The following is a collection of recovered voicemails left to Steven Russell, from his brother Carter.

The voicemail itself will appear on the left while a *rough transcription on the audio will be on the right.

Man, it’s almost Christmas and it’s 80 degrees here. John and I are driving over to lake Johanna to go jet skiing. I we had to go to like 50 stores to find any place that still had swimsuits in stock it cost me like 100 dollars. But worth it right? I’m not sure why everyone on CNN is freaking out over this climate change. Well anyway I was just wondering if you had any ideas for Christmas gifts to buy for everyone at the BBQ this weekend?

Bro, it’s over 120 degrees now. There was a warning on the news this morning that told us not go to outside till the sun goes down and it drops below 100. I heard that the farmers haven’t been able to grow any crops or even feed for the cows. So, food may be really expensive this fall. Or worse there may not be any food at all. On my Facebook today they were advertising doomsdays kits. They had freeze dried food in them for a whole year! Do you want to go in on one with me? They are $10,000 dollars and you know that the banks won’t let me take out anymore loans since my credit is so bad. The food looks disgusting! The stew looked like barf! I can’t imagine anyone eating that! Do you think all the richie richies up state will eat that crap? I can’t even afford to run my AC anymore. It’s miserable!

Dude, it’s unbearable here. They canceled the parade and fireworks for tomorrow.  The temperatures won’t even read the temp outside anymore. None of the farmers can grow crops anymore. The University has cancelled all classes indefinitely so I’m out of a job. No severance package or anything. How do they expect me to live?

All electricity lines have overheated and no one can fix them. I’m glad that by some miracle the cell towers are still working. But, my phone battery is getting low and there’s no way to charge it. No one can grow food anymore so, everyone rationing out food from their doomsday kits. I wish we would have bought one. I’m starving! I only have one more Big mac left. Thank God those things last forever. I was messaging back and forth with Sarah a few days ago and she said her and her parents are moving to Antarctica. I guess some people are starting to build a city there since it’s the only place that’s not too hot to live in. She told me it costs 1 million dollars just to rent a studio apartment up there. I don’t know how they expect a guy like me to get a place up there. I’m trying to find a way to desalinate and purify waste water since my well is starting to dry up.

Bro, I’ve been using this new cellphone with a solar battery so my connection may sound a little funky. But, I have to leave here.  We aren’t even supposed to go outside anymore at all since it’s so hot. There’s nothing here anymore. Everything has closed. The grocery stores finally ran out of everything, and everyone’s doomsday kits are empty. I had to stop giving away my clean water for free since I was running out of chemicals to purify the water with.

I heard most of the neighbors have died of thirst or starvation. Did you hear about Mr. Dunkin? He was so hunger he lost his mind, ran outside and jumped straight on the asphalt.

That’s a terrible way to die. Sarah told me I could move up to Ant. with her if I could find a way to get there. I’m not sure how much a ferry ticket even costs. I don’t think they are taking money anymore. Maybe I can trade them for some of the bottled water I have been making. It seems so cruel to sell a necessity like that. She tells me it’s like a utopia there. Can you imagine? There’s still a perfect world somewhere.  

Antarctica
May 18th  2080
Week 1

The following sentences have been redacted from this letter:

Outsiders

Steven,
  I wish I could call you here from Antarctica, but they only let us have written communication with the “outsiders” .That’s what we here call everyone who doesn’t live here in Bestville. It’s BEAUTIFUL here. It’s like a whole different world. Since it’s 75 degrees all year long they can grow all the crops they need. They have lined the streets with maple trees. It’s going to be tough to stop eating meat since everyone is vegan, and they don’t raise cattle for beef but I think I will find a way to manage. There are so many cool little shops. I’m going to go check out what they are selling soon.

  There are no cars, but there is a bullet train like the ones it Tokyo that run on solar power. It can take you anywhere in the community in under 30 minutes. They are all about clean renewable energy. Sarah’s apartment is kind of small but I can’t complain since she is letting me stay there for free.
  There is this cute little park across the street and I took her dog out for a walk there this morning. No one else was there, it seemed kinda odd for a Saturday. Maybe everyone else was still asleep. When I got back Sarah was acting weird telling me I shouldn’t go outside on Saturdays. She acted really strange and wouldn’t tell me the reason why. I hope to explore the city more soon!

