Roaming the barren streets, the only scenery left were vacant homes and the occasional tree or two overgrown in a couple front yards. Mailboxes were left wide open, letters spilling out onto the dewy morning grass.

As I kept my pace, I entered an altered town, the complete opposite of the calm previous environment. Unlike my cul de sac, the houses on this street were trashed. Siding was broken off, windows were shattered, and the surrounding nature was dead. Cars were beaten up, scattered everywhere through the street. I had to slow down to take in the dangerous aura.

It was eerie, no noise whatsoever. There was no wind to bristle what was left of the leaves hanging off the branches attached to the sparse trunks.

Still no sign of life.

I eventually arrived at the school, the atmosphere still the same. As I walked through the car lot, all I could view was cement. The lines that symbolized each individual space were still in tact, redone a couple years ago.

I was so focused on the lot that I reached the front door in no time. I tried to get a glimpse of inside through the small rectangular windows, but all I could see was darkness. I scooted over to the intercom and buzzed in, pushing the call button frantically.

No answer.

I was still on edge, frequently glancing over my shoulder to check if anyone else was around. I always wanted to be alone, the only person around with nobody to worry about or deal with, but at this point I was beginning to regret my previous wishes.

As I paced back and forth in front of the doorway, rubbing my head, I tried to gather any ounce of suggestion I had to offer. A few minutes passed, and I realized that I had formed my next step: visit the police station.

The words processing through my head, I twisted around and raced down the long road connected to the school in pursuit of the station.

The building wasn't far, only a block's length away. I had taken the route a few times, only to reach the library, the suite adjacent to the office.

The trip consisted of a scene similar to my first location, a complete wasteland. There were less homes, with more greenery. It was beginning to turn spring, so there was an abundance of sprouts that topped off the evergreens. There was some excess frost that glazed the pine that reflected light directly in my eyes, diverting my focus to clear my vision of the spotting.

I arrived at the station to view yet another plot of open parking space. Trying my horrible luck once again, I went to the entrance and tried to twist the doorknob: locked. Frustrated, I pounded the door with my fist. There was a small panel of glass to the side, but it was tinted and hard to see through, just like the school's panes. If there were somebody in there, I wouldn't have been able to depict them.

What a waste of time.

I was devastated. I tried slapping myself in the face multiple times to wake myself up from this delusional nightmare, but no, it was all real.

"Haha, funny joke guys. You can come out now," I yelled, adding an unenthusiastic laugh at the end. I was short of breath, winded from the anxiety building up inside of me. I was beginning to grow dizzy, but I calmed myself down and focused on my breathing, lowering it back to normal.

All of a sudden, I heard a crack in the distance, causing me to let out a short screech. I examined the environment to see that a tree branch had fallen, broken in two by the impact of the ground. My nerves were getting the best of me. I wasn't mentally stable. But I needed to keep trying. If this was the start of the apocalypse, I couldn't give up now.

Pausing for a few seconds, I felt my legs start to ache. I had never walked this far in a short amount of time before, so my body wasn't ready for this long of a journey.

"I can't be a wuss and back out now," I told myself, shaking off the pins and needles surging through my limbs.

I glanced back at the broken branch and pulled myself together, knowing that I had to do something.

Save humanity. Or something of the sort.