--horizon--

I look forward at the horizon. I can now see the distorted shapes of buildings there. I try not to shiver, to keep the odd chill off my back, but it still passes though me. It such a feeling of trepidation. I have never felt so apprehensive about anything in my life. And all it is, is the horizon. The knowledge that there at the horizon there are buildings, and there is no one in them. No one alive.

I sigh discontentedly unwilling to let myself feel the relief that soon I may be off this world. Soon I may have a chance. Six hours, that is all I need. That is the distance between here and there. I walk. Letting my feet hit the ground in a relaxed pace. There is no need to hurry. No need for my feet to move any faster.

Calm and slow is good. I let my breathing follow the pace of my feet. I let my arms swing at my sides. I can almost see myself whistling a happy tune. And this brings a smile to my face. My heart feels just a little bit lighter, better than it has since my master died.

I smile a little bit wider as I think about the past, about all the good times and even some of the bad. Strangely they do not bring tears to my eyes. Maybe I am starting to heal. Maybe as the sent of death fades the memories that bring such pain fade too.

But I don't want to heal. I don't want to feel better. I don't want to live. I don't want to look forward towards the future. I just wish… no sense wishing. Just stop thinking about it Kenobi. I laugh at myself. Yep I have defiantly gone crazy. I smile at how ironic it all is.

Then again. It isn't in the slightest bit ironic. For irony means that there is humor in it. And there is nothing humorous about my situation. No, nothing to laugh at today. Just a half smile. A thought of a memory. I chuckle quietly to myself. why is it so funny.

Shaking my head I pull myself out of my thoughts. I need to get moving. The spaceport is not too far off and I want to be there before sunset. Sighing I break into a medium paced jog.

---Spaceport---

The air stinks. It is my only thought as I get closer and closer to the port city. Taking a deep breath I take my first step into the city limits. There is a strange electric current flowing down my spine. It makes me gasp. My entire body convulsing with the current of this energy. But I do not know what it is. yes I know what it is, it is the force, strong and still alive. I raise an eyebrow as it subsides into a mild current. Strangely it is comforting.

I wiggle my noise wishing that I wasn't capable of smelling. There is something to be had of the species without noses. Than again, there probably isn't any sentients left without noses. Just me, Alone here in this dead city. On this dead world. Dead galaxy.

I need to get out of here.

I walk down the street. The roads are empty, for this I am glad. Empty streets grant me some serenity, at least this way I don't have to look at any of the bodies that I know are there. I don't have to see them. I can just let them disappear form my mind. I can just be.

My feet hit the pavement with a sort of clunk clunk sound. The rhythm is soothing, calming, relaxing. I stop looking at the sign just to the right of me. There is a grocery store there. My stomach grumbles at the thought of food. It has been over a day since I last ate. I should go in there. Find something.

I walk up to the entrance, stepping over the broken glass that had at one point made up the front window. This place had been ransacked badly, but I know that there is still supplies in there that can be useful to me. The violence that broke out when the plague got bad enough was merely violence. There wasn't much point to it. They would smash in windows tear things apart but in all reality they wouldn't do anything. Just damage everything they could. There was so much anger then. Everyone, the healthy and the sick, where angry.

The riots where just the expression of the anger. No one wanted to be sad, no one had time to be. except me, I was sad. I was heart broken. They where all dieing. There wasn't any point in trying to preserve the world. All they wanted was to destroy. I wish I could have had that feeling.

I just sat there next to Qui-Gon feeling sad for myself. Having a pity party. Qui-Gon's breath just got fainter and fainter and I sat there feeling sad for myself. Because I was loosing my Master, the life that I had worked so hard to have. The life that I had come so close to loosing so many times. Well its gone now. Everything is gone.

Frustrated I kick at a pile of cans laying on the floor. Tripping and falling to the ground as I try to kick a second can. "Mrufh." I cry out wordlessly as I grab one of the cans and throw it at a nearby display. The crash seems to satisfy me. I feel angry, not sad, not depressed, but angry.

