A Changed World

I like to write stories sometimes. I saw something like this years ago...thought I would give writing a shot and share. Let me know if you have suggestions, or want to see a Chapter 2. Chapter 1 - The Event May 3, 2026 started as a calm Sunday. By the end of the day, however, the world had shifted.. Jason Piner rolled out of bed embarrassingly late—close to 10:30 AM—and shuffled into the kitchen in search of breakfast. Wanting some noise in the background, he asked his smart speaker to put on the news. Within seconds, the tension in the anchor’s voice and the relentless alert tones made it obvious something was terribly wrong. “Details are scarce at this time,” the commentator said, words clipped and shaky. “Roughly two hours ago, initial reports came in that the president, most of his cabinet, over half of the members of Congress, and three Supreme Court justices had died. Around that same time, we began hearing about huge numbers of sudden, unexplained deaths. At first, it seemed limited to the Baltimore area, then to the country, and now it appears global. What’s most alarming is that every one of these abrupt deaths appears to be male. There are still no verified cases of women dying in this way.” Jason listened, stunned, until he couldn’t take any more and cut the speaker off mid-sentence. He wasn’t ready to hear statistics about mass casualties, or anything else grave at this time of day. Not being hungry anymore, Jason turned to his laptop and phone to continue receiving updates. News sites, social feeds, live blogs, everything was saying the same thing. Early estimates suggested that 20% -30% of the world’s male population had died overnight. The rate of men dying seemed to be slowing, if not stopped, and officials were cautiously suggesting that any man still alive might be out of immediate danger. Jason checked on his friends and family, and found that he lost a few uncles and a few friends from childhood. Those closest to him, however, were okay. He informed his family and friends that he was okay, then shut his devices down and pondered what to do next. He decided that he would need supplies, so he made a list and decided to head to the store for necessities. Jason was startled by pounding on his apartment door - hard enough to rattle the frame. He moved as quietly as he could to the peephole and peeked out. Two female police officers stood at the door, appearing ready to break in. Jason opened the door quickly before that happened.. “Hello, officers,” he said. The officer on the right, a 30-ish, tall, brunette, and muscular ( weightlifter? bodybuilder? ) woman seemed to be in charge. She pulled out a tablet and stylus and stated, “I am Sergeant Stone from BPD. We need your name, please.” she asked. “Jason Piner,” he said. “Mr. Piner, does anyone else live here with you?” she continued, barely pausing. “No - just me. Why do you ask?” Jason asked, knowing the probable answer. Couldn’t hurt to see what they knew, however.. The officer on the left, a shorter, leaner, but still very fit woman looked surprised. She introduced herself as Corporal Thomas, and said, “In case you’ve somehow missed it,” she said, “there’s been some kind of attack or outbreak or… something…and literally millions - maybe even billions - of men just dropped dead. We are doing welfare checks on locations where men are the primary residents.” Jason was thankful for the check-in, but found himself suddenly feeling very emotional. “I-I just found out a few minutes ago, Ms. Thomas,” he said. “It seems that it’s been a hard day already - for everyone.” Sergeant Stone spoke again. “Do you have anywhere safe you can go for a few days, at least until things get sorted out?” Sorted out? What did that mean? Jason thought about it. His family was out of state, and driving long distances didn’t sound wise right now. “I don’t think so,” he said. “My family is pretty far away. Should I be worried about anything specific? Aren’t we past the worst of this? I figured if I was still alive, I’d be okay.” Corporal Thomas spoke. “That’s the theory, but no one is certain,” she said. “Also, when something like this happens, people exploit the chaos. Looting, violence, assaults. That’s why we’re asking men who live alone—especially younger men like you—to stay with family or friends if they can, for their own protection.” She pulled a business card from her pocket and handed it to me. “If anything suspicious or unusual happens, call me right away. My cell is on the back. Don’t hesitate.” That shocked Jason. Younger men weren’t usually at the top of anyone’s safety priority list. But the world is a different place now. Already. Jason glanced at the card, then looked up at both of them. “Is it safe for me to go somewhere quickly? I was thinking of running to the store for some supplies, but now I’m not sure.” Sergeant Stone’s eyes softened a bit, feeling Jason’s genuine concern. “I can’t promise you anything,” she said, “but we haven’t seen a lot yet that would make me tell you to barricade yourself inside. Most people are still in shock. My suggestion would be: if you go, make it quick, keep it to daylight, and stay aware.” “I- I understand. Thank you.” They thanked Jason for the time, reminded him again to find somewhere safer if possible, and headed back to their cruiser to continue their rounds. Jason decided to go to the store sooner, rather than later. He grabbed his wallet and ventured outside. The streets were eerily quiet, with very little traffic. The parking lot at the grocery store had less than 15 cars in it. It didn’t look like the typical crisis shopping sprees that one was used to seeing. That seemed like a good sign. As Jason went down aisles, he didn’t see many people. He was reaching into the cooler for a gallon of milk when he felt a hand grab him in the rear end - hard. Jason yelped and jerked upright, then spun around to see what had happened. . He found himself facing three women, all his size or larger, and not fat. Muscular women. They wore black t-shirts and blue jeans, almost like they had their own gang. They formed into three points in front of Jason, effectively blocking him from leaving. Their eyes…they almost seemed predatory. Something about them set off alarms in Jason’s head. He swallowed whatever sarcastic remark was in his throat and moved to