There was a day when the birds once soared high above, a day when the water rushed, strong, persistent, _proud_.

That was until the world began to crumble, to fall, to give in to the weight placed on its shoulders by humanity. Until the water stopped running and birdsong no longer rang out in the morning breeze.

That was when the world went to shambles, until death was a topic no longer feared, yet accepted. When you would no longer look at your loved ones as family, but as another individual you just had yet to lose.

A crow flies above, a race occasion in a gray world of stone and clouds. In a world where life was a _gift_, where it couldn’t be taken for granted.

It had been a year since the sanctuaries no longer provided any means of support, a year since we were forced to find any means to survival.

The world had gone to nothing more than an escape room—where the end challenge would be welcoming death with open arms.

It’s been seven days since I began stealing.

Not much—just enough to get by.

The abandoned warehouses never had much to offer. Occasionally, you could be greeted with packaged foods, small rations that used to be shared with the nation. Today, I was lucky.

Four full boxes of rations.

Four boxes. Unattended. Alone.

My eyes were wide, hair flipping in the catching breeze. I quickly scooped up enough packages to stuff into my jacket. Grinning, I begin to turn with a sense of success.

For once, we could actually have a chance at survival.

_Click_.

The gun’s barrel is pressed to my forehead.

“_These don’t belong to you, civilian.” _The soldier’s face is painted with a frown, but in a way, I could see disappointment wash over his features.

“Yes, I’m sorry.” I say. What else could one say, being caught stealing more than we are given (which is barely anything) is considered a crime.

Punishable by death.

“Sorry’s don’t always work, civilian.” The soldier taunts. He presses the barrel deeper into my skull.

One click, and it could all be over.

One wrong word, and it could all be over.

It could be _over_.

The suffering, the pain, the broken world could be left behind. _But it couldn’t be this easy, could it?_

__

_I say nothing to him. _

__

_“_Civilan_,_do you hear me?” He scans my face, eyes finding mine.

I close my eyes, shutting him off from all emotions he tries to find. “Mhm.” I whisper to the wind.

He sighs. It’s as if he’s just waiting for an opportunity to kill me. Would my family notice if I never made it home? One more ration gone to them to share?

Part of me doesn’t wish to stay. The rations still fill my jacket, and the soldier begins to grow impatient. “Put the rations back, and consider it a warning.”

I nod.

Place them back into the box.

And turn away. Slow, quiet, calm.

***

The morning comes too fast. The silence is loud, but we all know what thoughts lie within the household.

_Hunger. Longing. Desperation. _

__

__

I wait five seconds. Five seconds of staring at my family’s pained expressions. And then, I grab my jacket and dash out the door.

The warehouse is still open, despite yesterday’s incident. A crow stands, pecking at a piece of plastic.

Clever, but it will never learn. Crows, clever, but greedy.

“I thought we learned?” I jump to find the soldier from yesterday behind me.

I stare. Ten seconds pass before I decide to break the silence. “Shoot me.”

He blinks, shocked. “What?”

“Soldier, do _you_ hear me?”

His face flushes with a sense of anger. “Loud and clear.”

“Shoot me then.” I say.

The soldier doesn’t care. Doesn’t hesitate. He raises the gun, the barrel kissing my left temple. I have a death wish.

The world was ending, whether we liked it or not. And in a way, my world already had ended. I feel the gun kiss my temple again and I sway in the breeze. “Learned your lesson yet, greedy one?” The soldier asks.

“Yes.” I answer. “Yes.” I repeat.

And that was the moment I realized it wasn’t ever a plan for me to make it out alive.

_Click_.

_Darkness_.