As usual, the night is silent and freezing. The day had long since disappeared from recent memory. When I look up, there are only a few stars to be seen, if any. The little light that the stars provide cast a dim glow over the city of Stelrock. The city is empty. The people that used to live here are gone. All that remains is their possessions and their unmoving, still, silent bodies, or what remained of them. Most have decayed beyond recognition, to the point where they are barely identifiable as human. My world is devoid of life, movement, warmth, and light. The only notable thing is a dark mist drifting across the sky, as if it is watching me.
My name is Michael Vallison. Throughout my whole life I have lived in Stelrock, which was a city full of life and movement. For the most part we led a carefree life. There was never anything that endangered us, scared us, or put us at unrest. We each had our hopes and dreams for our future. I wanted to finally pursue my career as a writer after years of failed attempts at other professions. I was tired of living at home and working whatever odd jobs I could find. But all of these dreams were crushed on August 10th, 2020. At the dawn of the next day, there was no day to be found. The sky sat above us empty and unwelcoming. Even the stars were gone. The only source of light was inside our homes. The radios no longer worked, and it seemed as if the internet shut down. We were alone and isolated from the rest of the world.
It soon became apparent that if we wanted to be safe we needed the light. Those who went outside without a source of light rarely returned. Over time I found it hard to sleep. Oftentimes I would shine a flashlight out my window, only to see the lifeless body of a neighbor, decaying in the street. It was slow and painful to watch people I knew and loved slowly taken away from me. I still remember it clearly when we found my little brother lying motionless in the grass. He ran out, not knowing what danger lay ahead of him. My father, mother, and I sat silent that day, tears streaming down our cheeks. The thought had never even occurred to any of us that we would lose him first. I had always hoped that I'd go out before him. The next day I found a note from my parents which said, "We love you. We want the best for you, and we want you to make it through this. It's been too much for us, and with us here you'll die faster. It's for the best. We love you, and we always will." On the paper there were visibly dried tears. I never saw them again.
The people left in my neighborhood made do with what we had, but there came a point where we could not carry on. With no sun to feed them, the plants, and therefore animals, all died. Our batteries ran out of power and we had no source to produce more. With no source of food or light, we dropped like flies. Soon enough, I found myself completely alone. Everyone else was either dead or missing.
Not one to let myself go out so easily, I gathered the little valuables I still had left: a flashlight, two batteries, some scraps of food, the note, and a knife. With those in hand, I turned the flashlight on and exited my home. I had no idea where to go, but I knew I had to get out of here. For most of my journey, there was nothing. No movement or sound could be detected. After nearly a day's worth of walking, I saw an illuminated house. It was the first I had seen since I left home. Other's homes simply didn't have a generator, or a small energy supply.
I rushed towards the house, hoping to find a safe haven. When I arrived, I knocked on the door, then waited. Nothing. I tested to see if it was unlocked, and slowly I crept open the door. All that was there to greet me was light. From my first impressions, it seemed empty. I checked each and every room, until I came to the bedroom. The light inside was turned off. Cautiously I crept in and flipped the lightswitch.
At last! I had found someone else. They turned to me and said, "Where are you from, and why are you here?" "I'm from Stelrock. My name is Michael, and I'm trying to escape whatever is out there." They looked at me with no visible expression before saying, "There's nothing out there. I don't know who you are, Michael, but... you're crazy. It's just nighttime." I was dumbfounded. What was wrong with me? Is this a dream? Am I insane? Still, I carried on with the conversation. "Where are you from?" I asked. "Here, I've always lived here," they replied. "I remember when there was no darkness, no freezing cold, no mist clouding up what little visible surroundings around me. I remember being able to go outside and just enjoy life without fearing for it. My family was happy. What has happened here?" I said. They did not respond. I tried to regain grip of my surroundings and focused more on who I was talking to.
With my head clear, the situation became obvious; whoever lived here had fallen to the dark as well. Two of them stared at me blankly, with no life behind their eyes. Perhaps they had made a simple mistake and turned off the light out of habit. Silently I walked out, and sat down, knowing that I would continue to travel tomorrow and would need rest. The conversation I held was with myself.
Soon after I woke up and left, I glanced over my shoulder back at the house. The lights were off, the electricity was gone. At this point I had only one choice: to walk. I walked as far as I could, even after I ate the last morsels of food and the freezing cold made me unable to feel my body. I walked until the batteries died. All hope was lost at that moment. In the middle of nowhere, I had nothing to use to provide light. I was helpless, and at mercy to whatever lay out there. There would be no point in trying. Soon I would know how the rest of this town became corpses.
This brings me to the present. The others that left me long ago no longer feel what I do, they no longer endure what I do. I am alone. They succumbed to it, and I am sure to follow. No matter where I go, where I hide, it is pointless. I will be found no matter where I am. Finding myself in its hands is inevitable. No one is here to comfort me now. I cannot shake a feeling of helplessness from my body. It is overpowering, all-consuming. Every fiber of my being, my soul, is fighting against time and the knowledge that I am next, and I cannot do anything. Hide from it, fight it, accept it, nothing will help me. My only glimmer of hope is that it will be better on the other side if there is one. Each second that passes by is a step closer to encountering it, and all I can do is dread it’s arrival.
I do not know when it will come for me. It is silent, there will be no warning of its arrival. When it comes, my time is up. I do know that I will not see it. Even if there was light, I would not be able to see its form. It is shapeless, it is larger than the universe itself and smaller than an atom. When there were still others with me, we called it incomprehensible.
When the little light that I still see fades, I will know it is here. In my hands I clutch my parent's note, as my last memory of them and my family as a whole. I fear that if I close my eyes, I will be gone before I open them.