“Alone”

Karen walked the lonely streets of her once bustling town, it didn’t matter where, they were all the same now. She listened for familiar sounds that would never return, it was an instinct she had not yet outgrown. Kids playing, lawnmowers cutting grass…was it Sunday? Birds singing in the distance, cars speeding by too fast on small streets, all these she could no longer hear. The one sound that she could never imagine being gone though was her own family. Never to sing, or laugh or cry or argue…or…or? She couldn’t think about it, not any more. She didn’t want to think about it, too much pain associated with memories of the past. When humans decided that easier was better than hard. When fabricated truths outweighed actual facts. When lies and deceit rained over truth and morality. Karen slowly wandered down the street looking for her next meal as she always did when it was light, that was fading though.

She needed to hurry.

In the distance she heard a sound, she flinched, frightened, she recognized the sound. She could hear the crackling of a fire, smell the smoke dancing on the breeze but could not feel its warmth. Where was it? She needed it, now! It was getting colder as the sun set, they would be back then, they always came back then… She needed to hurry!

Around a corner, faster she ran, she could see the glow, gravel crunching and crackling under her feet. Damn! She slipped, a rock slashing her hand as she braced the fall, ripped pants allowing blood to stain her knees. Not what she needed right now, they could smell the blood, they would be coming faster now. She needed to hurry.

As she righted herself and gained solid footing she heard it… in the distance ahead. Faint.

She should be hurrying.

A stick breaking in the woods past the road. She froze, breath caught in her throat, but her heart would not listen, it continued faster…faster…faster. She couldn’t control it. She knew she was going to die now. This is how her life would end. As everyone she had ever known would end, at 15. Not old enough to live a full life but that is what life is now. After the decision was made all those many years ago. World powers decided that no more military, no more guns would benefit all. Forced opinions on the rest of the world. They had hoped no more war on the planet. But, they forgot one important factor. What if we are not alone in the universe…