THE VIRUS [On Hold]

Human

Earth used to be beautiful, green and filled with natural water and dirt. Yet once the discovery of other worlds and planets, Earth was pressured to advance quickly. We had found out about many worlds but then found out they were centuries ahead of us. Earth couldn't handle that, we just had to be better. So we took in the help of other species and worlds, gained new technology, new materials, new knowledge, and new ideas. Earth was quick to abandon much of its own to fit in with the rest of the universe. Earth just couldn't handle being less than, we just had to be better.

I never knew the feeling of nature. I only know the stories my great-grandfather had told me as a child. To him, the feeling of sand between your toes and the echoes of the ocean waves was heaven. The smell of the jungle or a burning wood was paradise. The animals and plants were abundant and diverse. My grandfather described beauty but deep down I knew I could only imagine, never feel. 

After Earth had begun to quickly catch up with the rest of the universe, humans had abandoned their dirt world and built a new metal world right on top. It was called many names, Upper Earth, Metal Earth, Upscale, The High End, or as I know it: New Earth. And the world humans had left behind is now called,  Abandoned Land, Forbidden Land, Lower Earth, but most commonly: Old Earth.

Old Earth was entirely abandoned over the span of a decade. All of the countries realized their wars were irrelevant, now that the universe was just expanded. Earth, like most planets, rejoined all it's separated areas into one giant country. Most planets had one culture, one language. But since humans were left alone for so long, we developed so many. And when we realized we were special in that way....we didn't want to give it up. Humans insist we are unique, apart from even each other. But no matter how different we insisted we were, the majority agreed to leave Old Earth. Any people that refused to join the rest of the planet to Upper Earth, were left to die.

Despite my great-grandfather's tales, I loved my home. But after a while, the metals around me melted together and felt constricting, claustrophobic even. I try to hold on to the past as much as I can, but I can tell it's wearing me down, it's not healthy. After all, I all know of old Earth are stories. I guess you can say I'm stuck in life, I'm not sure if it's even possible to move forward. I don't wish to embrace the metal future, but I feel it might crush me before I can escape.

My name is Akeem.