Laurie Maher

The Defenders

The rain continued to pound the pavement. It never stopped, and Eve had almost forgotten what the sun looked like at all. She stared out the window, and watched the small rivulets make their way down the glass. That’s what her life had become. A dark little winding road, and she never knew which way to turn. In the background the news broadcast was a dreary as the view, and she wondered why she kept it on at all. It was so she didn’t have to be alone. She didn’t care anymore about what was going on in the world, because hers had fallen apart. Her entire family was gone, and she knew they were dead. She was fifteen years old, for God’s sake. But she didn’t feel fifteen anymore. She used to go to parties. She used to date boys. She used to eat hamburgers and French fries. She used to run on the track team. And then one day it all ended. And now she didn’t know where to turn for her next meal. She had succumbed to hunger, and had started eating things that crawled. It made her stomach churn to think of it.