Afterwards.

Chapter; The Second

Atlas stared at the phone, and time seemed to stand still. She had been entirely certain that no one would message her back. She had been certain that she was alone. The response had taken her completely off-guard. The gears in her brain whirred as a soft breeze blew through the open doors. The calls of various birds echoed through the valley. Her valley. The lasting drops of rain fell from the trees and flowers, landing with barely a noise onto the ground below. 

In that moment of stillness, Atlas could hear the humming of wings. She could hear the twitching of Lillith's ears. She could hear the sounds of clouds moving, and the noise of the sun as it began to dip beneath the horizon. She felt floor beneath her feet, and the heat of the summer that travelled through her bones. She felt the breath of spring, the chill of autumn and the fear of winter. They coursed through her arms and legs, and she felt their strength within her mind.

Atlas straightened her back.

Filled with a sense of determination, she logged into her phone and located the person who had messaged her.

Hecate.

Named after the goddess of witchcraft, ghosts and necromancy. Interesting choice. Far better than Atlas, in any case.

<When did everyone disappear for you?

>I have absolutely no clue, I was walking and when I got back everyone I knew had disappeared

<Odd. Keep in contact with me Hectate, and message me if you find anything useful. Be swift about remembering, the internet is due to shut down in roughly three days.

While Atlas knew the importance of retaining as much information as possible, she also knew that there was a lot to do before the three days expired. She turned her phone on silent, but after a second thought, pocketed it. As far as she could tell, there was still WiFi. May as well take advantage of whatever resources she could find.

She retrieved the car keys from a cupboard near the garage, hoping there would be enough petrol to make it to the nearest shopping centre. Before leaving, she cleared as much space as possible, aware that she'd need hundreds of water bottles to keep her, Lillith, Ocean and Confetti hydrated.

However, the moment she was about to close the door, Lillith slid through the gap, wagging her tail gently as she sat in front of Atlas.

Lillith was a miniature schnauzer rescued from a particularly abusive home. Despite the fact that she trusted almost no one, she had felt safe enough to sleep in the same room as Atlas without howling to be let out. It had still taken a few months before Lillith had allowed Atlas to pat her, but it was enough to cause a sort of bond between the two.

Since then, both girl and dog had been inseparable. While Atlas had hated being in the presence of other children, Lillith had also shied away from other canines. Although neither could fully communicate, they understood each other.

When Atlas had been sent to the government program, they had disallowed animals of any kind, threatening to murder Lillith if she decided to sneak her in. Atlas had been trained to the point that sadness, anger and joy were merely figments of her imagination. Yet she was the closest she had been for three years to feeling joy when she returned home to find that Lillith still remembered her. And so, both had an unspoken agreement to never leave the other's side. 

A girl with no emotions and a dog with trust issues. What a peculiar pair.

Atlas immediately opened the car door for her, Lillith jumping in swiftly and barking in excitement.

As she drove down the road, her initial uncomfortable feeling scratched at her thoughts. Every car on the road had disappeared, even though the cars in garages or driveways still sat, safe and sound. Something strange was afoot.

Power was still present, so Atlas filled the car with petrol at the nearest gas station. In a few minutes, she had reached the shopping centre.

It felt wrong. That was the one thing Atlas was able to conclude as she and Lillith wandered through the open rooms of the mall. Drinks and meals were left untouched in the food court, and clothing with their tags still on lay randomly in stores. Those who had disappeared had been surprised, but not all of their items had vanished along with them. Otherwise, their phones and wallets would be lying of the ground along with the other items.

She walked past store after store, poking her head in each. Some, however, she steadfast refused to examine closely. The multiple pet stores that were in the giant building, for example. Atlas entirely ignored the whining of dogs, knowing that they'd either starve to death, or they'd steal the few food items she'd be able to keep that wouldn't expire. And she far prioritised her life  over a few store-bought animals. Not including the ones she already had, of course.

Her footsteps echoed eerily through the empty complex. It felt like a new world without the hundreds of voices clamouring to make their voices heard amidst the hustle and bustle of conversations.

Once in the supermarket, Atlas filled as many shopping bags as she could carry with canned food, dried fruit, water bottles, dog food and similar items until she could barely manage to walk. Beside her, Lillith carried a large bag of bones with a content look in her eyes.

As the two began wandering back to the car, Atlas heard something. That wouldn't normally be enough of a reason to sprint to the nearest shelter, but Atlas was particularly uncomfortable being in such a large area almost completely alone. Any noise would have been enough to make her heart pound. Among the emotions she no longer felt, fear was regrettably not one of them.

However, Atlas soon realised that her caution was the most rational decision she could have made.

Seconds after she and Lillith had hidden themselves, footsteps echoed down the open hall. A humanoid figure carrying a glinting item walked past them, unaware of their presence. 

Silently, Atlas followed the figure, Lillith watching nervously behind her. She lost view of the person as they nonchalantly wandered into one of the pet stores Atlas had passed earlier. For a few moments, there was nothing but the whining of the puppies.

Then, there was a yelp that split the quiet air like a gunshot, and seemed to multiply in volume. 

After another few moments, the figure left the store, and Atlas caught sight of their face. A grin that went from ear to ear. Eyes that were lit with a childlike glee. A shirt freshly stained. 

This person hadn't killed innocent creatures for food, or to put them out of their misery.

They had killed for fun.