Running Down The Empty Road

Jayne is running down the empty road towards her house, which is also empty unbeknownst to her. She enters the house panting and screams out for her family members one by one, each time her voice breaks a little more. This is her worst fear, she’d heard stories of this happening to other people, but she never thought it would happen to her. Now her best friend, their family, and her family are all gone. It was like they’d been taken away from her like her world had been ripped apart until she was left with no one. No one to trust, no one to love, no one to care, no one to comfort her. Jayne’s memory drifted back to the time before the world, her world, changed.

Jayne remembered Janice and Jeffrey playing about the house, the twins running away from each other in their game of “tackle tag”. Jayne’s mother was talking on the phone to her sister-in-law while attempting to make smoothies for the children. She told Jayne to help chop the fruit, continuing her conversation on the phone until her husband called out for her. Jayne’s father was coming down the stairs to help Janice with her homework, but he needed his wife to separate the twins first. “Honey, send Janice to the table, I’m coming down,” Jayne’s dad shouted. Jayne was eating a snack, in the hope of avoiding her work, and watched as Jeffrey whined when Janice and her mom walked away. Jeffrey went to turn on the television in an attempt to suppress his boredom before it arrived. 

The news turned on speaking of an emergency broadcast, Jeffrey groaned and switched the channels. Only for the next three channels to have the same emergency broadcast on them. Jayne went over to Jeffrey and they both listened curiously as the newsman discussed a breakthrough in Temporal Incursion Switching (TIS). Hearing this, Jeffrey ran to Janice and yelled about TIS and led her to the television so she could hear as well. “The kids are being crazy again, so I’ll call you back, okay?”Jayne heard her mother say into the phone. Jayne called for her mom and dad, worried about their reactions to Jeffrey and Janice horsing around again. Both parents came into the room with confusion and curiosity painted on their faces. 

The news broadcast concluded with, “We’re giving everyone a chance to use our TIS machines whenever they want with some risks, but free of charge.” Janice and Jeffrey cheered as they jumped up and down, glanced at Jayne with a pleading look, and began chasing each other around once more, laughter filling the air. The broadcast had ended and Mary Poppins played in the background as Jayne’s parents exchanged a worrying look. They knew that Jayne couldn’t use the TIS machines, they knew she was sad about it too. She couldn't join the twins in their enthusiasm and excitement, she knew that things changed that night, that their lives had become different. Jayne was scared but thought her parents wouldn’t ever leave her even though they could. She always remembered having felt loved and protected by her parents, though they couldn’t do anything about her condition.

Now she stares at the empty house, empty road, empty neighborhood, empty city, empty world. Empty, empty, empty, empty. Empty and alone, because everyone else chose their paths aware of the cost and risks. A path Jayne couldn’t choose to take because of her condition. As her vision blurs she tries to forcefully absorb her tears and she walks around the house keeping her eyes wide and breathing slow. Jayne walks to her room and sees the frame of an old photograph she took with her brother and sister, remembering all the times she used to glare angrily at it. Now she holds it in her arms lovingly, regretting all the time she wasted with them. Jayne’s tears have won the battle and begin to gently plant streams on her face. 

Everyone could switch to better timelines, leaving their own timeline behind forever, and they all took the opportunity. They all left Jayne to find a better timeline, a better world where things were better. All Jayne wished, for now, was to be able to experience the other timelines, to know what was so much better than this, to see her family, to see the world. Jayne walks to her parent's room with the picture still in her hand and grabs the old Christmas family photo of Jayne, the twins, and their parents when they were still in diapers. She replaces the picture with the one in her hands, the one with her and the twins, and hugs the photo with a tight grip as though her hug could transport her to the other timelines where her family is. Keeping the photo tucked underneath her arm, she starts running down the empty road away from her house, away from the loneliness, away from the dark.

Everyone did switch to better timelines, leaving Jayne's timeline behind forever, and they all took the opportunity to leave her. They all left Jayne to find a better timeline, a better world where things were better, without Jayne. They never thought about Jayne and what she wanted, they selfishly thought of themselves and abandoned Jayne, to experience other timelines, to know what was better than this timeline, to see their families, to see the world. They didn't care if Jayne was alone, in her house, in her room crying over her family and friends and loathing loneliness. They didn't consider how much it would hurt her, how much she would miss them, and regret the love she didn't give. They didn't think that she would wish and pray to give them one last hug. They didn't care if she kept on running. Running from the past. Running from the loneliness. Running from the emptiness. Running from the house. Running from the pain. Running from the loss. Running from the feelings deep down inside of her. Running from them. Running down the empty road.