#yanci

The boy stumbled a little, but kept going. Swaying from side to side a little as he looked up a little bit. Nothing but…white in front of him. He couldn’t see much in front of him…everything around him was just…whiteness. What had even become of him…the poor boy had nothing to live for anymore. Atticus reached slowly into his bag…pulling out his journal…pulling out something to write with and almost like clock work he started to write. Slow strokes from his pen turned into words on paper.

' There’s no one left…everyone is gone. Mom…Dad….Yanci…Abbie….no one….I haven’t seen…anything but snow…' Atticus swallowed as he continued to both write and walk in the storm, his body just moving on its own.

‘….I never really…stopped to consider these reasons why this all happened. Why to us…what did we ever do to deserve this? We’re not perfect…we’re humans after all…but I cant help but feel…some…God or…whatever it might have been….was just playing a cruel joke on us.

Or…maybe it wasn’t that…maybe it was us ourselves. Hell…humans are crazy and want to act as “God” maybe…someone thought they could do something…and it just…backfired. We were fucked the moment someone thought that that was a good idea—‘

Atticus paused in his writing and his steps, staring down at the open journal for a moment with tired eyes. It was hard to breath, his chest was rising up and down slowly even…he couldn’t feel anything at all. He continued on.

‘…I’m tired…but I can’t stop moving…funny…its like subconsciously I’ve got to keep going…I have…to keep going until…I find something…someone…’

“Atticus”

‘I have…I have to live…I have…I have to survive’

“ Atty”

‘…I don’t….I don’t want to die’

“ Jeez took you long enough kid!”

Atticus looked up, the snow seemed to be lifting in front of him, but only a little bit. There was a taller figure that he could barely make out…and a smaller one near him as well. He was confused, not sure what to make of it. But the voice did sound…a bit familiar…

“Y-Yanci?”

“ Hehe…you look a mess kid…glad to see you’re okay” Yanci chuckled, stepping forward a little bit as he reached over and messed with the others hair. Atticus almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing…but it was comforting to say the least. “ …yeah…its…its been one hell of a walk let me tell you…” he gave a big of a chuckle, even Yanci seemed to laugh.

“ I bet…but look at that…you’re here…we’re happy to see you little man…”

“ We?”

“ Well you didn’t think I’d come greet you alone right?” Yanci grinned, looking as Abbie came closer, smiling and happy even. She didn’t give him a second to say anything before jumping on the teen and hugging him tight. Atticus’ cheeks turned a little bit, but he laughed, wrapping his arms around Abbie as well.

“ I’m glad you made it Atty…I’m so glad…” she said, looking to him tearfully. Atticus smiled, nodding even and giving another chuckle. “ Yeah…yeah me too…I’m glad I made it too…haha…” he could breathe easier now, and a warmth came over the young boy as he smiled at the other two.

“ …ya ready now kid?” Yanci asked, looking to him as he started to take a few steps forward.

“ everyone’s waiting!” Abbie started to trot after Yanci, though kept smiling at Atticus as he stood there holding his bag close. For the first time in a long long time…Atticus’ smile was bigger than it had ever been before. He took a moment write in his journal, before looking forward and running after the two

“ Wait for me guys!”

Atticus laid still in the snow…a pleasant smile curled up on his lips as a few tears fells from his eyes. His last breath was merely a sigh of relief, the wind blowing through a bit and flipping at the pages of his journal. The snow continuing to fall on his body as he drifted away into a peaceful eternal sleep.