"Little" Thoughts From My Head

Esperanza

The blue sky is clear as ever, with clouds moving ever slowly with the bright star looking down upon the land. Squirrels, birds, and other animals go through their usual routine– surviving. Yet, they weren’t the only ones with such a routine. Humans had a different routine in life but that ended in just 3 weeks. They soon follow the law of nature, waking up and trying to survive everyday. Many didn’t like this new law but they couldn’t do much but embrace such change. 

Her steps made the quiet road a bit more comfortable and easy for her body to relax as she continued walking alongside the abandoned highway. Cars piled all over the road, abandoned and rusted, making it impossible for anyone with a vehicle to pass through. Her lips smack as her throat desires water. She looks over her shoulder at her backpack, her eyes expressing disappointment at her empty water bottle. Her eyes returned to the road and the disappointment disappeared in a snap. A gas station sign stands tall enough for anyone to spot it in a 1.5 mile radius. She couldn’t see the building herself but her legs didn’t need much to speed up their pace. 

The gas station stood alone with its sign, directing anyone to come. The rays of the sun took away the color of the sign and building. From what her eyes could catch, it seemed red used to be the main color. Nothing seemed to be broken or out of the ordinary. She feels relaxed but has her guard up for anything. A few cars were parked around the building but like in the highway they were abandoned. She approached the glass door and got closer to get a better look inside. Cost is clear. Slowly, she opened the door and got inside. She made sure the door didn’t make any noise as her hand slowed it down before closing it. There was no power making the sun the only source of light. Inside, the gas station was fair in size. A food/snack section, a fountain drink machine, and three fridges. Behind the counter, smokes were displayed while no kitchen was found. To her right, a small hallway can be spotted with two doors close to each other. Her eyes went left to right before spotting the Merchandisers. They displayed drinks, from sodas to energy drinks. She quickly approached them and looked at what was left. Much of the beverages were gone but a few remained. Two waters, a soda, and an energy drink. She didn’t hesitate to take them. She then checks for any food which didn’t take long since everything was gone. Nothing left except a bag of gummy worms. 

“Well, it could be worse.” She comments, before placing the bag of gummy inside her bag. Food and drinks were already taken care of yet the counter hasn’t been checked. Before she could approach it she heard something that stopped her tracks. A groan. Yet this groan didn’t sound human. It was quiet yet high-pitch. A hand went over the counter. However, the color of the skin is gray and the skin itself seems to be stuck to the bones of the fingers. Slowly, a figure rose. Just like the hand, its skin is gray while its body is covered with clothes. It groans in discomfort as it moves its head and looks at her. 

Stella froze once her brown eyes met the empty white ones of the creature. Her hand slowly went to her hip, gripping the handle of her hunting knife. The mouth of the creature shows its pointy teeth, snaring at her. The monster quickly jumps to the counter ready to pounce at her, with its fingernails growing enough to make them look like claws. Both didn’t move, they just waited to see what the other would do. The creature becomes impatient and pounces at Stella who quickly unsheathes her knife. Using her left arm, she keeps a good distance between herself and the creature. Her face scowls in disgust as the face of the creature is close to hers with the smell of a corpse. The creature tries to get closer, its mouth opening and closing ready to get a bite out of Stella. The young woman doesn’t even hesitate and strikes the creature with her knife. Repeatedly. Its blood fell upon her, some on her face and clothes but never close to her mouth or eyes. Soon the creature went limp, leaving only a carcass on top of the young woman. She grunts as she pushes the body off of her. She could hear her heart pumping, hands shaking, and chest rising and falling. She hates this. She hates the apocalypse.