A Light That Never Fades

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     Day 65

      Amina writes the present date at the top of her white sketchbook page. The quiet girl was seated at the bleachers from high above where she could view the entire layout of the gym. She tucks her brown hair behind one ear and moves her pencil underneath the date to begin sketching like usual. Two months seemed to have passed by since the world first fell apart. Amina made sure she kept track of the days that went by, she found it hard to believe that they were now in the middle of June.

     The intensified sweltering heat terrorized them all throughout the day, but they were then forced to deal with the insufferable cold at night. This crazy change of temperature in the weather threw them all off the edge for this year's summer.

    Amina's interest in drawing has increased throughout the passing weeks. It has greatly helped with keeping the boredom off her shoulders. She never imagined developing a serious passion for art before the outbreak happened if she was being completely honest with herself. Amina always saw herself as possibly studying psychology after high school. She felt more than grateful to have snatched this sketchbook the day she had first found it.

    She sat back and studied the drawing she had finished sketching. It was a refined sketch of the whole basketball court that she had examined below her. Every detail of the drawing stood out as she managed to draw every single inspection. Amina felt like she was substantially getting better at drawing as that was pretty much the only thing she had been able to practice on frequently since the group first stayed here. It was the one hobby that she enjoyed having her mind be preoccupied with.

    She flipped through the previous pages of her sketchbook, glimpsing at a few of the many drawings she did prior days. On day 52, she drew what appeared to be some girl around her age, it might as well have been her since the girl's appearance looked quite similar to Amina. The girl was holding a basket that carried a variety of delicious fruits, Amina felt her mouth salivating as she only tried to imagine what it would feel like to have a bite out of a luscious pear. It's been long since she last tasted any fruit, their group had run of sustenance in the last couple of days. Maybe not just days, but weeks realistically speaking.

    Amina's stomach growled in pain as it starved for a full flavorful meal that can ease the pain away. They all desperately wished to have this dream come true as many of them were getting tired of eating the same constant chips and sweets everyday. They have ravaged their entire school campus of every snack they could lay their eyes on, there was mostly nothing left anymore that they could all hold on to.

    Not to mention that mostly everyone in the group has lost an extremely large amount of weight on their bodies. Amina could feel her cheekbones pop out of her face abnormally as starvation was clearly tearing her apart. As if she wasn't already skinny enough before the outbreak had happened, she wouldn't be surprised if she soon became as emaciated as an actual skeleton.

    Amina closes her sketchbook shut as she had finished her drawing of the day. She can only wish for things to maybe get better in the future, hoping for the sound of a helicopter to be heard again. But it was getting difficult to grasp on to that thin rope knowing it was bound to eventually rip apart along with her life.

—

    Aston fumbles on grabbing the door handle that will lead him and his scavenging group inside the library building. The sound of a few snarls coming from behind him and the others were getting closer and closer. Samy curses under her breath as she takes notice of at least five infected stragglers advancing onto them from behind.

    "Dude hurry!", Winston shouted.

    "I'm trying! But the door is-", Aston stops mid sentence when the door in front of him unlocks suddenly, he stumbles on the way in but manages to catch his balance. The rest of his friends immediately venture inside, Winston quickly shuts the doorway and throws his back towards the solid wood door. He tries with all his might to keep his entire weight pushed against it. Samy's eyes frantically scan around the library for anything that could help the door keep locked. Her eyes land on a cane sitting by the sofas, she rushes over to snatch it.