Out of the Salish Sea

After Elias ended his communication with Ivan, his whole body seemed to be empty. He sat in the office for eight hours that day but didn't listen to a word. Colleagues were discussing the progress of the project next to him, but he only heard the low hum of the air conditioner, like some distant warning. The weather on the east coast in September was still warm, but the back of Elias's neck kept getting cold. The news Ivan told him was too absurd, but it also had a sense of reality that couldn't be ignored—— The extreme cold apocalypse could come within a year.