• Life. One word. A word that means everything to anyone who wants one. To anyone that lives one. Today, the sky changed from the sky blue that people cling to, to a depressing gray. The world is coming to an end. I sit in my room, surrounded by weapons that I will use eventually look out to see the people running. Wasting time and energy to get away when there is nowhere to go. Nowhere safe. We are all bound to die eventually. My parents haven't come home yet, I am sure that they never will but then again, my father is always the stubborn type. Speaking of my father, the blue car finally pulled up to the house and here he comes, running inside shouting my name. I slowly walked over to the door and looked to see him there with tears. His eyes are full of fear and worry. I know that something has gone wrong and that we are the only ones left of our family because he breaks down. Dropping to one knee he stays there... Sobbing... Calling out names of my family... My head is spinning when I realize that I will never see them again. But then I realize, there is one person left... My father, he made it. He came back for me... I can't let him beat himself up about my siblings and mother. Bending down and try to comfort him. He lays there just staring at me, his eyes so full of hatred towards himself and fear... Fear for himself and fear for me. I am the only one he has to protect... And he is the only one I have to protect. With a reluctance I stand up and grab some weapons. Pulling him to his feet I hold out a gun for him, he looks to me and takes a deep and shaky breath, "It's only us." I tell him, "We have to stay alive for them. I am not going to let them die in vain." I say and pull him towards the car... Wait, why a Car? The roads and freeways will be crowded and there would be wrecks everywhere, but the woods... There would be very few if not any people there. I close my eyes and when I open I do not see the end of life and humanity myself, I see a new beginning. A place where we can all start over. Whether it was just me and my dad and other people. I grab my fathers hand and I look at him, "C'mon. We have to go. I will not stay here." I start running. My legs start to hurt after a few minutes and I am almost out of breath but I keep running, I keep dragging him with me. I won't let his hand go from mine even if I had to in order for me to live. The path is silent and covered with blood. The sky is starting to darken, changing from a gray color of depression to a deep red like the blood we see now before us. My heart is beating, humming if you will, like a humming birds wings. I pull him forward, holding my gun in front of me, a warning for everyone else who wants to kill us or at least try to steal from us. Finally, an opening in the fence. I push him through and we start to walk faster, wanting to get far away from what humanity has left for us as we can. I lean against a tree that is long since been forgotten and I heave a breath that makes my father stop in his tracks. I slide down to sit on the ground. The rain from yesterday makes my pants wet and I sigh. I sink my hands into the soft earth and close my eyes. I feel a hand come to my shoulder and open my eyes to see my father looking at me. I give him a soft smile and he pulls me into his arms, "I love you. I know that it might not be good right now to talk to you at all, but, I can only hope that we make it." I blink the tears out of my eyes and nod. I stand up pulling him with me, "We have to make a shelter. Who would have thought that today would turn out to be day one of the end of the world?" I say putting my gun on it's strap and putting it around me. I look around for sticks and logs that I can use for a fire. The cold air blows through me to my bones and chills me. I left behind not only my clothes but my life. My life. What all was it? Nothing really. Just me thinking that I was better then everyone else. Everyone else. Where are they now? Dead perhaps. Who knows? God? Maybe. Maybe not. Is god real? Who knows. If he is then why would he let this happen to his children? Why would he let them die slowly and painfully? Who really cares? Oh well. I look to see my father watching me silently. I shake my head and ram a tree. I want it to tip over so that we could use it. A pain that I have never felt before shoots through my arm and I scream. My father is there, telling me to be calm and let him look. "It's not broken." He says giving a sigh of relief. But that relief is short lived, I hear a scream and then a grunting. Soon I see a man and a women with a child come through an opening. I can't say anything before the man pulls a gun out of his pocket and points it at my dad. I Pull out mine and aim at the child, he sees me and then aims it at me, "Don't do it." My father says to the man, "Why not?" He answers in a deep voice. His skin is white but his face is stained with blood. I glare lightly at him and my father does not move, "If you shoot my father I will put a bullet between the kids eyes and the chicks." I say, my voice full of hatred and blood lust. He looks towards me with a glare to match mine. I take my gun off of safety and c o c k it. Ready to fire. He puts his weapon down and blinks away tears, "Please. I just want them to be safe." He says I don't lower my gun, "Well, for starters, you should be a little less willing to pull the trigger on us. I would have unloaded a round in your a** before you knew what was happening." He drops to his knees and the kid goes to him, I don't take my eyes off of them.

    End of Chapter 1