Grandma taught me how to count with tallies. One, two, three, four, then I cross it over marking five. I look at the chalkboard and see hundreds and hundreds of tallies. Each set represents 5 years. Every single tally mark represents a year. I'll be turning 32 in a few days,but age is just another number across the board of life. I have tons more to live. I'm sure after my birthday it will mark another tally,but life will go on. Every dreading day of my life will go on. I work at a museum. It's nothing special. For my birthday I might just quit my job, but there is someone keeping me there. He has all the blackmail on me a person could get. I'm trapped and have no way out. Well that's not true I have one way out, but that's a path I hope not to follow for a long time. I sit down for a moment of silence. I stare at the wall invisioning the tally board. As I look at each tally it's as if I'm looking through memories of my past. My mind gets caught on one memory a few years ago. I was plotting the biggest robbery the world would have ever seen,and I got so caught up in my scheme I didn't notice the other person standing in the room watching me plot. "Emma." His voice came into my mind as I remember back. His voice was softer back then. He wasn't so rough and cruel. All I wish for is to go back to that night and start over,but unfortunately the villain never gets a happy ending. "What are you doing?" I look at him,but he doesn't look at me. He knows perfectly well what I am doing. He looks over the museum's blueprints and reads my little side notes of the code I should use for each door,the location of each object I was to obtain, and how I'm going to do it. I don't even bother telling him what I'm doing. He walks over to me and grabs my shoulders tightly then whispers in a harsh voice "What are you doing?" He pulled out a gun. I don't know how he had one. He seemed to be the sweetest boy I had ever met,but I was wrong. Even he had a dark side. He was willing to kill for money. "Will, what are you planning on doing?" My voice was trembling with fear, yet my heart was filling with sadness. I didn't know this mix of emotions was even possible,but there he was proving me wrong. I knew our relationship was over after that night. He started to blackmail me. And once he started it seemed as though he couldn't stop. I have blackmail on him too,but there's something inside of me that tells me not to expose him. As I search deeper through my feelings, I realized it was love. I wish I could get him back, but all he wants is money and all I want is him. The clock began to make its loud noise that will go on for 30 more seconds. I must have been thinking for about half an hour. I was so lost in my thoughts that I never noticed the slight creak of my backdoor opening. I didn't notice the haunting footsteps coming closer to me. I didn't even smell Will as he crept behind me. But what I did notice was his breath as he put the toxic weapon to me. And it was in that second that I said "sorry." I expected pain,but it never came. I expected a loud bang, but I couldn't hear anything. What I could feel was wet steaming tears dripping from my face. I never would have expected this from him, but here he was and what he said changed my life forever. He dropped the gun on the floor and fell. My heart sunk. Had he just killed himself? Had I been so terrified that I blocked out all noise? No,it couldn't be. I turned around and picked up the gun to my forehead. I couldn't live unless I was with him. I could feel the gun pressing against my head, I felt my hand shaking, and finally I heard him. A signal of life from him was all I needed,but what he said was all I wanted. " I'm sorry." What, he's sorry? He was about to kill me, what is going on? I hate this storm of emotions. He got up and hugged me. It's all I've been wanting for years. I dreamed of something like this but never thought it would actually happen. I looked over at the board,but it was gone. Every tally was wiped clean. I had a new slate. I knew now that I would be able to start over with him. We would flee the country and start over in some place far from society. It was just us two. We knew each other's secrets and no one else. We were in no trouble. We forgave each other. And that was all we needed to live our happy lives. In that split of a second he turned me around until I was facing him. I don't know why he ever blackmailed me in the first place, after all we did love each other. But how he hurt me didn't matter now,I was finally with him again. "What happened to us?" I mean really. If we were both gold diggers then why didn't we do it together. "I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I needed the money and it seemed perfect, except for one flaw and that is...I didn't have you." But of course we were the villains in this story and we didn't get the happily ever after we desired. As he kissed me on the cheek the police busted through the door. And he whispered in my ear "I turned us in." My heart shattered at that. I finally had him,but now we are going to be separated forever. Why would he do that. I can't live like this any longer. I can't live without him again. "Goodbye Will. I took the gun and bang! The lights turned off.


At one point in my childhood, my grandfather gifted me with, what my 9 year old self considered to be, the coolest watch I’d ever seen. It had a delicate leather strap that had been embossed with little bees, and the face had Winnie the Pooh with a bee about to land on his nose. I wasn’t a particularly big fan of Winnie the Pooh, but what really made it unique and exciting was the fact that in lieu of a seconds hand, it had a disk that was painted with a string of bees that rotated as the minutes passed, flying their way forever around the face of my watch. Something about it just captured my imagination, and I loved it. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t have it for very long. One day, I wore it to school when I was in the 3rd grade. We had been painting that day and were transitioning to another subject, so I went to the back of the room to wash my hands. I remember so vividly removing the watch and laying it gently to the side of the sink so that it would not get wet, taking the time to even stretch out the band so that it laid flat, and face up so as not to scratch it. When I had finished washing my hands there was a line of other students behind me, so I quickly grabbed some paper towels and dried my hands then returned to my seat, forgetting all about my watch. By a few hours later, I realized what I had done and quickly went back to the sink to retrieve my possession. Only to find that it was not there. I checked the floor and peered into the trash, then around at my fellow classmates. I was at a loss. What should I do? You see, as a child I often felt invalidated, or unimportant. I was a middle of the radar type kid, keep quiet and do your work, don’t get called on and don’t get in trouble. Because of these feelings I never spoke up, I never told the teacher or asked anyone. It would have put me in the spotlight that I tried very desperately to avoid. I chalked it up as a loss as I sat back at my desk and sulked for the remainder of the day, thinking of what I would say when my grandfather asked me why I wasn’t wearing my watch. About a week later I saw one of my classmates in the back of the room washing her hands. She was one of the “cool” girls, always perfect homework and handwriting, the one who seems to be friendly with everyone except me, and she was wearing my watch. But what could I say? Who would believe me? I even noticed that she had managed to get a bit of green marker on the band. My heart dropped as I watched and silently said goodbye to my gift. Fast forward two decades, and I have my own little 9 year old running off to the third grade every day. Recently he purchased his own digital watch from target, with his own money. It was a proud moment. A few months ago, we realized that the watch was missing, my son said he wasn’t sure where it was and that he may have lost it. My husband and I scolded him that we must keep track of our belongings, then chalked it up as a loss. Today I received a phone call from my son’s vice principal, she says that my son had confronted another student about a watch that he thought was his but had lost. She asked that I describe the watch to her, and when I did, she confirmed that yes it appeared to be the watch in question. She’s waiting to hear back from the other student’s parents whether they can confirm the purchase of the watch or not. Regardless of what the other parent says, I’m proud of my boy. He felt that he was wronged, so he took action and stood up for himself. Somehow, twenty years later, I was able to instill a value into my son that I still struggle with today. I still remember that girls name, her face, and the jealousy I felt that day as I sat at my desk while she washed her hands wearing something I had once treasured. I can never go back to fix that, but at least my son won’t have the same regret.


