"Come find me"

A prevailing sense of hopelessness permeated everything down to the atoms in the faint breeze that whisked by the structures outside. The world that existed before was nothing but a dream. The color palette of the vibrant community and bustling town filled with loving families had disappeared. The color was sucked out of the world, and everything was blanketed in shades of characterless grey and dull blacks. Nobody ever cracked jokes or smiled. The seasons all became nonexistent, and the world became one long winter except it was ash, not snow, perpetually falling from above. The world before seemed to have never existed. The government that once promised paradise left us to waste away, and so did Grace’s mom.

Grace was 17, and as far back as she could remember, this was the way life has always been. Nobody really lived here. They all just existed. Scavenging for food, living in dilapidated housing or abandoned buildings, and being alert in case the black army decided to show up. This world was devoid of hope.

Grace sighed. “Gotta get something to eat.”

She rolled over out of the makeshift bed, fully dressed, grabbed her bookbag, and headed to the stairwell. There was a rickety railing and missing stairs, so it took some acrobatics to get to the bottom. Grace liked it that way so nobody could ever sneak in on her while she slept. Plus, she was a light sleeper, so a slight disturbance in the airflow pattern would wake her up.

When she got to the bottom staircase, she removed the bags of sand in front of the door and proceeded to unlock the eight different locks.

Grace opened the door. “One way in, one way out.” She mumbled to herself as she always did.

The street was a little noisier than usual, but this was a market day. Today was the one day a week people set up shop in the main square to trade goods and services. Growing your own food wasn’t an option because the soil was poison. Instead, everything edible was made by machines, and nutrients were stuffed into a protein loaf. Water was at a premium because it was so hard to come by, and the Black Army hoarded most of it.

Grace saw the market as a necessary evil to survive. She hated coming to this mass gathering of people. Too many eyes. Too open. Too many voices.

“Seen a newcomer today!”

“Water for sale!”

“Lookin’ for a handyman!”

“Food for tools! Anyone?”

“Hey, I got some tools!”

Then someone grabbed Grace's leg. When Grace looked down, it became clear she wasn’t in the right mind. She was wearing goggles, her hair was fully exposed to the ash, she wore ripped pants for a shirt and a shirt and pants. She was drooling, her fingernails were haggard, and she was on the ground in the middle of the market. People had been stepping on or over her all day.

“Please help me! I haven’t had no water in 2 days. My family is dying left and right!” The woman screamed at her.

Grace snatched her leg back. “You’re gonna get hurt doin’ stuff like that,” she paused “Where’s your family now?”

The woman pointed. “Oh, just up the road there.”

“Okay, how’s about I go there and see how much everyone needs this week? That way you don-”

“No! Just get me some water!” She interrupted.

Grace stared at the woman for a moment because something was off about her. She was scared of something. Not of Grace, but of whatever was waiting for her back where she lived. Grace noticed the markings on her stomach and knew she had to help this woman. She was in a bad situation.

“Do you need help?” Grace asked.

The look in Grace’s eyes let the woman know that she understood what was going on. She looked terrified.

Grace knelt down, and the woman shed a silent tear.

“There are six of them, and they’ve got my kids. If I don’t do what they say, they’ll do awful things to my two boys! I don’t know what else to do.” She whispered.

Grace sighed. “Point to the building again.”

She did, and Grace walked calmly over to the building door. She breathed deeply and entered the building. Then, 15 minutes later, Grace came out with two little boys in tow. Grace walked the boys over to their mother.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! I-I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Just keep these boys safe. That’s enough for me.”

“Thank you so mu-” then she noticed Grace’s face.

“You’re bleeding? Are you okay!?”

Grace kept a straight face. “None of those people will be a problem ever again. Take care of those boys.”

Grace looked at the boys and then walked on into the market. Grace watched the disheveled woman stand up, usher the boys forward, and disappear into the crowd. Grace was about to turn and carry on with her day, but as she turned, there was a glint of something shiny that caught her eye. It was on the ground as plain as day. Other people were consumed by all the market commotion, so Grace walked over and grabbed the item.

“A locket? This must be that lady’s,” Grace thought.

As she scanned her surroundings, the lady and her two boys were gone.

“Maybe I’ll see her again?”

But she really hoped not.

“I’ll keep it for now.”

Then Grace turned and continued her journey through the market. As she walked on, her thoughts drifted and what she did for that woman replayed in her head.

She had just reached building 18, and the smell was already seeping through the door. It was a heavy pungent odor. There were only a few types of people that carried this odor. Those who worked in the field burning bodies, rotting corpses, and the worst kind of people: cannibals. Grace knew what had to be done.

She walked up a flight of stairs, following where the odor got stronger and stopped at the door 27. Listening through the door, she could hear the commotion.

“Where’s that bitch with the water!”

“I don’t know, but it’s been 30 minutes.”

