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Ariana Stojsik

Ms. Mounts

3rd Hour Creative Writing

14 January, 2019

Imagery Story

The world started off with cavemen living like beasts, filthy and clueless and only knew

how to do one thing; survive. The Earth had slowly developed into something bigger and better.

Where technology had become the norm and our vision of the future became our present, we

thought we were superior.

Until the outbreak occurred. Chemicals began to seep out of our newest invention, killing

off the majority of our population. My family and I were able to escape safely before the

breakout got too bad. Unfortunately, my older brother, Jonah, didn't make it out in time. He

stayed back and mended to those who were infected. That’s the thing about Jonah; he had a heart

as big as the ocean. I still mourn his death, he was my best friend, but everyone else acts as if he

obliterated into space; as if he was never even family. Jonah was underrated and

underappreciated every second of his life spent here on Earth. Yet I always saw the best in him,

and I knew him better than anyone else.

There were five members of my family, six if Jonah were here; my father Jacob, my

mother Mary Ann, my younger brother Matthew, and his identical sister, Mariana. The two are

twins, and as innocent as they seem, they’re the most creative and daring 14 year olds I’ve ever

met. That leaves me, Rosellyn, Rose for short. With Jonah being gone, I was supposed to take

charge as the oldest sibling and that’s not exactly something I’m cut out for.
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Since we had escaped the crumbling city, I led us out into the forest, and after about three

years of an endless journey, we finally found our new home. There, we were encompassed by

hundreds of acres of trees sheltering us from the rain, along with a gentle stream only steps

away. It was quite a challenge to adapt from a high-tech utopia, to a lifestyle like cavemen all

over again. Funny how that works.

Right when I thought I could get used to living like this, tragedy struck once again. My

parents, out of the kindness of their hearts, wanted to expand the living space for us. They

worked hard to clear out sections of the dense forest, trying to make it seem more like home.

Everything was set and stone. Of course something had to go wrong. The minute my parents left

to go get wood, I wouldn’t have guessed that it would be the last time I ever saw them. That

night we heard deadly cries emerging from the trees, and the next morning when they were

nowhere to be found, the twins and I realized we had suffered a great loss once again.

It’s been two years of living here on this peaceful piece of land. Two years of enjoying

every second of the sun and all of nature’s magnificent creations. I only wish I could stay awake

long enough to witness the sun falling, followed by the glistening moon rising in the dark.

Instead we see a wall of trees surrounding us completely every evening. Instead we witness the

creatures of the night that come out and terrorize us, reminding us about everything we’ve

previously left behind. After several years of this horrid haunting, we still are never able to

ignore or shut out the cries; Mariana takes it the hardest. For she has a heart of gold, which

comes with a mind of treacherous thoughts.

Sometimes I visit our empty town. Completely dry and hopeless. Gray skies looked over

the city, although I wouldn’t even call it that. It was more of a hole; a deep, lonely, scary hole. It
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was kind of like a haunted house. You get chills, and that instant feeling that millions of people

died in the area around you. Except in this hole, millions of people really did lose their lives. Oh,

and the bodies. Nobody survived long enough to clean up after the town. I suppose it would be

nice to take a look at the houses, stores, and schools that I once lived in each and every day.

Unfortunately in every building there are bodies, still stuck with the same look on their face

when they passed. The face of someone who knew they were about to die, faces of people whose

life had just flashed right before their eyes. The twins still weep every time we visit the town, but

I have no more tears left. Sad, mad, and scared can’t even describe it. I have no feeling left in

me, for I am numb.

Of course I can’t let my siblings know that though. I have to stay strong, and encourage

that last bit of hope still left in them. I hope that’s not implying that I’m fine. That is what I want

Matthew and Mariana to believe. While they sleep peacefully, I wipe the salty drops that slowly

simmer down my face, and I begin to remember the heavy heart ache that I had tried so hard to

push out. Every once in awhile, I catch myself mourning over the people that meant most to me

and I struggle to accept that they’re actually gone; but every good thing, even life, comes to an

end. I like to cherish the good things in nature, before they come to an end as well. I grab a

fitting boulder from the river and sit next to the fire, admiring Mother Nature’s most glorious

creations. Sparks from the flame dance in the air and fade away into the evening sky. It’s a

beautiful process, seeing the orange dust fly around, and watching it vanish right before your

eyes. It’s crazy how quickly something so beautiful can disappear.

Each morning, I would wake up before the twins and make a quick visit to the town. I

would snatch some supplies that still remained after the outbreak. But the twins’ birthday
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arrived, and I figured I should do something special for them. It was their first birthday without

my parents, and their second birthday without Jonah. I was their only hope of a good 15th

birthday, and I wanted it to be special. I managed to obtain their childhood toys that they thought

they lost during the incident. Mariana raised a pink stuffed bunny growing up, and Matthew had

a blue stuffed frog. Although they were a bit torn in some patches, and covered in dust, it was the

best I could do. The gifts brought tears to their eyes, some of sadness from the loss of their

parents, but most of happiness due to reuniting with their childhood best friend.

Then I remembered my own childhood friend. Jonah’s birthday was coming up as well,

and in a few short weeks his 20th birthday would arrive. I tried not to think about that, I would

rather appreciate the time I still had left with the family that remained. When evening

approached, the three of us gathered around the fire, sharing memories and exchanging laughs.

Within seconds, silence poured over us. There was really nothing more left to say. By then, each

time a memory was brought up, we were reminded of Jonah or Mom or Dad. The best idea was

to just capture the moment and go to sleep.

I really do wish the twins were raised normally. I wanted them to experience the ups and

downs of high school and learn about life the proper way. I’m only 18, and I haven’t even

discovered huge challenges in life yet. The biggest challenge I’ve faced was the outbreak, and

they went through the exact same trauma. It wasn’t in my place nor was it appropriate for me to

attempt parenting them.

I feel like it’s important to state that we ​did​ attempt to return back to our old home. We

couldn’t survive one night in that home knowing all the bodies that passed in the room we were

laying in. As soon as night came and our eyelids sealed shut, flashbacks flooded our dreams and
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horrifying thoughts showered us every second we stayed. We soon returned back to the forest,

for that was easier than trying to force happiness back into our lives. Soon enough we realized

that the universe had pulled a switch. The high-tech lifestyle we once lived was now completely

forgotten and the caveman lifestyle was the norm.

Life was a lot more difficult, but it was indeed less stressful, and it made us not take life

for granted. I cared for the twins with every chance that I could. We believed that there were

other people left in the world, but not anywhere close to us. We tried burning rubber, and

watching the thick black fog fill the air, we attempted to signal other humans that still remained.

Although nobody arrived, we were content with the lifestyle we were living. It was far from

perfect, nor was it the most healthy, but we made due. Mariana, Matthew, and I savored every

single second of life itself, and soon enough, we were stronger than we had ever been before.