No Man's Earth

Chapter 3: Forgotten Memories

I didn't know where I was. I was on some sort of bed made benches. All around me were shoes. It took me a while to remember where I was.
Your forgetting more and more, I thought, this can't go on. I waited but nothing happened.
"Hello, "I called out, "Mr. Voice in my head! I could use some advice!" Still nothing. I sighed and got up. "All right brain, "I said, "it's just you and me. So where do I go to do research?" Of course I had no idea. I walked out into the intense heat. I was momentarily blinded by the bright sun. Let's search all these buildings, I thought. I went into the building that probably used to be a skyscraper but was now in ruins.
The only thing intact was the first floor. The door spun in a full circle. It took me a moment to figure out how to get inside. Finally I stumbled into the wrecked building and looked around. It was a boring place. There were rows and rows of small square rooms. A sign on one of the walls read:
                               Cubicle 1
                            Ms. Branigan
                   Head of Advertisement
"Advertisement?" I wondered aloud. I kept walking and looking into the cubicles. Finally I looked into the last cubicle in the first row and screamed. There was a thing sprawled on the ground. It's mouth was hanging open like it was screaming. Maybe it's scared of you, I thought. I leaned against the wall opposite the thing and tried to steady my breathing. My screamed still echoed throughout the empty building. Slowly my breaths became steady. I tried to remember what the thing was.
"Are you ready to talk voice in my head?" I asked. Again, nothing. I stepped forward and looked closely at the thing. It looked familiar. I touched it and the word came to me. Skeleton.
"I'm sorry for scaring you skeleton, "I said. I left the building and began to search through another place. The door was off it's hinges. I stepped inside and looked around. I was in a hallway. There was a room to my right. It had a broken TV and a couch that was split in the middle. There was something small in the center of the room. I walked forward and picked it up. It was soft and as small as my palm.
"Teddy bear, "I muttered. I shoved it into my pocket and left. I kicked a rock in the road and muttered, "Where to go, where to go."
The library, the voice in my head said.
"Oh so now you answer, "I said, "you couldn't have answered me a few hours ago? What, were you having a spot of tea?"
The library, the voice said.
"Yeah, yeah I'm going, "I said. I walked through the wrecked city until I found a sign that read Los Angelwoods Library. I walked up the path and through the giant doorway. Inside there were toppled shelves and piles of books.
"How is this supposed to help me?" I asked.
History, the voice said.
"Oh thanks that clears everything up, "I said sarcastically. I walked through all the piles and found nothing named History. "This is pointless, "I muttered. I kicked one of the piles. One book flew away from the pile. I picked it up and read the title, History of the New United States.
"What is the New United States?" I asked.
Read it, the voice said. I sat on the hard, wood floor and opened the large book. I read the page aloud just to fill the silence. "2045: The Year it was Established. The new United States is a replacement for the original United States. The new United States was established to fix all the mistakes made by the original Americans. The new Americans use coal and oil as fuel. They read more books to be more educated.
Wait but these things are terrible. They cause, what is it called? Something warning?"
Science, the voice said. I got about and searched for a book on science. I found one and read it aloud. "Causes of global warming: the burning of fossils fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gases.
An increase of carbon dioxide in the air. The cutting down of trees could cause this increase of carbon dioxide."
I didn't say anything for a while. Finally I said, "That's what happened to this place, this global warming."
Read the journal, the voice said. I looked around and found a journal.
I opened to the last page and read, "Day 157: Everyone is gone. The Sun hasn't set in 48 days. The temperature has increased to 107 degrees. I'm not sure how much longer I can go on. At least Maverick seems okay. I just hope my son will be okay once I'm gone. He seems to be forgetting things. He doesn't remember what happened. I keep telling him the story but he forgets. Maverick, if you read this I will remind you one last time. The New United States government declared that we only use fossils fuels for energy. They chopped down all the trees to make books. Carbon dioxide levels increased and caused the temperature to increase. And then the Sun stopped setting. The temperature increased even more and many people died of heat stroke and dehydration. Me and you survived in Los Angelwoods. You listen to me Maverick, you are special. No matter how much you forget you can survive the heat. I know there are more out there too. Find them Maverick, find them. I must go, there is a creaking coming from upstairs. I hope my cubicle isn't collapsing. Signing off,
                                          Louis Homes.
I wiped a tear from my cheek. "My name is Maverick Homes. My dad was the last... person, "I struggled to remember the words, but I remembered them, "there are more out there." I took out the teddy bear and said, "I'll find them Dad, I'll find them."