In the autumn, a carnival came to our town and set up in a field on the outskirts. The field had cows grazing that year and they’d been fenced into the back corner to make room for the rides and games and stalls selling sweet and savoury treats. I agreed to take my little brother along. We were both slightly surprised that neither of our parents had insisted on coming along to keep an eye on him. We went on all of the rides at least once and we ate overpriced, unhealthy food. At the top of the Ferris wheel, he told me he could see our house, pointing in the general direction we lived in. I pretended he could and asked him to show me again. We laughed our way through the House of Horrors and my brother kept wanting to karate kick the skeletons and zombies as they popped up. As we left the House of Horrors, I saw some girls from my class, smoking by the side of the helter skelter. More accurately, they saw me. They shouted my name and waved. I felt shy, being there as a babysitter, but my brother didn’t and he shouted back and waved to them happily, so we went over. They all said my brother was cute, which he loved, but pretended to be shy, knowing that they’d ruffle his hair and hug him. Jenny Beahrs said she wanted to buy him some candy floss and I said fine while I talked to the others and Hannah Ford offered me her cigarette, but I told her I was trying to give up, even though I’d only ever tried one once. She asked me if I’d been on the tilt-a-whirl yet, and when I said no, my brother’s too small, she took me by the hand and told me to go on it with her. I wasn’t about to say no. After the ride, the girls met us at the bottom and wanted to go on the bumper cars. I looked around for my brother, but he wasn’t there. Jenny said he’d been there a moment ago, and then she laughed and said he’d probably gone off with a girl. I spent the next twenty or thirty minutes running around the place calling my brothers name. Hannah came with me and the other girls said they’d check in a different direction, but when we saw them again, they were riding the carousel. I was furious but Hannah said to forget it, and maybe we should find a policeman or security or something, but after we walked around for a while, we couldn’t find them either. We went out into the car park and trudged through the churned up mud looking between cars and calling for him. We even walked out onto the road, but Hannah said there was no way he’d have gone that far. When we went back in, we found him almost straight away. He was at a shooting game next to the tilt-a-whirl, where he told us he’d been since he came back from getting candy floss with “that girl,” as he referred to Jenny. He seemed totally perplexed by the near hysteria I was in at this point. His biggest concern was that he hadn’t managed to win anything yet. Hannah gave him a big hug and told him he had to come and ride in a bumper car with her. “What about my brother?” he asked. “He has to go in one on his own,” she said. “So we can bump him.” “Ok,” he told her. “But I want to steer.” “We take turns,” she said. My brother thought about this for a fee moments, scratching his head, which he’d started to do recently to show he was giving serious thought. “Ok,” he said. After the bumper cars, I bought us all hot dogs and drinks. I paid for everything because my brother had spent all of his money on the shooting game. I told him the games were all fixed, but he kept on wanting to play them and saying he would win. He was so determined. Besides, he knew that with Hannah there he could take advantage of me wanting to look like a good big brother, so he asked me to pay for his games again and again, or even asked me to play them for him. Some of the times I said no, and others I did what he asked and the look of joy on his face whenever he was lost in the game was worth it, I guess. And then it happened, and he actually managed to win something for throwing rubber balls into buckets. Hannah hugged him and kissed his cheek, but he pushed her away. “Hey,” he said, wiping his face, then he pointed excitedly, bouncing on his feet and reaching with his pointing finger for a large black bear wearing a bright red t-shirt with an eagle on it. The bear was nearly as large as my brother. Seriously. He struggled to carry it, so I offered to take it for him, but he was having none of it. He wanted to carry it himself. It suited me fine, I’d done enough, I felt, in paying more than the bear was worth anyway in goes on various games. By the time we left, we’d missed the last bus home. The bus that went our way didn’t run very late, but it was still later than my brother was supposed to be out. I’d lost track of time and I’d have to explain that when we got back. Hannah was staying because the girls were all getting picked up together later, so we said goodbye in the entranceway and she gave me a hug and said she’d see me on Monday. “Great,” I said, and then I didn’t say anything else. I just stood there, feeling awkward, and then I lifted my hand in a little wave and turned away. “You didn’t even kiss her,” my brother said as we walked through the car park. “Shut up,” I told him. “I got a kiss.” “Shut up.” “Maybe she likes me better than you.” “Maybe I could sell you to one of the stalls.” “What would you tell mum and dad?” he asked. “I don’t know,” I said. “It doesn’t matter. They’d forget you soon enough.” “Would not.” “Would too,” I told him. “They forgot Jimmy quickly enough.” “That’s not funny,” he said and stopped walking and stamped his foot. Jimmy was an imaginary brother I’d made up to tease him with. Jimmy was younger than me and older than him and he’d been annoying, so mum and dad had sold him to buy me a bike because they loved me so much. Then he’d been born as an experiment. He’d believed me for a while when he was a bit younger. I would maybe even have done lasting psychological damage if mum and dad hadn’t found out and told him it wasn’t true. I’d been banned, in no uncertain terms, from talking about Jimmy. I still brought him up from time to time though. It was out thing. I put my arm around my brother’s shoulder and walked with him to the end of the car park. We stood there and looked back at the carnival. I looked to see Hannah, but there was no chance. We stepped into the road and looked down it towards the lights of the town. “Come on, ladies man,” I said, and we started the walk back, my brother tottering slightly, slowed by the effort as he held tightly to his bear. I offered again to take it but he, once again, declined. We didn’t talk much as we walked. After a while, around the time we moved onto pavement for the first time, I noticed that my brother was walking faster, coping more easily with the bear. The night on the outskirts of town had that dark yet dully lit feel to it, like a dying torch, and my brother started to look sleepy with his drooping eyes and lazy grin. When we got as far as the churchyard, I thought to offer again to carry the bear, but by now it was tucked comfortably in the crook of his arm. I asked him if he knew his bear was shrinking. “Gideon,” he said. “What?” I asked him. “The bear. It’s called Gideon.” “Ok,” I said to him. “But did you know he’s shrinking?” My brother stopped walking for a moment and looked down at the bear he held. “I think he’s just tired,” he said in a yawny voice with a slow flapping wave of his free arm. By the time we got to the end of our street, he could fit the bear in his pocket. He did so and carried it with the head poking out the top, making him walk with a slight limp. When we finally reached home, I apologized to our parents for bringing my brother home late. They didn’t mind though. They told us it was ok, as long as we didn’t think we could do it all the time. They took us into the kitchen, where the lights were bright and dazzled us, and they asked about what we’d done that night. My brother, tired as he was, found a new, wide-eyed lease of life telling them stories of Ferris wheels, bumper cars, and deep fried food. He didn’t tell them about getting lost because I’d made him promise not to, and promised to take him to the cinema the following weekend. When he started talking about the games he’d been playing and reached into his pocket to show off his prize, his fingers came out holding black and red lint.


Lilith By: Liu Mok Snowflakes fell profusely. Each winter in Terranova was an exact replica of the previous one. The same amount of snow, on the same days and storms on the fifth and twenty-third day of the year. That morning of the sixth day, everything went as usual, an overwhelming quiet after the ferocity of the previous day. Only the snowflakes disturbed the prevailing calm. Lilith woke up like every morning at seven, and prepared for her daily routine. The first indication that something was wrong was in the kitchen: the Tetra Pak of orange juice was empty. Tried to remember when was the last time something similar happened, but nothing came to mind. She was baffled a few moments. It was unusual. Since she had memories, orange juice had been an essential part of her daily breakfast. She pressed the reset button on her fridge, but nothing happened. Attempted some taps to the sides, but her Tetra Pak of juice was still empty. It was getting late. Her carefully timed routine had undergone a variation with a logical cost in terms of time. She made the decision to remove hairstyling from that day's routine so she could get to be on time at work. She had no recollection of ever been late. Lilith went swiftly to the office, passing the snow-covered sidewalks. She did not usually walk in such a hurry, but nothing was normal on that morning of the sixth day. Part of her routine was to count the one thousand one hundred thirty-five steps until she got to work. Walked a few meters when she turned to start counting. Was startled to find that there was not a trace from the entrance of the house to the point where she was standing. Snowflakes continued to fall and caressed her face in stupefaction. She looked under her feet and turned away terrified, there were no footprints under the shoes. It can't be. She hurried to press the snow with the hands and to her surprise; the hands pierced the snow that seemed to have no texture. Between surprise and stupor, she laid her hands on the head, it was late, but she could not understand what was happening. Then something caught her attention as she looked towards the entrance of the house. A series of tracks were appearing at high speed and were heading towards her. Lilith ran as fast as she could, without looking elsewhere than the flamboyant red building where she worked. She was short of breath, felt the cold inside her like needles, but she did not stop. Reached the entrance of the building and stopped to take a breath in the lobby. Five minutes past eight, she was late. Her mind could not help trying to look for logical explanations for what had just happened. Logic and routine had been a fundamental part of her existence since she had memories. Lilith looked out the entrance of the building, with its massive doors of pristine glass. Outside the snow was falling on the sidewalks and it was slowly beginning to cover the still fresh tracks that reached the very entrance. Her footprints. Lilith began to wonder if the lack of orange juice in the morning was playing tricks on hermind, if all the chaos unleashed that sixth day had altered her perceptions of reality. She shook her head, less disturbed, and headed for her job. The long corridors of the red building, carefully marked, led her to her post: a blue chair with a wooden bureau. She would have liked to tell someone what had happened, to know if someone else have had a similar experience, but she did not know anyone. The giant corridors of the red building contrasted with the small cubicle with a blue chair and a wooden table where Lilith worked. The red building itself contrasted with its surroundings of gray houses and endless sidewalks that Lilith had never walked. The one thousand one hundred thirty-five steps from her house to work were the only thing she knew about that city that seemed too big and overwhelming, as it was her small cubicle inside a gigantic red building of infinite corridors. She did not remember how or when she started working there, it just seemed like she had done it all her life. Actually, she had never tried to remember, absorbed in daily routines, did not have the time or disposition to do it. The chaos of that day had served her, at least, to be aware of her surroundings. The exterior of the building was red, but inside, the corridors and endless walls were gray and dark, except for her small cubicle illuminated by a dim white light. Lilith thought she had had enough chaos for a day and decided to regain control. Maybe getting into the daily work routine would distract her from everything. She sat in her chair and, as always, the Holoscreen opened in front of her. She entered the access code, like any day. "Error, try again". This whole day has been an error. She re-typed the access code, this time slowly. “Error, try again”. She felt a heat inside her body that was running through her. Jumped, knocking the chair to the floor, which echoed in the endless corridors of the building as if a bomb had fallen. It was an unknown sensation; Lilith felt warmth in her hands and then her neck and finally her forehead. Screamed to the top of her lungs and everything suddenly went dark. Lilith half-opened her eyes and saw an intense light directly on her face; she had no choice but to close them involuntarily. Felt a persistent buzzing, like the winter wind passing through the trees. After a while; opened her eyes one more time, the usual landscape of the dim light over her little cubicle was there again. The chair, carefully placed in its position, seemed to indicate that nothing had happened. She sat awkwardly, took a time to surpass disorientation. It was four in the afternoon, time to return home. What a strange day, Lilith thought on the way home, while rubbing the back of her neck. This time she could count the one thousand one hundred thirty-five steps back. This made her feel calm, that she was in control again. Completed her meal, bath and bed routine without any setback. Nothing outside the natural order interrupted her. The man took off his helmet. Typed the "compile" command on his laptop and pressed "Enter". Reached his smartphone and wrote a message. The prototype is ready Dealer. Whenever you want now, you can visit her and do whatever you want. She will blow you mind! Whatever I want? Anything, bro, anything. You are the best Richie. This is the future bro. This will make us millionaires. See you tomorrow and hopefully I'll see her too. Lilith woke up. It was the seventh day and she followed her daily routine with total normality. Nothing out of the ordinary altered her routine. Once outside, the cool breeze of the seventh day, already without snowflakes, caressed her face. She took a deep breath in that clean air that felt like freedom. The satisfaction of that little world with undisturbed routines made her feel comfortable on that usual morning. She could not remember a morning that was different, the weather varied, but her routine remained. She made her way to work, as usual, with small steps through the endless sidewalks that reached the red building. One thousand one hundred thirty-five steps.


