LEA

My hands shake as I turn the keys in the ignition. The car turns on fine, and I pull out of the parking space, looking all around as I do so. Not a glimpse of anyone. Not a single person crossing the road, entering a store, inside a car, or anything.

I feel nauseous as I drive home, meeting no other cars along the way. I enter my house through the garage door.

"Mom?" I call out, and my voice trembles. This has to be a dream. "Dad?" I'll wake up and be going for my last day of school. "Anyone home?"

No one answers. I run through the house, opening every door, searching every nook and cranny for any signs of life. Everything is in its place, like mom and dad are still at work, and I'm at school.

I go into my room, and crawl into bed, pulling the covers over my head. My stomach is churning, and tears threaten to start falling. I have never, in my whole life, been this scared. And it's a horrible, horrible feeling.

After a couple minutes, I get up again. The only thing that would make this situation worse is if I don't try anything. The first thing I think of are the neighbors. The second thing I think of is my phone. I create a group chat with every single contact that I have, and send a single text: Is anyone there?

I leave out the front door, not bothering to lock it. At this point, if a burglar came in, I would be glad to see him.

I start knocking on doors. No one answers. Eventually I get desperate, and start checking the door handles anyway. Some of them are unlocked, and I enter. I'm way past the point of caring. I just need to see someone.

"Is anyone there?" I yell, each time, going through the house and checking each room. Tears threaten to start coming again, and I check my phone for the hundredth time. No replies.

I leave the house, closing the door behind me. This is all a dream. It has to be.

But I don't wake up as I go back to my house. And something tells me that I never will.