leave the area. They stopped him dead in his tracks. The largest of the women spoke first. “You didn’t get your milk, little man,” she said. “Go ahead and get it. We’ll protect you.” She sneered at Jason, and one of the others jerked her chin toward the cooler, as if daring him to turn his back again. “I-I just remembered I already have a gallon at home. I’ll just be on my way. My family is waiting for me.” “People are waiting for you?” the big one said, stepping closer. “Are you cooking dinner for the family tonight like a good house husband?” Jason edged back, but the cooler was right behind him. She closed the distance until she was inches away, her presence crowding him. He felt terrified and powerless. Is this what it’s like for women in these situations? “I don’t think anyone’s waiting for you, little man,” the middle one said. “No sane woman would let her man leave her today.” She grabbed his thigh, and he couldn’t get away. They were bigger, even stronger. How?? Jason thought. He was still a man…he wasn’t going to let this happen…was he? Again, that powerless feeling crept in. . She smiled and slammed Jason backward into the cooler door. The cold glass pressed into his back, and he felt the cold of the cooler, and of terror seeping into his body. He flailed, trying to get away by any means necessary. “Looks like we got ourselves a fighter, Deb,” the smallest one ( still his size! ) said. Deb ( the largest one ) smiled with evil intent. “My favorite,” she said. Then she shot her hand into Jason’s crotch and grabbed his balls. Pain exploded through him. His knees buckled, and he felt the urge to vomit. He groaned loudly from the pain. “Listen to him, Deb. I think he likes it,” the middle one said. Jason’s entire world was the pain in his balls and trying to hold back the vomit in his throat. . “Yeah, deep down they like being controlled, and their balls are the best way to control them. Aren’t they, little man?” said Deb, as she squeezed them again for emphasis. Jason found himself pleading with Deb. “P-Please…” he whimpered. He was humiliated, but he would do literally anything to stop the pain. The three women laughed as he begged for release. “Squeeze him again, Deb,” the smallest one urged. “No, that was enough. For now,” Deb said. “Now that he knows we have all of the power over him, he’s ready to give us what we want.” Her grip changed, now massaging instead of crushing. Despite the pain he had just felt, Jason’s body reacted to the change in Deb’s grip. As she slid her hand over his crotch, fingers stroking his manhood, things started to stiffen against his will. He was getting hard, even though he was disgusted by it. “Just like I thought,” Deb whispered. “This one likes to be dominated.” Jason tried to do something - anything! - but the pain, adrenaline, and now arousal had scrambled his brain and dried his mouth. He just stood there taking it, with his mouth hung open like an idiot. “See that, ladies?” Deb laughed. “He’s so excited that he can’t talk.” Through the haze, another voice cut in. “Is there a problem here?” Jason suddenly felt relief, as well as nausea, as Deb removed her hand. The pressure pinning him to the cooler was also gone. He fell to his knees, heaving and trying not to puke. When he finally managed to look up, Jason saw a tall, muscular ( what was with all of these muscular women, anyway?? ) woman standing there, holding a gun. She looked calm and composed, like she was exactly where she needed to be. “You three ladies are going to leave the store right now. The police are on their way. Security is watching from above, and you’re in their sights, as well as mine. I suggest you walk out without another word.” The three attackers glanced upward, trying to spot cameras or guards. Seeing nothing obvious, Deb took a step toward the woman, testing her. A shot rang out from somewhere overhead, the bullet hitting the floor inches from Deb’s foot. The sound cracked through the store, and Jason went flat on the ground from his knees quicker than he thought he could. The three women took off, sprinting down the aisle and out of the store. The woman approached Jason and helped him to his feet. “Are you ok?” she asked. “I’m okay,” Jason replied, but then swooned a bit into her arms. She caught him and supported him while he recaptured his standing base. “Thank you. Seriously.” he said. “I’m Shirley. I am the security guard here. Usually, that means looking for shoplifters, but since this morning, it means stopping assaults…and worse. You’re not the first one to have an issue with a woman today.” “Thanks again, Shirley,” Jason said, straightening slowly and offering his hand. “I’m Jason.” She shook his hand firmly. “I’m glad you’re safe, Jason,” she said. “How much more shopping do you have left?” “I think I’m done, after I get the milk.” “Good,” she said. “I’ll walk you through the checkout aisle and out to your car. Sometimes assailants like to wait in the parking lot..” They moved quickly through the checkout. True to her word, Shirley stayed close as she and Jason crossed the lot, her eyes constantly scanning cars and aisles. She didn’t say much until they reached his car. “Can I give you a piece of advice, Jason?” she asked. “Sure. I’m a little out of sorts right now, to be honest.” “I’m no scientist,” she said, “but it seems like whatever happened, it did more than kill men. Women seem…different. Bigger, stronger, more aggressive, even more…promiscuous sexually, if you know what I mean. Not all women, and not all in the same way, but enough that you need to pay attention. Be careful, and remember that when you’re dealing with women from now on.” “You seem fine, Shirley,” Jason said. A look flashed in her eyes that was not reassuring, but she recovered quickly. Shirley smiled. “I am…okay right now,” she said, though she wasn’t quite being truthful. She had grown two inches, and put on over 15 pounds of muscle - overnight. She certainly didn’t feel like herself, and there was a small part of her that wanted to see how far those women would take things with Jason. She steeled herself, however. Her discipline would carry her through this. “Like I said, it seems to have affected people in different ways.” Jason thanked her again, got into his car, and drove away, feeling like the world had shifted into something unrecognizable.