After the War

She moved through the rubble brushing the dirty tears from her face, she wondered out loud, how she would move forward. It is unfathomable, everything is gone, everyone is gone. Her orbit empty.

Just a month ago, people were celebrating a new party, a new beginning. When it happened, an underground rebellion attacking: first small towns, moving along with great stealth. You were either with them or against them. There wasn’t any real leadership, only crazed, unmitigated hate for everything.

Their numbers, destruction grew. They lost people, but mostly they killed anyone, everything in their path; consumed with hate and power. A power they neither understood or could control. It wasn’t long and the streets were desolate. The infrastructure from the electric grid to a road less traveled, became, untravellable.

As she continued to navigate the unrecognizable landscape she heard a sound. She hadn’t seen a breathing animal or person for days. She paused, listened, from under what used to be a carport, came a dog. He was weak, but surviving, somehow. She kneeled down, he approached with caution, but with urgency. He was as happy to see her as she was him. As she stroked his head, she notices a copper chain twist-tied on his neck, attached to the chain was a silver locket, in the shape of heart. The locket hadn’t been opened for some time and she struggled at first. The dog’s name, Valor, which means “courage.” It was in this moment she knew, Valor was meant to be with her, on the opposite side of the heart was the picture of a man, and a number. At first she thought it was a phone number, or tag number, or chip number. Doesn’t matter.. the very infrastructure of life as they knew it was gone. The mystery of where the dog came from, he’d been through it. The man, was he still alive? Valor seemed to be searching or seeking someone. Only time would tell. She knew they needed each other as darkness fell.

Nights after the civil war were darker than dark. What was left, the few people and animals, were fighting for scraps they could find.

Starla never was a very deep sleeper. Valor close by and his large dog body next to her, she slept deeper than she had in a month. When the sun came up, Valor moved he startled her peace. Taking mental inventory of their environment the vicinity of any other animals or people. She decided she would try to go East. In her mind, East held the country side. As she stood up she saw a bag and moved toward it. It wasn’t in the direction that Valor wanted her to go. He stepped in front of her to stop her. She picked up the bag and a rodent ran out. She turned around to head back east and Valor seemed pleased. He would run ahead and run back. He never did get too far ahead or let Starla out of his sight.