The condition of the world is deteriorating. Dark, mysterious entities lurk around, devouring the minds of the pure and vulnerable. They sense even just a faint hint of despondency like how they sense blood.
Human extinction is only a few steps awa...
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Chapter 2: The Past
It was the first time that Doug thought of himself as a fool when Emelie led the way through fallen trees. He knew what direction the world was going to go to, but he never expected this kind of result.
"So what, you're like an entity too?" Emelie asked, using a long stick to rummage a pile of cans that they've found lying around near an empty house.
Emelie didn't sleep a wink last night. She only listened to the grasshoppers chirping and the quiet blow of the wind. Looking at the ceiling not too far from her, she thought that she just wasn't tired, but she knew that that wasn't the real cause. She wondered how she could trust this man, who talked and moved like he was from another planet, and was lying on the floor next to her. Thinking about him made her body shiver, both from the cold and from her own thoughts. She remembered what he had told the old man, and how he saved her. It was strange though, because even though Emelie feared Doug, she felt some sense of comfort with him; she felt safe.
"You could say that. I only use a. . .dead human's body." Doug looked up at the sky, his eyes were forced to squint at the bright sun. He then looked around, picked up a bag of chips, and tore it open. He dropped it immediately when red ants started to crawl to his hand. "What happened?" He asked, wiping his hand on his suit.
"Oh you know. The plague happened then came the massive earthquake with a magnitude beyond the impossible, focusing on China. The whole country's erased from the map. After that, we lost track of how many tornadoes and hurricanes followed. I wasn't sure what happened next. It was like the end of the world," she replied.
Doug realised he had asked the wrong question. He already knew what happened, what he wanted to know was how and why it did, although he didn't ask anything any further.
"That's why I was surprised to see a wealthy man like you pop out of nowhere and save my life--twice," Emelie added. 'It doesn't matter if he saved my life unintentionally,' she thought. 'What matters is that he did.'
Doug observed the young lady in front of him in silence. Emelie was wearing a red cap, blue shorts, yellow boots, and a stained white shirt. When he used to watch the world, he was amused on how people could be so foolish--making unrealistic decisions. He had wondered how someone would jump in front of a car to save a stranger, how people mourn over people they hated, and how people had an amazing ability to forgive and just move on. He wanted to see the world in first person, to understand how and why people make certain choices in their lives.
He had grown tedious of his job. His curiosity got the better of him, so he made a choice that will forever change his perspective.
She picked up a dusty canned good and examined it. It was baked beans, ready to eat. A big smile crept on her face when she realised that the lid was still sealed. "I found breakfast!" She chirped.
Emelie and Doug both made their way back to the crate. It was only then Doug had realized that Emelie's crate, or which she calls 'home', was slowly breaking apart. The roof was chipped off, the metal bars were old and rusty, and there were holes here and there.
