8 Months of December

Abandoned

"Hey, um, guys..." Ivy started.

"Yes? What's wrong Ivy?" Her mom asked.

"I've been lying to you guys. Well not really lying but-"

"Please tell me you aren't pregnant or something." Her dad said.

"-hiding something. No no no I'm not pregnant. This isn't about me. It's about Holly."

"What's wrong with Holly? Is she having a good time? I know she usually talks to you more about things but we deserve to know if she's doing well or n-" Her mom said, increasingly more concerned.

"That's what I wanted to say. Holly isn't doing alright. She's-"

Loud horns and the sound of breaks squealing cut Ivy off.

Ivy woke up, now in her bed again. It was just a dream.

She wondered how though, how could a dream be so surreal that she could still hear the horns now? That she can just vaguely remember the important news that she had to share with her parents?

Her parents.

Are they home?

She got up and looked out the window, it was snowing just like yesterday. And just like yesterday, the roads were empty.

She went into her living room and no one was there. She didn't really expect them to be there anyways, they probably decided to go on a spontaneous vacation and simply forgot to let her know.

She went on her phone and checked the time, 11:13am. Right above it, the date, December 6th, 2016. How was it still December 6th? Was her phone just broken?

She glared at her phone. All it did was bring her false hope and now, it didn't even do a simple function. She chucked it at her wall with all the anger she could muster after just waking up, and it fell to the floor along with a couple small shards of broken glass. If it didn't work before, it definitely wouldn't now.

Ivy looked around her kitchen for a breakfast but couldn't find anything. She decided she'd just go and buy some food, it's not like anyone else would. She grabbed her coat and realized she'd have to walk, luckily it wasn't too far.

When she stepped outside the cool December air danced around her. She took her time walking, always enjoying the sight of snow.

When she got to the store, it looked abandoned. She stepped inside and no one was to be found behind the counters or anywhere. Where did everyone go?

Was she alone?

Or was she just dead?


She froze. "Am I dead?" She sat down on the cooled tile beneath her and tried to focus on the wall across from her, but everything was spinning and all she saw was colors.

She thought everything over. When she was walking she saw no one. Every few houses had their lights on but no one was there. No one was anywhere. And what's more likely, everyone disappearing, or her being dead?

Is this what death is like? You go through your daily life but no one else does? You walk an abandoned world and just have the echoing of life but without any meaning?

Ivy realized she was lying down now, the side of her face pressed against the tile, slightly warmer from her heavy breathing. She slowly stood up, looking around the store with a new outlook. She felt a little calmer now, but she still had no idea why everything was so strange.

She left the store, and took nothing. If she's dead, what's the point in eating?

As she started her walk home again she tried knocking on every door she passed. No one answered, and she didn't hear anyone. She passed the empty roads to her house and noticed something. Something that escaped her mind the first time she walked by. Something that indicated life, or at least recent life.

A car crash.