The Ant and the Grasshopper There once was a village of insects of all kinds. Ants, Beetles, Grasshoppers, Flies and Termites all living together. With so many bugs in one area it got crowded so they decided to send Dragonfly scouts to look for new areas to settle. One day Dragonflies returned to the village with wonderful news. They discovered a new meadow just over some hills that is full of seed producing plants and food. It would be a long trip but if they left now they could reach it with just enough time to harvest food for the winter. The Termites kind of ran the place and they liked their trees and colonies they had established so they decided not to brave the trip. Dragonflies and Flies don’t eat seeds and grass so they decided the trip wasn’t worth it either. But the Ants were hearty and their colony was growing so they needed the new meadow to feed their growing colony. And for the Grasshoppers a land of opportunity like this would be easy for them to reach because they can travel quickly with their powerful legs and wings so they decided to go as well. The Grasshoppers reached the meadow quickly. They established themselves and gorged on the leaves and seeds that were abundant, just as the Dragonflies had said. The ants got there a couple of days later and they began digging their colonies as the grasshoppers came and stopped them. “This land belongs to the grasshoppers, we claimed it two days ago and you are trespassing.” "Ok" the ants remarked "we will build our homes over there. On the other side of the meadow." "That belongs to grasshoppers as well. Grasshoppers have claimed all of the land in this Meadow." The ants didn’t know what to do. They were exhausted from the long perilous trip and lost many along the way. Then the grasshoppers spoke. “Let’s make a deal. How about we allow you to stay here and build your colony and harvest all the seeds you can carry but since it’s our land your colony is in and those are our seeds you harvest you have to give us half of what you collect before the winter.” The ants agreed knowing they might not survive the trip back to the village and who knows if the Termites would even allow them back? So the Grasshoppers hopped and played and ate their fill each day as the ants diligently worked to harvest as much as they could knowing half would have to be given to the Grasshoppers. As winter came the ants gave the grasshoppers their share of the food and everyone settled in for winter. There were far fewer grasshoppers than ants so they each were able to eat plenty all winter long. The ants had to ration their food so it would last all winter. Winter melted and spring came. The grasshopper that had claimed the land where the ant colony was located had passed away over the winter and the ants decided that now they will lay claim to the now vacant land because how can a dead bug own land? But the grasshoppers told the ants that the land was handed down to the children of the old grasshopper and they were the new owners. The old grasshopper had many children so now the grasshoppers demanded that this year the ants give them 3/4 of what they gather. The Ants protested. “We barely survived last year on half. How can we live on half that?” "Well if you don't like the deal you are free to move your colony somewhere else." The Grasshoppers said this knowing that the surrounding wilderness was full of dangers and harsh rocky terrain and moving would mean having to dig a whole new colony through hard clay. So the ants reluctantly agreed to the Grasshoppers terms. The ants doubled their efforts to gather as much as they could to meet the grasshoppers demands. They worked day and night, and produced so many drones to work that they were packed thorax to thorax. When winter came they had collected more seeds and food than anyone had ever seen in one place. More than the grasshoppers could eat in 10 lifetimes. “Wow” remarked the grasshoppers “You guys did great and you should be very proud of yourselves. We never thought anyone could gather this much. I guess the new percentage must have motivated you to do better. So next year our cut will be 90% of your harvest because we believe you can do it and this bold new goal will motivate you!.” The ants took their share home and that winter lost many. They couldn’t feed all the new drones they had to produce to meet the quota so they starved. This year the ants decided that 90% was too much. They decided to make a plan. They once again worked as hard as they could, even harder than the year before. They pushed their colony to the point where it was completely overcrowded, just a mass of ants living on top of one another ,a conveyor belt pushing food one direction to storage and new born ants to the outside to start working right away. The Grasshoppers were blown away again. “This is amazing guys. Even better than last year! We are so proud of everyone’s hard work that made this possible. We put out a goal and you all really rose to meet it. Congratulations.” And as the grasshoppers began to take their share of the food the ants approached to stop them. “We aren’t going to give you almost all of this food. None of you did any work all year, you sat around taking naps and hopping about eating whatever you pleased. We collected this food, and we need it to feed all of the ants that gathered it so you can’t have it all.” The grasshoppers scowled at the ants. “How ungrateful you all are. For generations our families have allowed you to live here in this land of plenty. All we have asked in return is compensation for the use of \*our\* land and we share with you \*our\* food. Would you rather leave this place for the wilds and we can simply hop about and eat as we please anyway? You only have what you have because we gave it to you and if now you are going to act bitter and envious we are going to have to ask you to leave.” “We won’t leave.” Said the ants “We have been in this meadow as long as you have and we have just as much right to be here. There are many more of us than you because we have been growing our numbers all year. You can’t stop us all from taking this food back to our colony” The ants then rushed to carry the food back to their colony. The grasshoppers chirped and birds and lizards swarmed the ants from the nearby bushes and tall grass. They devoured ant after ant as the ants begged surrender. After nearly all of the ants had been eaten, smashed, pecked or tore apart by strong grasshopper jaws one of the grasshoppers chirped again. The chaos stopped. "For this traitorous act you vile anarchists will lose half your share of the food and be grateful we are allowing you to have that along with your pitiful lives.You ants should have no trouble feeding your people now as there are far fewer of them." The Grasshoppers laughed and gave many seeds and leaves to the birds and lizards. And it continued like that every year. The ants would work as hard as they can so that their 10% would be enough to get them through the winter knowing that it won’t be and many will starve anyway. And the Grasshoppers always have an endless supply of lizards and birds to keep the ants in their place. Note from author: So I wrote this originally thinking of a reimagining of the classic fable but then my sister pointed out this is basically the plot of A Bug's Life lol.


I haven’t been home in 20 long years. Everything felt different. Old memories reappeared. Wish it were cold. Everyone outside looked dead, or old. Bummed a smoke from a punk on a skateboard, close by a woman on a bench who reminded me of someone. Her face hit me like a truck. She was my high school love. My heart dropped, and my throat became dry, thinking of the right words to say this time. Our breakup was bad, like all high school relationships I suppose, just cold. Continued through our school years acting as if every relationship since ‘us’ didn’t come up a bit short. I understood why past relationships were considered old flames because aroused fire always leaves an exhausted trace. This woman was the arson of my fairy tales. I risked being burned again, skipped any rehearsal, and decided to approach her. I had to tell her how I felt. I got closer, and her dimples that stole the spotlight from any crowd cut corners into her caramel skin. She didn’t smile much, but I remembered her wet lips. “Joanne, Joanne, it's me Titus,” I said. She smiled. And then turned her attention to the train tracks. “Joanne, before I knew how soft a woman’s skin felt there was you. And before I understood the power of a kiss there was you. And before I felt what butterflies felt like there was you.” I expected a euphoric reaction. “I know we ended on bad terms, but time has a way of revealing what truly matters. We were good together. We should catch up,” I said. Her beautiful, hazel eyes looked toward the orange sky, like a rainbow was on the move. Maybe, it was something about my personal maintenance. Heck, I’ve been cutting my hair with a rusty razor for years. Now I’m a little upset and annoyed because this skateboard kid’s giving me a tough guy look. I just came home. And I will shape him up with this same rusty razor. “Dude, she’s fidgety on most days,” he said to me. “What the fuck does that mean?” “She doesn’t remember anything. Sometimes she forgets I’m her nephew. Been taking her to this train station for 2 years now. She wakes up at night screaming, says she’s waiting for someone to return.” I wanted to cry. Yes. The tough guy. Her clothes were tailored for simple folk who don't keep the time of day and preferred to stay out the way of people. And then she called my name. "Titus, yes. I’ve got a sink full of icky, dirty dishes to wash. I hope you're not hungry. Don't have much. My arms are always tied. When I see you again join me and I’ll give you a big hug. What have you been up to my dear? Don’t you ever leave me. You want to be somebody else, get surgery, but you’ll never leave me again," she said. "See, she can't fill in the puzzle," the skateboarder said. "How long has she been like this?" I asked. "Maybe 4 years." She made a gesture that floated over me, like a mist over a pumpkin patch. A train pulled into the station, brushing the onlookers with textures of graffiti. Kids ran through the patiently waiting crowds. I grabbed Joanne's hand, and had hoped our memories returned with a 'splash.' Children continued to enjoy their long-sought connection with air, and dirt. I still swooned over this woman. After all these years. She inherited her good looks from her mom, and what she wanted in life from her pops. She had an attitude from a rough block, but honestly, it turned me on. "Joanne, remember the Sadie Hawkins dance you wore those red bottom pumps?" I asked. The high heels matched her candy-colored thong. That night we created new ways to use a hotel shower rod. She was high maintenance but I loved to make her smile, like Thomas the Train. The effects of her disease were apparent; involuntary shakes, staring into space and acted as if she were looking for the conductor in the motorman’s cabin. But none of that mattered. I smiled at her as if in front of a camera. “Where do you know my auntie from?” Skateboarder asked. I still held her hand. “We were close friends,” I replied. “Some of us chase who we once were. Some of us want to forget,” Skateboarder said, then he performed a trick that reminded me of these old knees. A nurse approached the platform. I didn't know they made wireless headphones. T.V.s' showed a commercial on Alzheimer's. A disease no one thinks about until it affects a loved one. Joanne. My one true love. Memories are all we have. We must make meaningful relationships. If she couldn’t remember anything I would because that’s just how much she meant to me. But I'm lost myself. Misplaced in a time where we once young and free. It's not fair we live only to die. “Sometimes the things we’re forced to let go free us,” I said to the skateboarder. Joanne looked straight ahead; patience for something that could be her dreamcatcher. The train took off. Not even a deadman’s brake could have stopped things from rolling downhill any faster! “We have to go. See you around,” Skateboarder said. He put the skateboard in one arm, and with the other, we helped Joanne to her feet. She asked my name again. And I thought it best to tell her I was just a friend than to have us shuffling cards. Her hair was wild, like vines in a dead orchard. I still found beauty in her. A breeze brushed against our skin. Its timing was perfect, invigorating. Maybe that was the moment I could have. Nothing more. Nothing less. Our train left. And just like that, I realized oxygen must be present to ignite a flame I was right when I stepped off this train. My hometown was filled with people dead, or old!


