There wasn't much left of the little town Milpitas. And at this point, the remains here are probably the small crawl space my parents used to store wine and whiskey. Actually, Scotch, my dad would have my neck if I said it was Whiskey. All that could be left over was what was underneath the surface. The rest... was just nothing. It was a barren wasteland. The sky was rusted red, filled with the stench of smoke and garbage. No trees even sprouted out of the ground, it was all just rubble and dried roots everywhere. Was this the end of the world? It still seemed like bugs and maybe the potential of bacteria still hung around, moving their way through the cracks and gaps of the world around them. I didn't bother to approach, I didn't want the vision of what was possibly left to be ruined or tarnished in any way. Wishful ignorance was going to be my best bet in making sure I keep my sanity once I leave this place. But I needed to continue searching around. I didn't know if anything else stayed alive or working, and maybe near the end of my journey I'll end up finding what really lies beyond the old plot of land that was once my home.

I can’t get too sentimental about it now, I had a mission to fulfill for home. The home that was still standing Luckily, half of the battle was already achieved, as the area around me did not look hospitable in any way. But I needed to find out more just to be sure if this was the end all be all. So I walked. I didn’t bring any vehicle or mode of transportation with me, in fear any locals around would be in shock. I actually seemed like I was too dressed up for this affair in jeans, a t-shirt with my favorite band on it, Ghost, and some lace up Vans and a warm jacket. I didn’t know what the weather would be like but rest assured I did not need the jacket. What I didn’t prepare for was the possibility of breathing something other than oxygen getting this far into the future. Walking around made for an excellent cough to appear and the beginning of some wheezing, so my journey here would have to be a short one.

I walked to where the old highschool would have been and that seemed to have been the only building even somewhat standing. The pool was only filled with some debris and some cockroaches. Those guys never seem to die, they survived the end of the world like it was nothing. All that was left wasn’t even the gate separating the school from the street, but the two story gym they funded a couple years after my time there. Seemed like a huge waste of money but hey they loved their sports. Though as I approached, I heard something coming from the building, as if something living was rustling around. Could they have made this a safe room? Were there really still people living here? I walked, no, I ran towards the building and began taking down the barriers around the door. Why were there boards hammered into the entrance? What would they be trapping in here

Wait a second, why would this be a safe house if it’s locked from the outside? After all the noise I made, the rustling turned to moaning, screeching, and yelping, getting louder and louder. The doors began to bang open, scratching and thuds came from the other end. I decided this was not an option to continue venturing forward. Why didn’t I think of that before getting all those borders down? I had no choice but to run straight to my base and head home. If I could make it back.