The Two Left in the Dark

As I wake up to the sunrise, I start to hear my brother crying. I drag my feet out of bed to see what is going on. Luckily, I’m an early bird so I don’t really have to worry about the troubles of getting out of bed. I walk into my brother’s room and ask him, “What’s wrong?” he replies with “Brother… I had a bad dream..” I kneel down and give him a hug. “It’s okay, want to talk about it?” he starts to explain that next month there’s going to be a blackout for the whole month.

 My family and I are not actually a part of the human society. Of course, we live in it but we aren't actually human. We are a part of a huge clan of mythical creatures. We can tell what new event will happen every new month. The universe supposedly chooses one of us at the end of each month to see what new event would happen next. There’s an organization that hunts us down secretly and we’re the only ones left. I honestly like the thrill of the chase but I guess I haven't seen them in person. My mom always talks about how we should stay safe and we go through it every day which annoys me.

 I decided to say to my brother, “Don’t worry buddy, it won’t happen. I had a dream that world peace will take place and we won’t be hunted by the scary people anymore.” he jumped with joy as I left to go eat breakfast. It was the same old day over and over again, wake up, eat, school, homework, safety rules, shower, and sleep. Then it starts back up again.

 I had just left for school when the blackout happened. I ran back to the house as fast as I could with each foot reaching as far as possible. I was worried for my brother who is terrified of the dark. Cars were crashing left and right but no one seemed to be in them. Not a single person was there. As I reached the front door I realized that the next month is in two days. Was a new event going to happen next month? What could be worse than this?? Maybe everything will change next month. I was mostly worried about my brother, I assumed that my mom would be fine. Once I got inside I searched the whole house to find no one there. I collapse to the ground crying. I had just lost both my parents and the best little brother anyone could ever have… 

I decided to try and look for survivors or anyone who could help me. I searched for hours not finding a single trace. “Why was I the one who had to survive, why me?” I went into a store as my stomach grumbled in starvation and grabbed a turkey sandwich. I sat on the rusty bench in the aged park to eat. My mouth watered and it felt like I haven't eaten in days when I just ate this morning. As I wondered how this phenomenon occurred, I realized there was an underground shelter. If someone survived, they would definitely be in there. Everyone in town knew about it so I bet they figured someone would go there to find other survivors. This would be my only chance. If no one is there, then I don't know what else to do.

 I shoved the rest of my sandwich in my mouth and started to search for an undamaged car. This shelter is many miles away in the middle of nowhere. I look around finding a car that would be fast. “There’s the one.” I had found a race car, parked on the side of the road without any damage. I hopped in thinking of how I should do this. Mom always turned the key, put it into drive, put on her seat belt and drove. Simple as that. But it wasn’t, I slowly stepped on the pedal and it threw me forward as if I was on a roller coaster. I kept going either way, I had to get there as fast as possible. I stepped on the brake realizing I didn’t have any food or water. I went to the closest grocery store and hopped out to grab some food. I grabbed both healthy and junk food with what looked like a truck load of water. It filled the whole back of the car and I was satisfied. I stared at my favorite snacks waiting to eat the free food I had gotten.

 I finally got everything I needed and started the long journey. It took me about 6 hours to get there but I made it there safely, Thank goodness. I drove off the road into the empty desert. Once I saw the hatch I stopped and got out of the car. The car was full with wrappers and other junk but that didn't matter right now. The hatch was heavy, and I could barely open it. Using my strength I lifted it then used the rest of my body to put it up. I climbed down the rusty, old ladder to find a woman eating microwaved ramen. The shelter was small; the only thing I found in there besides the woman were bunk beds lined up row by row. I also found some blankets and food but that's about it. The woman greeted me and offered some food. I kindly declined but sat down next to her on the dusty floor. She told me her side of the story and what she saw during the blackout. After some contemplation, I decided to tell her that I’m not actually human. I explained my culture and what we do. To my surprise, the woman was intrigued and didn't seem to judge or call me anything ruthless or rude. After getting to know each other, I decided to go to bed. She stayed up to read a book she loves.

 We lived our life in the shelter for a while. The more time I stayed there, the more I loved my life. There’s someone to talk to, no one to hunt me down, no school, no same old same old days, no work, and not having to worry about paying for things. We lived life in many ways, driving places and exploring the world. We found cool places and visited popular tourist places. Nothing ended up happening for those years. I think the world was meant to end that day. Either way, I didn't have anyone to worry about anymore. The woman is able to take care of herself and she didn't care what I did. And I didn't care what she did. Life is good the way it is, and I hope it stays that way forever.