Really well done! I loved the "reflection" between the first and last lines---it was very effective. Good depiction, too, of the desperation of the villagers, and how they'd painted themselves into that corner by becoming so dependent on technology.
The lead-in to the story felt a bit heavy, though. Six paragraphs before the action starts...I wonder if you could have started the action sooner and sprinkled some of the intro into it?
But very well done! A really compelling read. I enjoyed it very much.