DAY 14

Day 14:

I felt it again. 

The earth shifted underneath my feet, the crooked sidewalks bordering the demolished street. I walked, feeling my feet touch the cold stone, I had lost my shoes and most of my clothes. Everyone had on the 14th day. We had known the storm was coming. Just had never brought it to reality, and yet where I stood, looking around at the bakery shops that once were filled with delighted people and delicious baked goods, the book stores stacked with beautiful literature were now empty. Books were scattered everywhere, pages flipped silently in the gentle push of the wind.

I hadn't known the storm was going to be this devastating to our world. But, Liam had. He had always known something was coming. My throat clenched and grew tight as my mind recalled the name of the lost love of my life. February 14th was the day Liam had gone missing. The day he had never been found, the day I had lost everything. Ever since then, every day on February 14th, the Earth almost seems to cry, its streets crack as the ground underneath them shifted, along with myself. 

The days had grown longer, the people who had survived the storm, grown skinner, thinner, hungrier, and more devastated. I had searched for survivors every day since February 14th that terrible day in 2019, the day my world ended, along with my heart. Years of scouring the street for a crumb of old bread. Finding water was hard enough. I knew I had to keep going, to find the person I crave the most, even more so over survival. 

I strode down the street, looking around for any signs of life, anything. The people who walked behind me were the only signs of life I had come to know after that year. They were strong, and determined to keep pushing forward along with me, but, each day when we didn't find enough food or anyone else who was still breathing, our hope diminished, sinking into the stone beneath us, joining the strong scent of blood and depression that lingered in the foggy mornings and evenings. The atmosphere was thick, you could cut through the air with a knife and still feel choked by the sadness that was present every day as I searched with the survivors behind me. 

Daniel, who I had grown to become well acquainted with, put a hand on my shoulder as we marched down and up and down and up the hills and past the hollowed stores and houses. 

"You can't keep blaming yourself, Anna." I turned, causing the group to stop.

I looked into the sunken face of what once was a muscular, healthy highschooler like myself. Daniel's blue eyes only made my stomach clench, reminding me about the way Liam's eyes used to sparkle when I had approached him.  

"Why? Daniel, it is my fault. And you can't change that." I turned, trying to proceed with our crowd.

Daniel protested, touching my shoulder again, he drew me back to stare at him.

"I know you blame yourself, Anna, I can see it in your eyes." I looked down towards the cold earth, averting my eyes from the truth in his words. 

"It isn't your fault. Liam will come back." I looked up into Daniel's face again and tried to smile, my face felt oddly tight as I stretched my muscles into what seemed like a joyful expression.

Daniel smiled back, but, then my mouth drooped back into its no permanent frown and we continued walking. 

"HEY!" suddenly, Maria called, one of the more recent survivors. We had been passing farms and old homesteads, when she called out, I turned, my stomach lurching. Could it be?

A man stumbled out of the shadows of the cornfields, his clothes tattered and torn, his ghostly frame covered by only a faded blue sweatshirt and aged jeans.

I knew this man. Could it be? Was it? I ran forward, looking into the face of one of my closest friends back in school, Darnell stood before me, his caramel-colored skin, now caked with grime seemed to glow as he looked up into my face, I embrace him, holding I'm tight. Even as much as I cared for the survivors I wanted to cry, but, I seemed to have never been able to after day 14.  

Darnell did, his tears running down his ash-covered face, creating tracks through the grime. 

"OH MY GOD ANNA!" He shook with relief that he wasn't alone. 

"Come on, Darnell, we have to keep moving." 

Darnell froze in place.

"Anna?" he asked before I could continue our journey across the vast miles of Maine, which were now wastelands.  

"It's February 1st," I replied. Darnell's face now turned solid, fierce. He climbed the hill back to our group, the other individuals welcomed him with embraces. I could see the sun setting in the distance, it was time to move on, we needed to find a place before sunrise, so we could be safe from the Patroller. The rusted machine, the Government had created to keep us inside when the storm had come, if we found outside, the Patroller would collect us, taking us, somewhere no one knew. 

  The light was now fading faster, I now ran, the others joining me as we trudged our way through the cornfields. Darnell telling us that there was an old farmhouse up ahead. The corn stalks cutting my face and hands as we sprinted through the never-ending sea of green and yellow. I could see the farmhouse up ahead, the white paint was peeling, the porch had crumbled. We exited the cornfield, running straight into the house, Locking the door behind me. everyone stooped to catch their breath, Darnell had gone into the half-destroyed kitchen, looking for anything we could eat. 

