‘He’s chasing me!’ Donatella thought as she ran through the field. She hiked up her long, white dress to keep her from tripping. She held it up with one hand as she held a lantern with the other, running to save her life.

“Come to me,” the stranger called out.

Donatella looked back, regretting her decision when she saw the stranger pick up his pace. She had to run faster if she wanted to get away.

She didn’t know who the stranger was or why he was after her. She had seen him earlier that night at the tavern where she was a barmaid, but paid him not attention. Just another drunk. That’s all she thought he was, but didn’t think he meant any harm.

When she left the tavern, that was when she noticed he was following her, calling out her name. At first, she wondered how he knew her name, until she realized he must’ve heard someone say it at the tavern. She knew that she didn’t know him and that was why she was trying to outrun him.

‘Where am I?’ She looked around. There was nothing but empty space, a dead field of some kind of crop. She couldn’t tell what used to be there, but this was an area she never ventured to before. She was far from her village and she didn’t know how to get back.

The footsteps of the stranger got closer. Donatella started to run again, forgetting to lift up her dress, causing her to fall to the ground, dropping the lantern out of reach. She tried to get up, but she had no more strength left in her.

The stranger got closer, spotting Donatella on the ground. He walked to the spot where she laid and stood over her body.

“Did you really think you could escape me?” He gave a sinister laugh.

“Why are you after me? I…I don’t know who you are,” she started to cry.

The stranger lowered himself to the ground. “You may not know who I am now, but you will soon,” he whispered into her ear.

Damage has be done The desire to be with you is long in the past.

Rejection at its finest Made me feel useless ugly not good enough for you.

You spoke no words yet, it hurt The behavior you displayed Judging me for being different.

Wasn’t like the other girls you know I never intended to be I am me Take it to leave it.

Your decision was loud and clear for all to see When again you pushed me aside as you moved on.

Sam walked out the streets and surveyed everything around them. The apocalypse left the city destroyed, the city he once called home. Now, he didn't know who was still around or if he was the only one that was spared.

He walked for days, hardly sleeping at night. He didn't know what was around, especially the ones who were behind the end of the world. The news made it out to be an act of nature, but Sam knew it was much more than that. There was a group of people that were behind this, and he had to find them, wherever they were.

Sam had lost count how many days he'd been out on the street, but each city he walked through and didn't find any sign of life, he was losing hope.

'Am I the only person alive?' He wondered. He was sure he would've found someone else by now, but every street was hit by chaos. He wanted to give up, but knew that wasn't even a question. He was determined to find a new civilization that he could join and start his new life.

Days turns into weeks and Sam was growing tired. There wasn't enough food for him to survive on and if he didn't find any soon, he was going to perish.

One day, Sam found a building that didn't look too damaged from the apocalypse. He didn't know where it would lead him, but all he wanted to do was sit down and rest. Leaning against the wall, he sat down and closed his eyes. Never in a million years did he imagine ever giving up on anything, but he was too tired to care anymore. If this was supposed to be the end for it, then so be it.

It wasn't long that Sam fell asleep. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep for until he heard noise waking him up.

'What is that?" He opened eyes and stood up. Across the way from the building he was at, he saw a light on in the window. 'This is weird. How is there electricity? All power lines in the world had been cut.'

He didn't know who or what was in the building, but he was always up for a challenge. He was cautious as he headed inside the building.

"Hey! We have a new one!" A man in his late 50's greeted Sam at the door. "I'm Dwight. Please, come in."

Sam was hesitant to go in at first, not knowing what to expect. "Um..I'm sorry. I don't mean to barge in. I've been traveling from Cincinnati, Ohio when I found this place. Can you tell me where I am?"

"Wow, you've walked all the way from Ohio?" Dwight couldn't believe it. "Well, you wouldn't be the first that's come from across the country. You're in California, or what's left of the state. A bunch of us found each other and decided to find a building that wasn't completely destroyed to start a new life. Please, come in and make yourself at home."

Same didn't know what came over him, but he felt a sense of ease and comfort after speaking to Dwight. He stepped inside the main room of the building and couldn't believe his eyes. There were hundreds of people here, all who survived the apocalypse. He wasn't alone as he thought when he woke up that morning over a month ago. After searching so long for a new society, one that he could belong to, he finally found his new home. He was glad he never gave up the search.

'I wonder which one it's going to be this year,' was my first thought when I woke up this morning. You see, it was April 26, the day when all of us lose one sense for the day. Which one? We never know until that moment.

When I opened my eyes and saw my surroundings, I knew my sight was still in tact. And I could hear my alarm going off. I shrugged and grabbed my phone and smiled. 'Perfect. Touch is there.'

After taking a quick shower, I went to get breakfast, worried my sense of taste was gone. That's happened in the past and I hated it. I couldn't wait until the day was over so I could taste again.

And then I knew it. My sense of smell was the only thing left and I didn't have to test it out to know that's what I lost today.

'How did I get here?' Mary looked around, confused to find herself standing in the middle of a street. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in her own bed, but now she didn't know where she was or how far she was from her home. It was the sounds of police sirens and fire engines that woke her up. Across the street, she saw the commotion. A building completely engulfed in flames.

'No. This can't be happening again.' She knew this feeling all too well. She had a problem with sleepwalking for as long as she could remember, but this is the first time, she actually left her house and ended up in the middle of an incident.

We’re not here for long. The timing is neither right or wrong. Often we spend the day, thinking of things that don’t matter and wasting away. We can’t take our days for granted, doing nothing and keeping our feet planted. Never knowing when the end may come, but we all have the same outcome.

(Note: I don’t usually write poems with a rhyming scheme so this is a challenge for me)

The stars shined High above In the sky, Giving glimmers of light To the trees below.

Walking down the paths Lined with the trees The stars gave off A golden hue, Lighting the way.

Brian paced the room, looking up at the clock on the wall. Naomi Bryne, the CEO of Mr. D's IGA was coming in today and wanted to speak to him. He was the head of the truck drivers section for the company and today was a big meeting. The drivers wanted a raise and Brian had no choice than to be the one to speak to Naomi.

'What if she doesn't want to hear what I have to say?' He thought. He'd never spoken to her before, but he heard rumors of how she almost never gave raises to any of the workers. And if she did, it meant you caught her on a rare day.

'Why did it have to be me who was made head of this division?' He hated speaking to people he didn't know and he was getting nervous as each second passed by.

The door opened and Brian's heart began to race. There was no backing out of it now. His worst nightmare had come true and now, alone, he was going to have to fight for him and his fellow truck drivers to get the raise they deserved.

I need to disconnect from the craziness of the world. That is what I want more than anything in the world. And I knew the perfect place where I could get that. It was a hidden room in an abandoned building only I knew about.

I stepped out of my house and walked to the building. A subtle hiding place that I stumbled across one day. I should’ve kept on walking. That would’ve been the smart thing to do. But there was something so enticing about the place, I had to investigate.

And that is how I got here today. Sitting alone in the room where I can escape from everything that is bothering ,e.

It began as all bad days do, starting when I woke up late for work. I rushed out of my house without any breakfast, figuring I could grab something along the way. Boy was I wrong.

The subway was late. Big surprise there. All the years I've been living in the city, not once had it ever been on time. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother taking it in the first place. The train finally arrived, but it kept stopping. By the time I arrived at the office, I was already two hours late.

That wasn't the last of my bad day either. When I finally walked inside my office, I was greeted with stacks of files I had to look through and I wasn't going to leave until they were all done. I sighed as I sat at my desk and opened the first folder. It was going to be a long day that would only get worse.