Mother Doomsday

-February 26, 3023

January 11 was the day my life, and the lives of many others, changed without warning. The day that families were torn apart, and left to pick the pieces up of what was now our "lives". For some, they'd lost all hope and struggled to survive this new world we now live in. Others had what it takes to survive, they knew they had to sacrifice and build from what they had. Some were on a mission to find their families.

I am one of them.

My name is Eleanor Jade, I'm thirty years old and I am on a mission to find my family. I have two children who went on vacation before the collapse of civilization and when communication lines were cut, I lost contact with them. I will stop at nothing to bring them home.

I carry this heart locket with their picture in it as I trek across what used to be our country, our world. Everything so dull and deserted. It's a lonely road. So quiet and still. Nothing but the wind and dust to keep you company.

I learned how to salvage and scavenge at a young age, so I feel like I was always prepared for a moment like this. I just didn't expect to be separated from the reason I even exist. My babies.

So now I'm a mother on a mission to rescue the lives she created.

-March 3, 3023

I'm traveling solo and I'm quite used to this loneliness by now. It's a familiar place. I only wish it was under better circumstances, and that I had my babies safe in my arms. But that day will come again. Each step I take brings me closer and closer to them. The vision of them playing and running plays through my mind always. They are my life, my home, my sanctuary.

The world we knew is now desolate, the echoes of what used to be are scattered throughout the empty towns and playgrounds. How did we get here? How did humanity crash so hard? Will it ever be the way it was? How can we survive this new world? We fight to stay alive, fight for a better future, to be a part of something. Something safe and secure. But when moments like this happen, we're left to fend for ourselves. Everyone turns on each other, you can't trust anyone. Fear can sometimes bring out the worst in people. I've seen it far too many times. I've lost many, I've left many. Now it's just me, and soon, my children.

-March 8, 3023

This sudden collapse changed everything. You get to see who has what it takes, and who doesn't. People tend to lose their minds under pressure and in stressful situations, you have to keep a clear focus and STAY focused. I'm focused on my mission and I won't let anyone get in my way. I do what I need to so that I can survive, and be reunited with my little loves once and for all.

As I walk, day in and day out, I find the fight for survival gets easier. You become more accustomed to these new ways of living, of surviving. I find myself better prepared for what could happen, I keep my mind sharp and I'm always on alert. You find out pretty quickly in trying times who you can and cannot trust. So I walk alone, with steady focus and a storm raging inside. Never losing sight of where I'm going, or who I'm surviving for. This locket is all I have left of them right now, but it is still them. I'm one day closer to being reunited with my children. Then we start a new chapter in this world of desolation and chaos, together.

-March 12, 3023

My will to survive is strong. It's in my blood, it's in my children's blood. Together, we make an army. We will survive.

I move more at night. It's easier to keep hidden, look for the glow of a fire, a lantern in the distance. But it's also got its danger zone. Not everyone needs fire to survive and hunt. It's easy to be prey for the predator. I camp in unexpected areas, the areas people wouldn't glance at passing by. I remain hidden and on alert, always ready for my next move. I keep my ears open as I rest. If someone wants something you have, they're now a threat. I've had to fight to keep supplies, I've also failed to save my supplies. I've learned to travel light and only with what I need and can carry. I go one day at a time with survival.

-March 21, 3023

The days bleed one into the next, I'm closer and closer to my destination. I'm one day closer to seeing them and holding them in my arms. This trek is worth it, they are worth it. They are worth surviving for. I will never let them go again.

This is a walk in the park for me. I feel like I was made for this. Like a robot that was programmed. My survival instincts are highly active and I've had to test them to their advantage since everything has crumbled. I've gained a lot of new skills along the way, I've had skills I didn't know I had. I don't like having to use them, but I will if I have to.

-March 27, 3023

I'm almost there.

I am almost home.

Almost to those precious faces. This journey has been far too long, I'm ready for it to come to an end. I'm ready to not be alone anymore.

I am ready.

-April 3, 3023

I am here.

I have finally made it.

I am finally reunited with my family. I did it. I accomplished my mission, head on. It's us against this new world now. What does it have in store for us?

No one will ever truly know what the future holds, we can only take it one day at a time. Will things ever be normal again? Will this be the new normal? We can only wait and see.

All I know is that with them, I am home.

Wherever we are.

Home.