In the Face of What You Fear Most
The sounds of footsteps on the sidewalk always grew faster and more frantic as the sun rested lower in the sky, it wasn’t that it was more dangerous to be out at night now, it was that no one wanted to see the orange glow in the horizon and agonize over the fact that it might, just maybe, be getting closer to their precious haven.
Kaelyn entered her home, or what the four walls and a bed that loosely passed for a house now, and gasped, dropping her bag. A figure was standing by the window, the one that didn’t face towards the glow- a curtain rested permanently over that one-watching the stragglers hurry home as the sun flared bright orange, rivaling the opposite horizon. She flipped on the light; it had been a good week and the blackouts had been minimal, and recognized the figure of Shaina, a woman she had encountered frequently during the regional meetings and the two had struck up a loose friendship.
“What are you doing here?” Kaelyn asked cautiously. A part of her was afraid to hear the answer, Shaina’s town was closer to the glow than her own, but not by much. If they had been forced to evacuate, Kaelyn’s town would be next.
“Relax, it has not gotten closer,” Shaina said in her rough voice. Kaelyn knew that Shaina had suffered an injury of some sort in the early days and the gravelly tone was just one of the results. “It’s a shame,” she continued, “the land out that way used to be so beautiful. Forests and oceans and deserts. Everything you could imagine, all in one relatively small piece of land. Beautiful.” Kaelyn wouldn’t know, she had never gotten a chance to go there before the Disaster. If truth be told, that was such a stupid name for what happened, the Giant Mistake would probably fit better.
“You didn’t come here to talk about the old days, Shaina.”
“No, I didn’t, but do we always have to jump into the unpleasant things? So little good is left, I think we would all do better if we took time to remember when that wasn’t how things were.”
“Things weren’t perfect back then, the Disaster is proof of that.”
“You are far too cynical, child,” Shaina said, causing Kaelyn to bristle; she knows that the woman is no more than five years older than her.
“Why are you here, Shaina?” she demanded.
“She’s sick.”
Kaelyn’s world became a little unbalanced and she reached out for the wall to provide support. Shaina was talking about her mom, and sick only meant one thing now. There was only one type of sick, and no one ever got better. Kaelyn had left her mother in Shaina’s town, it had been easier for both of them at the time, the best choice, but she had been planning to bring her mom to her own town as soon as it was possible. Now…
“When?” Kaelyn managed to croak after several moments of silence.
“Two days ago, I came as fast as I could without leaving her alone.”
Two days, and it would take another day for Kaelyn and Shaina to go to the other town. The sickness only gave a week, at the very most. She picked up the bag that was still resting at her feet where she dropped it when Shaina startled her. She walked quickly down the empty street, in the direction of the glow, knowing Shaina would follow her.
Kaelyn entered her home, or what the four walls and a bed that loosely passed for a house now, and gasped, dropping her bag. A figure was standing by the window, the one that didn’t face towards the glow- a curtain rested permanently over that one-watching the stragglers hurry home as the sun flared bright orange, rivaling the opposite horizon. She flipped on the light; it had been a good week and the blackouts had been minimal, and recognized the figure of Shaina, a woman she had encountered frequently during the regional meetings and the two had struck up a loose friendship.
“What are you doing here?” Kaelyn asked cautiously. A part of her was afraid to hear the answer, Shaina’s town was closer to the glow than her own, but not by much. If they had been forced to evacuate, Kaelyn’s town would be next.
“Relax, it has not gotten closer,” Shaina said in her rough voice. Kaelyn knew that Shaina had suffered an injury of some sort in the early days and the gravelly tone was just one of the results. “It’s a shame,” she continued, “the land out that way used to be so beautiful. Forests and oceans and deserts. Everything you could imagine, all in one relatively small piece of land. Beautiful.” Kaelyn wouldn’t know, she had never gotten a chance to go there before the Disaster. If truth be told, that was such a stupid name for what happened, the Giant Mistake would probably fit better.
“You didn’t come here to talk about the old days, Shaina.”
“No, I didn’t, but do we always have to jump into the unpleasant things? So little good is left, I think we would all do better if we took time to remember when that wasn’t how things were.”
“Things weren’t perfect back then, the Disaster is proof of that.”
“You are far too cynical, child,” Shaina said, causing Kaelyn to bristle; she knows that the woman is no more than five years older than her.
“Why are you here, Shaina?” she demanded.
“She’s sick.”
Kaelyn’s world became a little unbalanced and she reached out for the wall to provide support. Shaina was talking about her mom, and sick only meant one thing now. There was only one type of sick, and no one ever got better. Kaelyn had left her mother in Shaina’s town, it had been easier for both of them at the time, the best choice, but she had been planning to bring her mom to her own town as soon as it was possible. Now…
“When?” Kaelyn managed to croak after several moments of silence.
“Two days ago, I came as fast as I could without leaving her alone.”
Two days, and it would take another day for Kaelyn and Shaina to go to the other town. The sickness only gave a week, at the very most. She picked up the bag that was still resting at her feet where she dropped it when Shaina startled her. She walked quickly down the empty street, in the direction of the glow, knowing Shaina would follow her.