Prelude
Music...
Soft chord progression slowly getting louder, heavier, stronger growing intense with a half fortissimo, it's hill and valley verses pounding at my temples with emotional foundation and strong tide. Oh, how I am carried away by its strong musical grasp, my soul, ripped from my body and tossed into a sea of crying disparity, strong emotional wind. Encompass the unknown world of sadness... Piano strokes rapidly fill the air and licks at my wounds, oh, how painful, how sweet. The red of blood casts dark against the sky as it spits in rage, curses at red, flees through my fingers, chased by flowing music.
It is said that one can see the universe through music.
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What am I looking at?
The trees swaying in the harsh wind?
Is it the shrubbery or the small plants that dance madly against nature's purple cloudy and hill toned backdrop?
And is that music?
I thought music was forbidden here.
I tightened my grip on the sheathed katana at my waist.
As vivid images flashed in my mind giving rise to emotions, I thought I had subdued. Heavy breathing and footsteps as growls and wails chased. Then
"No! Don't let go! Don't you dare let me go! Please don't..."
I closed my eyes and tried to shake myself back from that place.
A hand on my shoulder...
I turned to look at probably the last human besides myself, her blond hair peeked from under her camouflage cap. Her dirty sleeveless shirt and green pants had seen better days too.
We were trying our hardest to survive in this world, even thought we were alone, probably.
The color of her emerald eyes seemed to change in the light of the setting sun.
"Jake, it's not your fault." She said softly.
"We both know that's not true," I replied averting my gaze.
She squeezed my shoulder and then pulled the shovel from the ground then went to the back of the pickup.
I looked at the rectangle spot where the earth was disturbed and clenched my teeth turning away.
"We should get going, it's gonna be dark soon." She leaned against the pickup her arms folded.
"Alright, where to? " I forced a smile.
Chapter 1
The world lives on.
I lived, breathed, talked, smiled...
On the surface I seemed content with that, you know being normal but it weighed heavy on my thoughts. And soon enough it started to feel like a cycle. An endless cycle.
I hated it.
I hated every second of it.
"Jake are you listening?" Kate asked.
"Yeah this is important you know," Cathy stated pouting a little.
"Never mind that," I replied grinning.
"Never-" Kate started, "-mind?" Cathy finished.
"Do you wanna have to take remedial classes because you flunked math? " Kate asked.
"We're doing this for you ya-know," she said with semi-seriousness.
"I know, it's just that we've been at it for so long," I replied my expression more or less neutral.
We were walking home from school, and by we I meant , Cathy her sister Kate and me.
Cathy and Kate are identical twins, "let's do something different," I proposed.
"Like, going to the beach" I finished.
They both stopped walking, "um, my stomach hurts can I go home?" Cathy asked.
"Yeah I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Kate answered.
"Nope," to Cathy and then "of course it's a good idea, come-on it'll be fun I promise."
To Kate .
"I don't know, it's kinda late," Kate said clearing her throat. Dispite being the braver of the two she seemed just as reluctant to go.
"And I think we'll get a spanking if we come home late" she concluded.
How can she say that with a straight face?
That's obviously a poorly thought of excuse.
Kate had this thing she does when she's lying, puts her hair behind her ear looks at her shoes. She did that five times when she was giving her excuse.
"Come-on guys I really want to try this," I stated.
Kate stepped closer and placed a hand on my cheek, "Are you ok?" From a spectators point of view it might have seemed as if we had a relationship, but it wasn't like that.
"I'm fine," I replied after a small sigh.
"And you should probably stop that," I said hinting at Cathy who was as red as a tomato.
Then Kate also started blushing and quickly retracted her hand.
I laughed a little. "You two are weird."
"Ok, we'll go" Kate stated still slightly red.
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Now that the worlds has come to this, I think I preferred peaceful times to the hard and harsh of how the world is now.
This world this planet is dead and no amount of 'cleansing would ever return it to the way it used to be.
It's as if God pressed the reset button.
We were taking a tunnel path, it was certainly better than the road and luckily it was big enough for the pickup to Drive in, unfortunately there wasn't enough room to turn back and the headlights shone far enough to show that there wouldn't be.
I slowed down and cast a glance at my eve, while she wanted to find a way to vaccinate those that contracted the virus, I simply wanted to protect her. I mean if anything happens to her won't the human race be wiped out for good?
We're an endangered species for christ's sake, why throw ourselves in the face of danger for something that seems so unlikely to succeed?
She didn't stir, her breathing was slow and steady, and her eyes were closed. She had adjusted the seat just enough so she could sit back.
She was asleep.
I tried telling her about the whole Adam and Eve thing, but she just changed the subject as fast a we go on.
<I can read your mind you know>
"So you're awake," I said mostly to myself.
"Yeah, mostly because your thinking perverted thoughts again," she noted. "It's really hard to sleep when you're thinking so hard... And I can't, sleep with what we're gonna attempt."
"We're still quite a ways off and if you don't get any rest soon you'll collapse before we even start," I stated my eyes on the tunnel.
"Ha, I'm not that frail to have you worry about me, what about you? Aren't you tired? You've been driving for a while now," she was looking at me now.
"I'm good, and it's only been a little over an hour, compared to how long you were at the wheel, this is nothing," I replied with a genuine smile.
Hopefully she couldn't make it out.
"You don't need to worry about me ok?" She turned her gaze to the tunnel path, "your concern is refreshing though, thanks."
<Eve... Huh, I'm honored>
Sarcasm?
Gratefulness?
I don't know.
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