Missing Signals

Chapter 1

The musky smell of the earth drifted through the dilapidated ruins of a place I once called my neighborhood.  I didn't think for one moment, that Max would leave this way.  I glanced once more at his pale lifeless body still clad in his orange and black battle suit which stuck awkwardly to his skin with splashes of blood. His intestines thrown to the left of his body with his limbs missing.  I hovered over his crisp features before I planted one last kiss on his cold forehead. Tears threatened to escape my eyes, but for the sake of Max, I blinked them back rapidly. 

I walked until my limbs hurt. I was exhausted but I couldn't give up now. I needed to find someone...anyone.  The air was humid, and still, the leaves from a nearby tree rustled gently. I paused, memories filled my mind. "Max!" I said almost as if he would answer.   Days passed before I saw another human. Dirt was under my nails, I  lived off the land, eating wild fruits, grass, and dirt. 

My new friend was Taylor Marie. She was friendly but serious. It was hard to tell in between her light chuckles and a mature sense of humor. Together we traveled the ruins of neighborhoods and cities. I was convinced, we were players not in the game of life but in some alternate universe. Where aliens were in charge. 

"STOP!" Taylor Marie screamed from across the street. "We have company" she whispered

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the irregular shapes silhouettes who were still very busy with conversation.  Slowly, we both crept closer. Their faces became visible. "ugh" I winced in disgust. Taylor screwed her face. We were both shocked beyond belief. 

But they heard us, and soon enough we were hurled from our hiding spots onto the hot asphalt to land at the feet of the aliens. Taylor Marie was first to react to the beasts, screeching while twisting her head acutely to increase the likely hood of the beasts being damaged. I looked on in amazement. 

But what could I do, I thought to myself. I tried moving my hands, and to my surprise, the sandy buildings collapsed onto us all. 

Moments, days, weeks had maybe passed when I finally opened my eyes. Only it was just minutes. Taylor Marie shook me several times before my mind returned to reality. Again my mind drifted off to Max. Accepting that he is gone is hard. All the memories we made.

"Where are we anyway," said Taylor Marie. 

"I don't know... "I replied leaving my mouth agape.

"I'm tired...and ...hungry....heck...I am homesick" Taylor Marie continued. 

I was still dazed. I took in the scenery around me. There were too many cedar trees to count. Each had soft, green leaves, which gracefully danced to the steady rhythm of the wind. The birds seemed more animated. At the far left of my eye, I noticed a tall leave less tree in front of warm yellow flowered trees. It was similar to the one near Max's house. Often on our walks to his house, we would joke about it being cursed by his elderly neighbor Bowin Garls, a spiritual leader.