“Got damnit. You! Go see what’s taken her!”

“Aww, c’mon, why me?”

“Get your stupid ass up and go get her before we make you our next meal.”

“Ugh. Fine. I’ll be right back.”

Grace knew that this person was coming out of door 27 soon, so she pulled out the switchblade from her book bag and backed into a dark corner.

The man opened the door and closed it behind himself but didn’t lock it. As he turned to walk towards the stairs, Grace was already upon him with her knife thrust through the soft tissue under his jaw. His body went limp instantly, and Grace caught him as to not make a ruckus.

Grace had to be quick because she wasn’t sure how many others were in the building. She placed her ear to the door, and after not hearing anything, she slowly opened the door. There were two of them sitting on the couch dozing off. Grace snuck over and slit both their throats before they knew what was happening.

She heard a voice from the kitchen.

“Man, I’d wish they’d hurry up. I want some damn water.”

He was standing over a filthy sink, and Grace crept over.

“Gotta take a leak,” he said, standing up straight to turn around.

A knife was in the base of his skull instantly, and he fell to the floor hard. Knocking over some pots and pans filled with old cooking residue.

“Harold, what the fuck are you doing in there!?” A voice rang out from the back.

When Harold didn’t answer, the voice came to investigate. The knife was lodge in place, so Grace pulled out the bat from her book bag. When the voice came to investigate, she was shocked, and she gasped.

“Oh My God! Jim-”

Grace smashed the bat into her foot then immediately up into her chin. The heavyset woman stumbled back and had just begun to regain herself when Grace’s bat slammed into her temple. She slumped to the floor, knocking open a closet door revealing weaponry. Grace heard fast-moving footsteps and grabbed the black machete she saw.

Jimmy had entered the kitchen. “You’re gonna die.”

But Jimmy was off-balance, and Grace quickly ducked his attacks, spun around him, and cut his Achilles’ tendons in one motion. He hollered in agony.

“Where are the Kids?” Grace asked calmly.

“I ain’t telling you shit!”

Grace stabbed through his hand.

“Where” then she twisted the machete. “Are the kids?”

“Ahhh! Okay! They in the backroom closet. Jesus!”

“Thank you.”

Grace went to the hallway and moved the first body to the couch. Then went for the children.

When she reached the closet, she opened the door and knelt down.

She forced a smile. “Y’all bout ready to go?”

They both shook their heads yes. Then, Grace caught a glimpse of herself in the broken mirror. She looked just like her mother.

Back in the market, Grace was almost done for the day, but she needed water. So she went to the table as the stand was closing up.

“Can I get a ration of water?” Grace asked.

“Sorry shutting down for the day.”

“Please! I had to handle a serious situation.”

“Come back next week, girl.”

Grace was beginning to turn away.

“Aw, Don’t be like that, Rex. Give the girl a Ration!”

Rex stopped and sighed. “What do I get out of this?”

“I got extra food rations.”

“Fine. Here you go, girl.” Rex said, tossing Grace the water bottle.

She caught it and nodded her head, then she turned to the boy who helped her.

“Thank you. I don’t have anything to repay you with, though.”

“That’s alright.”

“Well… again. Thanks.”

“No problem, I’m sure we will see each other again.”

Grace frowned her face, and her suspicions began to rise. Finally, the man smiled and threw up his hands.

“I mean no harm… The name’s Lucas, by the way.”

And without another word, Lucas turned swiftly and walked away. Grace paused, then did the same nodding at Rex on the way out of the market.

When Grace finally got home, she dropped everything she was carrying but the water and laid in the bed. She had a strange habit of pointing her feet straight up in the air, and today was no different. Except today, something she had forgotten about slipped out of her left pants pocket.

DING!

The noise startled Grace and sent her into a small panic until she realized what happened.

“That locket.”

Grace rolled over and sat on the edge of her bed. When she grabbed the locket, she felt the cold metal on her palms and fingertips.

She rotated in her hand. “It’s kinda’ heavy, and it’s shaped like a heart. Like a real heart. That’s unusual.”

She felt around the grooves of the locket.

“Now how do you op- OUCH!”

As she attempted to find an opening, she felt a prink in her pointer finger. It scared Grace more than hurt. The locket fell to the floor and opened slowly. Grace picked it up off the floor and almost dropped it again after seeing what was inside.

Inside the locket was a note with some numbers at the end.

“My child, now that this message has found you.

Come find me. I have so much to show you. – Mom”

64°19’05” N 096°01’03” W

Unbeknownst to Grace, there was trouble outside her window.

HISS!

“You better have good news,” said a voice through the radio.

“I’m looking at her right now. The locket is open!”

“TAKE HER NOW, LUCAS!”

“With pleasure.”

Lucas kicks through the glass to grab Grace, but on the wall is scribbled

“Speak softer.”

“Damnit.” mumbled Lucas.