When I awoke from the accident my surroundings were very different and the absence of sound was ominous. I looked around to see that the city I was in had been deserted. You could hear a pin drop from a 100 feet away. I looked around hoping to find any aspects of human life hoping to find an answer to this desertion. Seeing no life present I started to walk around to see if I could find out where everyone had gone. Just being alone with your thoughts is deafening. Just thinking that you could be the only person left in this world is a scary thought. At one point I thought I had seen someone waving at me but, it was just a tree branch moving at the will of the wind. Finally I found my way back to a town with a name that sounded familiar so I thought I must have lived there.

I wandered around the downtown area and saw a lot of abandoned cars and trash in the roads, signs that they hadn’t been used in quite a while. I walked up to an apartment building that looked as though it had been pretty high end before what ever happened here, I attempted to open the doors but they were locked. So as any normal human being would do, I picked up a slab of concrete and threw it through the door. It shattered with no problem leaving me to reach inside and unlock the door myself. As I entered the lobby I noticed a peculiar smell coming from behind the counter. Not knowing what could have been there I decided to find some protection before I investigated. I attempted to use the elevator but it didn’t work. Not even the button lit up. I walked up the stairs to find empty hallways floor after floor, some floors looked as no one had stayed there in years and others looked like their guests had just left.I explored all of the rooms only to find that most of them still had possessions in them.

At one time I had heard someone talking so I yelled “Hello” but no one responded so I went to the area from which I heard the noise only to find that it was a tv that had been left on. I wonder how long it has been on? After that I just started to look for somethings to protect myself from whatever was in the lobby. I found pots and pans in just about every room so I grabbed a decent sized pan and put a pot on my head and clutched a couch cushion in the other hand. I started to make my way down stairs and finally reached the lobby. The smell was even worse than before so I just charged at the smell and hoped for the best. When I finally opened my eyes I had discovered that the smell was just a skunk and he had sprayed the desk because he had heard me break the glass. And it looked like he had sprayed himself and he looked miserable. So I decided to help the little fella and clean him up a bit. I drew a bath and once it was full enough I plopped him in and he looked happy to be getting the spray off himself. After he had soaked for around an hour I decided to check on him. He had taken a towel and was sleeping on it. I decided to call him zippy, I believed he would be a good companion for me in this confusing time. Zippy and I  left the apartment complex with enough grub to feed a small village.

We walked along a path for a couple of days and eventually came across and very peculiar rock. It had some weird engravings on it so I decided to keep it. Somewhile later me and zippy came across a cabin that looked like it was either deserted for 50 years or was built and then abandoned. Zippy and I decided to check the cabin out. We walked up to the cabin steps creaking with every step and went to the door and saw that it was unlocked. We walked in and noticed an odd smell coming from the oven. When we went to check on it, a feral squirrel popped out and leap at me. I pulled out my knife and cut his head clean off. Me and zippy had squirrel that night for dinner. It was quite adequate.

The next morning we woke up and decided to check the rest of the house. We walked around to find some sort of idea of what when on here and how a squirrel got in the oven. It turns out that the squirrel had been a family pet but over time had become feral because of the lack of food and ownership. After we had searched the rest of the house, we decided to check around the exterior of the cabin. As we walked around the outside, we noticed a patch of grass that was seemingly greener than the rest. We walked over to it just to find out it was a secret basement! Zippy and I were very excited on what we would find down there. We grabbed the hidden handle, which was covered in wet grass (gross) and pulled up on it. Turns out the door was much heavier than I’d thought. With all my might I somehow managed to pry the door open.

This basement was much weirder than Zippy and I had thought before. The door was actually made of steel, and was about 3 inches thick. When I had opened it, I was exhausted and just waiting to get down into that cool dark basement. Zippy and I started to walk down the cobweb infested, dust covered steps only to wonder, why was this room here? Someone had gone through alot of effort to make this place as hidden as possible. I was also wondering why there were so many steps. Zippy and I finally got to the bottom of the stairs and what we saw surprised us.

