Weird Experience After Watching Independence Day

I had a surreal experience a few days ago when walking out of the movie theater. I had just gone to see the Independence Day sequel (which, as most of you probably know, is very end-of-the-world-ish). When I exited through the theater doors in the late afternoon, the sky was an eerie dark orange, and the cars in the parking lot were covered in ash. Ash and debris were falling from the ominous sky.

My mind was swimming in uncertainty. Did a volcano erupt? Do we even have volcanoes here? Did the end of the world start while I was watching the movie? I exchanged confused looks with the other theater goers who had just walked outside. We stood there staring at our cars, brushing the ash from the windshields, and looking around to understand what was happening...but the imposing theater building was blocking visibility of whatever may have been on the other side.

It was not long before I discovered from social media that 4 wildfires were burning in the surrounding counties. We were seeing the smoke and debris from them. The fires have been contained now, and the skies have returned to their friendly clear blue...but I will never forget having those few minutes of bewilderment just after spending the last two hours watching aliens destroy the world.