Starfall

Death is a New Beginning.

"Life is a mystery, and art is the key. How can we see if we never try to be."The lyrics flow out the solar powered radio, my old friend who never failed me on this long journey. I never really knew who manned this radio station, but they really helped me like an all-seeing god. Whenever I was in dire strates, even if it was on or off, it didn't matter it gave me the info I needed but less on the magical radio station and more on me. It all happened 5 years, 6 months, 3 weeks, 5 days, and 7 hours since the start of the apocalypse. It didn't come how we expected it never did. Even the crazy ones weren't crazy enough to predict societies downfall, and it fell quickly. When I tell you that every way they ever thought of the world's collapse happened at once over a beer, then trust me, it did. It was March 23rd, 2020, the pandemic, a rush job on a vaccine, desperate people, and then disaster. How it happened, we were never really sure on the answer, but only one hypothesis made sense sleeper genomes in our DNA in every human being on Earth that depicted whether we live or die because of a one wrong mix of chemicals and one wrong turn at evolution. Well, in simple words, some devolved, and some evolved, and the change was instantly.

I was just 12 years old when it all happened from the change to the war to the fallout, and my best friend, my muse, was right by me the whole way. We survived through traumatic events that would cause the strongest man to lose his marbels, but we had each other, and that was all that was left. We learned quickly not to hold on to material things, not to trust too quickly, and to always have hope. Life turned to shit but we made it work. She was beautiful, perfect. She was like an untouchable flower by the cliffside she was never weak, though her small frame could be misleading. I bet she was even stronger than me, but this is not our story but a written journey and guide to those who come after. Take heed and read closely. Our experiences will guide on how to survive the starfall.

Death, many died in the pandemic. Many mourned, and many were fighting for their lives confined to a hospital bed where every moment they could dip in and out of critical care. It was a nightmare, people dropping like flies no one knew when they would die we could only do what they tell us. Wear your mask, stay in quarantine, be calm, and take the vaccine. It was sickening. The life we once knew to be normal got stripped away, and we weren't even aware. I was just 12, starting my academic journey into high school year three, and suddenly, we had to be online all the time. Can't go anywhere in the fear of catching the virus. Life was suddenly four walls and a roof. Once busy streets were silent, and it seemed like time stood still, but it was the opposite it passed in a flash, and we didn't see it coming. We couldn't see it coming. We were like sitting ducks for the slaughter. Standing still while the impending doom wrapped its jaws around our neck slowly piercing the skin and the red blood started flowing and it didn't stop.

It was on our monthly stock up run to the supermarket for quarantine. I was sick of staying inside and daydreaming, so I begged my mother to take me with her. What a mistake I wished and prayed it was a dream that it couldn't be real, but that was the day I was separated from my family. I don't even know if their still alive out there, but I always dream about that day. Gunshots and explosions filled my head. It was ringing from the overwhelming deafening sounds. I saw my mother she was talking to me through the smoke and the screams and the blood on the floor. I couldn't hear her. I was in shock. The words couldn't escape my lips as she grabbed me and started to run the tears falling down my cheeks wet my sleeves as i tried to see what was going on. It was pandemonium. The already fragile and fractured balance was broken, and I guess all hell broke lose. As my mom carried me in her arms, I felt the blood. "Mom, you're bleeding," I cried, but this was all she said, repeating like a broken record. "I'm fine, baby, we're fine, baby. we are going to be okay. " I wondered to where she ran but scared of what I would see that accompanied the noise of chaos and destruction. I hid my head into her shoulder and smelt the iron in blood. I was a weak crybaby coward back then only depending on my mom. How I wished I could have gone back and done something anything, but now it's all in the past a distant memory. I remember how she left me in that car her last words, "I love you and will always love you, Kate. I will come back, " but like a cheap film she never did, and I stayed there like a wimp for a whole day.

When I came out of that car, what was left as the dust settled, the remains of carnage. Bodies where everywhere things were burning and destroyed. I screamed and cried out for her. "Mommy, mommy, mommy, come back, don't leave me." I was crying pissing my pants, and it didn't help that I was dehydrated, so I passed out from exhaustion.

I prayed as i came to hoping it was all a bad dream, that what I saw was just my imagination. I slowly opened my eyes to the harsh light, and nothing changed. The smoke and the bodies were still there. I was sitting in a daze, I didn't know what to do I was just a child. My pants soaked, face stained and dry blood in my hair. I was dirty and looking overall terrible, just like how i felt at that moment. I sat there the time passing quickly until I heard the sound of an engine coming closer and closer. It stopped suddenly, not that I looked up to see what it was. Leather boots look cool. i thought in the moment, snapping out of my daze. Hesitantly, my eyes drifted upwards from the boots was a pair of army pants, a crop top paired with a leather spiky jacket, Fiery Red hair a lot of piercings. "Who are you?"My voice is soft and hoarse from dehydration. "Help, I came to help." Is all I heard, and my body suddenly relaxed, and I passed out.