Darkness Rises

Still reeling from D-day, I'm finally coming to grips with my new reality. It's been 111 days and many sleepless nights since the world I knew went to a bitter end. Yet, I still can't wrap my mind around it. One minute I'm hanging with friends; the next day, I'm fighting to stay alive in this chaos. I have been jumping from house to house, trying to make sure the hunters can't track me. I know you're wondering who the hunters are. So let me start from the beginning. The day that darkness took over was like any other day. I was getting ready for work when an emergency broadcast came across my phone. Emergency, emergency, please take cover due to an asteroid heading towards our atmosphere at a high rate of speed. It was something out of the movies.

Honestly, I did not take it seriously because how many movies have we seen about this very scenario. The government would have known and prepared us for this. But, boy, was I wrong and almost paid the ultimate price with my life. My favorite song was playing in the background when I heard this loud bang at my door. "BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. " Who in the hell is knocking on my door like that. I stormed to the front door and flung it open with so much fiery and yelled, "WTF." It was my best friend furious at me for not answering my phone.

Why didn't you answer Samantha yelled angrily at me. I explained that I was getting ready for work, and then I paused. Wait, why aren't you at work I barked back. Tamara, didn't you get the message about the asteroid that is heading towards earth. I laughed wholeheartedly and asked her was she joking. Tamara, this is serious, she exclaimed and told me to grab some things; we need to go now. I'm still in shock, asking her if she was serious, and she yelled yes. Let's go now. Oh my God, oh my God, what, how, when, I couldn't seem to get my words straight.

I quickly ran into the room threw some stuff in my bag; not knowing what to take, I just began grabbing things. All of a sudden, I heard a siren so loud that I thought I was hallucinating. Let's go Samantha screamed as she began rushing out of the door. Panic and fear lit up the stairwell as some of my neighbors were running to exit the building. The amount of anxiety coursing through my veins felt like I had a heart attack. As we left the building, I heard the loudest sound I've heard before, along with screams for help. As soon as I was able to see the open sky, the building behind me came crashing down. I was in utter shock; my ears were ringing. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I must've stood there for what seemed like hours, but just minutes before, I felt someone pull me out of the way. Unbeknownst to me, a piece of debris was heading straight for me.

Somehow during all the chaos, I got separated from my friend. I immediately start panicking, searching the crowd for her. Samantha, Sam, where are you? Just as I began to searching, I heard a siren, and then a message starts repeating repeatedly. Today is no longer, and this is a new day, a new beginning; we are your leaders. Our leaders, what? I'm in shock because I have no idea what's going on. See, what everyone that where asteroids were nuclear missiles, and before we knew it, this faction who called themselves "The Order of The Key" had completely taken over the world. Billions of people died that first day, and soon after, others died due to radiation, civil disorder, and insubordination against the order. The "Order of The Key" wanted complete control of the world. To what end is still unclear.

Day 115, it seems like I've been up for days, my food is low, and staying a step ahead of the hunters is getting harder by the day. I find myself crying for no reason, for several reasons, and screaming at the top of my lungs. I call out to Sam every day, hoping I'll hear her voice or see her face, but to no avail. So, is this what my life has become? That is what I thought to myself as I paced back and forth. Day 117, I decided to start early to cover more miles when I happened upon a small campground. The fire was still burning, food, backpacks all there but no people and then nothing. Ouch!! WTF! I felt this sharp pain in my head. It felt like I had the wind knocked out of me.

Who are you? Why are you here? Where's the rest of the hunters? You should kill her! Voices were coming from all different directions. I am not a hunter, I called out, still in pain from the blow I received. Ouch, that hurt. My name is Tamara, and I am just looking for my friend. If you allow me to collect my belongs I'll be on my way. This older lady took pity on me and untied my hands. What are you doing, this young guy said? Look at her; she's harmless. Come on, sweetie, the older lady directed. Let's fix you a plate of food. Thank you, thank you so much. As we're sitting there eating, she asked how I evaded the hunters for so long. I explained I never stayed in one place for too long and kept moving locations every few hours. Tell me about this friend. So I told her everything about Sam, and she offered to help me find her.

Day 120, at the time, we didn't know we were being tracked, but we shortly found out when this young girl about 9 or 10. She was wearing a green jacket, red boots, and this beautiful gold heart-shaped locket. The locket looked familiar to me because Sam wore a similar one. Looking closer at the young girl, I felt as if I knew her. I asked what her name was, hey what's your name, and she replied, "I am Sam." A new entry; I can't believe Tamara has been gone for a month. It's hard to go on, but the show must go on. Life after D-day has been challenging. Yet, we are finding ways to keep on keeping on.