Hope

In a world marred by the scars of an apocalyptic catastrophe, where remnants of humanity struggled to survive amidst the ruins, a young girl named Eliza struggled to survive. Eliza was a resilient 17-year-old with auburn hair and dazzling blue eyes who had seen the darkest depths of human nature which left a bitter taste in her mouth. This resigned her to a life of solitary existence, convinced that people and trust was not a luxury she could afford to have.

Her long, tangled hair and dirt-streaked face were evidence of the challenges she had faced every day. She’d scavenged for scraps of food and clean water, learned to evade hostile scavengers and creatures, and forged makeshift shelters in the wreckage of a destroyed world. It was a hard existence, one that left her with scars, both physical and emotional but she continued. She wasn’t sure why, but it didn’t feel right to give up, not matter how hard life was.

One scorching afternoon, as Eliza explored the outskirts of a dilapidated city, she stumbled upon the remains of an old gas station. Most of it lay buried under layers of sand that had piled up with the harsh, relentless wind. Eliza clambered her way up the loose sand and hoisted herself onto the roof of the gas station for a better view of her surroundings. As usual, it was an abysmal sight. The skeletal remains of a bustling city, skyscrapers either toppled over, or the charred remains of what once was. The dead city looked empty, even from here, but Eliza knew she was going to make her way there. Scavenging had become a daily ritual. A necessity even. If she didn’t find food today, she might not have the strength to find food tomorrow, and she certainly wouldn’t have the strength to find food the day after that.

Eliza took one last mental note of the less damaged buildings and started off on her journey. Her first step crunched the glass under her feet. Eliza looked down as the glass shattered and sent her falling into the darkness. Eliza hit the sand hard, and tumbled down the slope, head over heels, hitting the bottom and rolling into a metal shelf with a thud. Eliza moaned in pain as she rolled over onto her back. She stared at the ceiling, wind howling just beyond the hole in the roof, sand still trickling in. Eliza sat up, shaking her head and coughing from all the dust and sand she had kicked up. Once Eliza had gained her composure, she gingerly got to her feet and took in her surroundings. It was an old gas station, complete with a plastic screen over the counter, protecting a cash register which now lay unused.

The shelves lay bare, picked over by survivors many years ago. Dust covered everything inside, meaning the place had been untouched for some time. A door in the back led to the storage area of the gas station, all the shelves and crates just as empty as the shelves out front. At the back of the storage area was a door that led outside to the hellish landscape Eliza was all too familiar with. As she left the building, she spun around to get one last look at the gas station, and then her jaw dropped.

The rear of the building was adorned with graffiti, layers upon layers of it. Elizas eyes flickered across the colourful and intricate designs, a stark contrast to the drab and lifeless world that she was used to. Somehow, the colours had been protected from the harshness of the world and preserved in all its astonishment. A snapshot of human creativity and expression.

In the centre of the chamber, Eliza found herself drawn to a particular piece of graffiti. A sprawling mural, a masterpiece of vivid colours and intricate details. A phoenix, its wings outstretched in majestic glory, soaring through the fiery sky radiating a sense of rebirth and renewal. Beneath the mural, a simple message had been painted, its words painted with care: “Find hope in the ashes!”

Eliza stood in the swirling wind; her gaze locked on those words. They felt like a whisper from the past, a message from someone who had once sought to inspire hope in the face of despair. It was an unlikely place to find guidance, but for Eliza, it was a revelation.

The message resonated with her on a profound level. In the post-apocalyptic world, where darkness had eclipsed the dreams of humanity, finding hope was a challenge she faced every day. But now, in this barren landscape, she had found a glimmer of inspiration, a reminder that even in the darkest of times hope could be rekindled from the ashes of the past. Eliza felt a surge of determination.

Eliza vowed to carry this message with her, to find hope in the ashes of the old world, and to share it with others who had also lost their way. As she left the gas station, her heart filled with a renewed sense of purpose. The journey ahead would still be fraught with challenges, but now she had a beacon of hope to guide her way.

With each passing day, Eliza encountered other survivors, each burdened by their own traumas and losses. It was a hard at first, just like Eliza, most everyone had chosen the solitary life due to betrayal and hurt. But Eliza eventually spread her message of hope, recreating the image of the majestic phoenix on the walls of the abandoned buildings, etching it into the consciousness of the broken world. It became a rallying cry for those who refused to surrender to the despair of the world.

In time, a small community began to form around the gas station by people who had heard her message and believed in the possibility of a better future. They worked together to rebuild and restore the gas station, to scavenge supplies to share amongst themselves, and to protect each other from the threats of the wasteland.

As time went on, and the months passed, the gas station transformed into a bustling hive of activity. The graffiti message, “Find hope in the ashes!” became a symbol of resilience and determination. It served as a reminder that the human spirit could endure even in the face of unimaginable adversity.

The oasis in the wasteland became known as “Hope”, the mural that sparked the revolution, its central landmark, with the city spreading out around it. Eliza had become the official leader of Hope, leading it citizens towards restoring the land, attracting more people who had been scattered by the apocalypse. With time, scouts of the Hope found pockets of life amidst the desolation, the symbol of the phoenix nurturing the growth of new communities and instilling hope in those they encountered. Life was returning to the wasteland.

In the end, Eliza's legacy was not one of grandeur or heroic feats. It was a testament to the power of a simple message, found in the unlikeliest of places, that had ignited a spark of hope in the hearts of a broken world. The message painted on the wall of that buried gas station had become a guiding light, illuminating the path to a brighter future for those who had lost their way.

As Eliza gazed over the city she had helped create, she knew her journey was far from over. There were still many challenges to face, and the world remained a place of uncertainty. But with the message in the hearts of her people, and the determination to carry it forwards, no matter the challenges, they were ready to face whatever lay ahead and inspire others to find their own hope, even in the ashes.