Young Adult

Without A Day's End
When Josie awoke, a peculiar feeling stirred her through and through. The night was pitched in darkness and the silence was deafening. Not the stridulating of the smallest insect did she hear. On the farm, she would often awaken during the night to the sound of the crickets chirping their monotonous anthem. It was an unsettling feeling that arose from the sheer quietude, so much so that she compelled herself to strip back the bedsheets and inspect the house. The house was engulfed in the same blackness, but this did not disturb Josie. It was 12:30 in the morning and it would be stranger if the lights were on than off. She minced through the house on tiptoes and out the front door, onto the porch. The air was motionless and the starlight scarcely exposed the outlines of the trees. The street lights were off and the buzzing of the telephone lines was faint. Back inside, Josie poured a glass of water and climbed the stairs. She crawled back into bed and drifted off to sleep.
By Jonah Blue Krell5 years ago in Fiction
Night Vision
The soft, white artificial lights in the tunnels turn off at the same moment every night. They do this to signify some sort of change from day to night, from a lighter shade of darkness to an even darker one.
By Mustafa Azeem5 years ago in Fiction
For Safe Keeping
The heart-shaped locket Shayne was wearing and the backpack on her lap was all she had left. As she sat in the passenger seat, the only thing that brought her comfort was running her thumb over the smooth edges of her grandmother’s treasure around her neck. “For safe keeping, with love” was inscribed on the inside cover and the tiny photo of her grandmother was the only physical reminder she would have of her family.
By Jeri Meek5 years ago in Fiction
3, 2, 1.
Shiloh ran the emerald grass between her neatly painted fingers and toes, marveling at how soft it felt and how, until this moment, she had never noticed it was just so comfortable on the skin. It had never crossed her mind to simply lay in a patch of freshly cut grass before. She took in a deep breath inhaling the scent of nearby dandelions and honeysuckle. When was the last time she got to just relax like this?
By MYKAH CHRISTINE WILLIAMS5 years ago in Fiction
Homeland
I opened my eyes as the dust settled around me. Smoke and ash clouded my vision. My ears were ringing. My heart was pounding. Through the darkness I could make out the smallest lights, flickering like a candle in the warmth of home.
By Amanda Eberhardt5 years ago in Fiction
The UK's Almost Last Days
“They have really took us out now,” whispered Jacqueline, still shell-shocked and a bit shaken at what had just happened.
By Jennifer Ubah5 years ago in Fiction
Locket of Power
Running as swiftly and calculated as she could trying to make as little noise as possible Zakkiyah could hear the bloodhounds gaining on her. She glanced down to her side to see if it was still there. It was! The Golden handled Kamakura onyx plated Katana was still strapped to her side safe and secure. She bent the corner into a dimly lit alley. She could see the dingy green dumpster. At this point she was faced with the decision to hide hoping they’d pass by or keep running to get the locket embedded Katana to safety.
By Ameerah Baht5 years ago in Fiction
Agnes’s Agony
Somber excitement filled her heart as she placed supplies in a backpack: food, extra clothes, water, first aid kit, a little love note tucked into the toiletry bag. Tomorrow her love of 24 years would leave for a dangerous journey. Sleep did not come easy and when it did her dreams were filled with blood and gore.
By Viltinga Rasytoja5 years ago in Fiction
Hearts and Riddles
It changed the way your heart beat. Alex’s dad Harvey gave them this ugly necklace right before he died. His heart exploded. Well it didn’t exactly explode. It started beating really fast and just sort of popped. They were with him when he died. Some hearts beat too fast and just exploded like Alex’s dad’s. Others slowed to the point of stopping. They were calling it the Arrhythmia Virus or AV for short.
By Corrine Hathaway5 years ago in Fiction
Scorched
In and out. In and out. I repeated in my head like a mantra as if it would be enough to save me. Focusing on my breathing was the only way to keep me from going insane. It had been 129 days since the world ended. I sat crouched in an abandoned building my heart locket clutched in one hand the other steading myself against the wall. My clothes were filthy and ragged, my backpack comprised of more duct tape than fabric at this point. Most of the building around me had collapsed and I was crouched behind what was left of one wall, a corner of shade protected me from the scorching sun. My legs were starting to cramp from my crouched position, and I could feel the sweat dripping down my back. I needed to decide, run for supplies, or wait till night when it was safe. I decided to wait, rocking back onto my bum I slumped against the wall behind me and propped my legs up on rubble in front of me. Turning the locket over again and again in my hand I relaxed a little. My locket was the only personal possession I had, everything else had a distinct purpose and was necessary for survival from the layers of clothing to keep the scorching sun off my skin to my ragged backpack containing two water canteens, some crackers I’d found at an abandoned store, an umbrella, and a sunburn kit with bandages and plant salve. The locket contained photos of my parents and my best friend, but it served as a reminder of a previous life, before the world had been scorched, before I was alone struggling to survive, and before I’d lost every single person I had ever known. Today was my nineteenth birthday, I felt sad remembering how my dad used to make me pancakes every year on my birthday. I smiled remembering his goofy grin waking me up and usually spilling the syrup on me as he insisted, I had the royal treatment of breakfast in bed. I let myself slip into a daydream, thinking of life before the world ended.
By Wingo 5 years ago in Fiction
Doom Dream
This happened the other day. Right before the world ended, this is what my friend Em wrote on Facebook. "Prepare for the end. It's coming soon."
By Christine J. Reed5 years ago in Fiction
Dear Diary
A soldier goes inside the remains of a partially destroyed house. He surveys the area to check if there's any survivors. He notices it's a small house; barely two bedrooms. Each wall is covered with pictures of what appears to be a nine year old and her mother. He moves slowly through the house, observing all the damage. He enters one of the small bedrooms and recognizes it to be the bedroom of a small child. He's about to walk out when he sees a gleam out of the corner of his eye. He gets closer to it and sees it's a heart-shaped locket. He opens it, expecting a picture of the two that live here, but instead, out falls a small key. He picks up his walkie talkie and radios back to his team. "Hey guys, I think I found something. It's a small key… I'mma try to find what it belongs to. Could be supplies or something valuable." He searches the room and finds a pink book inside one of the busted drawers. He takes it out, examines it, it's weirdly in pretty good condition with a few scorches here and there and some fading around the edges. He takes the small key and unlocks the book, sits on the rusted bed, and reads the first page.
By Kama lanmò5 years ago in Fiction