[ WP ] He said the world was ending and only he could save it . They said he was insane . He was right , but they were n't wrong .

Realization came in a flash. The fact that nobody believed him did n't bother him anymore than the smell of his beard after not showering for weeks or the weight of his wooden placard sign. The sign made a sharp crack as it fell onto the ground and ended laying on the side where crude black paint spelled out'The End is Near!'. 
 
 
 `` It's up to me,'' he spoke in a hushed whisper that steadily got louder and louder, `` It's always been up to me. I did n't want to do it, but I'm the only one. The dreams told me what to do just as they told me what was to come. But no one was willing to do the deed. So it's up to me now.'' 
 
 
 The few passer-byes spared a brief glance at the haggard man before continuing on their way, perhaps slightly faster than before. 
 
 
 `` Now it's up to me. It ca n't wait any longer. Me, me, me, fa, so, la.. nope, just me.,'' the man shuffled to an overpass and reached into a pile of trash where a half-empty bottle of cheap liquor had been hidden. He popped the cap off with his teeth and took a swig of the alcohol. 
 
 
 `` Here's to me, Old Cass, the savior of the world. Three cheers for me! Hip, hip, oh, a sock!'' the ragged man, now named Old Cass, grabbed the offending sock from the trash and poured some alcohol onto it, `` now it's your turn to drink Miss Socksy. It's all up to us; Old Cass and Miss Socksy, saving the Earth from devastation. Ha! Maybe we can walk away from the explosion in slow motion like in the movie shows?'' 
 
 
 Cass looked down at the dripping, inanimate sock, `` Ah, what do you know? You need this drink more than I do!'' 
 
 
 The mumbling old man holding a bottle stuffed with a sock walked through the doors of a stately university building. Classes were still going on, so he went unnoticed as he stumbled down the corridor, looking into each classroom. 
 
 
 `` Ahh! A chem-misty room. Che-mystery room. One of them rooms with the bunson burners like the kind I used to use before the thing with the dreams and the voices and the endless doctors and pills and it was n't a stroke! It was n't! My brain just.. a short circuit. Chemicals and pills. Chemical spills!'' 
 
 
 Old Cass, once Professor Cassidy of the high energy physics department, continued down the empty college corridor while holding a bottle stuffed with a burning sock. He waved his hand wildly in front of the sock to disperse the smoke as he walked down the steps to the sub basement. There he paused at a closed door. 
 
 
 `` Behold the power of foot!'' he screamed as he kicked the door with all of his strength. It shook and rattled before remaining closed. Old Cass took a look at it, then turned the handle, `` Behold the power of grad students who do n't lock up!'' 
 
 
 Inside, was a jumble of machines and wires and computers and a whiteboard which announced that the next experiment will occur at 9 PM. Cass looked up at the round white clock which indicated it was only 7:44 PM. Then he stared at the equations on the board and sneered, `` Idiots! Just like in the dream. This will cause exponential resonance! Little black hole doubling in size every few seconds. End of the world in under a month. But oh, no. Not on my watch! I think it's your turn to shine, Miss Socksy.'' 
 
 Old Cass was laughing softly to himself as he slowly walked out of the burning room, merging in with the bored, tired students exiting their classes early due to the shrill tones of the fire alarm.
