Lorna

I ran from room as the roof began to collapse under the weight of the fire. My body exhausted from the sheer amount of surviving I had been doing that week. Running through a maze of hallways as I tried to find any exit, I had not noticed that my coat had caught a light and my arm was engulfed in flames. I spotted the red exit sign and blew through the door. I dodged the fireball’s raining from the sky as I reached the other side of the street. Turning back just in time to watch the building collapse into a pile of rubble. Standing there watching the carnage I notice the flames coming from side, I quickly ripped off my first few layers of clothing and flung them to the ground. “Damn it” I said to myself as I patted out the new forming embers on my sweatshirt. Feeling the cold start to reach my skin, I instantly searched for a new place to take shelter. Spotting a burned out, yet still standing structure up the road, I once again took off through the streets towards the door.

The burned door fell from its hinges as I pushed it open. The inside of the building was nothing but rubble and ash, but due to the concrete flooring and steel framework, it was still standing. As I stepped over the still smoldering threshold and ventured further, the smell of fire and chlorine assaulted my nose. From the looks of the broken contents that lay scattered across the ground, this must have been a hotel. My eye lids were growing heavy, and I could feel my energy fading fast. I located a safe spot, set up my bunk, and quickly fell asleep. My name is Lorna and as the last human on earth, this is my story.

A month had passed since the dreaded “Doomsday” began. The events that came to fruition, were unlike any that we could have initially prepared for. First came the crazy storms and tornadoes, then the wall of water that submerged most of the globe, and then the rain of fire. It was as Zeus and Haydee’s were locked in a war and earth just happened to be a shield for either one of them to use. Those who were lucky enough to survive one disaster was immediately taken out by the next one. Most of us who took shelter in bunkers survived until the fire’s had begun. Some were burned alive, but most thankfully were killed by the lack of oxygen. I was the only one in my bunker and used an O2 tank when I slept to try and preserve as much air as possible. After a couple of weeks, I decided to venture out on my own and see what was left of my world.

I walked for days looking for any signs of life, but all I found was destruction and chaos. Buildings still burning, roads and fields flooded, and forests ripped to shreds. The sky was thick with black smoke that had blocked out the sun like a curtain. Ash fell from the sky like grey snow that covered everything like a blanket. As the temperatures began to plummet into dangerous low’s, dressing in layers was a must and seeking shelter at night was crucial to survival.

The sound of my growling stomach woke me from my short slumber. One thing I had learned along my journey, was how to sleep in short bursts. I stood up and walked through the frames in search of a kitchen. Although the hotel had major fire damage, the main cause of the building’s demise looked to be from a tornado. As I located what looked to be a kitchen, I began to rummage through the rubble in hopes of finding anything edible. I moved some bigger pieces of rock and found a cupboard. Opening the small door, I found cans of vegetables and fruit. I emptied them all out on the ground searched for something to carry them in. I moved another rock on the other side of kitchen and found a broken safe. Not even bothering to look inside, I picked the safe up and walked back to the food. Once the cans had been loaded in the safe, I headed back to my bunk.

After eating, I stuffed the rest into my backpack. Double checking the safe to make sure I had not forgotten any; something caught my eye. A green velvet box was sitting at the bottom of the safe. Opening the box, a letter fell into my lap exposing a green heart shaped locket. The emerald sat beautifully in white gold heart shaped cage. The white gold chain was long and heavy. I attempted to open the locket, but it was locked. Placing the locket back in the box, I turned my attention to the letter. “Dear reader. If you are reading this than that means I have not survived. I have a mission for you should you choose it. This locket must be returned to the Four Corners as soon as possible. I cannot tell you why, but please know that it is of the utmost importance that it gets there. Sincerely Astrid”. Folding the letter, I pulled a map out of my front backpack pocket. “Ok, let’s see how far away I am”. Locating the Four Corners on the map, I took out a pen and a compass and began to plot a route. Thankfully already being in the Texas Panhandle, I was closer than I had realized. Sill some hundred plus miles away, but it was doable. Putting everything back into my bag, I slipped the necklace around my neck, packed up my things and headed out the door.

