Treasured Hopes

I walked through the wasteland that was once verdant park-lands. Where trees once stood were charred remains with the occasional trunk of a tree still standing, blackened hollows and bare, much like the land they stood upon, wizened fingers pointing towards the blue sky.

There was no more grass, only dry and desolate soil, devoid of life. I ran my fingers through the dry and dusty soil, yearning to feel the gentleness of the blades of grass and flowers. Where I could once smell flowers and the freshness of the earth, I was now met with the acrid stench of death and decay.

Our world had suffered so much because of us and all we were left with was a barren land where nothing grew or lived. I despaired for what once was. As I was lost in thought, crouched down and still running my fingers through the almost dusty soil, my hand nearly withdrew quickly after being startled and hitting something solid buried just under the surface. I gently brushed away the soil and saw something small and shiny protruding out of the earth. I picked it up and held it closer to inspect it.

I was holding a silver heart shaped locket, big and chunky. It looked like it had seen better days. The front of it had a small, delicate engraving of a flower and the other side remained smooth, although a little dented. It was still beautiful, and the only piece of jewellery I had seen in over seven years.

What had happened? Well, the earth could stand it no longer and gave up on humanity, on everything. The earth had seemed to come alive in an anger that was uncontrollable. Volcanoes had simultaneously erupted around the world, the grounds had quaked and opened, swallowing as much life as it could from the surface. By the time the Great Disasters had ended, everything was still. There were no more lush forests and jungles, no more animals, no more green. Everything was gone, the Earth’s way of telling us we were no longer welcome and waiting for the rest of us to die out. The few of us that survived were no longer strong enough to call ourselves a civilisation. Humanity was spent. All I could think of was the fact that we had brought it upon ourselves. We had wrought our own destruction.

The wasteland that I crouched in was once a park I had played in as a child. There was still evidence of the dried-up lake that used to be the centre of the park. The soil was cracked, thirsting for the water it once held. As my fingers closed around the locket I stood and pocketed it. I would keep it as a reminder. I could hear shrieks and whoops in the distance, no doubt the sounds of the Returned roaming the lands, searching the surrounding areas for humans to feed on.

Time to go, I thought. I’d lingered too long. Hoisting my backpack over my shoulder, I made for the rusted and broken remainder of the gate on the other side of the now dried-up lake. I holstered the small pistol I was carrying, placing it in the holster that was attached to my thigh. It was out of the way there and I could focus on walking without it getting in the way. I continued to hold the large serrated knife in my hand, keeping it out in case the need arose to use it.

I had spent the better part of my day hunting down resources to take back to the camp. The camp only consisted of the six of us now, and it wasn’t really a camp, it was the top floor of an old school building. We’d gotten really lucky. We’d found food, running water, the back-up generators still worked and there was a ‘lost property’ room containing all manner of useful things. Sure, most of the clothes were for small teenagers but there was still plenty for the more petite women in the group to choose from, including me.

By the time I’d made it back, the sun had set and I was a little worn out from the sprinting I had done to get there before the dark settled in. The shrieks of the Returned had been drawing closer and I knew better than to dawdle. I stopped outside the large metal fencing, complete with electrified barbed wire at the top, breathing hard. I could see Julia racing to the small booth at the entrance of the fence, rushing to power down the fence to let me in. She was holding a 9mm pistol in one hand and her eyes darted as she made her way into the booth quickly.

I could see Julia grin a moment later as she looked up from the control panel in the booth and threw me a thumbs-up. I was always tentative about touching something that had previously had a high voltage zapping through it and it showed because I caught Julia rolling her eyes at me and waving her hand back and forth, prompting me to haul ass and move faster.

“Trying to will that gate open with the Force, are you?” Julia laughed.

I squinted at her. “What do you know about Star Wars? I’m sure that was way before your time, you’re too young to know about that.”

She just chuckled as I made my way into the school grounds. We had made sure to reactivate the settings so that the gates were armed again. The last time some of the Returned had gotten through we had lost a few people, so now we were down to the six of us. I told Julia I’d catch up with her and the others later and made my way to my room, a disused staff room at the far end of the top floor. I chose this room because it was further away from the others, because I valued the quiet it provided, away from the daily din of everyone else.

Once I had made it, I sat myself down on the small camp bed, throwing my backpack onto the floor next to my feet. I felt something poke me in the side of my leg and remembered the locket, nestled in my pocket. I took it out and stared at it. The hinge was a little stiff but I managed to pry the locket open. I gasped.

Inside the locket were a small handful of seeds. I had no idea what kind, but they were the first seen in over seven years. I closed the locket quickly and put it back in my pocket. This was big. This was the potential start of bringing the Earth back to life. Tears came to my eyes as I could picture green fields once again, trees and flowers in full bloom, the sun shining and the sounds of water splashing gently. But the question that remained was, where would I plant them? Where would be safe enough to bring life back? Could we? There was a fire that had begun to burn in my heart, a desire to life returned anew.

The first thing we had to take care of was the Returned. There was no telling how many there were, and where exactly they came from. All I know is they were once human, swallowed by the Earth. But upon coming back, they were something else, something vicious and mutated.

I made my way to the room we all used as a common sitting area, clutching the locket. They wouldn’t believe it unless they saw. I held the Treasured Hope in my hands, the belief building in my heart and soul that all was not lost. We could bring it all back. As I walked into the room, everyone quietened. By default, they had somehow decided that I was in charge. I didn’t think I was capable of running anything, but having lives in my hands meant I had to make decisions to keep them safe.

I held my hand open so they could see the locket before I opened it. I didn’t say anything as a tear made its way down my face while I pried open the locket again. I showed them our future.