"ANNA!" He shouted, I walked back to where he was standing. He lifted a box of beans, black beans. he pulled from one of the split cabinets, a loaf of bread. I reached forward, touching the soft dough, smelling the aroma I had come to forget. 

I ran back to the others, their faces lifting as they saw their first meal in... Had it been 5 days since we had last eaten? 

I didn't care, everyone helped themselves to the beans and bread, devouring the food, licking my fingers I sighed, my stomach ached from the presence I hadn't been used to these past few days. The survivors had found ragged pieces of blankets and just as we were settling down for the long day ahead of us, Darnell pulled me aside, his face had grown serious. 

"Anna, I saw Liam!" The words pierced my body, I gripped his arms to prevent myself from collapse. Darnell continued.

"I was looking for you. I saw someone coming down the streets, he was dressed in a green uniform, one that the Government has for soldiers.

I didn't know who it was, until, I climbed closer, and I recognized the parched, tan face. It was Liam, he looked exhausted, he seemed to be looking for you, when he saw a bead that had fallen off your bracelet. I remember seeing you have a purple bracelet on before the storm. He knelt and cried. Anna, he's alive." 

I shook, I could feel my eyes burning for him, but, no tear was produced. Darnell settled down with the others. Just as I was drifting off into a dream, the siren from the Patroller echoed through the cool night air. I covered my ears, the others rose, covering theirs, I reassured them that we were safe, and they fell back to their places upon the faded oak floor. 

As the sound of the clanking of the rusty machine subsided, I fell back into my slumber, my sleep wasn't long and peaceful, it was plagued by the visions of finding Liam. Even in my dreams, I could feel my heartache for the longing that resided there, the craving of the one that had disappeared. 

 I was shaken awake by Daniel his smiling face, lifted my spirits a little, he offered me a small cup of coffee, he claimed he had found in one of the cabinets. I drank greedily. The next two weeks were hell, we trudged through the muddy swamps, the demolished streets, the blackened cornfields, the destroyed factories. It was on the dreaded February 14th when the others and I passed by an old radio tower when I saw a body lying on the street, a man's body in a green uniform, my heart dropped into my stomach. I ran forward, leaving the others behind. I dropped to my knees, turning the body over, praying to the heavens that this was Liam and that he was just sleeping.

  I gasped as the face of the man I loved was revealed, two years of searching had paid off, I had found my love. I shook his body, gently touching his face, remembering how many features he had. 

I checked his pulse, my hands shaking as I felt the strong beat of his heart. I cried over his body, and as his eyes fluttered open, his face frowned then his own tears were produced. 

He reached up, touching my cheek lightly.

"Anna is that you?" I bawled as I nodded, he pulled me into a tight embrace, not daring to let go. The other circled around his body, all of them crying and rejoicing upon seeing another long-lost friend. Liam stood, I pulled myself up with him, he looked into my eyes with his piercing blue ones and said.

"I love you, Anna." I stared back at him and said.

"I love you too!" Liam bent pressing his lips against mine, as he did so, I closed my eyes, not caring we were being stared at, not caring about the state of the world, all I wanted in this very moment, was to be held by the man I loved and had never stopped loving from the first day I had seen him.

Suddenly, as Liam's lips drew back from mine, I looked around, the others amazed, their jaws dropped as the streets and buildings around us, the broken pavements, the faded signs rose into the air, the buildings grew brighter, the world was rebuilding its self. I looked around in astonishment, and then the overcast clouds parted, revealing a burst of golden light, sunshine poured down on us, the others running around, Daniel's face was now streaked with tears as he lifted his face up to meet the distant warmth we had all craved. I felt warmth encircle my body and as I turned my attention to my clothes, I saw the colors running up and down my shirt and pants, purple sweatshirt and my faded jeans now grew in brightness, the holes in my clothes seemed to be stitched back together. I watched as the other's clothes did the same. 

I gasped as soon as I realized what had just happened. The world had begun its healing. The brightness had returned to the shops and streets. I felt a gentle tug on my hand, I looked back up into Liam's face, he was smiling.

"Happy Valentine's day Anna." He said. As the words streamed from his lips, I felt something that I had thought wasn't possible anymore. I felt a tear run down my cheek.

   THE END