text: It all started with COVID-19. The whole world was crumbling, and everyone was wondering what was going to happen. Most worried if they would have their jobs, If they could travel to see their friends after it all ended. What no one imagined came close to reality. They couldn't imagine that it was only the beginning and that it would end the world. It started with a new surge in cases when the world was sure the virus had waned. Then the doctors noticed something alarming. Those that got it before were immune, and those that hadn't got it then developed a high fever, followed by unconsciousness. Those that made it through changed utterly. They changed physically, race, they even lost all memories of who they had been. It was as though they became born anew. The doctors didn't realize then that it was more than a change; it was a mutation. This is how the Covlings were born. Think Changelings or shapeshifters, but very real. It did not matter the country, race, societal standing. No one infected was safe. They became more robust, ruthless, and they soon outnumbered the humans. The world, as we knew it collapsed. The hospitals were overwhelmed and couldn't keep track of who was whom. Governments collapsed. Families were separated. And the new race saw the opportunity to take over the world. The humans became rejects, second class citizens who lived on the outskirts, and the Covlings prospered. They made sure never to marry or live with the normals as they called them. Florie was just a girl who loved a man. She met a man, Simon, just before the resurgence of the virus. She loved him during COVID, and they had a torrid four months. Their relationship came to an abrupt end when he suddenly got sick with the virus. But she had one certainty in her mind; Simon was the love of her life. She had dated many men before the apocalypse, but none had ever loved her the way he had. She felt lost in this new world without him. He had been her anchor and built her up, supported her, cherished her. She believed that even if he was a Covling, some of him would remember her and the love they shared. Now she was all alone and wanted to see if she could find him on the other end of the Earth. She set out to what used to be Edinburgh to find him. The city of their love, where they met. She passed the ruins of Brig o' Doon, where they had their first kiss. Her fingers trailed the stone, she found the place where they etched their initials. A tear trailed down her cheek. She remembered their last conversation. It had been a fight, and he left her several messages. The day she saw him last didn't start out any different from any other day. It was a long morning where she didn't want to wake up. She lay in bed for a while before checking her messages. The first thing she saw was him saying ' bye ' and 'I'm not doing this .' She tried to read all the messages he left throughout the night. And some of them popped out as she scrolled up the screen. I love you , remember that. I wasn't going to say sorry . No more . Fuck it. It's not fair on me . Invested so much time, effort, and love into you. You probably hurt now. I guess you'll turn it back on me . Maybe this is what you do, you ruin things . I said I was happy, but I was fucking screaming inside. I asked you for one thing . I'm in fucking pieces . She was upset by his messages and decided not to respond. He was silly. She couldn't believe he wanted to end things just because there had been flirting with someone else. By the time she decided to respond days later, he had been admitted with the virus. She tried tracking him down, but it was hard to get information about what had happened to patients admitted initially. That is when she realized she had lost the One. The one thing that she had that meant something to her. She had spent all this time chasing after all the wrong things and only realized when it was gone what she did want. She only wanted one thing, him. And now he was gone. She cried and prayed for God to tell her how to get him back because she couldn't live without him. All she could see and think in those days was him. She sank into a stupor reliving all the beautiful moments they had shared. She was an orphan and had been alone as long as she could remember. All her relationships in the past had led to pain. Simon had been the one man who made her feel like she mattered, and her life would amount to something. He was the only constant, the only thing that kept her together. He pieced her together every day until she almost felt whole. And now she was crumbling again. She turned onto Ferry road and was further haunted by all the memories of the places lined ahead they used to go to, as she walked on looking in the windows. She gazed in listlessly, her mind trapped in the past in memories of what had been. She haunted all the places they used to go to. Where Simon first told her he wanted to leave his wife. The date where he told her he wanted everything. When she got to the restaurant where he proposed, she decided to go in on impulse. She walked in and was drawn to their favorite booth. Sliding into one of the seats, her mind started reminiscing all the times spent there. Absentmindedly, her hands trailed the wall, and she found a brick that seemed loose. She tugged at it, and a note fell out. It was addressed to her in his handwriting. She was overcome with deep emotion and opened it while her hands shook. 'Dear Florie, I'm writing this while I still can. I don't remember much. But I remember your name and this place. I think it is crucial. Find me here, I will come back if I can. There is a fog that prevents us from remembering. But your name slips through once in a while with a sense of urgency. I'll be here when I remember again. I want to know you. -Simon She knew that no matter what, she had to find Simon. That their story would never end. Without him, life was bleak and dark. The world was falling apart, and everything was burning, but she knew, together, they could make it work. They could find a new Edinburgh amidst the ruins.