LEA

The next few days are uneventful. Except, of course, for the fact that no one is on the entire globe, it seems. The world is unusually silent everywhere I go.

I sit on my bed, reading a book. It's the only thing I can think of to do that is relaxing. It seems weird to be doing something so normal when everything around me is so not normal.

It's getting dark, and I check the time. It's about eight o'clock, which seems early for it to be getting dark. It's just one more unusual thing adding to the whole situation.

Hours pass, and in the fiction realm of the book, everything is okay. It gets dark enough that the only light I can see by is the light of the lamp on my bedside table, and I put my bookmark in my place, and shut the book, setting it next to the lamp. I slide under my covers, and again a feeling of hopelessness engulfs me. Will I ever see anyone again?

I'm about to turn off the lamp when the room suddenly is cold. I stop, unmoving as I look around the room. Fear tightens in my chest, overwhelming me. I can't breathe, and the tightness won't leave. My breaths come in quick gasps, and just as it reaches a climax, it passes. Everything is fine again.

I slide down under the covers, pulling them up under my chin. What is going on? I turn the lamp on a dimmer setting, but don't turn it off completely. I flip over on my stomach, and stare at the book, which is bathed in the warm glow.

Sleep doesn't come easily, which isn't surprising. It hasn't been for the last few days either. The music I turn on doesn't help like it normally does.

But eventually, I drift off into dreams of unknown worlds, and freezing temperatures. I wake up in the middle of the night, bolting up right. My heart is pounding, and I stare in front of me, not seeing the hand that had been reaching for me in my dream.

I lay back down and shut my eyes. Just a dream.

But that's the problem. I'm not dreaming anymore.

I can see the lights on at the grocery store as I drive towards it. The automatic doors slide open, welcoming me into the vacant building. I meet no one as I grab what I need, using the self-checkout to pay.

Rather than driving home, I simply drive to the nearest house to eat. It feels weird to be in someone else's house, but I convince myself that it's alright. After all, they aren't using it, are they?

I search through their cabinets until I find a bowl and a spoon. When I find it, I go to the table and sit down, bringing with me the cereal and milk I had just bought. I start eating, and try to keep the feelings of panic down. What is going on? Where is everyone? But I can't answer the questions, even though they keep pounding at the back of my head.

After I finish eating, I quickly wash the dishes and set them back in their original place. The house I'm in is clearly old, with stained wooden floors and three brick pillars that are placed around the living room. The carpet looks decent, though, and I figure they must have redone it.

Bricks suddenly dislodge from the pillars and fall onto the carpet with a dull thud. I scream, instinctively covering my head from any more. When no more come, I slowly uncover myself, and look at the fallen bricks. How...

The bricks are simply laying on the carpet, and where they fell off from the pillar looks like it's crumbling. Literally, as I watch it, it starts to crumble. But it stops halfway through the pillar, and leaves it looking unsteady, and decidedly older.

Without waiting, I grab the cereal box and run out the door. I keep running until I reach my car, and I jump into it, slamming the door and locking it. I bury my face in my hands. What is going on?

But I still don't have an answer.