Broken Silence

Hi. 

I'm Lucy. 

If there's someone reading this in a textbook right now, then this will all be for the better. Maybe there is a reason only we were left to tread the Earth. Well, let me recount for whoever is reading this exactly what it was like during the R3VOLTS. 

As I'm sure you know, dear reader, there were many great wars before this. Many lives lost over infamous disagreements about petty things. Religion, sexual orientations, whatnot that didn't discriminate this time. Well, one fatal, fatal day, Parris Patel decided he wanted to rule the world. Unlike other gorgeous boys in their 20's, he somehow managed to climb to the top. Now that I think back on it, no one really understands how this was possible. I'm sure by the time you're reading this and maybe even learning about what this was like you've figured it out. I wish one day before I die I'll figure out how. And why? Why? One day I just woke up to military in the streets and they were just shooting people. My mom and dad were out in the street, they were coming home from work. Do you have robots in the future? I guess I'll never know. Well, I watched them kill my mom and dad so I had to hide. I concealed my unnaturally fragile body into a crate in our attic. Discreet. It felt like the gunshots were sounding for eternity. They raided every home and killed everyone they wanted. Somehow eventually I grew used to the sounds. 

One day, there was a great siren. And that day, the gunshots were louder than they had ever been. Millions of guns going off, but no screaming. I didn't know it was possible. And all of a sudden nothing. No footsteps, no crude language, no nothing. I slipped out of my hiding spot. Starving, all I had eaten those past days were little pieces of bread and the occasional sip of water, I tiptoed to the window. And I knew I was safe. 

Everyone outside was dead. They had all killed each other. The radio was dead on every channel. There was no one left. Just me. It took all of my strength to get to the kitchen and eat. It was insane. I spent days wandering around just going into random homes and taking their food, living their lives. I spent many days in glamourous mansions that I could take all for myself. 

Years and years passed. Almost everything decayed... during the winter it was cold, I didn't know how to fix the heaters after they'd broken down, during the summer it was hot, I didn't know how to fix the air conditioner after it broke, and all the time it was silent. Eventually, I became accustomed to that too. The only sounds I heard were that of nature. And it was strange at first because I was so used to hearing cars, chatter, machines, anything. But there was nothing but wind, rain, hail, animals. I'm 18 now. And I was extremely lonely. I was desperate. It's funny because I remembered a time when I had read books about the end of the world scenarios and the people in them would talk to the dead or slowly go crazy, but I'm just fine. Maybe it's because I'm more of an introvert... who knows. But I'll paint the scene. 

I'm laying in a gorgeous bed. It has four posts and silk sheets and it's all warm and cozy. Or as warm and cozy as it could be considering there were the dead owners in the basement when I heard something. At first, I had assumed it was something by my window which overlooks the sea. So I went over, and I looked, and I saw something that nearly stopped my heart. Footprints. In the sand. Actual footprints. And they weren't mine. 

And then someone used the bathroom. And I tried to hold in a scream. I thought it was someone who came to kill me. Another brainwashed soldier here, finally. I was finally going to die. To be honest, I'm not even sure I was that afraid, or I guess unwilling is a better word. As I said, it gets lonely... But I was just oh so curious and desperate. I walked over. From down the hallway, I could see the shadow walking downstairs. I decided to say something. 

"Hello?" I said tentatively. Over the years I was afraid I would forget to speak English so I consistently finished each day by reading aloud. 

With a massive jump and fear crawling all over his body, the boy stopped. "Who's there?" he whispered. He too afraid to turn around and face the monster that I was. 

"I'm Lucy. And I'm like you. Did the sound not affect you either?"

"No." And with that, he turned around. He too was a gorgeous guy. Now I know all about him for we've spent quite a while together. Darren Winters. 19 years old. Curly black hair and all. Some days were good, some days were bad. There were days when we thought we should make a mass grave and just clear out the remaining decay, but it was too terrible. After three years theirs barely anything left, it's just hard to know the hat you're holding used to be on someone's head and not just their skull... 

Well, we knew what we had to do. And it was horrible because we're friends. But it had to be done. And we don't even know how to be parents, I mean we're just kids, you know? But sometimes you have to sacrifice things. 

Anyway, maybe someone will use this one day as a primary source for their term paper topic. Maybe your question will be, "How and why did Parris Patel take over the world, and how was the world like after?" That's a terrible question, good thing I'm not a teacher... I wanted to be an actress. Well, that's all there is to say for now. I don't know what the future will bring. Only you do. And I hope it's nice. And that you have robots. That would be cool. 

Best wishes, 

Lucy Hastings

P.S. I'm Darren and I approve of this message