Lights Outs The only thing that got Ried moving that morning was his mother shouting about how he never does anything. “Worthless child,” she’d called him. “Yes, Mother,” he mumbled as he rolled out of bed. It was another school morning for the high school freshman. He worked part time after school every day to pay the bills for his disabled mother and she still didn’t appreciate or love him. “Good morning, Mother,” Ried said to her as he walked into the living room, seeing his mother laying on the couch. “I want breakfast!” She shouted at him. She weighed an easy three hundred pounds while he was lean and muscular. It didn’t look as though they were related. His green eyes were contrasted with his dirty blonde hair while his mother, on the other hand, was a brunette with chocolate brown eyes. He had the voice of an angel while hers was loud and obnoxious sounding. “Yes, Mother,” Ried said mournfully. If only I didn’t have to do as she says... He thought to himself. “Mother, what do you want this morning?” He slipped on his apron and began to wash his hands waiting for his mother to respond. She went downhill when his father died. She gained two hundred pounds and began abusing her son. She could no longer work as she gained so much, so Ried had to make the money for them. He had to pay the bills and buy everything his mother asked him for with his measly paycheck. “Pancakes, bacon, eggs, hash browns, and biscuits.” She responded after some thought. “Yes, Mother,” Ried said from the kitchen. “Anything else, Mother?” “Orange juice,” the woman sneered. “Of course, Mother,” he sighed. “I don’t like that tone, worthless child,” she said with authority in her voice. “Yes, Mother. I apologize, Mother,” he said as he began breakfast, starting with the pancakes from scratch. “Mother, what would you do if there was a citywide power outage that last for quite a long time?” “Hah? I’d move to another city and leave you behind here so that I don’t have to take care of you anymore!” She responded. So all I need to do is cause a power outage citywide and mother will leave? She can’t live without electricity for more than an hour. He thought. So I could be rid of you... Mother... “Mother, breakfast is almost ready,” Ried put the food on a tray and carried it into the living room and set them on the table in front of his mother. “Mother, I have to leave for school now. Here’s the money for you to order lunch.” He handed her fifty dollars, knowing she wouldn’t accept anything less than that. “I need more than this, you idiot!” She screamed seeing only fifty dollars. “Yes, Mother,” he handed her another fifty. “That’s more like it!” She glared at him. “Now her going, I’m tired of seeing your ugly mug.” “Yes, Mother.” He had a melancholy look on his face. Ried left to go back to his room and get dressed. “Mother, why do you hate me?” He said aloud. He dressed quickly and walked outside to his bike. It was old and run down, but he didn’t have anything else. He rode to his friend’s house, like he did every morning, and used the shower. He couldn’t take one at home, his mother would yell at him. “Ried,” Max, his best friend, walked into the dining room where Ried was sitting, eating a bowl of cereal. “Yeah, Max?” He said. “When are you finally gonna leave that house? Diana doesn’t deserve you. You do too much for her. You know that, right?” “Yeah, but what can I do? She’s my mother.” “She’s an obese pig who takes advantage of you, Ried,” Max stated. “She’s still my-” “Your mother, yes, I know, man. But that doesnt mean you should let her treat you this way. And I’m gonna be a senior next year, I won’t be able to help you as much with all the extra work they’re gonna give me. You know that.” “Yeah, but it’s not like...” Ried said slowly. “It’s not like what, man?” “I got an idea.” “Alright, continue...” “Y’know how the lights at school when out because someone tripped the breaker?” “Yeah, what about it? That was just last week...” “Well, I was thinking about that when I was making breakfast for Mother this morning. I asked her what she would do if there was a citywide power outage that lasted a long time. And you know that by my mother’s standards, just two hours is too long to be without power. She said that she’s move out of the city and leave me behind so that she wouldn’t have to take care of me anymore. So, what if, just what if , I caused a citywide power outage that lasted say, I don’t know, a day? She’s be gone and I’d be free.” “Ried, my man, you’re a genius!” “I have straight A’s and only AP classes, I think I know that, Max.” “Yes, I know that. And anyway, bro, we should’ve thought of this ages ago!” Max slapped his friend on the back. “I know.” Ried smiled. “Wait, look at the time, I gotta go! I don’t want to be late! Bye, Max.” Ried grabbed his backpack and ran out the door. “Oh, did he leave already?” Max’s little sister, whowas in the same grade as Ried, came down the stairs. “Sorry, Viola. He’s gone.” “Hah,” Viola saighed. “I wanted to see him before he left...” “You shouldn’t have taken so long to get ready then, Vi.” “But, Max, you know I want to look good for him. Couldn’t you have stalled him for just a bit?” “Hey, I tried. I got him ranting about his mother for a bit, but you know how he his. He’d rather die than be late for school. And you know he hasd to work afterwards.” “I know,” Viola sighed again. “But I really wanted to see him and talk to him and-” “Tell him how you feel?” Maz interrupted her. “No!” She shouted, “Maybe...” After Ried got finished at work, he went over to Max’s house. After, of course, calling and telling his mother that he had to work late and wouldn’t be home for a while longer. “Alright, Max, let’s make the plan,” Ried set his backpack down in the seat next to him at the table. “Yeah,” Max got a notebook and pen out. “Alright, so we know the power plant is on the other side of town from where you and I live, so we’re not gonna have much time. I think you’ll have to call in sick to both work and school that day. When are we gonna do it anyway?” “No later than next week.” Ried said. “We’ll need to disable the security camera’s at the plant, but I got that.” “What y’all working on?” Viola appeared behind them. “Nothing, go away,” Max blew her off. “Hold on, Max, we could use all the help we can get,” Ried pointed out. “Ugh, true. Okay, but Viola, you have to promise to never tell anyone. EVER.” “I swear to never tell; cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.” “...okay...” Max said hesitantly. “We’re gonna cause a citywide power outage so that Ried’s mom will move and he’ll be free of her.” “I’m in.” Viola said. “I’m head of the gymnastics team, you could use my help.” “It’s true, we could,” Ried shrugged. “So, here’s the plan...” he explained everything to them. The three of them spent the week getting everything they needed. Well, Max and Viola anyway. Ried had to work and take care of his mother. “Ried,” Max started, “I know I’m asking this day of, but what about the back up generators?” “Already taken care of.” Ried gave his best friend a thumbs up. “We have everything that we’re gonna need to love without electricity for a week. We have to give my mother plenty of time to get packed and out of the house. She hasn’t driven in a year, though, so I don’t know how that’s gonna go...” “Don’t worry, Ried,” Viola put a hand on his shoulder, “it’ll all work out, I just know it.” “I hope so...” He sighed. “I already hacked into the security footage and put it on a loop. No one will ever know we were here. Everyone got gloves?” “Yeah,” Max and Viola said together. “Alright then, here we go,” In the next few minutes, they’d managed to shut off the power using a strand Ried had spent the week secretly cultivating in his AP chemistry class. He released the strand into the power generators while Max and Viola stood guard. After that, the three of them set off to manually shut off the power. Ried messed around with a few things to make sure the power couldn’t be turned for a week. The back up generators had already been taken offline as well. They wouldn’t be working anytime soon. They got in and out as quick as possible. After the ordeal was over, they all went over to Max’s house for a little celebration supper, then Ried headed home on his bike, a little more energetic than usual. His mother was frantic when he got home. “The power is off! I can’t turn anything on!” and of course, Ried had a battery powered radio that he turned on so his mother could hear the news about the citywide power outage. “This is Jakob Giani from Channel-” it cut out a bit, “news. We have just gotten word that there-” it cut off again, “citywide power outage. Power plant workers have confirmed that they have no way-” the old radio stopped once again, “online for another week at least until they figure out the problem. Once again this is Ja-” Diana threw the radio across the room, causing it to break. “That’s it, I’m leaving. You, worthless child, get my bags packed. Now!” “Yes, Mother,” Ried left to go to his mother’s room and packed her clothes and other necessities. He was finished within the hour. “Mother, your bags.” “Put them in ther car, you idiot!” She yelled at him as she struggeled to stand up. By the time he was back inside, she was standing and making her way to her car keys. “Mother, what about-” “No way am I taking a useless child like you along! You’re staying!” “Yes, Mother,” he said, dejected. This was what he wanted, but it still felt terrible to hear his own mother say that about him. “Goodbye. Mother...” Diana was gone and a week later, thre was power again. Ried had cleaned up the house and gotten on with his life. Everything that was once his mother’s was thrown away. He continued to work hard and pay bills, but now he had more money to spare. No one, except for Max and Viola, had even noticed that he was living on his own. He’d begun a new life without his abusive mother. It was all because of a power outage. It was because the lights were out.