It was an 8 foot tall door made completely out of titanium. Zippy and I just stared at in in awe for about 20 minutes. After the we realized that we wanted to get through the door we had to think of a plan to bust that door open. That’s when I remembered we had found a plasma cutter back in the town. I rummaged through my bag and finally found it! I put on some goggles and set up a barrier so zippy would be safe. I started at the door and was was surprised when the cutter went right through! I cut a sizable hole in the door and it slammed to the floor with a thud. I looked through the hole only to find a very dark cave. I grabbed a flashlight and flashed it on. Me and zippy walked through the hole and ventured into the darkness. Me and zippy have been walking into this cave for quite some time now. Along the way we have stumbled along some mushrooms and moss but nothing much else. Eventually, zippy and I decided to turn around because we weren’t finding anything. Kinda weird that someone had spent the time and money to construct a titanium door and put nothing behind it. It took zippy and I about 45 minutes to get back to the entrance.

When we arrived, the basement look much different than when we had left. The metal hole that I had cut out of the door was gone and it no longer looked messy. It looked like someone had cleaned up in here. We walked up the steps and I noticed that those were also clean. When we reached the top however, everything else looked exactly the same. I was very confused. Then that’s when it hit me. Literally a pebble had hit me in the head. I looked around for the source but could not find one. Then another pebble hit me in the head again I looked and looked but could not find a thing! So I turned to zippy to see if he was doing it and sure enough, he had another pebble in his tail laughing. “Silly skunk” I say as I bend over and pet him. Then we head back on the trail hoping to find other sources of life.  “Sometimes just being alone with your thoughts can be isolating” I think to myself as we trot along.

Soon we come across another town but I can’t read the name because the sign looks very worn out, as if it has been left alone for many years. We walk along what look like the center streets of the town only to find that it all looks as worn down as the sign. We went into a couple of grocery stores and luckily all the food was still preserved, almost as if they were working a couple minutes ago… I found the circuit panel in a back room and flip the switch. Nothing happens immediately but after a couple seconds I hear the lights starting to come on. It feels nice to have lights on in a building for once. Zippy and I grab a cart and start to examine the aisles for anything that looks delightful. We find a couple bags of doritos, a big bag of cheetos and some spaghettios. I think zippy and I are going to stay here for a while.

The next morning we wake up and go to the cold section and grab some bacon and eggs. We then go to the appliances section and turn on a stove and get cooking. After I finished my delightful meal, zippy and I walked to the camping area and started fishing a little. I thought it was fun that the store had a little fishing pond in it. Very inventive. After a couple hours of fishing we walked around just to see if we could find out what happened here. We went to the break room and found a couple of documents about payments on the building and legal things. After the break room we went to the storage room and i\was huge! It would take us days too look through all this stuff! But, we had nothing better to do so that's what we did. This room must have been at least 40 feet high and probably a mile long. We started walking down the first aisle and oh man, did that take forever. Most of it was quite an adventure however we found plenty more food and some more supplies. If you didn’t know, opening boxes can be fun especially if you don’t know what’s in them. After a fun day of rummaging through boxes me and zippy decided to turn in.

March 20th, for the first time in months I saw another person! He was walking alongside a skunk! I didn’t know if they were friendly however, so I kept my distance. They seemed quite nice and it would be nice to finally interact with another human being so I did follow them. I hope they turn out being nice. When zippy and I woke up the next morning, zippy was acting a bit odd. He was acting more alert than normal and seemed to be looking for something. I sat down and petted him trying to calm him down but he seemed determined to find whatever was near us. All of a sudden zippy burst out towards the meat section! “Zippy wait!” I yell as I run after him. He jumps over the counter and starts to attack something! I jump over the counter as fast as I can and try to see what he is mauling. It was just a fish! “Silly skunk” I say. But this incident brings a thought to my head, why didn’t he go after the fish as soon as we got here? Had someone else put it there? This has me questioning if there is more to this store… Maybe even the town…

It seems that the skunk liked my present, he went right after it! Hopefully soon I can introduce myself. The next morning we explored the exterior of the building. It looked pretty nice, not like it had been raided or anything it just looked like the rest of the town. I am still confused on how this town looks so much cleaner than the city that I had found zippy in. The towns are as opposite as The Poles. Someday, I hope to find out what really happened here.

