Prisca's_Writing_Area

Title: Trapped in a Labyrinth of Infinity
Characters: Zeke Tyler, Casey Connor, mention of Deliah Profitt
Prompt: Yahtzee - picture of a girl in a labyrinth
Words: 566

:::

„Hey, geek boy,“

Casey barely looked up. “Hi!“

Zeke frowned, alarmed. „Okay, what's wrong?“

„I am fine!“

„No, you are not, don't try to fool me. What is it? A nightmare again?“

"Not exactly a nightmare." A deep sigh. „Do you think we can go visit Delilah today?“

Zeke kept quiet. Not how he had pictured spending the day. Visiting Delilah at the hospital would bring back lots of memories he preferred not to think about. Thoughtfully, he eyed his friend. He was pale; for sure, he hadn't slept well during the last nights. „Will you ever stop tormenting yourself?“ he asked. „It is not your fault what happened to her. It's actually no one's fault. No one was prepared for an alien queen, trying to take over the world.“

Casey shrugged. „If I hadn't hesitated... maybe I would have been at the swimming pool in time to save her, too.“

„If you had been there in time, you would be locked up at the hospital's lab with Delilah now.“ Zeke shuddered visibly; he preferred not to picture this. No one should be forced to exist like that; not dead, but neither alive. A kind of a zombie; Delilah was able to breathe, to move awkwardly. The sounds she made were not human; her eyes, hidden behind thick sunglasses because she couldn't bear daylight any longer, were dark and empty. She had nothing in common anymore with the pretty, smart cheerleader bitch she had been once. And no one, no doctor, no professor, no expert in the whole world had been able to help her so far.

To be honest, Zeke had never been a big fan of her, but even he felt miserable when thinking about her now. Maybe it would have been better if she hadn't survived that night. Better for her, better for the world. Better for Casey. Yes, he would mourn about her, but finally, he would be able to look forward again.

Now? The thought of Delilah tormented him every day anew. Although they had never been close friends, he had worked with her on the school's magazine, and she had respected him for his photography skills. Probably, Casey had saved the world when he finally, when everything seemed lost, stepped up against the alien queen. Everyone survived unharmed; even the infected people returned to their normal selves within a few days. Everyone but Delilah. Probably, she would continue to exist like a living dead until one day she would find salvation. And while everyone else called Casey a hero, he would never stop blaming himself for betraying her.

„It feels as if this is the place where I should be right now. She needs me!“ Casey looked at Zeke with his blue eyes wide open. „I know, you don't believe in this, but she calls for me in my dreams. She is still there, Zeke, and I need to reach out to her, to help her!“

:::

An endless, small way. High walls on both sides, built out of countless steel plates.

A young woman; brown hair, brown eyes, and glasses. Wearing a transparent, long dress. Her hands running over the cold, steely plates.

There was no escape from this labyrinth. She would wander around here forever. No past, no future. No memories.

Casey! Suddenly, a whisper in her mind. It got loud and louder. Casey! Casey!! Ca...sey!!!

Title: A Future for the Children
Characters: Jeremiah
Prompt: 7 days, 7 stories / post-apocalyptic
Words: 672

:::

Jeremiah didn't find much sleep this night. His thoughts were circling around Libby, and Smith, and the future of the world.

Libby, the woman he had loved, so funny, so smart, so pretty. He had trusted her blindly, but she had betrayed him. Not only him, but all the good he did believe in, all the people living on the Mountain.

It had almost broken him. Only his hatred of Smith had kept him alive. Without this weird little guy who insisted on being god's messenger, nothing of all would have happened. Libby would still be at his side, her betrayal never revealed. What did he care about the consequences? What did he care about the world? He would have done all to get Libby back. But this would never happen; all that was left behind was a grave, deep in the woods, no one knew about but him.

Jeremiah stared at the paper in front of him; so much time had passed since he had written the last letter to his father. Only to burn it at the end. A comforting ritual that had kept him alive all these years. Fifteen years since a virus had killed all adults, including his parents.

When Libby stepped into his life, he no longer needed this ritual. He had shared all his thoughts and feelings with her, and he had felt alive like he hadn't since these horrible days. When she died, all she left behind was darkness and hate, much too disturbing to put into words.

Today, though, something unexpected had happened. He had met Rose, Smith's daughter. A little girl, maybe six years old, with long blonde hair, a red shirt, and flap trousers. She had looked at him with her green-brown eyes, so similar to Smith's, and anger, ever hate, had crept up in him. But when he wanted to turn away quickly, well knowing that nothing that had happened was her fault, she had grabbed his hand. „My dad found a kitten mom with her babies in the woods. Do you want to see them?“ And against his will, he hadn't been able to refuse. For the first time in weeks, he had left all pain and grief behind, hadn't had a thought for Libby for some time. So scaring, so confusing, but yet...

He grabbed the last remaining pencil, thinking that he would have to find a new one soon. Dear Dad, he wrote. I know, it has been much too long since the last letter. I lost myself in a dream and almost couldn't find the way back. All you told me once, all that kept me going all the time, suddenly had lost any meaning. But today, a little girl reminded me of one of our last conversations.

Can you still remember your words? Mom was gone, and it was only a matter of time before you would follow her. No chance for the adults to survive. I was young, I was confused and scared, and I asked you to take me with you.

But you put your hands on my shoulder, and told me that giving up is never an option. I want you to live, Jeremiah, I want all the children to live, you have told me. I want to believe that, in the end, something good will come out of war, and destruction, and death. The adults have failed. Maybe the world needs to fall apart to be open for a new beginning. A future for the children, a chance to make it better next time.

Jeremiah paused shortly, re-reading his words. He felt tears burning in his eyes; since Libby's death, he hadn't been able to cry. To mourn about his lost dream, about the woman he had loved. Still loved, maybe he would never stop loving her, despite the dark secrets she had carried around. But finally, he could feel some peace, some hope again.

He put the pencil down, grabbed the letter, and held it nearer to the candle. Watched the flames eating it up. He felt at one with the world around him, dark and torn apart, but ready for the first hesitant steps back into the light. Well knowing that the way would not be an easy one, but it needed to be gone. For the future of the children.