MEET ME AT THE AIRPORT AT 9. BE THERE! I reread the text. I read it again. Lillian was an ex-lover of ours. It was mid week but the hassle might be worth it. My beautiful wife Nicole was working from home today. My mind was reeling with the possibilities. I looked at the clock, it was 4:06. I got up and sent a text to my supervisor that I was sick and wouldn’t be in today. I would get some serious shit tomorrow but I was really hoping it would be worth it. I looked at my beautiful wife and then rolled out of bed. I quietly went through my morning routine. I let the dog out, started coffee fed the dog, blah blah blah. I poured her a cup when she came out. She was still wearing her pajamas as well, the benefits of being able to work from home. “What’s the occasion? No work?” she asked. “I called in sick. Lillian texted me. She wants to meet at the airport at 9.” I said. “Can you take off so we can both meet her?” “Ha!” she said wrapping her arms around me, “And here I thought I was something special. She texted me too. Ya I have enough time off. I’ll take an hour or two.” We shared a brief kiss before I pulled away to flip the bacon. “Just in case she wants to play today, I’ll tell work that I’m not feeling well and may have to take the day off. I’m going to shower and log in for an hour though.” “Ok. After I eat I will change the oil in my truck and shower then. Don’t take too long, your eggs are going in th pan in four minutes.” I said as I opened the fridge. A half hour later we had eaten and I put on some work clothes. A half hour after that, I jumped in the shower. I got dressed and went to my computer. “Woah! All dressed up I see. Hoping to get lucky?” My wife asked when I walked past her. “Well ya!” I said with feigned sarcasm. If I can’t turn you on I’m hoping for a quickie with her anyway!” She was smiling but her expression changed and I thought I had gone too far. “I’m thinking about her message. She said to meet her in all caps. She doesn’t always type like that.” “Maybe she just really wants to see us?” “Maybe.” She paused, “Maybe it’s more. I mean she works for the government.” “I think you worry a lot.” I teased. “Me worried!?! Mister super prepper!?! You are so funny.” She faked an exasperated tone. We both laughed. “Hey if we leave now I can get us some Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.”I said. “I can’t leave quite yet.” She returned her attention to her laptop. “I’ll pick it up and then stop to get you. DD is in the other direction anyway.” I offered. “Great. Text me.” I collected my things and headed out for our Prius. I got three coffees and texted my wife. She was waiting in front of the house and we were off to the airport. We got another text from Lillian about where to meet her. We got there and only waited a minute or two before she showed up. Normally she was a stunning petite blond with never a hair out of place so I immediately knew something was wrong, she was just ... off. Her blond hair showed almost a quarter inch of auburn roots, her suit coat was slightly wrinkled, she looked really tired and her makeup was... old? Nicole and I looked at each other with equally surprised expressions so I know she noticed it too. Lillian paused and quickly kissed us each on the cheek. She then walked away toward a bunch of open seats in a bar area. Since it was so early the bar was still closed. She opened her shoulder bag and removed another smaller bag and pointedly put her phone in it then motioned for us to do the same. After the phones were safely in the small bag she asked, “Do you have any other electronics? It’s really important, ipad, tablet, work phone, nothing?” We looked at each other and said no. She looked down at the Rolex on her wrist then back up at us. “I know that this is going to sound like I’m crazy but remember that conversation we had after you two met and before we all had sex the first time? Good. That promise of honesty stands during all of what I’m about to say. I love you both and treasure our friendship beyond anything.” She spoke so fast I didn’t even have time to get truly fearful or scared. “You know that virus in Asia? It has mutated. About ten percent of the people don’t die and become immune, about ten percent die outright. About fifty percent die and come back as zombies. The last thirty percent come back as powerful zombies. That’s the only way we can describe them. I put our phones in a bag that blocks all signals. I know they are monitoring me and if I say anything to anyone, the press, you, I mean anyone, they will arrest or just murder me as soon as they can get a goon with a gun to me. Their government and ours are doing their best to cover it up but by tomorrow it will get out. I am heading to D.C. to brief more people but I’m not supposed to even be here now. I was lucky and convinced the pilot to land here rather than Chicago for refueling, otherwise I would not have been able to warn you even this much.” We sat in stunned silence for several seconds. “You know this for sure? How do you know we have until tomorrow?” I asked. “I was at the consulate in a meeting with two major pharmaceutical companies and several military people not to mention all the government officials. I was basically in the wrong place at the wrong time. My boss insisted I needed to be there. It wasn’t my specialty but I’ve been in high end, high security meetings before.” She looked at her wrist again. “During the meeting one of the lower ranked military guys tried to leave. A General stood and blocked his way. After a brief exchange in their language the General drew his pistol and shot the man several times, then turned and shot the General that sat next to him at the table. He then put the gun away and explained. The colonel next to him was a known informant to several news agencies. He advised us all to use the same amount of fortitude to give us all as much time as possible to get ahead of this before none of us would have a chance.” “How did killing those two give you a better chance.” “All international flights will be grounded in about twelve hours. It will take about twelve more hours for the news to get out and then it will be mass panic. Rioting, police lock downs, martial law. Ugly.” “But the, I gulped zombies are in Asia. They cant get here.” I heard the tremble in my voice. “This part gets sketchy. The virus has already been transmitted or transported around the world. We know of dozens of places it has already been suspected with several confirmed.” “But people should be told!” I said. “And when they are it will be chaos and mass panic. That will be at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. Thats when the governments decided to go public. It gives government officials and the billionaires time to get home. They hoped for forty eight hours.” She looked at her wrist again, ”About twenty four hours for you.” “This could be contained.” I stammered. She sat stoically, “All the models say seventy five to eighty percent mortality rate. Thats global. At best. That includes military. We’ve talked before about it, even America with all of our guns. Most people will hesitate. She trailed off.” We again sat for several seconds in silence. She finally got up and started pulling the bag of phones out of her shoulder bag. I dumbly stood up utterly disbelieving what I had just heard. Luckily my wife was quicker than me. She stood and grabbed Lillian by the shoulders. “Are you going to be ok? Should you stay here with us? You know how we are prepped so far?” Lillian took a deep breath and said calmly. “I can’t spread the news in any way I can imagine. I can only hope that going back to D.C will allow me to help others after the word is out. As much as I would love to stay here with you two, for my own sanity, I can’t. I need to go and try to help.” “Ok. Do you remember our place? Northern Wisconsin?” “Yes, Tomahawk.” Lilian replied. “Ok, come if you can.” She leaned forward and kissed Lillian, then pulled her in for a hard embrace. I saw a tear fall from her eye. “I love you!” She said quietly. “I love you both!” Lillian said reaching over and pulling me into their hug also. After a second Lillian reached up and kissed me too then pulled away and quickly dumped our phones on the table. She started to walk away but looked back over her shoulder and said, “Blue bears are good and red cats are bad. Just in case.” We stood and watched her walk away. Once she was out of sight, I numbly sat down. My mind reeled. I can’t describe the total opposite direction that this meeting took from my hopeful imagination. After all I at minimum expected to hang out with an awesome and beautiful friend, a little laughter and good conversation. What I got was the end of the world. Nicole finally turned to me and hugged me hard for a long time. Finally she pulled back and looked me in the eye. “Do you believe her?” I thought for several seconds. From her slightly disheveled look, so slightly disheveled that others wouldn’t have even noticed but we would, to her kiss and parting cryptic words blue bears are good and red cats are bad. What did that even mean? I was looking at the floor but I finally looked up into Nicole’s eyes and replied, “Yes, I believe her.” “Me too.” She said with a tremor in her voice. “Lets go.” The next several minutes were a bit of a blur. When we got to the Prius we were about to get in when I stopped her. I opened the rear hatch and buried our phones under a bunch of blankets, get home bags, equipment and winter coats. After getting in I sat for a few seconds. “Do you think our phones are connected to the car?” “They are off.” She said. “If they are, there’s not much we can do.” “Let’s walk.” I said. We walked the parking structure once as we talked. “I hope if they pay any attention that they at least take into account we are being careful and won’t tell anyone.” I said. “My family is easy they are all localish. Your family is all down south except for your mother.” She nodded and asked, “What should we do?” “I hate to sound like an ass but I don’t think we can warn your family easily. Maybe call and tell them we don’t like the way the Asian flu is spreading and tell them we are going up north. They have never taken kindly to out prepper mindset but maybe they will pay a little more attention to the up coming news reports. Your mother won’t notice anything. If you want to go get her... that will be rough on our plans.” “No, my family won’t see this until it hits them in the face. I need to try though.” She said. “We will see what we can do for them.” I said conciliatorilly. “Until then our primary mission I think, is to get up north like you told Lillian.” “Yes.” She said. “Oh my god its so overwhelming though.” She said sagging back. “How do you eat an elephant?” I asked forcefully. She stopped and looked up at me and then said with a small smirk, “One bite at a time.” “Right on!” and I put my hand up. She high-fived me. “The camper is in the drive way. We load that in the next hour or two then get the kids and then take that up north. It’s about four and a half hours one way so nine hours is ten to twelve hours round trip with load and unloading. If we are lucky and we have twenty four hours that will give us two trips and a lot of supplies. For our second trip we can pick up the trailer and fill that and the truck again. If Allen can take the third trailer... but that’s a lot for right now. When we get back to the car we can send messages to the kids and your family. “Mom just got back from her Ireland trip! What if I send her a message saying you really want to hear about her trip to Ireland and Scotland? She should come here for a few days. Even if she left in six hours, we should be able to get her in time and take her with us.” “Great idea!” I said though I didn’t think she would take the ‘bait’. “Call her!” We walked in thought for several moments then I started organizing my thoughts on packing out loud. “Ok. Guns and reloading, books then long term food then our clothes, warm and cold weather then short term food then tools then clothes then more food and games then extraneous items. We understand this but my family won’t.” After a brief pause I continued, “Allen will not agree but he will be happy with us up there so really it’s the same thing. Except if he believes us maybe I can convince him to load our other trailer. As for my sister and brother-in-law. I don’t know, maybe they will listen.” I paused again and inhaled and exhaled deeply. “As for the kids, Andrea will go along because she trusts me. Lars will argue but only because he will miss his computer for a day. He will assume we are crazy but will be able to blame his time off and possibly his job loss on me and will then play that out for as much as he can get out of it.” By this time we were once again near the car. I stopped her. I tilted her face up to mine and kissed her before saying. “The next couple days are going to be hectic. Very hectic. I am going to get harsh abrupt and maybe downright angry not to mention upset and pissed off. Just you remember!” I stared deeply into her eyes. “I will be doing all I can do for us and those we love. Don’t think I am asking you to do something for some self centered need. We are doing this for us and our loved ones.” I then kissed her deeply and reached into my pocket for the key fob so we could geet our phones from the back of the car. We had been prepping for years. About nine years. There wasn’t much to plan. Once I made a decision she didn’t argue though I knew she would if she felt strongly