She Who Is Alone

Sola, she who is alone. A young woman struggling to make sense of what is left moves through the tunnels underneath a city turned upside down. The putrid smell of chemicals and dead rodents didn’t bother her anymore, in fact most of her senses had acclimated to life underground. Her mind though, often dreamt of the days she used to spend sitting in the sun on soft, deep green grass watching dogs play and kids pluck dandelions as if they were the most beautiful flower they had ever seen. She missed those days. It had been just over a year since a virus took over the world in a rapid and unstoppable sweep. If you were infected, you were gone. Or at least your mind was, your body moved through the overgrown ruins of the surface looking for warm blood. The world had turned into a real-life zombie movie, and the survivors were forced to move underneath the cities they once called home. Almost everyone here was alone, they knew each other only from passing glances and trading for supplies. Most had lost their families to the virus like Sola had. All she had of them now was her mothers’ necklace, she kept it around her neck for good luck. She clutched the heart shaped locket in her hand as she reminisced about life before the pandemic took over. Above her was a sewer cover, and in front of her the steel ladder that led to it. Everyday she wished for the strength to go up those steps and fight for her home. She longed to see the sun again but winced at the thought of what her city might look like now. Sola never thought of herself as brave, she always sat back when the chance to stand up presented itself. There was a cash of weapons in the tunnels in case anything ever happened, each day she walked by them she picked one out and taught herself how to use it. She knew there were people on the surface already fighting off the infected and she tried every day to build up the courage to go help them, maybe then she wouldn’t feel so alone. Sola let go of the locket and let it rest against her chest, she looked up at the cover and took a deep breath. Today she thought. Today she was going to go up there. She reached beside her for her pistol, it had become her favorite out of everything she had tried. Her bag was already packed with a handful of other weapons she was comfortable with, the little bit of food she had saved up, and medicine she had traded food for. She felt ready today, her body took over as the adrenaline started to rush through her. One foot in front of the other on the thin steel steps she reached the only thing between her and the fresh air. Without a second thought she reached up and pushed the cover aside letting the sun in and she winced as the light hit her eyes, making them water. She pulled herself up and scrambled out of the tunnel to let the air and the sun hit her skin. With her arms stretched out wide she spun around taking in the world around her. Plants were starting to grow over buildings, animals walked down city sidewalks. Sola smiled at the thought of nature reclaiming the land now that all the people were gone. After taking her moment, Sola slung her bag over her shoulder and started to walk. Her body reacting to every small sound and sudden movement as she walked, she was aware of the danger and her mind refused to relax. Things up here were definitely different, it was almost a culture shock compared to the life of gasmasks and dim lighting she had become accustomed to in the tunnels. In this light she could really see how dirty her skin was, and in passing shop windows she could see how her dark hair had become stuck to her head with grease. It felt good to be out, but at the same time she couldn’t shake the anxiety in the pit of her stomach. As she walked along what used to be a busy downtown street she felt her mothers necklace tapping against her chest in a rhythm almost like a heartbeat and that’s when she heard it. The most horrible, guttural sound she had ever heard. Sola stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the infected in front of her, she had never actually seen one before. Blood bubbled from its mouth as it moved towards her slowly, she had always thought they would be fast but in this moment she was glad that they weren’t. All those days of sitting around trying to work up the courage and now that she was here she didn’t know what to do. She started to back away slowly but kept her eyes on the infected. Sola never thought she was capable of standing up for herself but in this moment she remembered how her mom used to tell her how strong she was, and how she had so much more power in her than she knew. She held the locket between her fingers and stopped moving backwards. She knew she couldn’t run anymore; it was time to move forward. She raised her arm and pointed the pistol ahead of her, surprised by how steady she was. She wasn’t going to hide anymore, and she wasn’t going to be afraid anymore. This was her city, not theirs. She pulled the trigger and watched the infected drop to the ground. Briefly taken back by what she had just done she looked around, there was no one there to see it. She kept walking, more assured in her stride. Something already felt different, she felt stronger, more like herself. Maybe her mom was right after all this time. Sola, she who is alone, but she who is brave takes on the new world ready to make it her own.