The Rare

Not Alone

The wind gusted through my hair as I sat on my own in this open field. Who knew it would end up like this, years ago things were so different and now the world is in shambles. I peered down at the valley that laid so peacefully miles away. No one lived there anymore everyone either moved to more inclosed areas, easier to get places, and find jobs. All villages and small towns were abandoned due to lack of jobs. The government has been shut down for about five years now, and that is why everything fell apart. Many people lost their jobs and millions died due to starvation, and up roar from the public. After the government had been shut down for two years that's when it started to get bad. People started to attack each other for food, money, shelter, and the attacks on one another started to get more frequent. My family was fine for a bit I was only 16 at the time when the president called the quits. I was 18 when the problems really started. My family lived further away from most big cities, so the riots did not really affect us. After three years though, things started to break more than they had before. There were nuclear attacks, and bombs set off in towns. Cities, and towns were blown to nothing, families murdered, sisters, and brothers left alone. I am the only surviving one from my family that I know of.

A year and a half ago I was out in the woods I wanted to clear my head, worrying about my family was always burdering my mind. Constantly worrying about whether I was going to lose them. I was 19 turing twenty in a couple of months, when I lost them all, my family, brothers, sisters, mother, father. The woods were quiet it was peaceful and calm, as I walked on my way home I heard an explosion, the wave hit me and I collapsed to the ground. As I hit the ground everything went dark. I woke up hours later the afternoon turned into evening, the sky was stained with the smoke. As I realized what had happened I reached for the tree barely standing next to me. I grasped the tree with my right hand, I had landed on it, it was broken. The pain pierced through my arm, as I barely gripped the flimsy tree next to me. The tree finally snapped, like my heart, the ground came faster this time, but I was not going to let myself go until I knew whether or not my family was alive. I pushed myself up off the ground, my wrist was in agony from leaning on it, but the piercing pain in my chest was worse. I stammered through the smoke stained woods to try and find my house, or what was left of it. As I came upon my home there was nothing left of it but ashes, and broken pieces. That image has haunted my memories for a year and a half now. I ravaged through the dust of my home, but there was nothing left, except for a picture of my family. There was my three brothers in it and my two sisters my mother, and step father. The bombings were said to be random, but I can’t just let my family's deaths just be out of chance, without reason. I knew it could not have been random, my house was hidden from everything they wouldn’t have dropped a bomb in the middle of the woods. I don’t know if it was me not being able to let my family go, in denial that their deaths were for nothing, or if there was something actually going on. From that day on it was my goal to find the people who have been doing the attacks and kill them all for what they had done, to my family, and all of the others.

Now, back to reality. I have to stop dwelling on the past, and keep going for my goal. Every time I think of what happened I get stuck in that time and forget where I am. I grabbed my old black backpack, and swung it over my shoulder. The lace of my boat got stuck on the old fallen over tree I had been sitting on, I fixed my lace and went back to the woods where my “house” is. My “house” is in a tree covered by branches, to hide it from aerial view, and underneath it has more branches so no one can tell it is a shelter. I climbed the tree up to my little “house” and un packed my things, I had gotten more water and boiled it during lunch time, got another rabbit and it was cooked during the day too, and I found some canned food. Everything was unpacked and organized, I crawled into my bed that is made out of animal skins. My tree “house” was just branches going from one lager tree branch to another, and some cardboard over top of the tree branches. There is a tarp over my bed to keep the rain out when it rains, it never snows here anymore. I fell asleep quickly the night was bitter, and it was easy to sleep. I woke up like a shot when I heard something that changed my life forever.

“We got all of them I think sir, there is no one left other then the ones we have chose.” A man said underneath my tree “house”.

“Well tell him except for this one, but we will take care of him soon enough” another man said, with ignorance in his voice.

“No please what have I done to deserve this, what have I done for you monsters to kill me” a boy said with fear in his voice.

I knew I needed to help him. I got up and grabbed a knife, I forgot that I needed to stay hidden, I just knew that someone needed my help. I quietly climbed down the tree one I knew the man was off the phone, I had the knife gripped between my teeth. Both men were a foot or two taller than me, and the child had a bag over their head. I jumped onto the bigger one, and ended him, the seconded one tried to grab me but I am quicker than him I swiftly moved out of his path, and then got him too. Both men laid at my feet dead, I dug a large whole six feet deep so no one could find the bodies, and then helped the kid.

I untied his hands, and pulled the bag from over his head, to my astonishment he was my age. His eyes sparkled like the ocean, and his smile was bright, his hair like a sunflower. My heart fluttered as I looked at him, but I know I don’t have time for silly feelings like that. I brushed it off.

“Your free from them now, so get out of here and find someone else to bother” I said to him avoiding eye contact.

“Really you want me to leave, and now I thought you would want to keep me around I can keep you safe” The guy said as he stepped closer to me until we were only a foot apart. He was about a foot taller than me, and seemed to have muscle built. I shot a glare at him and stood my ground. I have worked hard to stay alive and was not about to let someone so foolish put my mission in jeptory.

“This is my forest, and you are going to leave either dead or now got it you i***t” I said with anger in my voice.

“You don’t scare me, your just a girl” he chuckled as he spoke. Although I find irony in his statement.

“So” I started to walk with my arms crossed and hand on my chin.

“I am just a girl. But, that must say a lot about you then, what are you hmm? A insect!” his facial expression changed.

“What do you mean?” I swear he must be stupid or something.

“I mean I killed those two guys who had you captive, and freed you, have been on my own for a year and a half; and before that I took care of my family of eight.” I thought I would add the last part to show him I could take care of myself.

“Yea sure” I could not read the expression on his face anymore.

“You think I'm joking do you, how about I kill you and we see. You will just add another to my list of many to go.” His expression changed to confusion.

“Do you really not want someone around that much?” he said in a sadish voice.

“I really do not, and would be happy for you to leave and to never see you again.” I shot him a smile as I spoke.

“Well okay then, may our paths cross again someday and you be more willing to let your fears go.” the boy said as he walked away.

“By the way my name is………..” an explosion went off and knocked us both out as he spoke, and when I woke up everything was different.