where this is going. So I'm out on the town with her, we're just together, and we decide to do a little shopping. So neither of us has money in our wallets at the moment, so I say,'Hey, let's just stop by the bank and use the ATM.' And she says yes and we go, and it's crowded and there's a line and everything. Now, here's where things get out of control. Five gunmen burst in with military-grade automatic weapons and start screaming at everyone, and there's just a total panic and everyone is out of control. And they're clamoring over the furniture and trying to get out. So the gunmen, who the police later said were intoxicated, well they start firing. Right into the crowd. Right into her.'' 
 
 
 `` And here's the thing, though. They shot at me. But she went out in front of me. And --'' he starts tearing up, `` in that moment I realized I had lost the most courageous and determined person I had ever met. To me, she was a hero, and in her dying moments all she could think of was saving others. And as she's lying there, breathing her last breath, she asks me to hold her close. And I do.'' 
 
 
 `` She tells me she has a plan. Amidst the chaos, this brilliant young woman has a plan for survival, even as she's dying. She whispers to me,'This is what you need to do to survive. What all of you need to do. It's too later foe me, so you have to listen.' And that resonated with me, still does, because I'm here today to tell this story because of her. And her plan is --'' 
 
 
 `` I have to open the door. I have to get on the floor. Then, everybody has to walk the dinosaur.'' 
 
 
 The crowd is speechless. They are for a very, very long time. Then they stop being speechless and become full of speech, angry, violent speech in fact, and start doing angry violent actions as well. They start getting riled up and throwing things and throwing each other as the President, with a shit-eating grin, is airlifted out of the auditorium just as the rioting takes to the streets. 
 
 
 Within a week, the federal government has fallen. Within a month, feudal lords have overtaken the continent. All other nations of the world cut ties with America, and it falls into a new Dark Age. Technology is lost, life is lost, all hope is lost. Civil war is rampant, and rages for a hundred years, before the nukes start dropping. They start dropping hard. A rain of fire decimates the once-great nation, and warp its inhabitants into mutants monstrosities. For a thousand years, there is only agony as the fallout clears. 
 
 
 But the future is bright. The forests have returned, and man ( as well as his mutant progeny ) are abundant once more. Great castles are built, mighty monuments erected. Once again, it seems as if life can spring from darkness. 
 
 
 But not all is well. Monsters still lurk in the shadows, in the swamps. And in one particular swamp, there stands an outhouse. And inside... 
 
 [ someBODY ONCE TOLD ME ] ( http: //youtu.be/EgzULuDrpaA? t=17s )
