Thousand

She opened her eyes slowly, her body curled into a tight ball. She felt like she was floating, that there was nothing around her and this was it. The silence screamed louder than any voice and her eyes fluttered open to reveal a large open area. There was nothing but black. She looked around, then below. There was nothing holding her, yet she was not holding herself up. Her body floated in the black mass and she was feeling as light as a feather. She reached out her hand and it moved through the air with ease before catching on something. 

Before she could wonder what it was a light had quickly blinded her, dimming slowly before a small orb floated  in front of her. Her breathing was shallow and her chest heavy as the ball of light did not move. Her hands shook in front of her, hesitant to move towards the mysterious object. The light did nothing but offer an odd warmth. It filled her chest as she moved closer to it, her hands cupped beneath it as it floated. She wondered what it was, what its purpose was. Gently she lifted her hand, lowering her finger against the ball of light. As soon as it made contact with her skin its blinding light returned.

As it dimmed her mind was filled with memories, not her own, all flickering like an old movie. It started off with a young couple and a small child. The film-like memories continued to flicker through different phases of the child's life before disappearing as the light dimmed. Her breath was caught in her throat and it took a few minutes before she could finally breathe again. Her chest rose and fell in an uneven and heavy pattern while her eyes adjusted. Now she looked around there were more of those lights. Small orbs floating around her, giving off their odd warmth. She reached forward again, touching a different one this time. 

This was different from the one before. She was filled with a deep sorrow as her eyes flickered across the memories. They began like the other, following through the child's life before abruptly ending. Her eyes blinked many times before she could focus again. She knew that light dimmed too soon.

Thousands of small lights floated around her. Some were brighter than others and some were already beginning to dim. Her fingers reached for one that began to flicker and fade. This one was different, she lost her breath as she felt thrown into a new area. As her vision cleared, she could hear cars above her. She could see people walking, pushing through the crowds, and watched as they waited for a train. No one seemed to notice her as she walked through the large group. Her heart ached as she looked through the crowd of faces, stopping on the face of one young woman. 

While she was not sure she stopped on that one face in the crowd of many, she did. There was no one else around now, no one else to focus on. Everything else was just in the background as she walked through the crowd, slipping past the many people all huddled and waiting for the next train. When she reached the woman she could see in her eyes they were empty. She focused on the tracks and was not bothered by the large crowd around her. 

She looked away from the woman, glancing at the large clock on the wall. A sudden rush of fear and worry washed over her. She felt like she was running out of time and she looked at the woman again. She touched her arm, but still was unnoticed. She walked around her and stepped in front of her. Once again she looked at the clock. Around her no one noticed the lonely woman standing near the platform of the train. She took the woman's head in her hands and kissed her forehead. She watched her blink a few times before the lifeless look in her eyes left and she turned away from the platform. The rush of anxiety left her and she felt her body being pulled once more.

Out of breath again, she was blinded. She had been sucked back into that dark abyss. Thousands of little lights floating around her, but the one she had just touched stopped flickering. It was brighter than before and she held the floating orb in her hand, cradling it close to her with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. 

Snowflake

Torn wool blankets covered two trembling bodies that laid on the ground. One stirred beneath the thinning material, causing the tarp beneath him to crinkle softly. While he moved, his face remained on the child beside him, still asleep despite all of the noise. Once safely off the noisy bed he moved towards an empty fire pit, kneeling down beside it with a tired face. Dirt and ash was smeared along his cheeks and he pulled the dirty gloves off his hands to rummage through the items collected and piled together in an old wagon. His eyes flickered to the small mound across from him. Watching as the blanket rose and fell with struggled breaths. 

He said nothing as he found what he was looking for. Nearly the last of the canned food that they had. The original paper telling what was inside had been torn away, leaving it to be a surprise as he grabbed a knife from his pocket, flipping open the blade and cutting open the can. It didn't even matter what was inside as long as it was something they could eat. 

All the small movements and noises had finally woken the child up and he quickly sat up. His clothes hung off his thinning frame. His face looked nearly hollow, eyes sinking in, and dark circles forming underneath them. A large knitted hat covered his dirty hair. The brown curls poking out underneath as he carefully pulled the blanket off of himself. 

"It's cold," the boy stated as he moved. His voice was dry and cracked as he spoke. 

"It's nearly winter," he responded with a simple voice, having nothing more to say. There was nothing more to say. Saying it was cold would not change the fact they had no home to sleep in. They could have no fire to keep them warm, and nothing to shelter them from the storms. "I can't start a fire." 

"I know."

"Come over here," he told him, waving a hand to get the boy to sit beside him. The smoke of the fire could very well kill them if they were not careful, if they were not alert. He took the can of food, hovering his hand over the smoldering remains of the previous fire. It was still warm, not nearly enough to cook the food, but enough to keep the boy warm. "Eat this," he told him and handing over the can. 

"What about you?"

"I will eat what you don't," he responded, knowing there was going to be food left in there no matter how the situation played out. There was not much food left and they needed to make it last until more was found. His eyes flickered to the boy who sat close to the dying ashes of the fire as he ate. 

There was a faint rustle in the trees and he looked up. Their branches were bare and black, the sky a permanent grey. He felt something touch his leg, the can of food. He looked inside seeing about half was already gone. He didn't pester the child to eat more, because he knew it would not happen. He finished off what was left and sat there in silence. 

"We have to move?"

"Yes. Are you ready?" he looked to the boy as he knelt beside the fire pit, staring at it with tired eyes. He waited for the nod before pushing himself up, slipping the gloves back on his hands as he began to fold the blanket and rest it on top of the wagon. Next was the tarp, folded enough to cover the items inside the wagon. The boy was already up, standing beside him with his arm outstretched. "Just a little bit farther and we can find somewhere to stay for a few days," he promised to the child as he took his hand, the other grabbing the wagon handle. 

The pair slowly made their way out of the forest, the wagon creaking under the weight it was holding. They finally reached the road. It was covered with crashed cars, glass, and fallen trees. A layer of ash laid over everything, even themselves as they began to walk south. 

"It's snowing again," the boy said, referring to the ash that was slowly falling from the sky. The older teen lifted his head, looking up to see dark gray clouds roll by. 

"It is," he replied, narrowing his eyes a bit as he felt something wet on his face. A snowflake had fallen with the ash, melting against his skin. "Look closer," he told the boy. He watched as the child looked around, before he felt it too, the snowflake melting against his skin and he had quickly held out a gloved hand, catching a mixture of the blackened snow as well as a fresh snowflake.