enough. We both started making calls on the 10 minute trip home. When we got home I woke up my son Lars, he is 21 but works evenings washing dishes and such for a restaurant. While he was getting dressed I called my daughter Rose who is 19 and a shift manager at a fast food restaurant. Then I called my mother. When she picked up, I explained that Nicole would be coming to pick her up and to pack for a long stay up north and yes bring her cat. I’m allergic to cats but it’s easier to not argue and get things moving. She didn’t want to come but I told her it there was something special going on. My wife looked at me and said, “Oh nice! Throw me under the bus.” “Yes, it was an after thought. Pick up Rose first it will be quick and easy for you two to pack and load her things in the Prius. Then both of you can get moms stuff. Bring all the cat food and cat litter she has. That will allow Lars and I time to haul supplies up from the basement.” After Nicole left, Lars and I started bringing bins and buckets up from the basement and staging them in the dining room. From there it would be a straight shot out to the camper and truck. Just a few months ago we bought twenty flip top sixteen gallon bins from someone on facecrack marketplace. We used several for different camping and storage needs but many of them were still empty. We used them now packing loads of store bought canned goods and boxing up all our home canned food. All told we had several months of food but that would go fast. When Nicole got home with those two and a Prius full of clothes, they started bringing things upstairs and I started loading as much as was reasonable in the camper. We loaded all our blankets and bed clothes then we started with the cold weather gear and finally books and games. We have a 10 foot long shelf of books we considered necessary for the end of the world. I hooked up the camper to the truck and loaded bin after bin of food in the bed of the truck. I quickly strapped the load down with a cargo net. I had loaded several firearms into the truck and camper and several ammo cans also. The zombies weren’t due for a day or two but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should have my pistol within reach. During the loading of the truck my mother thought I was crazy but she helped, honestly I think she was just glad to be included and that her cat was coming. Occasionally she had seen a some of our preps, she never saw all of them, and would comment about why we would ever stock up on that much food. We gave various reasons but she would always shake her head and say the store is right down the street. She was flabbergasted by how much we had. The truck and camper were loaded. My son rode with my wife in the Prius. My mother and daughter rode with me. They would stop at my sisters place and explain to them what was happening and I would head straight north. I really hoped my sister would take her seriously. We were on the road by 11:30. Remarkably good time in my opinion. A quick stop for fast food and a little bit of careful speeding and we were there by 4:30. I guess it also helps that mid week traffic is much better. I had dropped the trailer and was unloading the truck into my brothers garage and lean to when my son and wife showed up. They unloaded straight into my brothers house. When we were done unloading I spoke to my wife. “I think you should go to Dubuque and try to pick up your mother.” The look in her eye spoke volumes. It was almost like reading her mind, was I dumping her, then why doesn’t he want me, then why does he want me to go away, and then the change wait it’s still safe out there, this would be the only chance to get her, then splitting up would allow us to maximize our effectiveness in dealing with this. She pulled me down and kissed me. Good she got it, “Be safe!” she said. “You too and keep me posted.” I said. “I’m leaving mom and the pets here. The kids will be with me for faster loading. We will both be back here sometime in the middle of the night. It took another five minutes to explain things for my mother and then we all left. I stopped in town to fill up my gas tank and get drinks. We stopped at another gas station half way back and the clerk must have thought we were nuts when I bought out almost the whole display of beef jerky and a swath of other items. When we were back in the truck I told my son, in the back seat, to just drop all the packages into every nook and cranny back there. We would still need all the room we could get for the rest of our stuff. My phone was kept wrapped in aluminum foil and taken out every couple hours for updates and then re wrapped. This allowed us to speak freely. As I didn’t think they would be listening in on the kids phones and we never spoke about Lillian. When we got back to Milwaukee, I stopped by my brother to tell him face to face what was going on. It hadn’t taken much convincing to get him to go up north, he always had plenty of vacation. What he didn’t believe was that shit was going down. He would leave in the morning. We left and went straight to were we stored the camper. I called that storage place while on the way and simply rolled in and out with no pause to chat. I backed the big trailer into my driveway. We loaded propane and generators more clothes and finally the rest of our food. I packed my toolbelt, electrical tools and all my Dewalt battery operated tools but couldn’t justify the rest of my tools. Between what my family already had up there, mine simply weren’t needed. Also we were running out of room fast. By 1 am we were again loaded. We stopped twice for gas this time and both times we bought out nearly the entire displays of beef jerky and other treats. I was sucking down energy drinks and had bought caffeine pills. My son and daughter just kept dumping the small packages int the small gaps in the back of the truck. I had bought nearly a thousand dollars on that credit card and you could almost not see it they packed it so well. The sky was just beginning to brighten when I pulled into the driveway up north again. I was really tired. We dropped the trailer and then began unloading. Again we were just dumping things in the garage, lean-to and shed. I paused and slammed the rest of my energy drink as Nicole crossed the yard. After a quick hug and as we finished unloading, she said she was thankful for being able to pick up her mother. I’m not sure how she convinced her to come here but we could talk about that more later. “Now you need to get some sleep.” She said. “No, we are going to town to buy whatever we can yet.” I replied. She looked at me for only a moment before agreeing. “What are we going for?” “You get to the drug stores in Tomahawk and buy anything you think we need medical and hygiene wise. I burned up my visa card already so I have about five grand I can spend on my other one. I’m going to Menards and a grocery store. I want to be back by noon. That will be past her 24 hour deadline but it may still be ok.” She looked very tired. “I don’t like that we are splitting up but I understand. I will take Rose.” “I’ll take Lars.” I felt as tired as she looked. The kids just groaned but they had gotten cat naps between all the stops as I was driving. The girls left with us following. On the way I had an idea. When we got to Menards, I rented a trailer and they filled it with 6 foot fencing and a lot of fence poles. I grabbed a cart full of hardware, nuts washers and bolts and all the white gas they had. I then bought out the soups and such in their food section. I was loading all this into the truck when a police officer showed up. He parked a few spots away and approached me from the front. He had a nervous look and his body was angled away with his right arm slightly back. “Good morning!” he said. “Good morning!” I said pleasantly. Loading the last of my things in the truck. Lars came back from returning a cart. “Whats the event?” the officer asked. I looked at him slightly bewildered but then with a look of understanding. “Ahh, fencing, food, hardware.” I chuckled and passed my empty cart to Lars who started taking it back to the corral. I then slowly stepped forward and extended my hand. “My name’s Robert, my wife and I just closed on a property up here, our dream homestead really.” He slowly reached out and shook my hand. “And I promised my son a hunting trip to Montana and a load of food for when he goes back to college in Milwaukee for a few weeks work.” I looked over the side of the truck and pulled up a bag of Bear Creek powdered soup mix, He loves this stuff.” Then dropped it back in. “Ya, not as good as pizza but it will last all the rest of the year and part of next.” He said and smiled as he returned. The officer looked at me for a few seconds and asked, “Where did you buy a place?” “North of Sprinter about six miles. Nice place. Goats, rabbits, ducks, we are going to have it all!” I wasn’t trying to pour it on too much but I had gamed this out slightly in my head. We really had been looking for a place. We really planned to have those animals and many more. “I just had a talk with the guys in the store. They weren’t pissed but they asked that next time I order ahead so I don’t deplete their stock. When I bring this trailer back I will place an order that I can pick up in a couple days. More fencing, cattle panels... I should have bought stock in this place before I pulled out my credit card.” I joked. “So what can I do for you anyway?” “We got a call about suspicious activity. Buying an oddly large amount of stuff.” “This is a lot?” I looked at the large though slightly odd assortment of material in the truck and trailer. “We would pick up twice this much stuff when I worked for a contractor in Milwaukee. Besides,” I continued turning back to him. “I used a credit card to rent the trailer and buy all of this. They have a complete record if something nefarious was going on.” The officer started to visibly relax as I was talking. Just as I finished he got a call on his radio. He reached up and pressed the button. I didn’t know what the few words and codes meant but was quite happy to see him relaxing more and more. We have a friend in Chicago who needs to buy many gallons of white gas for a fire dance performance group and she tells stories of long talks with police officers to explain just what and why they need so much flammable liquid. They are always worried about terrorist and other threats nowadays. When he was done on the radio I asked, “While I have you here what are some good places to eat? I really like Ted’s pub over on west street. Great burgers. What do you suggest for a breakfast place?” To his credit he looked thoughtful for a minute, then “Maggie’s on fourth. Great greasy spoon type place with out the grease.” He had hooked his thumbs in his belt in front of him. “Great for breakfasts! The fork right down the street is only open for lunch and dinner but it is also really good. The new fancier restaurants are driving up prices but those two are still reasonable yet. “Hey dad, Uncle Allen is expecting us soon.” Lars reminded me. Smart kid. Dropped that in at a perfect time. “Hey it was nice meeting you!” I said as I started to step around him to get in my truck. “Yes, you too sir.” He replied. “It’s always nice to see good people moving into the area.” He turned and went back to his car. When we were safely inside the truck I praised Lars for listening and going along with what was happening. As we pulled out of the lot I thought about one more stop on the way out of town. We pulled into my brothers place just before noon. I was really glad to see his truck was there. The radio had been going crazy with the reports of the grounding of all the international flights last night and it got only worse when they grounded all flights and said they were going to restrict all travel by the end of the day. My sister and her husband and kids arrived an hour later. Most of my family was safe. At least as safe as we could be for now. That evening the first reports of looting and rioting started. Then there were reports of some of the rioters biting each other. Most of the reports were coming from other countries so far. I don’t know what words I would use to describe my thoughts and feelings when those first reports came in. It happened. It was happening? Way down deep I was afraid we were doing all this for nothing. I would have to go in and tell the boss that I was pretty sick. Try to return all kinds of stuff at Menards because I really couldn’t afford it. No, they showed people eating each other live on the evening news. For only a split second I felt almost vindicated for all the work over last 36 hours. Then I immediately felt the horror of the millions of people that would die over the next few weeks. Then fear for my friends and family that I couldn’t help right now. Finally the dread of having the end of the word as we know it occur right in front of us and how it would change our lives. I got up and walked to the open bottle of whiskey on the kitchen counter. I picked it up and took a long pull from the bottle then turned to my family. Mostly what I saw was fear and worry in their eyes. “Thanks to Lillian we are far ahead of most people right now. I think we are safe enough for the night. Tomorrow we will decide what to do next.” I set the bottle down. “I’m going to bed. It’s going to be another long day tomorrow. Goodnight.” I took my wifes hand and pulled her up off her seat. She followed me, as I walked to our bed I only hoped we would have this one last night be peaceful.