I think today will be the day that I introduce myself the the other person! I feel confident enough that they will greet me with open arms!

Alright something weird is going on. Zippy had a collar on and I have never given him a collar. I have to find who or what is doing these things. “Huh?” I found a note telling me to meet this thing at the cliff above the town. I better prepare for a fight. I go back to the store and suit up. “Get ready my battle skunk” I say to zippy before I put kevlar on him. I grab a rifle and a pistol and we head off to the cliff.

It was a long trek, but finally we make it and there is no one there. That is when I become paranoid that this thing is going to ambush us! I spin a circle looking for whatever had sent us here. “Where are you! Show yourself.” I yell. I hear a voice respond,”I mean you no harm.” “Then show yourself!” The mysterious figure pops up from behind a rock and it startles me. “Ghaaah!” I pull out my rifle and fire. I can hear that I hit whatever it was because I heard it cry out in pain.”What was that for?!!?! That hurt!” I walk over to the voice and see a man. He looks about the same age as me or maybe a little older. He looks very old but young at the same time. “Who are you.” I ask. “My name is Drew and I don’t know why you shot me!” I pull out my pistol and shoot him in the leg. He cries out again,” Stop! Please!” “Give me one good reason I should end your life right now.” “Ummm, let me think” BANG! I shoot him in the head and his body goes limp.

I stare at his body for a second before I rummage through his clothes. He didn’t have much on him, so he probably had a camp nearby. I walk around the area near his body and find an opening in the rocks and sure enough it was covering a tunnel. I head down the tunnel making sure that zippy is behind me. This dude had a pretty nice crib, it was well maintained and he had quite a bit of stuff. Too bad he’s dead now. After looting his crib, I decided to get rid of the body. I went over to him and stared at him again, but feeling no guilt or remorse for what I had done I picked up his body and threw it off the cliff. I watched it fall and eventually hit the ground with a muffled thump.

The thump reminded me of a rock, still and cold. We decided that we will trust no one else unless they can convince us otherwise. Killing that guy Drew made me think, why didn’t I feel anything why I literally killed someone? I threw him off a cliff and still, nothing. The human mind is puzzling. Zippy and I slowly made our way back down the mountain and were heading back to the store when all of a sudden, we hear a massive BOOM! What follows next is one of the worst noises I have ever hear. Somewhere in the distance, a metal building was ripping apart at the beams. I have no idea how this happened but what I do know is whatever caused it is going to be a problem for Zippy and I.

I can’t decide weather to go check it out or go hide in the store. But whatever decision I will make I’m going to have to choose fast because whatever caused the building to collapse was heading in my direction. I decided to hide in the store, because that seemed like the safest option for zippy and I. We rushed in and hid in a backroom, making sure to be as quiet as possible. As the noises get closer and closer we shrink smaller and smaller hoping to not be seen or heard. Just as the noise gets to its loudest, directly in front of the store, it goes silent. In an instant whatever had caused this destruction disappeared.

So many weird things have happened since I have awaked since the accident. All I even remember about the accident is driving and then all of a sudden poof. No people, no sound, not really anything. The one time I did hear a bird chirp it had sounded like the bird was silenced halfway through a chirp. Someone or something has been influencing the environment. I went to go check on the building that had fallen but when I went to that area, it looked untouched. I am very confused and, and, am I going crazy? Is anything happening real? Am I real? In order to test this I am going to check the site where I disposed of the body. I made sure to go as close as possible to the drop site and sure enough Drake or whatever his name was, lifeless, cold, and still there. So either he was also apart of whatever is happening here or, who ever is running things is behind schedule.
I go back to the store and go back to where we have been sleeping and zippy's not their. My heart starts pumping out of my chest, what have they done with my skunk? They wouldn’t dare. “Zippy,Zippyyyyyyy” no response. “ZIPPY!!!” I hear a whimper from the storage and I sprint back there to see what is happening to my skunk. Zippy is being attacked by a wolf! I pull out my pistol and put three bullets in its thick skull. I throw the soulless body of the wolf off of my precious skunk and grab him in my arms. He’s whimpering and it looks like the wolf got a tight grip on his leg but it shouldn’t be too major. Thank god I made it in time, 10 seconds later and he would have been dead.