   From,

  Carter

Antarctica
May 25th  2080
Week 2

The Following sentences have been redacted from this letter:

Level Zero

separate the social classes

Steven,

I finally went into town there other day. When I went on the train no one would talk to me. I tried to say hello to the guy sitting next to me, and he acted like I wasn’t even there. It was odd; everyone was wearing these little pins on their shirts (which by the way I don’t know how I never noticed but EVERYONE wears the same thing: a blue button down, and khaki pants.) I couldn’t make out what the pins were. But there seemed to be a few different styles of them. I’m not sure what that’s all about. I’ll have to ask Sarah.

Ok, but that’s not even the weirdest part. When I went into the store called “clothing” they only sold 2 kinds of shirts. One was labeled “workday” the other was labeled “Saturday”. The worker at the store saw me walk in and instantly handed me a set of shirts for free. He asked me where my pin was? I told him I didn’t know where to get them. Then mumbled something about me being a “damn Level Zero”. What’s a Level Zero.
  When I got back to Sarah’s place she handed me a pin that was shaped like a zero. I tried to ask her what they were and she just said it was a way for everyone to recognize each other. I don’t think this is true. She showed me her pin and it was a giant golden eight. She wouldn’t say why hers were different than mine. I’m starting to think it’s some kind of way to

Separate the social classes

She also told me I had to “report my job tomorrow”. I was confused since I hadn’t applied anywhere yet. But, I guess I am now the Lead manager of crop recycling. I have no idea what that means. I guess I will find out tomorrow.

  From,
  Carter

Antarctica
Bestville 
April 3rd 2080
Week 3

The Following sentences have been redacted from this letter:

Reading my letters 1

isn’t really all that great. 2

This cool air is your payment 3

Be careful or they will make you leave

Steven,

I think I have figured out why they only let us write to you outsiders. They want to control how the outside world views us. So they are reading my letters before they are getting sent to you. I don’t think I like this feels like we are prisoners or something.

So it turns out being the lead manager of crop recycling isn’t really all that great. You see since we grow so many crops we have to find a way to use all the not edible parts so we don’t have any waste. So, today our project at the factory was washing off all the corn husks so they could be ground up and used as fabric for our clothes. I knew these blue shirts were a little strange, they didn’t feel like cotton it was all corn husks.  Can you believe it. Back home I was the head of the chemistry department at Saint Cloud State and now I’m washing corn husks!

During my lunch break today I tried to ask some of the other workers about what the pins meant. Everyone there had a zero pin like me or a number one pin. But I saw our boss, and he had a number 8 pin like Sarah.

At the end of the day I tried to ask my boss when we got paid. All he did was laugh. He said this cool air is your payment.  I don’t think they pay us in Bestville. How is that possible!

I tried to ask Sarah about my paycheck when I got home and she told me not to worry about it. That everything is “taken care of in Bestville.” I think she’s going CRAZY. How is it alright? They make us all wear the same clothes. We are assignment jobs, and have to wear these dumb little pins everywhere. How is that ALL RIGHT? I couldn’t talk any sense into her. She tried to hush me and said be carefully or they will make you leave.

From,

Carter Level 0

Antarctica
Bestville 
April 10th 2080
Week 4

The Following sentences have been redacted from this letter:

You’re being removed from Bestville

Bestville Government

The Rich to get richer and the government to be their mouthpiece.

Steven,

I hope you get this letter. Today, I was woken up these two men unlocked my door. They just came in and grabbed me and said you’re being removed from Bestville. I wasn’t even allowed to grab my things.
Sarah was already gone to work for the day so she couldn’t help me. But, I’m not sure how the men were able to get into the apartment without a key. I think she may have given it to them since I complaining so much. Or maybe they had some kind of master key.  

I’m getting on the ferry soon. I keep asking everyone where they are sending me but no one will tell me. There’s a few of us in the holding tank right now. Everyone has zero pins like me. We aren’t allowed to speak. I’m not sure how they are allowed to hold us in here and just send us off. It’s like everyone here in Bestville has given away all their rights to live here.

When I say “they” I’m not even really sure who I am referring to. I think it must be the Bestville government. On the way to the holding tank I was driven by all these large houses with tall gates labeled LEVEL 10’s/GOVERNMENT. I think this is where the wealthy and government officials live. Steven, they all live TOGETHER. There is no separation between the level 10s and the government. I thought Bestville was going to be a safe haven. It’s not that at. It’s just a place for the Rich to get richer and the government to be their mouthpiece.

Steven, if this place isn’t a safe world. What is?

From,
Carter Level 0