The desert never seemed to end.

The far off horizon was flat, no mountain nor hill broke it’s straight line.

No building or anything that could remotely be considered a structure seemed to exist out in the wastes.

The only thing that broke up the monogamous red hue of the earth was a road. A road so old and unmaintained that the lane dividers had disappeared, leaving only a wide and long stretch of sun bleached asphalt.

But Hana trudged on, though each step was slow on the old burning road she continued.

Hana was a small woman, thin as a stick and short as a stump. Her wiry hair clung to her sweaty red face and the back of her neck.

A disheveled looking duffel bag was heaved over her shoulder, bowling her down a little.

She finally stopped, huffing as she let the bag fall to the ground. She grabbed for a canteen she wore around her neck and arm, jiggling it around to feel for how much was left. She scowled at it but took a long swig anyways.

The warm liquid didn’t do much for her, only making her thirster.

She bent over, hands on her knees.

“What I’m I doing..?” She breathed out, almost laughing at her own stupidity.

She had left her safe haven, her basement tucked away in a rare part of the rubbled city that had missed the bombs.

Her little garden, her handmade water distillery, her books.

She had left that all for this desert, this desert that will surely be the death of her.

Tears started to well up in her eyes and she kneeled down on the pavement, not caring that it started to burn her knees.

“Stupid! Stupid!” She wailed at herself, head In her hands now.

She was lonely, deathly lonely.

If you had asked her three years ago if she could of spent the rest of her life in solitude she would of agreed wholeheartedly.

But now, at the end of mankind, at the end of the world.

She was all alone, and it was eating at her brain.

When she had found a handmade poster nailed to a half fallen telephone pole, her heart had soared.

In big red letters read “Survivors welcome.”

And an arrow pointing to a little town off in the desert. She knew she had to take that chance.

She looked up, scanning the horizon desperately through tears, hoping beyond hope that she’d spot something that that would make this whole trip worth it.

A building, a car, a person, a tree, a speck.

A speck, there was a speck in the distance.

Hana rubbed her eyes before looking back at it.

There was something, far far off but something.

A wide grin covered her face and tears started to fall again.

“Oh thank you thank you thank you!” She yelled at the sky.

She grabbed up her bag and set it on her shoulder, magically it didn’t feel so heavy anymore. And with one final whoop she set off at a steady pace for the “something”.

                     - - - - - - - - -

Hana’s feet hurt, she could feel the blisters rubbing against her boots.

Her legs ached and her mouth was dry.

It was dark and getting chillier by the minute.

But now she could see that the speck was definitely something, it wasn’t a mirage, it was an object. And the closer she got the more she was sure it was a building and there were multiple of them.

And now that the sun had set she swore some of them glowed.

There were two multi story buildings side by side, and a few scattered intact houses around those. The rest surrounding them were half blown up houses and debris heaps.

There were lights all throughout them and a couple of spotlights on the roofs and on a wall and gate appearing to have been build out of rubble.

Hana beamed having reached the first of the destroyed houses, it was only about a fifth-teen minute walk now and that was nothing compared to what she had just done.

As she neared a spotlight landed on her, she raised her hand to block it from blinding her.

Shouts could be heard from over the wall and finally one called to her.

“Are you armed!?” A male’s voice yelled down.

“No! I’m not!” She responded, in fact it hadn’t even crossed her mind, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of any living person or animal in years so she hadn’t even thought of bringing one.

“Let her in!” She heard the same voice yell again, and the gates slowly opened.

She walked in with a spring in her step, clutching her bag with clammy hands.

She moved past the light finally able to see the inside. The beaming grin on her face faltered and she slowed to a stop.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” The man from before spoke, jumping down from the walkway on the wall. “Not what you were expecting?”

No it was not.

Instead of a little oasis like she was hoping there were cages full of people, mouths gagged and hands tied.

There were no friendly faces, no warm smiles, only grimaces and smirks.

Dirty men and women walked around with guns on their backs and knifes on their hips.

Oh she was so stupid.

The gate behind her shut.

So stupid! She mentally yelled at herself while she remand frozen to the spot.

A hand gripped her shoulder, pushing her forward.

“If you’re lucky and you’re useful we might not sell you.” The man said with a leer as he pushed her towards the cages.

God she was stupid.