Between Friend and Foe

Life

Warning, this story is not Fiction, nor will it ever be. This is very much real, and if you people are reading this when it has not happened yet, I can assure you it will. How long will it take? I have no idea, I am not the one you should ask for that. If you are reading it after or during this time, most likely during considering that this is the end of the World, then congratulations. Everything I am about to tell you will probably remain useless. Please take note of the fact that for at least 2 years before this happened, I knew it would. And if you ask me 'Well why did you not tell anyone then?', the answer would be I did. I did tell people, but who would believe a 14-year-old girl that had no significance in the world at the time? I know for a fact that you yourself, would most definitely not. This may just be both the beginning and the end. I could probably end this book right here, it would make sense. Our lives can end as suddenly as this can. And so I believe it is in my best interest to continue in my telling of this story, but take heed my warning, this does not have a happy ending. But I suppose that would be expected, considering the circumstances that I am writing it in. 

The very first thing you feel in the morning is the almost unbearable heat, the last thing you feel before drifting off into sleep is the unbearable heat. And everything in between is a mixture of hunger, pain, desperation and, once again, unbearable heat. If that does not at least make you feel uncomfortable, then you must already know what it is like. It has all become a part of our daily lives, along with the terror that it will never stop, and that we will die here, alone, in our filthy and uncomfortable cots, that have most likely held the death of at least 6 people, 5 if you're not counting yourself. Because let us face it, we are all dead. Just mere zombies waking up to the same old horror of the world we now live in. You may call it morbid to think in that way, but there is no optimistic side to any of this. If ever you find one, then I praise you. For I certainly do not have that optimism, and neither does most of these people.

The only interesting thing down here is the thieving. People thieve to survive, even off of those who are dying themselves. I would know this considering that the other day I had 16 cans of soup, and now I have been reduced to 9. It is best to keep anything that you own in a backpack, and you should sleep with that backpack. Thievery happens most at night. You're not supposed to, but everyone does anyway. No one gets any sympathy around here, not even the small children that seem to constantly cry for their missing family. I don't cry, I haven't in a long time. I have no family to cry for, they abandoned me as a young child, and I have no feelings for them anymore. If they are dead, I don't care. They were never there for me as a child, why should I be there for their graves? But let's take the attention away from me for a moment. Barely any of us speak, and when we do, our voices are hoarse and scratchy from the smoke. The other night I saw an older woman stroking the hair of a young girl. She couldn't speak, or see, or move her legs for that matter. She was in stage 4 sickness. She went through stage 5 during the night. We all woke up in the morning to the little girl crying and trying to get out from under the woman's heavy hand. When the girl was told that the woman that had looked after her was dead, she just stared at the wall. No emotion passed upon her young features. It was scary, she didn't move at all. We found her in the morning, dead. 

It's a harsh reality that we live in. If you think that you have it bad, let me tell you now, you don't. If your angry because your Dad wouldn't buy you that brand new car you wanted for your birthday, people down here are angry because they are constantly cooped up and living in the shadows of fear alone. You're complaining about the rain, so are we because our rain burns through things. I took a look up earlier this morning, it had rained in the night. The remains of a car had melted into the ground. It wasn't very pleasant to look at. I suppose, though, I am lucky. I'm not yet dead, and I have never gotten close to anyone enough to actually mourn for their death. It sounds quite depressing, but it has saved me from many of countless nights awake fearing for someone's life other than my own. Call it selfish if you like, but it isn't. At least I don't think so. It's just making sure that I don't get too attached to anything that could eventually hurt me. It's the way I work. If you don't get close enough for it to hurt you, then you won't get hurt. Simple as that.

Many people come and go. I've seen at least 17 people come down here in the past two days, sometimes they stay, sometimes they leave. They travel to find family, someone they can trust. Usually, orphans like myself just stay in one place until there is no more food or water, and then they go and scavenge. But it's harrowing up there. Imagine trying to find your way through millions of abandoned buildings whilst listening to the cries of pain, terror and desperation of the people, some of which are dying, being killed, mourning or just simply crying for the sake of crying. It's scary, especially when you come into contact with an empty carcass of what used to be a human. Trust me, the sight would be enough to send you into a state of paranoia. I've seen it happen, people going crazy from what they've seen. Or maybe it was the smoke? 

All in all, I suppose it doesn't matter. All you need to know is that it is not nice, and if you are reading this before it happens, beware and try not to come into contact with them. But on the other hand, if you do and they are still wearing something, steal it. Make it into rags to cover your nose and mouth, also, find some goggles that fit tight on  your face. Trust me, unless of course, you would like to go blind and then deaf and then be unable to walk and then die. But if you do then that's fine, I've seen people do that before too. Just go outside so you can die. It's okay if you want to die, but if you don't then take my advice.

I only just realized that you don't know who I am. My name is Heather.