Everything Lost

She raised the delicate chain up to look at the tarnished silver of the heart-shaped locket. The warm glow of the dusty sunset casting a dull, but still visible shine. Her eyes squinting; not from the light, but from the exhaustion, the heat that has become something of daily life. "I will find you," she whispered into the warm breeze before gently resting her lips on the fragile casing and tucking it back into her front right pocket.

Weary from the days distance traveled, Danny climbed into the rusty, gutted out engine bay of an almost destroyed semi-truck that was sitting on the side of the highway. She had tried to climb into the cab, but it was completely smashed in. Many cars and trucks line the sides of all the major roads. Most of them are either gutted, smashed, or just completely burned out.

This was the norm for the world she has known her whole life. Danny's parents and elder community members used to tell stories of life before. Before the world fell into darkness and everything turned to ash. For as long as she could remember, this is the way things were. Chaos... Many cities still burn.

Danny's family were the lucky ones. When the wars started, they were able to find shelter in the mountains; waiting out the seemingly endless fighting. Her father learned survival skills from his time in the military before the wars. When everything settled and most of the world had crumbled down, her parents and older sister, Shy, made their way out of the shelter in the mountains to see if there were any survivors.

Shy was only two when the wars started and five when they left their shelter in the mountains. The world had changed completely. There was death and destruction everywhere they turned. It took another four months on their own before they came across a community of survivors that welcomed them in.

After roughly two years there, Danny was born. She was the first baby born in the community since the wars ended. Her birth seemed to bring the community hope; hope for the future.

Shy and Danny spent their time as any child would, running around the community playing and making the most of the day. They were two of sixteen children in the community. All of the children were much older than Danny, and when they were old enough to help with the farming, guarding, and work around the community, Danny was left to play on her own.

Danny was alone. At least she thought she knew what it meant to be alone. Until one night, the largest group of raiders they had ever seen, came charging through their community. Destroying, murdering, and stealing everything in their path.

Danny's parents had dug a hole under the floor of their little shack in the far corner of the community. Her father made her hide under the floor before they left to help fight, "Stay here! Don't make a sound and don't come out until we come for you." Her mother kissed her forehead before they ran out the door. Shy turned to Danny, "Everything is gonna be ok, just go." Her smile fading as she ran out the door.

The endless screaming and yelling was everywhere. Gunshots rang out all around the community. Familiar voices calling out for help; her neighbors and friends were out there dying. Danny wanted to climb out and help, but she had never trained to fight; her parents wouldn't let her. Just when she was about to make her way out of the hole under the floor, the door to her family's shack was kicked in. She could hear the men stomping through the small rooms, flipping furniture and breaking dishes.

Holding her breath, trying not to cough from all the smoke and dust sifting through the floorboards onto her face. She tried to squeeze herself down, make herself smaller so that she wouldn't be noticed through the small openings between the boards. "Please just leave!" she kept screaming in her head. Finally, she heard the heavy booted footsteps leave through the door and stomp dully down the dirt road.

After what felt like forever, Danny couldn't wait any longer. All she could hear was the faint crackling sounds of fire. Climbing her way out of the makeshift pit, she coughed hard; there was smoke everywhere. The shack that her family lived in was ransacked but still standing. When she stepped out onto the street, she saw the fires, the whole community was burning to the ground.

Danny ran towards the center of the little town, stopping dead in her tracks... there were bodies everywhere. Everyone was dead. She found her parents, they were gunned down in the middle of the street. A rush of cold ran through her body, Shy...

In a panic, she took off, running through the community. She couldn't find Shy anywhere. She wasn't there. Danny started screaming for her, hoping she had found a place to hide out in the trees. Praying that she was out there somewhere. Shy never responded.

Her voice strained, her eyes burning from the smoke and tears, her body shaking and sore from running and searching; she fell to the ground just outside the busted gates. Everyone was gone... she had no one left.

A glint of light hit the corner of her eye. Slowly turning her head as her gaze fell on a small silver heart the lay in the dirt. Danny knew in an instant that was the locket her mother gave to Shy. It must have been ripped off during some struggle. "They took her," she whispered hoarsely to herself as she reached for the necklace. A seething rage boiled inside, they took everything from her.

A backpack stuffed with anything she could find, matches, whatever food the raiders didn't find, a few makeshift tools; she slung it over her shoulder after grabbing her fathers machete from the shed. She made her way to where her parents lay, whispered her goodbyes and set course to find Shy. Seventeen and alone, she had no idea what she was going to do, all she knew is that she had to find her sister.