(This is my first time writing a short story, pls enjoy and let me know what I can do to better myself or if I should continue the story.) It had been his first day back to work and as expected he had gotten countless, meaningless pathetic greetings of "Hey, how have you been? Everything alright? Let me know if you need anything. I'm sorry for your loss..." and after such a depressing day followed by a few too many drinks, he stumbled up to his door, turned the handle, and pushed it open, not noticing the door was unlocked. As the door slowly creaked open and the moonlight filled the room, he sluggishly lifted his head and noticed a still, silent, lifeless silhouette sitting in his living room. He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to wipe away the drunken lenses that were smeared across his face. His vision slightly cleared and he could make out that the silhouette was a side portrait of a woman who seamed to be cradling something in her hands. He took in a sharp breath as he dropped his briefcase, "Hello!?" he called out. "W-who's there!?". The only response he got back was a strange noise, as if someone was trying to inhale air through their crushed wind pipe. He slowly and cautiously stepped forward, crossing into the threshold of his home as he put his hand against the wall, feeling for the light switch in the corridor. "Hello!? Who are you!? I-I-I will call the police!". With one hand on the wall finally finding the light switch, he reached his other hand into his pocket and grabbed his phone. While pulling his phone out of his pocket he flipped the switch on the wall and the lights flickered on, revealing the silhouette to be Shui, his said-to-be deceased wife. The first victim that had passed away due to the virus named COV19-ID also called the Koron Virus. He dropped his phone and stood there in awe. "Shui? Is that you!?". This time the response he got back, though hard to understand, was slightly more vocal. "Fng... Feng..." She muttered as she slowly looked up at him. Her skin was pale and her eyes seemed glossed over from what he could tell, but still, sure enough, that was his beloved Shui, sitting there naked on the floor, cradling a framed picture of their wedding day. Tears began to fall from his eyes. As he ran towards her, he fell to his knees, wrapped his arms around her and hugged her deeply. "I thought I had lost you forever", he sobbed. "I don't understand, how are you here? They told me you had passed away. That I wasn't allowed to see you and that they would burn the body to prevent any further spread of the infection, but I guess they were wrong. They must've been able to revive you and just didn't tell me." He loosened his embrace on her and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Why are you naked on the floor?" he questioned as he leaned back slightly so that he could see her and her elegant smile once again. Unfortunately, things were not as he had hoped. Sitting this close to her made it obvious of the changes she had gone through. Her pale skin was cold to the touch. The round pupils of her eyes that he could spend days lost in, were now vertically slit and filled with the look of starvation. The small ears that hid under her long, flowing hair now had pointed tips that peaked out through the strands of her hair. The beautiful nails that he would help her paint were now twice as long and slightly pointed at the end. As she began to open her mouth to speak, she revealed two elongated, cuspid teeth hidden under the lips he used to kiss so much. "Feng..." she whispered, "I'm... hungry...


(please bear with me, I am not an experienced writer at ALL) November 29, 2013 I was walking down the street after my college classes. It was windy and clear outside. It was autumn in the quiet town of North Ridgeville, Ohio. I looked at my watch, *5:00 pm. That’s late, I’m not sure how I didn’t realize that. I should head home now*. I soon got home to my apartment. Although it was an apartment, it wasn’t at all cramped or messy. I keep things neat, and clean. I checked the time again, *5:11 pm.* I sat down on the sofa and turned on the television. I switched to a news channel. Reports of murder came on. Two young adults, ages 18. Matthew Hill and John Smith. Both in high school, the same as my brother, Austin. They had bullied him but never tried anything when I was with him. *I wonder what else could have happened.* Apparently they were found strangled to death at North Ridgeville High School. *Hmmm*. I smiled. *I know this is odd, but they weren’t helping the world. They were just damaging others. So the world took him. Too bad, I guess.* After watching the news, I usually eat an apple. I just do. Always Honeycrisp, they are better. *Heh, apple superiority, how trivial. However, just because things are trivial doesn’t make them totally useless and wasteful, though. That’s a mistake people make.* People make a lot of mistakes. I knew that*.* I looked back at the television. The news said it was rumoured a note was found next to the bodies, written in black ink. It said, *Better luck next time.* I switched the channel to a true-crime documentary. I like true crime. You can see others’ mistakes in crime. I do despise a particular one, *Ted Bundy. If you are going to kill someone, don’t kidnap them. I may be cold but the things he did were disgusting.* I eventually stopped thinking about that pathetic killer. Soon my cell phone started ringing. I looked at my watch, *5:46. Huh, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?* I picked up the phone. It was my brother, Austin. “Did you see the news report about the murders?” He asked, seemingly worried. “Yes,” I answered, blandly. “It’s crazy isn’t it?” He asked, “North Ridgeville is one of the safest cities in Ohio and even the whole U.S!” “Yeah, it’s pretty odd,” I answered blankly. Although I don’t act like it, I love my brother. He is okay with how I act. He was okay with me being me. I didn’t need to fake emotions around him. *Then again, Austin is very good at reading emotions, even mine.* “Well, at least you don’t have to worry about them anymore, *heh,”* I said blandly. “Yeah I guess you are right. It’s still pretty sad though. Anyway, I have to go eat dinner since dad just got home. I’ll see you tomorrow Aiden!” Austin said, excited to see his brother again. Then he hung up. I continued watching television when my cat walked up to me. Her name was Turtle, as she was a tortoiseshell cat. I love her since she doesn’t judge or have expectations. She started purring and she sat down on the sofa next to be. I smiled and checked my watch again. *5:52 pm.* Checking my watch was something I did a lot. It was a habit I guess. Some time passed, and I checked my watch. *6:23 pm. Hmmm, time went by fast. I* looked back at the television. There were still talking about murder reports. I guess it is quite a big thing to happen in quiet little Ridgeville. *I wonder if they will ever find the killer.* I seem to find myself often thinking about random things at random times. Randomly thinking about how my cat deserves a peaceful life. Random. Random. Is anything really random? *Ha, that was another random and trivial thought. Just like apples being superior to other apples.* I checked the time again. *7:03 pm. Hmmm, I guess I got lost in my thoughts. Thoughts. Thoughts. Thoughts. Can you really be lost in thought? Of course it is a figurative phrase but, hmmm.* Most people have most likely heard that time isn’t exactly a real thing. *I think you could say the same about any form of measurement. Things like meters, miles, degrees... They only are names. Names, names, and names. Names are strange. Names could be insults, but also be labels. Everything is named. Whether it makes sense or not. Some names come from surnames even, such as the Heimlich manoeuvre. Manoeuvre. Manoeuvre. Manoeuvre. Manoeuvre. Such a weird word. Like Manoeuvre, some words come from words that already existed a long time ago, usually from other languages. But where did those original words come from?* What things are truly trivial? *Trivial. Trivial. Trivial. Trivial. I use that word a lot.* Is anything truly trivial? *Well, yes, in a way. Someone’s preferred apple is most likely to be trivial. Someone’s favourite color, movie, animal... Are those all trivial? Can a whole person be trivial? No-well, maybe. Is there anyone who is truly useless? You only need one person to think you’re useful to not be useless. Useless. Useless. Useless. Is anything even truly useless?* *Killers. Killers. Killers. What is a serial killer and what is a hero? These things depend on perspective. Someone in one place is a hero and another place a villain. Many people who work for the government kill. It isn’t always a bad thing to take someone’s life. But... What makes someone’s life worth taking?* I checked my watch again. *9:23 pm. It’s been a while. Again “lost in thought.” Regardless, I should get to bed.* I always make sure to get to bed before 10 pm. However, I usually don’t fall asleep until 11 pm, *as I get “lost in thought” a lot.* Lot. Lot. Lot. *The word lot is also relative. A lot of salt in baking is different to a lot of salt in the ocean. Lot also depends on the person and their situation. A lot of money to a wealthy aristocrat is different to a lot of money to a homeless mother. Mother. Mother. Mother. Mother. What is a mother? Scientifically, it is simply the female that gave birth to you. For humans, it’s different. Is a mother just female familial support? A biological mother is your actual mother. Some mothers shouldn’t be deemed mothers.* I never found murder much of a bad thing itself. Some people who are murdered deserve it, in a way. I find some things even worse. *Abuse, harassment, sexual harassment... No need to make their last moments terrible, or, at least, more terrible than being strangled, like the two highschoolers.* *Is “not being able to hurt a fly” a good or bad thing? Being merciful is good... however... It’s just odd. Not being able to hurt anything probably could do more harm than good. On the same note, what is the line between pushover and kind?* I soon fell asleep and woke up at 10:00 am. It was a Saturday. I got up and did my morning routine, which hadn’t been broken in 9 years. *I do things, and I will do things right.* I always got good grades as a kid. I never got grades lower than a B. *And I made sure of it.* I also make sure no one ever tries to take advantage of me. *If anyone plans on trying, I can make sure they won’t in the future.* Trivial. Trivial. That word again. *I think of that word a lot. It’s a good word. Word. Word. Word is a strange word.* I sighed. *I’m going outside.* I opened the curtains on my room, letting the morning sun in. It was clear again. I put on a flannel, black jeans, and my jacket. I walked outside. It was less breezy, therefore warmer. *Much more enjoyable than yesterday.* I walked to a small pottery shop. “Do you have any snake sculptures?” I asked, after seeing a variety of animal-themed sculptures. “I am afraid not, but you can request one!” The lady behind the counter answered, enthusiastic and bubbly. “Oh-ok,” I answered blankly. “Any specific sizes or colors?” She asked, smiling. “Well-blue and, um- about five inches long,” I answered nervously. I didn’t like talking much to others. “Thank you! It should be done by Tuesday!” She answered, kindly. “Thanks,” I answered as I walked out. *Well okay then. It’s no problem.* Next, I walked to a park. It was a bit more full today since the weather was nicer. I picked out a book I bought. It was named Behind The Mask. As I was reading, a kid came up to me. They had to be only 7. “Can I please have a dollar?” They asked, looking shy. “Oh, uh, sure,” I answered as I pulled out my wallet. *Oh-I only have a five. Whatever, it’s fine. It’s just five dollars. This kid hasn’t shown any traces of not being disrespectful. Mine as well. I wonder why they want it...