The Heart Lock

There was a point before our world stop on a dime where a heart locket was just a heart locket but a particular heart locket was given to some normal girl. On a normal Valentine’s Day which happened to be her birthday. She would open it expecting a picture of her and her boyfriend. But instead of a picture it was a powered fused locket. It should’ve been nothing more and nothing less in certain cases and in examples plus in certain movies or stories you would think it was made up.

I don’t remember much but from what I can remember I was at a senior graduation after party and when the whole world in an instant lost its mind. It would take a while for the dust and the chaos to calm down and clear, not to mention it was all because of this tiny trinket that you wear around your neck. Houses and buildings were still standing but not what they once were, but that one heart locket killed off a good portion of the world. A few us who were at the party survived and everyone else turned into dust managing to understand the landscape, and the magnitude of the situation and understanding what caused it. Was now more important to anyone to while trying to survive this new world.

“Hey, hey is anyone in here, please, please answer.” Holly screams out

“Come on please!! Ok! Connie, I know you guys are pranking me right now ha ha very funny. You can come out now.” She says with a shaky voice

I knew at the moment when no one responded it was serious a few minutes later a couple familiar faces I recognized came out of rooms and came from upstairs shocked and disturbed by probably what they saw on the night of the party. But they were not who I expected but it was a welcoming sight to see signs of life in front of me. They explained everything in detail once a few others came out of nowhere as well. We told each other what our name was.

“Hi I’m Allen I was here last night with my brother Bean and his girlfriend Kelly.” He spoke

“Hi I’m Kiki I was here with Connie we were co-workers she invited me to come” as she goes after the first guy who spoke.

Then everyone else looked at me instantly expecting me to say something and all I could say was.

“Sup” Holly says

They look at me with a side eyed look like I was cheap as hell for giving a sorry introduction and believe me when I say this I felted in my chest.

One by one each person spoke their names Sam short for Samantha I guy name Sam no relation to each other. Ruby and Rubi with an I; I remember them both well they were on the soccer team and cheer squad at our school. One guy we all didn’t take in account for was Brody Cotton. He was the nicest and coolest kid of our year he genuinely liked everyone he didn’t know and made them feel wanted. But I didn’t think at the time it would had panned out for him in the new world that all of us would embark on.

“Hey guys, you guys got to come take a look outside it looks like nothing we ever seen before, like, like it’s a different world. But I don’t see anyone anywhere.” Brody said

“We need to get a good assessment of our surroundings and find out why everything is the way it is.” He said

We broke up in groups and I got stuck with the Sam’s and Ruby and Rubi with an I we actually got along we all step outside, and we went in separate directions. We all agree to meet back at some random guy's house that we woke up in, who apparently graduated with us and attendant our high school apparently, he was supposed to go to Davis University or Lake U the only two Liberal Arts Colleges that are now safe havens for anyone who needed shelter from this new world. We would eventually find out that a tiny locket would be the cause of everyone's problems. But the party was held at his parent’s house who were out of town and now probably are dead like he is because he never appeared like the rest of us.

My group came to a conclusion instantly we were in an apocalypse minus the zombies and the road with Vigo Mortenson and Charlize Theron. But more like book of Eli or I am legend without the zombies as well. If you can imagine I hate zombies and I’m glad it was a no zombie apocalypse, but more of a boring one. No terror, no laws and rules. all I could think about was if Anthony was he okay, and is he alive. He was my brother Ben’s best friend and we love him, he’s my younger brother me and my family took him when his dead-beat dad didn’t want him any no more, I view him as my little brother and I figured my folks and my old brother Ben were dead. Anthony went my high school Game Time High I know weird I know. But I knew he wasn’t dead he was probably out there all alone somewhere by himself.

I couldn’t come to terms with him just being out there alone, I’m this young blonde white girl fresh out of high school and I had everything. I understood my white privilege and what it came with. but on that day, where our society no longer existed my white privilege no longer existed as well.

And it was for the best and before it I took it for granted and the best part of my last years was when Anthony this young black male came to live with us my mom had him with another man. My mom was the one who taught us even my dad. She taught us Dr. King’s teachings and mythology of how to treat others with respect, show love to the black community. Be supportive, acknowledge their struggle, their plight. So, I did and it started with Anthony, I thought I knew from her teachings. But I didn’t because I was oblivious to him and to the black community’s pain. Yes, the old cliché I had black friends let’s be honest it does sound and is racists if you say that. If your white and you say something that comes off or is racists.

It was getting dark and it was and at this point we could’ve gone back to the dead guy’s house but we all separately wanted to go see if our families and our other friends were alive. Sam and Samantha saw a car that still had its car keys in it and decided to use it and go where their family and friends were same with Ruby and Rubi with a I it just so happens they grew up in the same neighborhood.

As for me I kind of figured my brother and my parents didn’t make it but I was sure my younger brother did I was only two minutes away from my house, So I decided to walk or run either or to my house. But when I got there it was empty and worst for wear. I Immediately heard footsteps come up behind me and a gentle touch on my arm before I could even step in my house and without even thinking I turned around fast and threw my arms around my younger brother.

Anthony scared and confused didn’t even know what was happening I wanted hold him and reassure him that he would be okay. I wanted to get a good look at him so I step back and looked at him. I knew something was wrong with him I notice something in his hand that he was clinching on so tight.

“Anthony where did you get that locket from is it for me?” Holly asked

“No sis I found it around my neck when I woke from whatever this world is when I was in bed.” Anthony replied

Puzzle by what I heard you usually hear stuff like this from crazy people but my instincts kicked in as a protective big sister. His only sister now and ripped it out of his hand and tossed it away from us, it went flying into the street. It immediately begins buzz and hiss then it flashes a bright white light like before when I was with the others, it was at that moment the locked destroyed everything around us. Except a few houses including ours remained intact.

I realized at that moment the source of what happened last night and people disappearing, no military presence no show of force and control from our government. I knew the world had gone to hell and fast in one night.

But before I had threw the locket into the street, I saw a name on the back engraved on it was one Emily Wimbledon and, on the front, where the locket was made. By one of the most powerful manufactures in the world now known as a Power 500, Monica Coffee and Co; they sold coffee and made lockets to thank their supporters and their benefactors were behind them every step of the way.

We were just kids then we didn’t comprehend then that we were going to have to eventually grow up and face the new world as adults. Because now the timeline moved up and life forced us to be ready whether we wanted to or not we had too instantly. Who ever else was out there were maybe adults or kids maybe even teens, they were all alone in this new crazy, scary now dangerous lawless world, all because of one power major company made a locket that change mankind for worst? I and my new acquaintances and my younger brother. Were on our own and we could only trust the people we know or now know.

Myself and Anthony meet back with the others we all meet back at the dead guy’s place and it was clear it would be our sanctuary for the time being. We all knew our phones would not work in this new age, social media wise everything that we love about technology was gone and no longer of use. All it was good for was telling time but calling on the phone miraculously still worked. We sat around in the living room shocked saddened and mortified that our lives that we once knew was lost. And we would never get them back, we would have to start a new in this new apocalypse. And have to fight, struggle and survive on our own, I told the group everything about the locket and leave nothing out. Who knew that night and the next day one little locket could cause so much disaster and hardship to come?