Morning came fast the next day. It was "exploring day" or maybe "remember your hometown day". It kept me anticipating ut level-headed on what to take with me in my backpack. 'Don't forget where you live, stupid'. 

        Calmy, I walked outside and was welcomed by the warm summer air tickling my cheeks. Although it was warm outside, there was always fog. The fog gave the morning an tangerine-red tint to the sky making it feel as though I drank a drugged Sunny D that made me see in its color. Taking a deep breath of smelly air, I stalked onto the road, powerwalking my way down. The street was littered with ash along with some remaining body parts, buildings, and graves. Flashbacks at every turn had my mind going down memory lane before I had to stop for a rest.

        "Wow! I only walked for 30 minutes", I teased myself, "5 mores minutes and I could've been on the other side of that McDonalds". I brught myself to fight through the flashbacks to get to my old house. It felt as if I had walked 100 miles by afternoon. My feet fought courageously to avoid the oncoming calluses and bunions but did not win the battle. My feet had grown tired, my clothes were sweaty, and my curly tresses frizzed up within the ponytail. The backpack, light and easy to carry, was now like a stack of cinderblocks weighing me down so I'd kneel at its superiority. 'You're out of shape. Drink water and then keep moving'.

        When I was laying on the ground, a car zoomed past me before it halted. I guessed that the car must've been an old audi car. 'Who cares about the car. Pretend you're dead. That car is moving backwards now because of you'. My eyes shut as I pretended to be a corpse. The driver had parked the car right by my body, before coming out of his car. The footsteps were light and quick even though the person was walking. '1...2...', I counted. I could feel the driver's presence in front of me along with a crinckling bag of chips. '3...4...' I could now feel feet by my head and crumbs falling onto my face. Crack. This person must've crouched down to get a closer look at me because I could hear their knees crack and their breath could be heard. "Oh she's dead now", said the voice, "She should've taken the ladder back up to the city". 'Ladder? So he's the same guy from yesterday?'

        "You", I quickly opened my eyes and sat up, "I thought you were...". He looked at me to show that he wanted me to continue. He looked like he was a little frightened by my sudden voice. "Nevermind. Just forget it". The man raised his eyebrow for a few miliseconds before his face fell back into his usual stone-like expression. I had almost forgotten Iwas laying on the ground before he grabbed my arm to pull me up. "Thanks umm...what is your name?"

        "Kai", he shook my hand with a firm grip around it. 'He's strong but his soft hands feel like a contradiction'.

        "I'm Leela", I introduced followed by a light smile. "I'm glad to hear you speaking more". I thought I had seen a small crack of a smile but it must've been my imagination.

        "Thank you. It's nice to meet you again, Leela." Kai's voice was highly charming and could have your stomach churning with butterflies. It almost sounded as if he were singing in a lower register. "Do you need a ride?"

        "Yes, but are you a person that likes to kill people or not?" He inspected me for any signs that I was kidding.

        "Clearly not if I tried to help you go into the city".

        "You can't blame me from being wary. There is no life down here. The only things living down here are you and me".

        "I understand", he walked over to the driver's side of the car, "now get into the car". He made that sound like a demand.

        "No. You're kind of creepy....a bit more than a normal kind stranger".

        "I'll take you wherever you want, just get in".

        I looked twice at my backpack laying on the ground and remembered how tired I was a minute ago. "Fine". 'If he tries anything, I have my pocket knife ready to go".

        The car ride was noiseless besides my spoken directions. I felt that he was behaving well so I relaxed into the passenger's seat, pulling the seat back enough for comfort. "Is this house where you wanted to go?" 'More questions', my mind groaned.

        "Yes it is", Kai parked the car smoothly on the road next to my old house. As we simultaneously exited the car, I thanked him for the ride and asked him politely to leave. He just stayed put like a gargoyle watching over cities back in the day before he turned the car off. 'He's so weird but I can't talk.' I just turned away and entered my old house nervously anticipating the memories that would ensue.