Doomsday Diary Challenge

She had grown to love it; it was her new reality and there was no point in fighting it anymore. She couldn’t bear to feel sorry for herself anymore; couldn’t bear to be sad any longer. There was no other choice but to come to terms with the cards she had been dealt. After all, she had been lucky enough to have survived.

The rubble and destruction from the ground and the crumbling buildings around her,the toxicity in the air she breathed, the decay that emanated off of the corpses in the streets, the dark gray palette that had washed over the skies and land; it all made her stronger. The same radiation that ravaged the city and killed millions had given her a strength she could have never even dreamed of. She was becoming invincible. Her very skin was now almost completely calloused over, so thick that it was nearly impenetrable. Her once human body was responding to all the years of acid raining down on her by regenerating her skin and creating her own personal armor.

Many of her kind had not survived the catastrophe, and even less of other species’ populations had survived. Most died within hours of the eruption, but the rest of the population took months and even years to die off, unable to mutate quickly enough to be able to survive the conditions. They suffered long and arduous demises. Roxy was one of the very few remaining. Roxy’s parents were among the first to be consumed and melted by the radioactive volcano’s lava, as it spewed violently over the lands, making it impossible to recover their bodies. Roxy considered herself fortunate that she was at least able to bury the rest of her family. Very few had that luxury.

The ashes in the air made it nearly unbreathable for a whole month after that fateful day. Thick with radiation particles and lacking oxygen, every inhale of the air threatened to suffocate them.

The two sisters had made it only a few months together before things turned for the worst. Ruby’s health decline was rapid and unwieldy. It began one day as the two were running from lawless scavengers. The two had tried desperately to stay hidden and out of sight for fear that the oxygen tanks they had found would be ripped from their backs. Hunger had forced the pair out of hiding and out into the chaos that was their world. They had to hunt or starve.

Not long after the two had begun their hunting they were discovered. A bandit caught sight of them and sounded the alarm, alerting the others in the gang.

Running with oxygen tanks on their backs should have slowed them down considerably, so the sisters opted to quickly drop them and dart off into the tree cover to seek refuge. Hopefully, the tanks would be enough of a prize for the thieves that they would abandon the chase, though that seemed like a long shot. In the months after the eruption, scavengers became increasingly cannibalistic and determined to survive.

Running in this environment without the oxygen tanks meant almost certain death. Still, it would be a nicer death than whatever these renegades had in store for them. Once under the thick of forestation,Ruby began faltering behind Roxy, wheezing and gasping desperately for air before dropping into a seizure. The pursuants were quickly closing in on the girls and Roxy had no other choice but to use one of three last grenades in their possession, careful to avoid the oxygen tanks. She ran to her sister’s side catching her head just centimeters before it would have hit the spiky edge of rubble on the ground.

The lack of oxygen in the air had taken its toll on Ruby. She had always been sickly as a child, her immune system had often failed her. The sisters knew that Ruby’s death would be inevitable, but that didn’t stop them from trying to change fate. They travelled tirelessly at night, finding relief from the heat of the day. They hunted for food and made sure to help others along their path as much as they could. During the day, they would take turns keeping watch while the other slept, making sure to stay hidden and constantly aware of their surroundings. They were determined to both survive this. Ruby was no match for the apocalypse, though.

A very determined Roxy carried her sister to a nearby hiding spot, a small cave they had stocked up and left supplies in. Once there, she tore open the emergency kit, working desperately to nurse her sister back to health. She could not lose her sister. Would not. The pain would be too much to handle. Ruby was all that Roxy had left.

That night, after hours of rest and recovery, Ruby came to just long enough to give her sister a heart-shaped locket.

“Here,” she said shakily. “I need you to have this. I need you to know that you’re never alone, even if it may seem like it. On the darkest days, pull warmth and light from this locket. Find comfort in this locket. I love you.”

“No, Ruby. Don’t do this. That’s your locket. You’re not going anywhere. You’re staying right here with me. I need you, Ruby. Stay with me!” Roxy sobbed and begged any Higher Power out there that might help her keep her sister alive. It was to no avail.

In the days following that first seizure, Ruby spiraled quickly into delirium until the asphyxia finally killed her. In the end, death was welcomed. Dying had looked terrible on Ruby. As much as Roxy dreaded losing her sister, seeing her in such agony had torn her heart to shreds.

Roxy carried her sister’s body to the side of town where the lava was still new and burning. There, she found abandoned cars left melting in the streets. She placed Ruby’s body in one of the cars, careful to not get too close to the lava or the melted steel of the vehicle. The car was missing it’s back half, having already been devoured by the lava. Before too long, Ruby’s body would be burned and melted away with the rest of it. It was the most logical burial. Anything else would have resulted in Ruby’s body being ripped apart by scavengers for food, clothes and anything of value. Burning away held more honor and respect for the deceased.

Roxy held the locket in her hand and turned it over and over. The last thing she had of her sister, of her parents; the only thing left from a happier time.

Inside were two pictures. One of Roxy and Ruby playing on a swing set and the other of their parents on their wedding day. She tucked it in a hidden pocket on the inside of her heavy duty jacket, close to her heart.

The first two years on her own were the worst. So many days and nights she spent curled into a ball of agony and torment, praying for her own death. Many times, it seemed she would get her wish. She would wake up the next morning after a night of heavy acid rain, boils on her face, blood and pus leaking from open sores on her neck and arms. Yet, she felt stronger, despite her afflictions.

She became so desperate as to tempt death. Roxy began traveling by day, urging the sun’s deathly rays to do their worst, egging on scavengers to chase after her, even attempting to drink acid rain as it fell from the sky.

But all it did was build her immunity.

As the months and years progressed, she came to terms with her new life of survival. Roxy began to live and fight for her life as if it were her sister’s. She would live in honor of her. She would survive, she would thrive. She owed it to her family.

Roxy decided that her life would be one of serving and helping others to survive. Children born in these times were often orphaned, their parents unable to withstand the environment. They became Roxy’s priority. She worked tirelessly to find them and help them become dependent. She trained all her foundlings to hunt, hide and protect others from scavengers. She was determined to not lose another life on her watch. She was successful, having saved dozens of foundlings before her death. Her legacy and heart-shaped locket live on.