Skunks heal surprisingly fast I noticed. Just yesterday, he could barely stand and now he’s prancing around and acting like nothing ever happened. Where did that wolf even come from? The only other two animals I have seen are zippy and that feral squirrel so unless I animals don’t like me, it seems they only show up at as a conflict. Interesting…

We decided to go venture around the rest of the town because we really have not explored much of it. We found another store exactly like the one we were staying in at the moment and a couple of gift shops and some business buildings. We decided to go into one of them and it was nothing out of the ordinary, just a boring old office building. But the store on the other hand, that was weird. When I said exactly the same I mean exactly. Everything was in the exact same place and it even looked like something was living their… Exactly like a person and an animal… Okay this is really starting to make me question my sanity. Two stores, exactly the same and both looking like they have people in them!? Zippy and I decided to camp out there and wait for whoever lives here and see who they are.

We had been waiting there for at least two hours before we heard the people walk in. They walked in and from our hiding place we could see them but they couldn’t see us. Silence, then BANG! I shoot the person in the head, their body crumples in a heap motionless, what ever animal he had with him looks down at its owner attempting to get them to move and I take another shot killing the animal. We walk down cassius that neither of them get back up, neither do. Both dead. The animal was a cat so I didn’t care for it, I hate cats. The person looked alot like Drew and that made me think “Is this a family that I'm killing?” Well, they decide to breathe so it’s their problem. The cat was probably the ugliest thing I have seen in my entire life, and if I had an abundant amount of ammunition, I would empty a clip into it. We leave the store victorious,and with our hands full of supplies and other goodies, we head back to base camp.

We start to make our store more secure so if any intruders do attempt to come in, they won’t know what him em. We mount boards over almost all windows and I installed metal doors with peepholes for safety and we build little landings right below the second story windows so we could have viewpoints and see from every angle. We also installed some remote sentry turrets that I could control with a tablet for easy access to heavy firepower. We installed them on every landing and two above the doors and two right behind shields just inside the doors, there was no way anyone was getting in. We also a couple of emergency escape exits, all but one were in the back of the store. The most unlikely one we would use would be the only one on the ceiling. After turning the store into a barricaded fortress, we decided to explore the outskirts of the town.

I saw another bird, it was very pretty but as soon as I had seen the magnificent bird, it vanished. I would like to make contact with who ever is controlling the world that I’m in, by maybe telling them something I want and seeing if it can appear. I was talking to zippy and I mentioned a nice big elk for dinner and sure enough an elk appeared at our doorstep just waiting to be killed. I aimed my rifle at it and fired a single bullet into its brain. It falls to the ground with an umph and now zippy and I have dinner. After another series of test I have concluded that they will only give you something if they think you will use it properly and sometimes it’s like they are trying to kill you. So once I ask for a steak and they gave me a live bull. Oh boy was that fun to put down. Me and zippy have been in the fortress for a couple weeks now and it’s starting to get quite boring. Just as I think it can’t get any more boring, something exciting happens! A group of three men come to the door of our demanding that I give them supplies or face the consequences, so I open the doors and they are dead within a second. Those centuries obliterated those men, there wasn’t a thing left of them. That was also the first time I’d seen more than one person at a time.They might be making it harder and harder to survive in this environment…

One night I wake up to the slight sound of helicopter rotors and that is not normal so I get up and follow the noise. It leads to a mountain that I hadn’t remembered seeing before and when I got to the top of the mountain I could not believe what was on the other side. A military base has been set up and from the looks of it, a small army has inhabited it! I stay perfectly still, making sure not to make a sound so they don’t become aware of my presence. I use the scope from my rifle to get a closer look at the base. There looks to be at least 500 troops, and half as many vehicles. I scope in on a single soldier and inspect him. He looks very similar to Drew, why does everyone look the same here? Unless, oh no, Clones! Every person here is a clone! My mind starts racing as I try to comprehend this confusing information. I go to check back on the soldier and he is staring right back at me. He uses a radio and says something like “enable protocol mercy” and then the base disappears. I cannot believe it! Everyone is a clone, and why does everything keep disappearing!?

