2184: Earth’s survivors occupy government-controlled cells provided with oxygen, power and sustenance, or OPS.

Number 215296045 activates his TV to discover he is live on screen.

“Tonight’s randomly chosen contestant on ‘Dying to Live’ is 215296045. Your task is to survive one hour without OPS. Understood?”

“What’s my prize?”

“Another hour without OPS.”

John B Sinclair is a much-travelled Scot who has now returned to Scotland, where he enjoys freelance writing on a variety of subjects.