Hope

They march so peacefully along the ground, carrying nuts on their exoskeleton that looks like a tiny decaying body. They do not march alone, perhaps that's how their species is still alive after all these years. It would be seen as a crime to kill the little guy, especially when almost all other species are extinct, many were gone before I was even born. I have seen pictures though, these four legged animals they called "dogs" and smaller versions called "cats". They were so cute! So cuddly, in the pictures I saw, they were snuggled up with their owner beside a fire. They told me about all sorts of animals, zebras, koalas, hens... hens... how do they lay eggs? It's like magic, we shit and they lay eggs! I only wish I could have been around to see all these magnificent creatures, not to say I don't like the ones we have, like these ants here!.

Jerry had a dog, she died sixteen years ago along with the rest of them... they didn't stand a chance, any dog with an owner was shot and eaten, but not Jerry. His dog died of old age.

As the ant colony march away down the pavement I look up the street to see one running towards me, looking me in the eyes though I could not see his due to the sunlight, and so I got up and I ran, I ran as fast as I could, down an alley in between two homes and kept running beneath the setting sun that shaded half of the village. He was still behind me, getting closer and closer, faster than I was running, yet I kept going, my heart racing inside my chest, hitting my ribcage harder than a bullet, I kept my constant speed out of the alley, down the left turn onto a road I have not been before. My whole life in the village, yet still some roads yet to be discovered, nonetheless I kept running down the road, away from what was pursuing me. I looked over my shoulder occasionally to see if he was still in pursuit of me, and surely he was, sprinting after me at a speed I could not outrun. I turned another corner, looking over my shoulder again, when I looked straight, I immediately stopped in my steps. Only seconds later did I feel the hit on my shoulder as he finally caught me 'Tag!' he shouted 'You're...' though he paused as he looked upon what I did, we both shared the sight of what stood only several feet in front of us, yet dozens of feet tall, the large fence that surrounded the village, held up strong with barbed wire on top, our only defence, keeping us in, and everything else out.

'I have never been so close' said Callum, both our eyes examined the smooth metal, when I went to take a step closer I suddenly had a spotlight shone on my feet, and the tip of a gun aiming at me from my left. I quickly turned to see a guard standing on the grass in front of us 'Freeze!' shouted the guard.

I immediately stepped back and put both my hands in the air, as did Callum, though when he saw we were kids he immediately lowered his weapon.

'What are you doing over here?' he asked 'Go home!' the guard demanded 'Before curfew'

Neither I nor Callum knew what to say, all we knew was that those men scared us, and so we ran in the opposite direction, back towards our homes.