I race back to the store only to find that it is in ruins! I run around looking for zippy. I hear him yelping from beneath a beam so I sprint over and attempt to pry him out from under it. With all my strength, I muster enough force to lift the beam off him just enough to free him from the beams grasp. He runs up and jumps into my arms licking my face to thank me for saving his life for the second time.

Alright buddy, remain calm, someone is just trying to kill you, no biggie. I stop and just sit on the rubble of what used to be my home thinking about why someone would do this, and why does everyone except for me look almost exactly the same? Why is everyone a clone? It baffles me why someone would do all of this. I need to get to the bottom of this.

Zippy and I head out to the mountain area with all the supplies we have left. I pick him up and say,¨If we don't make it out of here alive, I just want you to know that I love you, skunk of mine.” He licks my nose as if agreeing with me. We trek out to the mountain and start our ascent. We arrive at the spot atg which I had seen the base and sure enough, it was not their. I walk out into the open making sure to be cautious just in case we get ambushed and hope that I nor zippy get shot.

I make it all the way to exactly where the base was and I put my hand out to see if there is anything relating to a forcefield and sure enough my hand hits an invisible barrier. I attempt to go through it but, no luck. I decide to wait for one of those soldiers to come back and see how they get through. I wait for about three hours before a soldier comes by and he pushes a rock and a panel appears in the field. He pushes a couple of numbers and then a door opens up. Before he walks through however, I take out my rifle and shoot him in the head. He falls to the ground  halfway in the door. I quickly rush to the door and go through it.

The base looks pretty amazing, I’m surprised how high tech it is compared to everything else I’ve seen. I drag his body behind a rock and put on his uniform. I get up and walk around the base. Everyone is looking at me funny because I don’t look like them but they don’t seem to care much. I see a building that has more security and more guards than any other building so I decide to go in there. I walk up and one steps in front of me and says,”Halt. State your business.” “I’m new here just checking everything out.” He grabs a walkie talkie and whispers something into it. After a second someone responds and he says,”Alright proceed.” I walk through the doors and find something I never expected to see what I did in their. I saw a lot of cameras and a lot of surveillance equipment. The next thing I know I’m being hit over the head by the butt end of a gun.

I wake up strapped down to a chair and a weird device strapped to my head. I attempt to break free from the restraints but no luck. A man in a striped suit walks in, and looks me over. “Good evening 57-B” “Me?” “Yes you.” I have no idea what he is talking about. “Where is my skunk?”... “WHERE IS MY SKUNK!!!!” I scream at him. “Don’t worry about him. He’s in a better place now.” No. Oh my god NO!! “How could you do that you bastard!” His expression doesn’t change at all as I’m screaming at him. “ You don’t really care 57-B.” “Why do you keep calling me that and why did you kill my skunk?!?” “He wasn’t real 57-B.” “What are you talking about he was real. I felt him!” “He was a pigment of your imagination.” Nothing is making sense. My head is spinning.”Then kill me! I don’t want to live anymore!” “Don’t worry it’ll end soon enough.” I feel nothing. Nothing matters anymore. Nothing could make me feel again. “Alright I’ve heard enough. Start the machine up.” Soon enough, a machine starts whirring, but nothing is happening. “What are you going to do to me?” “You’ll know soon enough.” “Is the next subject ready?” The man says into a microphone. “Almost sir.” “This one was promising but he came here too soon.” Was I just part of a test? Oh my god. I was a guinea pig in this little experience! “What you guys are doing is wrong!” But as soon as I open my mouth I feel a gun put against my temple.”Goodbye 57-B.” The trigger is pulled. Everything is dark. I feel nothing. “Status report of 57-B” Terminated sir. “Darn, he was a good one, well send in 57-C.” Yes sir. The screen goes 57-C. “Who am I?” “How did I get here?”