I can't stop smiling

Chapter One - Hell is Raining Down

Rain dripped down the thin glass panes of Manyara Pryce's sitting room window, she sat on a beige sofa with a pensive mood painted on her face. Manyara's house was a small terrace house on a long road, that's all there was then, rows and rows of identical houses until you met the big city, Buildings towered over you as you walked down the pavement. The green planet was gone, most people under 65 had never seen grass before, never set their eyes on a bright blue sky. We had failed to save our earth. The air was polluted and the ground covered in litter, people had given up this point, we had hit the core and there was no way back up to the surface.

Heaven and Hell argued above us, lightning screamed in the clouds, the sky letting out a loud groan a few moments later. There were warnings on the news not to go outside but Manyara Ignored that, she got up from her seat and set off down the corridor. She grabbed her mustard yellow rain jacket off the hook and pulled it over her arms, she placed her feet into her blood red wellies and opened the door. She stepped out of the door and breathed in the sick air, she left without telling anyone as she knew they would protest, now walking down the grey toned street.

Manyara met the city about twenty three minutes later, it was cold and lifeless, no one to be seen. It was a Sunday, all the shops were closed, all the city lights were off. She pulled her hood over her neatly done cane rows. Rain Tapped on her head, getting harder by every drop. She meandered down dark ally ways with no thought. She stopped in front of the hospital, scanning her vision across each window until she noticed someone staring down at her. It was a man, his head was shaved, he held on tight to his drip stand, his hospital robes covered in stains. He noticed Manyara look back at him and he walked away. She had always wondered what was inside the hospital, but no one was allowed in unless they were in need of medical treatment right away, not even visitors were allowed. Manyara sighed and continued down the road, she halted at a puddle. A newspaper article floated at the top of it, she picked up the soaked paper and read the heading "new drug discovered, expected to be released soon" she read further down the page "scientists have discovered a new antidepressant, which has been tested, a few side affects have been noticed but are expected not to cause any long term problems. the drug is being used in clinics at the moment, doctors say that in maybe 10-20 years it could be sold in pharmacies around the world". Manyara frowned at the article, she knew that in her city the drug would be "sold" soon enough. People in her class did drugs, her friends did drugs, but what could she do, the worlds already on the verge of death we just have to wait until it dies.

She continued down the damp stone, the icy droplets of water rolled down her rosy cheeks. she kept the newspaper she planned to put it on her wall in a frame so when everything goes wrong she has a reminder of why.

She stepped down "Blackthorn Avenue" a shady alleyway that lead to the junk yard. she reached the end of the road and stared over at the piles of rubbish. She let out a soft sigh. Beginning to wrestle the scrap metal she stood on top of it staring back down the Alleyway, in this world there was no hope, humanity was ending. Manyara darted her deep oak brown eyes to her left, she'd heard something. In the blink of an eye something grabbed her arm. She screamed fiercely.

"Yara! What on earth are you doing out here?!" A voice called out.

"I could ask you the same thing Katleho!" It was her older brother.

"I saw you walking down the street from my bedroom window, you know it's not that hard to spot you in that coat." Katleho said smugly, "anyway, why are you out here? it's dangerous."

"Home is like purgatory, It's hard to just sit there." Manyara stated bluntly.

"We should go back,." Her brother sighed. "You're a tough character, you know?"

"Did you see the article about a new drug?" She said in a damp tone facing away from her sibling.

"Damn it, not another one." Katleho exclaimed.

"It's probably already on the market, these lab workers tend to do anything for money"

Manyara starts walking further over the scraps. Looking down at every rusty concoction.

"What did I tell you! we have to go home." Katleho shouted slightly irritated.

His sister did not respond. He began to follow Yara with a nettled face.

As if from nowhere Manyara's phone started to ring, she sighed and took out her phone... it was her friend. She pressed the shining green button under the name "Jesy Richards".

"Jesy..." Said Manyara, clearly not too pleased to be receiving a call at this time, "What is it?". 

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Read more in the next part.