I walked down the dirt path, hoping to find anything of interest. Fog was creeping through the hills on both sides of me. Everything had been so lonesome ever since I left my mom. I wished I could see her, though at least it was peaceful without her. The trees rustled, beckoning me, but I knew I had to continue on this path. There were many footprints, some overlapping one another, but they were scattered, and some led into the forest. I had been lucky enough to keep my vision, so I knew not to trot straight into the woods.
Everyone had left their homes, seeking shelter in safer places. The bugs came from space. No one knew why they came, but their stings would make you deathly sick. You would lose your vision and possibly go into a state of intense fear. Many people fled small groups, retreating into pure isolation. I had been stung, but retained my vision. I had never heard of that happening. If someone got stung, they would lose their sight in two to three days. I was immune.
The wind began to pick up, which was a good sign, because the bugs couldn’t tolerate the gusts. It was so odd — they could sting a person and injure them severely, but they couldn’t withstand a moderate breeze. The winds also meant I was getting closer to the coast, where I was headed. Sitting on the trail was a rabbit, wiggling its nose and tasting the air. The tiny stupid rabbit could find a way to escape the bugs, yet the smartest species on earth couldn’t. I got so enraged that I ran at the rabbit and it dashed into the woods. The smartest species on earth. Maybe we weren’t so smart after all. Maybe animals were smarter than we were. They knew not to attract attention.
As I circled around a hill, I began to pick up the scent of salt water. I took off, sprinting down the trail. After weeks of walking, I was finally there.
I approached the settlement with high hopes. This was supposed to be paradise, an escape from the apocalypse. When I got there, I found a small dusty shantytown on the edge of a cliff. The sharp rocks and gloomy ravines of the ocean below felt ominous. The dim glowing lights of the town could be seen through the fog. I walked into the town cautiously — I could be entering a death trap. A few people were sitting outside and didn’t notice my arrival. Most looked depressed and haggard, not knowing the next time they would eat. I waited for a while, crouching behind tall weeds, afraid of what they would think of me.
“Hello?” I called out to a lady sitting on a boulder outside her house. She turned her head toward the noise and opened her mouth. She looked a little too familiar.
“Who are you?” the lady asked.
What do I tell her? My real name?
“My name is Amanda. I just came from the highway, east of here, through the hills. I’m not really sure — it’s hard to see through the fog.”
She paused and dropped her jaw.
“You can see?” she yelped. A few other townspeople made their way toward us and began asking questions.
“Where did she come from?”
“Was she stung?”
I repeated myself. “My name is Amanda. I came from east of here. I was stung, but I didn't lose my sight —”
“She’s immune!” a young man called out.
The woman from the rock ran up to me and began rubbing my arm and muttering under her breath. “It’s been so long. Do you know what happened to your father? Is he safe?”
“Who are you?” I asked. I turned the woman’s head toward me, but the light was so dim, I could barely see her.
The crowd broke out in whispers. “It’s her mother.”
She does sound a lot like my mother.
“Amanda?” the woman cried. “I’m your mother!”
“No, you aren’t — you’re crazy,” I shouted. “I don’t know you!”
“I am! You have to remember me!”
“She’s immune!” yelled the young man.
Silence struck the crowd, and a deep noise came from the ocean. I began to back away; the crowd advanced.
“You don’t have to leave,” the young man said. He crouched down and then leaped toward me. I screamed and turned the other way, dodging people’s arms from all directions.
“Amanda!” the lady shouted. “Come back!” She began to sob.
“Stay with us!” the man screamed.
The mass of people began to run as fast as they could toward the sound of my footsteps, but many of them tripped or couldn’t catch up. I ran until I was far away from the village, and then looked back at the chaos. I could hear only the sound of my “mother” wailing and screaming. Having nowhere else to turn, I ran into the woods.
Guarding the woods was a rabbit. That stupid rabbit. His eyes darted around and he stood on his hind legs, staring directly into my eyes, promising the woods. Promising that it would be better. So I turned and ran into the woods. I had truly lost my mind.
Everyone had left their homes, seeking shelter in safer places. The bugs came from space. No one knew why they came, but their stings would make you deathly sick. You would lose your vision and possibly go into a state of intense fear. Many people fled small groups, retreating into pure isolation. I had been stung, but retained my vision. I had never heard of that happening. If someone got stung, they would lose their sight in two to three days. I was immune.
The wind began to pick up, which was a good sign, because the bugs couldn’t tolerate the gusts. It was so odd — they could sting a person and injure them severely, but they couldn’t withstand a moderate breeze. The winds also meant I was getting closer to the coast, where I was headed. Sitting on the trail was a rabbit, wiggling its nose and tasting the air. The tiny stupid rabbit could find a way to escape the bugs, yet the smartest species on earth couldn’t. I got so enraged that I ran at the rabbit and it dashed into the woods. The smartest species on earth. Maybe we weren’t so smart after all. Maybe animals were smarter than we were. They knew not to attract attention.
As I circled around a hill, I began to pick up the scent of salt water. I took off, sprinting down the trail. After weeks of walking, I was finally there.
I approached the settlement with high hopes. This was supposed to be paradise, an escape from the apocalypse. When I got there, I found a small dusty shantytown on the edge of a cliff. The sharp rocks and gloomy ravines of the ocean below felt ominous. The dim glowing lights of the town could be seen through the fog. I walked into the town cautiously — I could be entering a death trap. A few people were sitting outside and didn’t notice my arrival. Most looked depressed and haggard, not knowing the next time they would eat. I waited for a while, crouching behind tall weeds, afraid of what they would think of me.
“Hello?” I called out to a lady sitting on a boulder outside her house. She turned her head toward the noise and opened her mouth. She looked a little too familiar.
“Who are you?” the lady asked.
What do I tell her? My real name?
“My name is Amanda. I just came from the highway, east of here, through the hills. I’m not really sure — it’s hard to see through the fog.”
She paused and dropped her jaw.
“You can see?” she yelped. A few other townspeople made their way toward us and began asking questions.
“Where did she come from?”
“Was she stung?”
I repeated myself. “My name is Amanda. I came from east of here. I was stung, but I didn't lose my sight —”
“She’s immune!” a young man called out.
The woman from the rock ran up to me and began rubbing my arm and muttering under her breath. “It’s been so long. Do you know what happened to your father? Is he safe?”
“Who are you?” I asked. I turned the woman’s head toward me, but the light was so dim, I could barely see her.
The crowd broke out in whispers. “It’s her mother.”
She does sound a lot like my mother.
“Amanda?” the woman cried. “I’m your mother!”
“No, you aren’t — you’re crazy,” I shouted. “I don’t know you!”
“I am! You have to remember me!”
“She’s immune!” yelled the young man.
Silence struck the crowd, and a deep noise came from the ocean. I began to back away; the crowd advanced.
“You don’t have to leave,” the young man said. He crouched down and then leaped toward me. I screamed and turned the other way, dodging people’s arms from all directions.
“Amanda!” the lady shouted. “Come back!” She began to sob.
“Stay with us!” the man screamed.
The mass of people began to run as fast as they could toward the sound of my footsteps, but many of them tripped or couldn’t catch up. I ran until I was far away from the village, and then looked back at the chaos. I could hear only the sound of my “mother” wailing and screaming. Having nowhere else to turn, I ran into the woods.
Guarding the woods was a rabbit. That stupid rabbit. His eyes darted around and he stood on his hind legs, staring directly into my eyes, promising the woods. Promising that it would be better. So I turned and ran into the woods. I had truly lost my mind.