"Why?" I asked myself aloud. "Why am I so alone?" I have lived in this small, claustrophobic apartment my whole life. The yellow wallpaper was faded, and the floor was in need of a mop. The shelves and television were covered in a light blanket of dust, while the sunbeams were hidden by old ragged curtains. Dishes from weeks ago still sat in the sink, and my clothes were laying on the floor. I got up off the couch and looked in the mirror. Brown hair framed my face, while the multiple ear piercings stuck out of my hair from underneath. I had stubble and could probably use a shave. Bags lingered under my eyes. I hadn't caught a wink of sleep in days. I pulled on my denim jacket and shut the door behind me.
The city streets greeted me. It was all too familiar. Trash, smoke, exhaust, fast food and mystery smells caught my nose immediately. The garbage truck must have broken down. Trash lined the streets when it should have been picked up hours ago. I felt a soft tap on my head and looked up. Dark ominous clouds were looming overhead, threatening to burst, daring the sun to try and shine. More taps came down upon my face, cold and wet. A light rain started to pitter patter against the streets and buildings washing away the evil things man does.
I asked myself again, "Why?" I had a pretty good life growing up. My friends and I all agreed we would stay in touch once we left high school. We promised each other that just because we were going separate ways didn't mean we couldn't stay friends. When we did go our separate ways though we only stayed in touch for a few days. Now we couldn't be bothered to even give a passing glance if we saw each other. Those goons were never good at much. I was surprised when they actually made it into college. Those lazy slackers. I wonder if they're homeless yet? It's been three years since I last saw any of them. We made such a promise. It felt like we had sworn blood oaths. Why then, am I alone? Why was I far off and lost from those who I once thought were so precious? Where were those people I loved? Love. What a word. The only true definition of love is a useless feeling that betrays us in the end. I wish the rain could wash that away.
Suddenly I became aware of my surroundings. The puddles of water were becoming flooding pools. I was on an old bridge. Moss and algae clung to it while bits and pieces were broken away. I sat down in a sheltered hole and figured I'd wait for the rain to let up. I stared into the water and wondered what kind of life I would have had if I stayed behind. So many friends. Girls I loved were all lost causes, and guys I befriended all betrayed our promise. I wondered if I had stayed behind if my fate would have been different. I must have dozed off. The rain had stopped, the sun was shining, and any sign of a rainbow had long since vanished. I got up and started to walk back the way I came.
I have been in this city for most of my adult life. I know it quite well. This was the first time ever that I had gotten lost. The streets I walked down were empty. No sign of cars, nor people for that matter. Buildings were broken down and covered in moss, vines, grass, flowers--purple, red, yellow, and orange shimmering vibrantly in the sun. One building was so broken down that the side of it now had a creek running through it with multiple small waterfalls tumbling over bricks and debris.
I saw a glint of something metal under some moss and walked over to it. I started picking the moss off and realized it was numbers partially rusted over. I read "1294." My
jaw dropped almost immediately. I stared in disbelief. Here, right in front of me, was my apartment building all broken and covered in earth. What in god's name had happened during that storm? How long was I asleep? My stomach rumbled, and I remembered the reason why I went out in the first place, to pick up some groceries. I obviously wasn't getting back into my apartment anytime soon.
I wandered a little down the street and I came to a tree, quite large with ripe, plump, shining red apples. I picked one and bit into it. It was the most delicious thing I
think I've ever eaten. It was juicy, flavorful, with exactly the right amount of crunch. It was so good I was tempted to eat more. Instead I dropped the apple core, sat down, and leaned my back against the tree. That's when I noticed the tiniest hint of pale beige under what must have been hundreds of vines. I tried to clear away the vines, and just as I was about to give up, an arm, long and slender, shot out and gripped my arm. I pulled back afraid of what it might be, but soon I found myself clearing away the vines as fast as I could. I now had a reason to. Whatever these vines were hiding was human and alive. I was not in this deserted city alone.
I soon found myself helping up a girl. Her skin was pale from lack of sunlight and dirt was caked under her fingernails and stained her clothes. She was quite skinny and looked about my age. Her black hair was tangled with a vine, and it lay on her back loosely. She looked at me with her brown confused eyes full of questions and hugged me. "Thank you…Jacob," she said in a soft voice. I was aghast. "You're welcome," I managed to reply. How did she know my name?
It was quite a hassle, but we managed to get into my apartment. The vines had trailed in and with it came moss, flowers, and some unknown weeds. Where yellow wallpaper used to hang was now moldy wallboard. The curtains and rods had fallen from the windows. Sunlight streamed in and showed a broken television and rotting floorboards. Water trickled through one section of the floor. I opened up the fridge--still no food, although the inside was rotting away. I sighed and slammed the door shut.
I looked over to see what the girl was doing. Using what was left of a broken mirror and some rusty scissors she was cutting her hair. "There," she said, "That looks much better." She was right. Her hair looked quite lovely short. She looked over to me and gave me a soft smile. Then it hit me, hard like a hammer. "Ce-Celia!?" I stuttered in shock. Celia was my old friend. We went to the same elementary school, but she was never in any of my classes. She and I were friends, but when all the elementary schools joined into one big middle school I completely lost track of her. I realized that may have been one of my first mistakes. She shook out one of the curtains and wrapped it around her slender body. She looked good in red. She sat down on the couch while I went back to the tree to fetch some more apples. We obviously were not going to eat anything in that fridge of mine. When I got back I tossed her one. She caught it and stared at it. I took a chunk out of mine and ate it. Once again the apple had my full attention, and I was wondering if apples always tasted this good when picked fresh. Something leaned on my shoulder, something quite heavy actually. Celia had fallen asleep. I wiggled her onto my lap and hugged her tightly protecting her from whatever this world had turned into. I too, soon had fallen asleep.
I was woken by the usual honking of car horns refusing to be late to wherever they where going, people walking finding that it was faster than driving, and a garbage truck finally rumbling by. I looked around to find my apartment quite a disaster. Dishes sat in the sink begging to be washed, the floor pleading to be swept, my clothes yearning for my closet. Was that all a dream? I realized I was still holding Celia in my arms with the curtain being used as a blanket. I gently set her on the couch and got up. I picked an apple off the floor and looked at it. Whatever happened may have been a dream, but then where had these apples come from? Why was Celia in my apartment? I tried to forget these questions brewing in my head and got to work washing the dishes. I heard a soft groan from Celia. I walked over to her while I dried my hands. I smiled and kissed her forehead. For the first time in a long while I was glad to face the day. Starting now I wouldn't have to walk this world alone.