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The Story:
Some wonder what the world would have been like if we had never started the wars. I’m not sure it would’ve made much of a difference. Everyone says they want to get along, they want to be a family. But when life becomes a struggle for survival, they are ruthless. They turn a blind eye to convictions. They devour each other. Without the wars, we would’ve just continued lying to one another. In my opinion the chemicals just revealed our true nature.
I squat down and feel the ground. It feels cold and distant, like it has experienced a loss of someone precious. It is curious. It wonders where we have gone and why there are so few of us. It is offended, but it longs for the closeness we once shared.
With most of us who are left living in the treetops, it’s understandable why the ground harbors resentment. But it couldn’t save us from ourselves, so we turned to the trees for protection.
I should have returned to my tree by now, but the ground feels so wonderful that I just can’t leave it. Four men on horseback sneak up behind me.
“Look here, Bartus, a tree dweller all by herself.”
“Maybe she forgot how to climb, Grixle.”
They all share a laugh at my expense. I remain knelt down to the ground, waiting for an opportunity.
“Hey, tree dweller, you deaf? What are you doing off your branches?”
The wind changes direction, and I detect the all too familiar scent that warns of the ones who now seek flesh, due to the biological effects of the chemical warfare. I stand to face the men.
“They are coming.”
They exchange glances with each other, knowing exactly what is happening. Three of the men take off at a gallop, but the fourth trots over to me and extends his hand.
“Come on.”
I hear the cries of several flesh eaters in the distance. They know we’re here, and they’ll be coming. Fast.
“Come on!”
I grab his hand and swing up onto his horse. We ride after the others. I don’t know where we’re going, but my tree community is in the opposite direction.
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