“What?!” I yelled to my friend less than a foot away from me. “I said let’s go back inside!” She practically screamed.

When we returned to the bunker it was so silent, I heard a ringing in my ears. Ever since the first blast happened, it set off a bunch of other blasts. Of what we don’t know. All we know is that outside of this bunker the noise is unbearable.

There are seven of us in the bunker. It’s pretty big, so crowding isn’t an issue. Cash, Sora, Ivy, Zion, Lola, Violet, and myself, Jo. We met at college, at a party actually. That was when the first blast went off. It knocked everyone unconscious except for the seven of us. Sora told us to come with her and so we all blindly trusted our acquaintance. What else is there to do when the world is seemingly about to end?

So we took two cars. Three of us were in Sora’s car and four were in Lola’s. We arrived at a huge house, nearly the size of a mansion and followed Sora who was sprinting to the side of it. She shuffled around the dirt under a flower bed until she felt a latch. Sora yanked it open, the blaring noise from the blast drowning out our aggressive panting. We climbed down into the dark hole we now call home and shut the door behind us.

Its been three months since then. We’ve learned from Sora that the company her dad worked for dealt with interstellar communications. Her dad said to her, “Sora if a blast goes off, I need you to grab as many people as you can and go straight to the bunker. The damage these blasts do to the brain are irreversible. But you must understand, when the noise from the blasts stop it means we’ve made contact.” We’ve had so many conversations around the subject I sometimes tune it out. We do our rounds every three days. Two people go outside to check if the noise is still going. We’re thinking of spacing the rounds out because the memory loss is getting worse. In all of us.

We spend the day watching “pulp fiction” on a loop and eating Kraft Dinner for all three meals. When its about 12:00am and we’re all beat we head to bed. I bunk with Lola, and Sora and Cash bunk together (there’s definitely something going on there). Ivy, Zion, and Violet sleep in separate rooms.

Zion’s alarm wakes us all up the next morning. It’s his and Violets turn to make their ears bleed. We all wake up, feeling sluggish from eating too much KD, to assist the two when they get back in.

About five minutes after being outside, Zion and Violet stand in the doorway with pale faces. Violet begins to say, with a terror in her eyes, “Guys there’s something outsid-“, before they fold and drop down the stairs, their bodies lifeless. There is still a figure standing in the doorway. Trembling behind me I hear Sora say, “We’ve made contact.”

A woman named Zora went on a blind date to a restaurant. The man was rugged looking and constantly scratched his stubbly cheek.

After they finished their meals, the strange man asked Zora to use her phone because his phone was dead. He dialed a three digit number and said the words “You outside?”, waited for a response and ended the call. 

He told Zora to wait outside while he paid the bill. Although it was a strange request, she wanted to see where this was going.

After watching the busy streets and listening to blaring horns for thirty seconds, the man ran out of the restaurant with the manager on his tail. 

“Run!” he said in between pants. So she ran. “Did we just dine and dash?!” Zora said, on the man’s tail. “Just keep up!” He shouted. Bolting through cabs in traffic, past golden windows of retail stores, Zora and the man reached an alley with a yellow cab parked and rumbling, waiting for passengers. The man said “let's hop in”. 

Feeling uneasy, Zora hesitated before sitting on the stiff grey seat of the cab.

The last thing she saw was the glow of New York City before everything went black. The car pulled out of the alley and merged with the sea of yellow cabs, Zora never to be seen again.

The man under the umbrella Scared of his own shadow Shaking in the cold Hiding his face from those who stare

They point and watch Thinking his face is a costume And run when they realize that on his face is no mask But the features he was born with

But what does he want from you? You made him stop in his tracks Knowing you are not scared Rather fascinated by his gentleness

Others think, How could someone so ugly attract something so gentle, A butterfly at that

But you, You think not about his appearance, But about how he feels

An almost comforting pull towards him, Deep down wanting to make others feel safe Because no one makes him feel that way

Staring into his pale blue eyes You wonder why, Why everyone runs as fast as they can Away from something not “ugly”

But something so special and rare They can’t fathom it’s unique features And before learning They judge and run away.

How do you start the perfect day? Well, there is no right or wrong way. Whether you wake up to sun or rain, As long as you get out of bed, Your efforts won’t be in vain. The perfect way to start your day is what you will it to be. Whether your breakfast a slice of cake or a bowl of yogurt, It only matters if you’re happy.