* “I only have a five, but you can have it-I guess,” I answered as I handed it to the boy. “Thank you so much, sir!” He exclaimed out of happiness as he ran away in excitement. I smiled. *Childhood should be spent in happiness. Unless you are some entitled brat.* I stopped smiling. *Disappointing. Such bad parenting. Parenting. Parenting. Parenting. Parenting. What really is parenting? Teaching kids to be good people? Teaching them how to live life without messing everything up? I’d like to think I turned out we-*I was cut off my own thought by the sound of a girl demanding something from me. “Give me 5 dollars!” She demanded, “You gave him some so give me some!” I grimaced. *Little idiot...* “Listen, you can’t just do that kind of thing. Now go away,” I said coldly as I stood up. Even if she was nice, I couldn’t give her anything. I only had twenty in my wallet, and that’s not something I was going to give to some kid. I am about 6’5, which is seemingly quite tall, especially compared to a small bratty 7 year old. She soon stopped smirking and ran away, looking intimidated. *Ugh- pathetic. I don’t care if you’re a kid, you shouldn’t be so greedy.* I felt annoyed and decided to get up and go back to the pottery shop. I walked around, looking at everything. Everything was fairly well made. *Hmmm...* Eventually, I went home at 10:36 am. I then sat down to watch more television and switched to the news. More about the recent murder. Apparently they were found in the men’s locker room. It’s also reported the scene was very puddled, the bodies drenched. *Hmmmm.* I soon got bored and grabbed my book again to start reading while eating an apple. I read until 2:00 pm. I had a thing for that. If I was very interested in or immersed in a book I could read for hours on end. Being content with how much I read, I decided to go to my parents’ house to visit them and Austin. After texting my brother that I was coming, I fixed my hair and clothes. Presentability is important, especially if you want to be respected. I arrived at my parents’ house at 2:11 pm. My brother Austin was super happy to see me, and I was too. I just don’t show it much. I talked to my parents a bit and then went to hang out with my brother. Lately, he had been getting into writing, and he showed me some stuff he wrote. It was pretty good, especially for someone who didn’t write much outside of school. He was good at descriptions, and could really immerse someone in a setting. “This is really nice, you should keep writing,” I said, with little emotion. Most people would probably take this as sarcasm or take it with offense, but Austin could always figure out what I meant without me having to hyperbolize my emotions. He was a great brother. “Thanks a lot, Aiden,” He replied, smiling. “No problem,” I said, looking off to his small kitten. Austin had adopted a small kitten from a local animal shelter. Austin loved cats, especially helping them. He even wanted to foster kittens that would be euthanized in shelters. He was a very caring guy, especially to animals. In my opinion, he was respectable. He treated others with respect and wanted to help. The only bad thing about him was how he dealt with people who took advantage of him. They used his intelligence or kindness for their own benefit. Even if he knew it was manipulation, he still didn’t do anything. *Hopefully, he gets over that. He could become quite a respectable man.* Respect. Respectful. Respected. *Huh, the more you think of the word, the odder it sounds. Respect is important.* I value respect a lot. Disrespecting someone can be one of the most annoying things to me. I like to go by the phrase *Respect others until there is a reason not to.* I didn’t like the whole “Respect is earned, not given.” *It makes some sense but...* Disrespecting someone because you don’t know them? *Why would you do that? The same people who say that demand you be respectful. Such a strange thing to say.* It had been a few days, and it was now Tuesday, the day his snake sculpture would be done. After classes, he walked straight to the pottery shop. “Hello, is the snake done?” I asked. “Yes! Please come up to the counter!” She answered, smiling. It was the same person at the counter as Saturday. I walked up to the counter as she walked to the back, and picked out a small blue snake that was coiled into the shape of and 8. It was very well made, and you could feel all of the textures. As the girl started wrapping the snake up in bubble wrap, I asked the price. “Only 20 dollars!” She said, still being as bubbly as a young girls television character. “That’s not a lot of quality-are you sure it's 20?” I asked, slightly surprised. “Well, our Christmas sale just started since it’s December now!” She answered, smiling as she handed the wrapped snake to him. “Oh, okay,” I said while taking the snake and taking out the twenty in my wallet. “Thanks for coming! Have a great day!” “Oh uh-you too,” I said, unexpecting an extended conversation as he walked out. I was feeling a bit nice when I bumped into some highschool senior, and almost dropped the snake. *Oh my...* You could tell by how they looked how they would respond “OH MY GOSH! Watch where you’re going, idiot! I could have fallen or dropped my things!” She exclaimed as she stomped on my foot. She was wearing a shirt with a surname on it. Jones. *Tiffany Jones. Austin talks about her sometimes. Apparently some jerk who can’t help but cheat on any boyfriend she gets. I don’t very much care about that but, she has shown so much disrespect towards me. Disappointing.* I grimaced as I walked away without saying a thing. *3:23 pm.* I continued walking home. What is maturity? *Is it being respectful? Being considerate? Thinking about more than how Sally and Alex broke up? Heh, that last one was a joke, but it still holds true.* A few days later, and a news report came on. Another murder, *that’s odd. This kind of thing is almost unheard of here, now it seems there is a killer on the loose.* The victim was *Tiffany Jones. Odd, I saw her not too long ago. Another rather “trivial” person. Sad how their life ended before they could mature into a respected and respectful adult, or well, they would hopefully turn into one, that is if they hadn’t passed.* The same “better luck next time” note was found near the body, which was found dead in the bushes of the local park. She was quite disrespectful, similar to the two kids who bullied Austin. The news dubbed the killer a “spree killer” since they killed without a cool-down time. It had been three months until I found myself in another situation with someone disrespectful. There had been some man in his class who tried to cheat off of me. This particular man always did disrespectful things. Being so disrespectful and immature even as a young adult. *Pathetic, you aren’t in high school anymore.* It had been three days since the cheating incident when the news reported another murder, who was none other than the man who tried to cheat off of me. *Wow, am I cursed or something? This is incredibly strange.* I dozed off into thought and didn’t pay attention to the news anymore. *Odd.* When I snapped back to reality the news said that yet again, the same note of “*better luck next time*,” was next to the body, meaning it was most definitely the same person doing the murders. *Odd,* I thought as I looked at my watch. *3:31 pm. I guess I have plenty of time to relax.* Almost a year went by and more people who I wasn't fond of died. Including the previous deaths, it was a total kill-count of 9, all with the ominous note next to the bodies. *That’s quite a lot, especially for a city like North Ridgeville. Maybe this all will bring attention to little old Ridgeville, haha.* It was now November 29 again, now the year of 2014. I walked down the street to a cafe to get a doughnut as a treat. *It was my anniversary after all.* I took a bite out of the doughnut and smiled. *Last year today was my first two murders of 9.


From what we can gather, the Flax are some interstellar empire. They don't tell us much. Why would they? Does a man explain to his dog why he needs to file his taxes? They came seven years ago. They arrived in our system, destroying most of the satellites. Destroyed the ISS and what meager spacecraft we had constructed to carry us to the stars. They slapped us down like bugs. Of course, there was resistance when they landed in our major cities. Soldiers across the world fought them, but they were unorganized and ineffectual with a lack of global communication. It took them a year to clamp down on the last remnants of organized military resistance. I was 13 when they finally got around to dealing with the civilians. Unlike our neighbors, we had a food supply and clean water to drink. My mother always said my father's near manic need to have at least a year's worth of food was a drain on family funds. She was happy to know it was all worth it. Millions died in the food riots; the Flax just fucking watched humanity tear itself apart. When they finally stepped in, it wasn't as saviors. It was as masters. They rounded our family up during late august. We lived in Alabama, and the heat and humidity were unbearable as they made us wait in long lines to be processed into the labor camps. Human collaborators ushered us forward to receive our ID tattoos. They smiled when they told us it wouldn't hurt. Can you believe that? Fucking sold us out with a smile. Mom and dad were shunted into the "waste" line. I never saw them again. They put me to work in the fields. I spent four years of my life working those damn fields. If someone was to sick to work, they just shot them and used them as fertilizer for the crops. 2 years ago, I saw a chance for freedom. The Collaborator guards got drunk on duty. Someone set up a still in their barracks, and they wanted to try the first batch. I slipped out that night. I just picked a direction and went. It had to be at least three weeks before I met the people that would bring me to this moment. They found me dehydrated and starving under a large oak tree. A man I now know as Sgt. Thomas approached me and offered me water from his canteen. I drank greedily, then vomited all over his shoes. He just smiled and patted me on the back. They took me to their bunker. I told me that I would be safe there, and as long as I worked to further human freedom, I would have a place there. From what we can gather, the rest of the galaxy doesn't possess the fighting instinct that the Flax and we do. Of course, they had military, but once they were beaten, the people just rolled over and accepted their fate. However, even though all organized resistance was snuffed out. The fight carried on with isolated military personnel and civilian militias. Humanity had been fighting itself for a long time. It was finally time we focused that energy into something nobler. I was not fighting for land, religion, or idealogy. But for freedom, for our people and race. That brings me to my task as I ride this large semi loaded with explosive toward the Flax regional HQ. All I can think is what it would be like to have children without ID tattoos, in a world where I can fall in love and have a family. That isn't for me, but maybe, one day, people will breathe free again.  Edit: This is my first attempt at writing. I am a long time lover of Science fiction. I have had the urge to write some of my own for a long time now and figured now is a good time. Please be gentle in feedback. I know it isn't great.