text: Stephen wakes up to the smell of smoke. His mother runs into the room and takes him into her arms. Smoke fills the hallway and his lungs. A towel is draped over his head with little precision to try to protect him from the smoke. The floor rushes under his mother's feet; he watches it change from carpet to tile to concrete. When his mother reaches the car, she puts him in a car seat, and his father starts to drive. The city is burning right before his eyes. Fear and terror are in the faces of every person who is running outside. A few people jump in front of the car in the hopes of an escape from the inferno. His father refuses to stop for them and keeps moving. They all retreat, and their fear turns into rage. Bricks and stone pelt the back of the windshield. His mother looks back periodically to ensure her son is alright. A large piece of cinder falls from the sky. Stephen wakes up lying in the back seat of a car. Marla and Tim are having an argument in the front seat over something miniscule. The two of them would argue even if they both were in agreement. He pushes off of the seat to straighten himself. His back and arms are sore from the seat, and he does tiny stretches in the back of the car. "Hey, the man is up. Did you have pleasant dreams?" Tim asks. Marla hits his arm. "Tim," she says. Stephen looks up at them. "Sorry was I making noises?" he asks. "Not too much noises, don't worry," Marla says. Tim shakes his head slightly. "I am sorry. It is the first time that I have been to my hometown since I was an infant," Stephen says. "Don't worry. We understand," Marla replies. "If only you were a few years older, we could have had a tour guide," Tim says. "Yeah, well, I am sure the city has changed a lot since then," Stephen says. The collapsed city ruins come into view. All of the skyscrapers were destroyed during the Mierans surprise attack. The Mierans did not attack military bases in a tactical error. Every nation realized this mistake quickly and unite to create a coordinated defense. The war only lasted a few years as the Mierans realized they underestimated their opponent and retreated. The time after the war was chaotic. The nations of the world tried to continue this global unity in case of a return. Without a certain threat, the leaders of the world found themselves deadlocked once again. Citizens had to adapt to a post-war life. Infrastructure was destroyed, and the scare resources were being directed to the military and research on Mierans. Civilians unaffiliated with both adopted a nomadic lifestyle like Stephen's parents. Stephen's family traveled with a small band of survivors that traveled all over the continent. The size of the group was constantly in flux with constant disaster like the flood that killed his parents. Survival groups would frequently merge to supplement dwindling numbers. His group joined with Tim and Marla's when he was sixteen. After a recent rockslide killed most of their group, they had decided to travel to the city. Cities were considered dead zones for the during the war and were ignored as such. There were whispers that the survivors who remained in the city were able to form societies and thrive. There were also whispers that they were mutated and turned into monsters. The three of them are desperate enough to explore the ruins in the hopes of the former. As Stephen looks at the empty streets, he can't help but feel disappointed that mutant theory is also false. A mutant attack would at least be interesting Empty streets are all that is left of the world. All that differentiates this city is more rubble which blocks off certain paths. Tim and Marla are fighting constantly over which way to turn and keep reaching dead-ends. Tim honks the horn a few times against Marla's protests to try to draw out survivors. Out of the corner of his eye, Stephen sees something that sparks a memory. "STOP!" he yells. Tim jams his foot onto the breaks. Stephen gets out of the car and runs up to the collapse building. "What is it do you see something?" Marla asks. There is nothing that separates this building from the others except for a feeling. Tim walks up to the ruin and starts climbing. "Come on, man. What are you doing?" Tim yells. Stephen starts burying through the rubble. He knows something is here. After a few minutes of digging, he finds a picture frame. He runs back to the car with tears in his eyes and shows it to Tim and Marla. "I give up. Who is this?" Tim asks. "It is my family," he points at the happy young couple holding a baby. "Oh my god, I cannot believe it survived," Marla says. "Whatever get back in the car," Tim says clearly stifling tears. The three of them drive out of the city. Stephen clutches the picture frame to his chest as thinks about the life he had before the war, and the life he could've had.