What's Inside

What is inside?

“Do not open”, they say. “Terrible troubles will unfold. Do not open!” But with every step my tired feet take upon the ash laden land, my curiosity grows.

I am the only person known to possess such an object. But instead of broadcasting such news to the world, mother and father forced me to keep it hidden. Well, now I am alone. A grown woman alone in a land of nothing. Is now the time to release the danger, to delve into whatever dreadful demons lay inside? Who am I protecting, and from what? It has been weeks since I saw another living body. Months since I spoke a work aloud. Why can I not just pry this fucking necklace open and see what is inside?

I know, I know. Terrible troubles and all that. But I just need to do something to escape the monotony of solitude. So again, I reach for my knife. I move my finger along the thin edge. I know if I just carefully slide my blade along the crease, I could wedge it open. My hand makes for the necklace when a large black crow caws from above, breaking my reverie.

The sun is at midday, I should move along before the night falls. I never stay in one area for more than two or three nights. There is no real danger, but I am just so used to leaving, that staying makes me uneasy.

I reach for my bag and begin to pack my life’s possessions. The knife some ancestor wielded in the Great Divide, several cans of expired peas- a treat for an occasion that never has presented itself, a tattered canvas tarp, and a locket- also known as, the bane of my existence, my reason for living, or the death of mankind. Forged from the site of the Great Divide, the locket is said to hold something terrible. And my family was burdened with protecting the locket years ago. Passing it down generation to generation, until there was only me.

From what I can gather as I traipse through the vestiges of a fallen society, there are only a handful of humans left. Why can’t I just release whatever is inside and get it over with?

Am I being negative, again?

Mother was always on me about caring for the preservation of life and seeing the good in everyone. But man. Being alone for years has made it is hard to care anymore.

I put on my rucksack and begin walking without any perception of where I might end up. And that is when I hear something. Something or someone. I say someone because animals do not sound like that. They are coming up fast, running at full pace right towards me. I panic and being running as fast as I can. I quickly glance behind, and my foot trips on a pile of rubbish. I fall face first, gashing open my forehead. The world around me starts to spin and then turn black.

I awake with a start. I am in so much pain I cannot think. My eye lids are crusted closed from dried blood, but I manage to open them slightly. I do not know where I am. The room is dark, and I can hear nothing. I slowly try to stand up when someone barks, “Stay where you are.” They then strike a match and throw it onto a heap of debris. The match is engulfed in magnificent flames which illuminate the room, allowing me to fully see my surroundings. And just as my eyes adjust to the sudden light, the someone shoves their knife into the crease of the heart-shaped locket.