The World has Changed

1277

One day the world started to die, I know dramatic right? But yeah, slowly people and plants and animals got viruses that mutated them until they died or changed. It was crazy, people went crazy. We isolated ourselves, slowly going mad from solitary. Even if we hid, somehow it washed across the nation, the world. People began to change into something crazy as well, something like a superhero. The people who could handle the power changed through the mutation, gaining powers until their bodies couldn't handle it; and then there were those who couldn't handle the virus and slowly died and cancerous like death. If you were there to experience it, it would probably scare you, but eventually, you would be numb to the pain of loss because soon you would be only. I don't know how to explain how saddening it is to not only lose everyone you know of and love but to also be the last person on earth. When I knew it was either safe or a sane suicide, I began my search across the entirety of the earth in a tractor-trailer. I collected art pieces, satellite information, books, and tried to search for someone, anyone. I eventually contacted one of the space stations, and I met a scientist who taught me some simple ways to improve the earth, to replenish it after the human destruction it had endured. We kept in contact every day for a year, his name was Andrius Saltsman, and he was the father to two beautiful daughters, Matilda and Grace, and the husband to a wonderful wife, Victoria. He helped me figure out a formula to slowly clean the air, water, and earth from the human-made toxins that ran through it for so long. We also figured out a computer code and satellite connection system to keep the satellites from falling to earth or at least allow them to fall in a Destruction Zone, the place where life can no longer be created, yet, I'm still hoping I can fix it one day.

One day he told me he was ready to abandon his post at the space station and join me on earth or sacrifice his life trying to make sure his family wasn't alone. I knew they were gone, everyone was gone, but I made sure for him. I searched for them after his pod crash-landed and I moved his remains to be with his families'. I hoped that one day I would find someone, but as I write this after 1,277 days I realize that I may be the last, but I will not leave this earth without trying to improve it first.

1277.5 days, Three and a half years. I have been by myself, well without people. I have come across some cows and goats, which I keep for milk and company, but I have also made other things to fill up my time. My first couple of years was filled with searching for people, talking with Andrius, and fixing up the planet. But after Andrius died, I started to plan for not only the earth's future but also my future lonely existence. Now here's something to know about my life prior to the virus, I lived for other people. No, seriously I have what you call a lack of entitlement. I find it hard to find value in myself or my life, so I take care in other people than I do myself, which is also known as codependency. Can you tell I went to counseling as a kid? How about my psychology degree, did you know that? Okay okay, I'm back, so what I was saying is, my only purpose in life was making other people happy. Then there were no people, I needed a new purpose, and that was me myself and the earth. So for the last one and half years I have been building some greenhouses, water and sewage filtration systems, and my dream home. I have been trying to find people every now and again but after the unanswered radio alerts, billboards postings, random signal fires, and traveling town to town across the country screaming into a megaphone, it really seems like no one is out there.

I found myself doing something strange recently. I made something a little crazy. Don't get me wrong I loved Tom Hanks in Cast Away, but talking to a ball, I was not going to do. I have been collecting these mannequins, using prosthetics to sculpt them, dressing up the mannequins, and making my own friends. Now listen, listen, guys, I realize this may seem a little loony, but I needed someone to talk to because I spend way too much time taking in information to not let some of it out every once in a while. I mean I was silent for a whole 6 months just because I spent that whole time reading through my first few shelves of classical horror novels, it seriously wasn't on purpose I just had no reason to speak. I needed someone to talk to so I took one mannequin from a store I was picking up supplies from and I soon realized I couldn't talk to something, I needed someone, so I used the prosthetics and articles of clothing to make people from my past. Sometimes I really needed to talk to my mother, and sometimes I missed talking with my best friend while playing with her kids, heck I even missed the one patient I met during my residency, shit what was his name, any way you get the point. But hey if Tom Hanks and Phil Miller can talk to balls, and Number Five can have sex with a mannequin then I can have a building full of mannequins.

Trust me, as I write this down I'm thinking I sound bonkers, but it honestly kept me sane. I'm sure happy it did because, on July 6th of 2028, I saw something and I knew I wasn't crazy. After all the time of me wandering around this fucked up planet and slowly repairing it, I never saw a single sign of life until a sparkle.