Smiling I laugh almost hysterically. Strangely it is funny to me. I just continue to laugh as I lay down on the cold floor. This is funny. This is so sad and pathetic that it has reached the point of being funny. I go on for some time like this.

Soon my stomach is growling again and I am reminded of why I came in there in the first place. Getting up I dust myself off. "Well," I say to myself. "Time to go shopping."

Grabbing a cart I walk down the aisles. humming quietly to myself as I grab anything that is still good and doesn't require and actual preparation. Soon the cart if half filled with food stuff. I also throw in a couple jugs of juice. Feeling content with my choices I exit the store. Pushing the cart in front of me.

As I walk down the street I notice many stores. Many had been vandalized during the riots. Some of Street was entirely destroyed by fire. The destruction doesn't bother me much. It isn't as if I haven't seen building destroyed before. They are just building they don't mean much at all. Not to me anyway.

I find myself passing a sporting goods store and stop. Looking inside through the window I notice some blankets and a small portable stove sitting on a shelf. Giving a half lopsided smile. I walk up to the door. Oddly it is locked. Frowning I tap on the glass seeing how think it might be. It isn't thick at all.

I only wonder for an instant why this store hasn't been broken into, but soon that wonder fades as I look for something to smash the glass with. Up the street a ways I notice a crashed landspeeder. Around it there is plenty of debris.

Running up to the landspeeder I grab one of the small boulders that has fallen from the building the 'speeder crashed into. I regret not using the cart to haul the heavy rock back, but as I throw the rock into the glass and listed to the load crash, I feel strangely satisfied. How many chances do Jedi get to smash in windows.

The final bits of glass fall from the window as I make my way within. Quickly I grab two of the blankets and one of the portable cook tops , along with some fuel for the cook top. I exit out and place them in my cart, returning into the store.

The deeper I go into the store the more uneasy I feel. I feel those eyes on me again. That darkness that was following me before is near. I shiver. I need to get out of here. Turning, I start to exit the store.

Movement

In the corner of my eye I see movement, a few items on a shelf shaking. Turning my head I see the object shake again. "Hello?" I ask " anyone there?" there is some shuffling. More sound, more objects shaking. "hello?" I ask again, as I feel the little hairs on my arm rise. I turn back into the store, following the direction of the shaking objects. "Anyone there?" I ask again, silently wishing that I had just left the store, that I hadn't noticed the movement in the corner of my eye, that I could just leave this cold place behind.

Ok, one more call, then ill just check it out, there wont be anything there. Then I can just leave, no harm no fowl, right? Right. no not right, wrong. You know, Kenobi you know there is something there. Right. "Hello? come on if you are there. Make yourself known."

I take a few steps forward, deeper into the store. Shivering I feel the cold sickness return to me. I turn expecting something to be there. Expecting to see the cold dark monster that must be following me. But there is only air. Cold Air. I take a step back. And stop.

This isn't right. I am a Jedi, fear is not an issue. I can deal with fear. Come On Kenobi, The force is on your side. not today, not since… release your fear. Release the fear. Nodding, I take a breath in. "I release my fear!" I shout out, letting all the tension in my body dissipate into nothingness until all I feel is nothingness.

At least nothing is safe. Light and dark carry emotions, nothing, carries nothing. When you can't be somewhere else. At least nothing will let you continue on with your day. It may be a thin line to walk. Nothing, its so close to the dark, sitting right next to it. The border between good and bad. As long as I do not step over the line I am safe.

Closing my eyes I continue to where I saw the movement. Once I reach the aisle I open my eyes. There is nothing there, no one. Just boxes of food. Looking around I notice, the door at the back is swung out. Someone is here!

I run, and make my way to the door. Opening it further until I can pass my body threw it.

There, standing right in the middle of the back parking lot is a young boy. And he is staring back at me.

"Who are you?" I ask.