REGRETS part 2
Instead of sticking around the hospital I had just been in, I went to my house. I couldn’t find my car, and home wasn’t far away, so I decided to walk. The grass on the road medians and the side of the highway was so overgrown that it went past my knees, brushing my thighs. My feet sunk into the grass with every step I was taking and mud and blood were starting to cover my shoes. Disgusted, I looked away from the ground, and instead observed what was around me. Around me, what looked like new buildings the last time I saw them were now worn down and falling, as if they’d been there for half a century. The city was in ruins, completely different from what I was used to. It was terrifying, the scenery was cringe-worthy and made me grit my teeth in horror.
    As I finally reached my house, I gasped in terror. It looked like there had been a murder scene, with the door wide-open and blood covering the steps. I cautiously walked in and the scene before me was the worst thing I’d ever laid eyes on. My couch was flipped onto its back, vases were broken, and there was my family. They all lay on the couch with chunks of flesh missing from their bodies. Each of them wore a terrified look on their face and blood covered their clothes. They were dead. I couldn’t believe it. There was no way they were gone. The last time I saw them, I never even told them goodbye... And when had been the last time I told any of them I loved them? My throat constricted and tears were stinging my eyes. My breath became shallow as I sat down on a leather chair with tears all over it. I dropped my head in my hands and just cried. I cried for my daughter, my son, my wife, the city, for whoever did that to the city. I cried for myself, for not giving them a proper goodbye, or being a great parent and husband. Then, after an hour of tears, I got off the couch. Crying wouldn’t bring them back. I walked out of the house, having no idea where I was going to go. I just knew it had to be anywhere but there.
    I ended up at an old run-down park from my youth. I was just about to sit down on a rusty swing, when I saw something moving a little ways in front of me. It looked like a person. Relief greeted me like an old friend, pushing out any other emotion I had a few seconds before. And a few more people were joining the first one. I couldn’t contain my excitement. I wasn’t the only one living around here after all. “Hey, over here!” I screamed as loud as I could, my voice raspy and cracking. Every head looked in my direction as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I walked over to where everyone was, but then I noticed that they didn’t look quite normal. Most of them had flesh the color of either a sheet of paper or dead grass. Patches of hair were missing from some of their scalps, their clothes were shredded and blood-soaked, and one or two had limbs missing. A few of them walked towards me, one with a limp, another literally dragging its leg behind him, as if it had entirely lost its function. Their appearance sickened me and made me want to vomit. As the group of people-- largely males-- approached me, one of them grabbed my arm and threw me to the ground. They all surrounded me, clawing at my body, and sinking their rotted, partially missing teeth into my flesh. I screamed in pain and blood spewed from my stomach, arms, neck and legs. Tears rolled down my face and I moaned in agony. I attempted to roll over and cover my face with my arms, but to no avail. These... these cannibals wouldn’t let me move. Everything was going black and I couldn’t bear the pain. My own screams were twice as loud in my ears now, and then I started thinking about everything I could have changed before now. Like the way I never had spent any time with my family, I was revolved around my work. “Mandy, Addison, Jacob, I’m so sorry. I love you. I’m a terrible person. I love you all. I miss you. I’m so sorry, and I’ll see you all soon.” I was gasping for breath now, and hot tears rolled down my cheeks. I squeezed my eyes shut and used my last remaining breaths to whisper into the air, “Mandy, I love you.”