Unseen Horizons

Jason and the pilot used the pump for what seemed like hours trying to get gas out of it. When they finally grew tired of what seemed like a fruitless effort they collapsed against the side of the Osprey. The world seemed to grow darker as their hopes of getting out of the middle east seemed to vanish with the sunlight. They sat with their eyes on the horizon filled with dust and glowed a pale orange color.

"So do we give up?" Jason asked turning to look at the pilot.

"Well, if we try to fly out of here it is likely that we have five minutes of flight before falling out of the sky." The pilot accompanied his words with hand gestures to show what he meant.

"Well, then I guess we are stuck here then?" Jason asked trying to seem unbothered.

"yes and no." The pilot shrugged with his answer.

"What do you mean?" Jason sat up interested in where the conversation was going.

"Well, this is what I mean." The pilot spot before pulling out a pistol and shooting Jason twice in the chest.

"Why?" Jason managed to wheeze before falling onto his side.

"Because we can't beat the world we have found ourselves in. The hope of going anywhere is gone now because even the navigation is not able to tell us where we are." The pilot said before falling to his knees.

Jason tried to speak, but he couldn't get any words to form. All he could get out was sputters and gurgles as blood began to fill his mouth. The pilot walked over and pulled off Jason's mask before rolling him onto his back. He smiled at Jason before collapsing beside him.

"I'm sorry Jason." The pilot spoke before placing the pistol to his chin and pulling the trigger.

Jason managed to stay awake long enough to see the pilot kill himself. A tear formed on his face as darkness started to take him. In the distance, he saw Adria standing there. She was as young and as beautiful as she was before she had died. She had her hands out begging Jason to come to her.

"I'm on my way and I can finally tell you that I love you." Jason smiled as he finally faded away.

The last thing his mind saw was him running into a bright light hand in hand with Adria. Jason passed away with a smile on his face. His body was lost forever in the desert as a sandstorm buried him and the pilot where they laid. The saddest part of Jason's story was that no one was left to find him or to worry about him by the time of his death.

------------------------------------Enter Greta Miller----------------------------------------------------

Greta Miller is a German-born Woman age 27. She managed to escape her American exchange program before the government fell. The only thing she couldn't escape was the viral fog that covered the world now. When she heard about Italy being invaded she started to plan on how she was going to get out of Germany before whoever was invading Italy made it to them.

She took notes from the people in America and made sure to save up her filters which got delivered to people each week. Along with that, she split her food between a go-bag and what she would eat while still at home. Before finalizing her leaving she had to watch the sickness eat her mother alive. She sat with her mom watching as her body wasted away and her skin pulled itself apart leaving open wounds all over her body. It made her sick to see and haunts her dreams since first seeing it.

"Mom, I can't remain in this house anymore. I can't wait while that army carves its way up from Italy and into my living room. I do swear that no one will move into our family home though. I will burn it to the ground as I leave." Greta was speaking to her mother's photo before leaving the room to sleep in her home for the last time.

Greta tried her best to sleep, but she was constantly awakened by the feeling of someone watching her. She eventually gave up after waking for the fourth time. She pulled herself out of the bed exhausted and feeling as if she had gotten zero sleep despite having slept for six hours. Even through her exhausted, fuzzy mind she knew that today was the last day this house would stand.

"Good bye old girl." She said as she exited the bedroom dressed for what was to be a long journey.

She took her time as she took in the chipped paint and cold wooden floors. Even though every clock in the house had been reading 7:15 a.m. the only light that came through the windows was one that shown on the rooms in a pale blue light. It gave her a feeling of sadness and depression, maybe even melencholy if you want.

"I'm sorry mom, but I can't take anything with me. It would put too much weight and I need to move fast if I want to leave this place." After she finished speaking a tear came to Greta's eyes.

She hated to see her childhood home go, but as she kept reminding herself that she wasn't going to sit around to see her country burn. She didn't even like her home country that surrounded her. The only thing she bothered to come back for was her mother. Her mother was now gone which left nothing for her. Her father died long ago when he was sent to fight in the Middle East just after the American military invaded it.

Greta gathered all of her stuff as the clock struck 12:00 P.M. She took one last deep breath before putting on her mask. She felt her emotions rising in her stomach as she walked out of the house and throwing a match onto a pile of newpaper with the gas pouring out of the stove.

"Good bye mother." She whispered to herself as she walked away.