The Day The Ground Fell

She leapt down from the ladder as the sky growled and rumbled. The first drops fell from the nothingness above, and she was relieved to have made it back in time. It wasn’t like her former self had imagined acid rain, but it stung, like hot fat spitting from a frying pan, and like hot fat, it only ignited the fires more.

It had all happened so quickly, despite the warnings but along with everyone else, she laughed at the activists, scientists, and politicians, declaring them scaremongers. The tsunamis hit first, then the rain, and people quickly started to panic. When the darkness came, that was when things got scary: looting, and destruction hit worse than the tsunamis, not even the army could do anything and by this point there was no law or legal system anyway, it was all gone in the blink of an eye. Civilisation was over. How she wished she could go back, but what was the point in wishing for things? Besides this was no time for regrets or dreams of any kind; the only thing a person should be concerned about was the here and now.

She became aware her fist had tightened painfully around what she was holding and stiffly, she eased open her fingers to reveal the gold heart-shaped locket nestled in her palm. It was all that was left of before: her family, her friends, teachers, and the whole community were gone. This was the only connection left to remind her of what used to be before IT happened: the day the ground fell. She slapped herself round the face, reminiscing was stupid. It didn’t do any good and she had to concentrate on surviving. She had learned quickly and very much the hard way that no one could be trusted anymore and laying low was the best way to survive. She hadn’t anticipated how lonely she would feel though; she hadn’t spoken in so long that she wasn’t even sure what her voice sounded like anymore. She glanced down at the locket again and felt its warmth radiate over her. Maybe she could be hopeful, maybe things would get better? Surely it was normal human nature to look towards the future and hope for better times?

She sighed and looked around the underground cave that had become her home. She had found it completely by accident – falling into it while running from a gang of looters who were well known for their hobby of torturing people over something as small as a bit of kindling. Located in an old park, once full of children playing, couples picnicking and overflowing with laughter and life. Now, it resembled more of a graveyard without the headstones. The hole was cleverly placed behind some old and rotted trees. Thick bushes and moss covered the entrance, which was how she came upon it in the first place.

The original tenant had died in here and seemed to be decaying in the most peculiar way. A sort of grey-green mottled rash covered their face and hands in large patches, with crusted sores that had thickly oozed before caking and drying covered the poor sod’s hands and eyelids. That was disgusting enough but the smell, oh God, the smell. Like a mixture of rotten fish, sulfur gas and raw sewage had filled her nostrils and had made her vomit repeatedly as she had burnt all sorts of objects to mask and envelope the stench. She buried whoever this person was as best she could – on an empty stomach - and then made this hole her own. It was larger than it looked at first glance, with small tunnels been dug away to form areas for sleeping, eating and then doing what she did all too regularly; sitting by a small candle, documenting her days, gripping her locket so tightly that it distracted the sting of tears from her eyes as she fought against giving in to her separation from human contact. She wiped her eyes and noticed an odd thickness to the water she had swept away. Maybe an eye infection? This would mean a short run to the nearby drug store, but by no means would it be easy.

She sighed again wondering what the point of all this was. The loneliness felt suffocating, its grip like a cold, metal vice tightening around her chest and throat, choking her. She coughed, and thought she heard movement. Straining her ears to listen so hard that the silencing became deafening. Was that someone breathing? An icy coldness washed over her, and she remained still for a few moments, while the blood pumped round her body so fast and loud that you would swear others would be able to hear it. She tried to see through the blackness, hearing the distinct sound of a shoe scuffing against the floor, it was only gentle but she knew at that moment that she wasn’t alone anymore. Slowly and focused, she reached her hand under the nearby box and felt for the blade she had taped there. Pulling it close to her, she quickly stood and turned around.

She heard the noise before she felt it, like the squelching of old fruit, then she struggled to catch a breath as she felt what seemed like hot, thick sludge seep over her belly. She looked down as the blood transformed her clothes to a deep scarlet red and she mustered what little energy she had left to look straight into the eyes of her killer, who was so close she could smell the muskiness of his unwashed beard. Both breathed heavily, eyes locked, uttering no words. He slowly pulled his blade from her belly as she dropped her knife to the floor with a clatter that broke the eternal silence between them.

He walked around her looking for anything useful: weapons, food, water, batteries; anything that he could take. She slumped to the floor, numb and tired but not in pain, the adrenaline had seen to that. She was just so overcome with fatigue and her energy levels were descending fast. Suddenly, a feeling of relief fluttered through her for this was it, her nightmare was finished. She lay still and smiled, for now she wouldn’t be alone. She mustered her last ounces of strength to reach into her pocket and gently, pulled out the locket, noticing a familiar, grey-green rash that she had seen before. As the shadow of her finisher towered over her, her smile grew greater as she closed her eyes for the final time.