I wake up to the feeling of bitter cold wind against my face. It must be morning, or close to it considering the sun has risen. The girl is already awake. I recognize her from the lower school, but I honestly do not know anything about her other than that. I eventually find the need to go and find all of the supplies that I have found is very necessary. When I get up, the girl gets up too. She follows me when I start to walk around all the bodies toward what used to be the center of the population; The Hex. Usually The Hex is crowded, with families talking, and children playing. Now it is empty.
Most of the buildings are gone, burnt by the fire. I manage a meat of some sort, a few bags of chips, and two cases of bottled water. I also find, a few blankets, and a pillow which I figure will be key to getting through the cold, bitter nights. I decide on the fact that jackets just plain old do not exist anymore, and decide to settle in a old barn near the hole we had slept in the night before, just in case we needed to use it again. I assume I will have to add on to it, and maybe even make a cellar, but that is all we have for now. I sit down with a few pieces of slightly burnt dry wood, and attempt a fire.
After what seems like forever, I see a spark. I place a board over the fire, and began to cook the meat. Then I hear her speak. "What is your name?" she says softly.
"Raine," I say. " and I am fifteen years old. What is your name?"
"Anaria," she says, " I am nine" she says. Wow I think I can't even began to imagine how hard this is for her. She is so young and has to live with this torture. Then it dawns on me that we can't be the only people here. Right? I can tell she is thinking the same thing by the look she wears on her face; but I decide it is best not to say anything just yet. I should know what I am going to say before I tell her. Day moves to night, the cold air comes back stronger than before. It bites at our cheeks, and chapps our lips. She moves closer to me as the barn gets scarier, and scarier and we fight for warmth. We each pull out a blanket and bundle in it like sleeping bags.
Soon after she falls asleep I decide to go out. Away from the warmth of the barn, and into the cool, air to look for one more blanket. After about an hour, I find a old wool blanket. It feels as if it was just purchased, and still has that smell that the stores always have. I walk back to the barn and wake up Anaria. I show her that I decided to lay out the blanket onto the stacks of hay. which provided a bed like texture. We both curled up close to eachother. With the warmth of the blanket mixed with the fires flames It was hard not to fall asleep. I just had to let myself close my eyes, and let the night take me in.
The memory from the night before haunts my dreams, like I expected it would. Behind my eyelids I can see the bright fire burning around me. The Screams of the people are louder than ever, and I cannot escape it. I jump from my sleep. I am sweating like I have never sweated before, and that disturbs me a little. Oh who am I kidding a lot. I look beside me to make sure I did not wake up Anaria. I see her laying there staring into space. ¨Don't worry,¨ she says, ¨you didn't wake me.¨ "I am just thinking about the people that I left behind." The words hit me like knives to the heart. I did not even think about what she is going through.
"I am sorry," I say, "I lost my whole family. I saw it happen. One by one they dropped out of the race of life." This brings a tear to my eye, but I quickly wipe it away. I have to be strong. Not just for Anaria, but for me, and my family. "They would be proud of me," I whisper to myself as I drift back to sleep.
I wake up with a urge to do something powerful. I go for a morning jog, trying to get back into my morning routine that my body has grown accustomed to. When I get back Anaria is cooking some meat on the fire, like this is an everyday occurrence.
"Hello Raine," she says like we have known each other our whole lives. She sure is adjusting fast, I think as I sit down. I am starving after running like a crazy person for an hour, and really need to eat if I want to live much longer. I quickly gobble up my portion of the meal, and go to get more wood for the fire. Anaria joins in, and surprisingly is very strong. "I had to do this back at home," she says as we walk back to the barn. After the fire is roaring with life once more I decide the best thing that I can do for myself is to just rest. I curl up in my "bed" and lay my head onto the pillow. Just before my eyes drift together I see her face. Her eyes looking at me, and I feel sense of meaning as I look back.
I wake up as the sun is coming down. I know I am going to be up all night, so I don't even try to go back to sleep. Anaria however quickly cuddles up in bed. Taking advantage of the fact that she has the bed all to herself. I decide to go onto the barn's roof. Up here it is even more silent than I expected. I realize that it has only been one day since the firing. SInce I lost everything I ever had, and wanted. A tear drips down my face. Followed by another and another. Then I start sobbing. All the pain releases out of my body,as I sit here. My heart in pain. As I realize that I never got to say goodbye.
I decide to use the rest of my time usefully. I bury the bodies, frozen on the pavement. I start with my parents, next my siblings (I had four), my neighbors, and last, the rest of the innocent community. Then a question hits me. Are we the only ones left. (besides the enemy, who is not at all what I call human) No, I think to myself. That could not be possible, or could it.
I decide to talk to Anaria about it when she wakes up in the morning. Then if necessary we can travel a few miles or so in look for any other living thing around here. It is terrible. All of these people. So much potential, and it is all gone, wasted. I was meant to survive. I have to remind myself. This is what god wanted. I go back to the barn to find that the fire has been swept away by the breeze that is seeping through the cracks in the old wood.
In the morning Anari and I decide to walk until 2:30pm. We figure this will give us enough time to get back, but still get to explore a good part of the land.