It had thankfully been an easy journey, the fireballs became easier to avoid, the water had seemed to recede, and the tree’s that had fallen were small enough to go around. I had decided to walk for as long as I could before attempting to find shelter. Plus being in nowhere Texas, I did not really have much hope of finding any real shelter. It had been many hours since leaving the hotel and my stomach began to growl. “Must be nighttime” I said to myself. With the lack of the sun and moon to help me tell the time, I relied heavily on my stomach. Only getting hungry twice a day really had its perks. Once in the morning and once at night. Lost in my own thoughts, I did not notice the hole in front of me. Stepping down hard, I lost my balance and crashed to the ground sending all my belongings flying in different directions. “AGHHHH!!!!!” I screamed in frustration as I pushed myself back onto my feet. I collected my bags and leaned down to pick up the cot. The necklace fell into my line of site “What the?” I questioned staring at the stone. It was brighter somehow, not glowing, just brighter. I shook my head and grabbed the cot. It was too dark to make out anything other than shadows, but the sound of windchimes caught my ear. I followed the sign straight ahead and to the right and came across an old farmhouse. Oddly enough, still in perfect condition. How in the center of all this disaster, could this house still be standing? I walked up the stairs and opened the door.

Walking inside, I was met with warmth from a fire burning in the fireplace. I dropped my things by the door and ran over to warm myself by the fire, unaware of the very confused sets of eyes that were on me. “Can we help you my dear?” came a voice from behind me. Startled I jumped up and spun around screaming. “What? How? Who?” I stuttered trying to regain my sense’s. The elderly couple just sat in their chair’s staring at me. “Take a second to breathe dear” said the elderly man as he gestured to the couch next to me. Feeling my breathing begin to regulate, I sat down. Once I had regained all my strength, I looked up. “I am so sorry for barging into your home.” I said, “I thought I was the last human alive”. The couple smiled gently “It’s quite alright my dear” said the woman, “You must be starving, I whip you up something to eat”. She disappeared into the kitchen and the aroma of meat and vegetables floated into the room. My stomach growled in anticipation. “My you must be hungry” said the man with a chuckle. Realizing he heard the growl; I wrapped my arms around my waist to try and quell the rest of the noises. Emerging from the kitchen with a big bowl of pot roast and glass of lemonade, the woman set it down in front of me. Thanking her I immediately start to eat. As we talked, I learned that Ester and Seth had owned the farm for 40 years, had been married for 45 years, had 3 children, a dozen grandchildren, and had no idea why themselves or their land had been spared.

I finished my meal and Ester took my dishes into the kitchen. “So why are you out wandering around?” asked Seth as Ester retook her place in her chair. “Because of this” I said pulling the locket out so they could see it. Taking it off my neck I handed it to them to examine. I explained the letter and the mission. Exchanging glances, Ester handed me the locket. “You know, Four Corners is only a two-hour drive from here” she stated as I placed the locket back around my neck. The couple exchanged a glance again and Seth stood from his chair and walked over to the door. Picking up a set of keys, he tossed them to me. “You can use our jeep. It beats walking”. After some convincing, I finally agreed. Thanking them both, I grabbed my things and made my way to the jeep. As I backed out of the driveway, two big fire balls fell from the sky and landed on the house. It was only a matter of seconds, and everything that had once been standing, was now ash. Feeling the sting of tears, I knew there was nothing I could do to save them. After a few minutes, I was alone once again. I put the jeep into drive and made my way to the Four Corners.

Two hours later I arrived at the Four Corners. Although I had been here before, this time was different. Instead of the corners meeting in a flat surface on the ground, this time there was a weird rock pillar sticking from the center of the circle. There was a carved heart shaped opening on the top of the rock. As I walked over, the emerald began to shine brighter. I took the locket from my neck and slipped the chain off. I placed the locket into the rock. The emerald began glowing as it sank into its place and then with a slight click, the locket opened. I backed up as a beam of white light shot out of the locket and into the sky breaking through the ash and smoke. Then almost like a light switch being flipped, the smoke disappeared and the sun light the earth. The ash had stopped falling, the water evaporated immediately, and the trees began to grow. As I stood watching the world come back to life, I heard the faint sound of an alarm. Searching around I could hear it growing louder. Opening my eye’s, I rolled over and hit the silence button. Sitting up in my bed I looked down at my phone. “It was a dream” I told myself in disbelief. “It felt so real, but it was just a dream”. I walked over and opened my bedroom curtains and was blinded by a beautiful sunny day.