In the three years since the dissolution of the Union, a lot had changed in America. Chaos reigned; the dis-united States bickered with each other about power, water, food—anything & everything, really. North Dakota split into East & West North Dakota, in a move that surprised everyone, especially the people in East North Dakota. The climate, which had already gotten more extreme, seemed to take the news as a sign to take things up a notch. Hurricane Aguila had wiped Long Island off the map; wildfires reduced Sacramento to ashes; the Great Lakes were now in a perpetual algae bloom. But one thing didn’t change in this new America: Rich Gallard still went to work. And today, he was being named Employee of the Month.

Just like he had before the world changed around him, Rich Gallard awoke today at precisely 6:45AM, thanks to his trusty wind-up alarm clock. He brushed his teeth, with no water, because of the rationing. He peed but did not flush, because the tank had some water & he wanted to save it so he could flush before bed. He had no food for breakfast, hoping there would be donuts at the office. No, no; he knew there would be, because it was a special day. Employees of the Month always got donuts.

Mr. Gallard left his apartment at precisely 7:23AM, stepping over the permanent homeless encampment by the front door, & waving to his former neighbors who suffered there. They had lost their jobs when the country dissolved, and the property management company—just before it went bankrupt — evicted them for non-payment. Their apartments sat empty; Mr. Gallard could easily let them into the building, and they could bust the locks and sleep soundly under the roof as they had for years. But Mr. Gallard would never do such a thing. That is not Employee of the Month behavior. After all, just because the landlord isn’t around doesn’t mean you get to stop paying rent. Rules are rules, and Rich Gallard loved rules. All good people did.

True, society had collapsed. True, climate disaster was the new everyday weather. True, some people thought that money wasn’t as important as survival. But not Mr. Gallard. He kept going to work. He kept paying rent. And he would keep on doing so, for what reason was there to change? Why should he stop valuing his job, just because the world was different? Why should he stop following the rules, just because there wasn’t anyone to enforce them? You don’t get to be Employee of the Month without following rules. And what could be more important than that?

He arrived at his office around 8:57AM, after passing through the new security checkpoint, which didn’t bother him, because security is important. He couldn’t be completely sure of his arrival time, because he didn’t have a phone or a watch anymore, & none of the clocks in the office worked. But he felt early; being a good worker meant being early, and he was certainly a very good worker.

It began to rain, and Mr. Gallard took heart, because that meant fresh water tomorrow. After the recent fires, rain was badly needed, just as badly as Rich needed his work.

There wasn’t anyone in the office today. This was odd, he thought, but perhaps they had all taken some PTO to enjoy the rain. Rich Gallard never took PTO, but he understood that other people did, and had to, and he didn’t begrudge them. It meant he got to do more work, and nothing was more important than the heroic work of doing business.

He went into the office kitchenette, hungry for his well-deserved donuts, but there weren’t any. This too was odd, he thought, but perhaps they simply hadn’t been put out yet. Not everyone was as efficient a worker as he; sometimes people were late with things. Maybe his manager had them in the manager’s office.

And so he went to his manager’s office, knocking gently on the door. There was no answer, but his boss did have an open-door policy, so he opened it & strolled in. The manager, who made sure everyone worked hard for the good of the business, was slumped back in his chair, with gun in hand & hole in head. This, he thought, was oddest of all. Suicide was most certainly against company policy.

But also on the desk was a plaque. The plaque, commemorating Employee of the Month. With “Rich Galard” engraved into it. He’d have to see about getting that typo fixed, but otherwise, once he wiped off the blood & brain-bits, the honor was all his. Success was finally his. This was what gave his life meaning.

He stepped out of the office and went over to the wall where the other plaques hung, ignoring the shouting that had started outside. He swapped out Marcy’s plaque for his, so everyone could see just how very good an employee he was.

And as the flash flood swept through the building, Rich Gallard’s final thoughts were content. For he was Employee of the Month. Despite all that had changed, despite the monumental shifts in the world, Rich Gallard had kept living a normal life, right up to the end. He worked like business still mattered. He paid rent like landlords still mattered. He refused to let a changing world change him, to change his values in the face of overwhelming danger. Rich Gallard was Employee of the Month.

And nothing was more important than that.