Sky Corruption (Past Tense)

Chapter One

The streets of Manhattan had been occupied with loud silence as everything had been coated with a melancholic grey hue from the murky and cloudy sky above. It was another lonely Monday morning, not even a slimmer of the sun dared to fight its way through the thick clouds that held a chilling vibe. Everything about this new city had been entirely stagnant due to what now borrows the streets. Every time a breeze had slipped through, the only thing that really broke the silence had been the debris on the streets, reimbursing the scent of smoke and gasoline.

A young black girl had remained perched on the edge of an old pharmacy roof. It's faded sign had read out: Family Aid in a expired blue text, barely below the girl's red sneakers. She contradicted this decaying environment and it's eerie silence. As the cold breeze embraced her, her long box braids coasted towards the right side of her, the accessories that were hidden along them had made sounds that anyone would claim had belonged to windchimes. She wore her signature red racer jacket that had bunched up around her wrists, a pair of navy blue dolphin shorts along with knee high white socks.

She gazed beyond the toppled buildings towards the Statue of Liberty. A smile had appeared on the young girl's face as she admired the statue's tarnished green look, after the invasion, Lady Liberty had been left slightly crooked, several parts of her chipped. The girl happily acknowledged the statue as she rose to her feet, unfazed by how close she was to falling off the building.

Hand on hip, she made a small wave. "You're as beautiful as ever Lady Liberty, I'll see you later." She said as she made a small exit by approaching the ladder that was rested alongside the building. With a giggle she had casually slid down the rustic ladder with her hands and feet, unbothered by its cold and rough texture.

Once she had landed on her feet, she had started towards the door that had a half-ripped "Employees Only" sticker plastered on it. She continued about her small journey and had pushed the door open, being enveloped in the darkness of the building.

The scent of musk and old books had filled her nose and she had reached towards her backpack for her trusted flashlight. With a flick, a dim light had shone a narrow path along the black-and-white checkered floor. As she continued in the store, the door had automatically slammed behind her. She glanced over at the desk that was on the right side of the room, papers had been scattered all over, files and sticky notes had been messily plastered over the surface with grim letters such as "God has forsaken us" and "We'll all meet on the other side".

The girl paid no mind to this and had continued towards the door before her, pushing it open casually to reveal the pharmacy. The pharmacy had actually been somewhat in tact, the aisles had stood tall, the items remaining untouched as the main desk had a giant gate, sealing the back room that had contained the prescription drugs. The store itself wasn't all that big so it was easy for the girl to start scoping out what she'd bring home.

Her footsteps echoed about as she journeyed further into the store, swiftly placing items inside her backpack as she went about, gazing around at the darkness that swallowed everything except the glow of her flashlight. Her footsteps made light audible clicks as she continued about, unbothered by the vacant and eerie atmosphere of the ancient pharmacy.

She raised the flashlight upwards, which revealed a set of aisles that had been half cleared. She continued on, with the first aisle as a starting point. She came to a squat to find several gauze packages.

"Ah, there we are!" She chirped to herself with a small grin, her voice only but so loud. Deep down she knew that she wasn't supposed to be here, out in the open, out here with these things.

With haste, she threw her backpack on the ground and had proceeded to burrow the packages of gauze. She thought of her fellow friend that also lived in the bunker that would always appreciate the extra medical equipment, Nikki.