It is the end of the world and we are ready.

Dear comrades.

I write this in clad in a black tank top, fitted black pants and boots.

There is so much mud on my face you cannot truly tell what my complexion is.

 I am breathing hard, crouched in between two big rocks.

I feel the moist ground through the knee area of my pants, it’s just rained and the earth is making sure I know it.

The year 2098 has the worst rains we have ever seen.

I lean back on my haunches, trying a few of the calming exercises I saw on this old app “YouTube”.

You may not know it, it existed eons before we were born.

The generations before us enjoyed watching tips, advice and other peoples lives on a tiny screen.

Now? We do it on the battle field.

That one YouTube tip said if you close your eyes and roll your head back, flexing your shoulder muscles. You should feel more relaxed than you did before.

I normally wouldn’t care about feeling relaxed but today? Today, I need to.

There’s an enemy camp just a few meters ahead, and I, the best tracer has been sent to annihilate them, their general, their foot soldiers and the few civilians that will have wound up with them.

This is my life, I’ve never questioned it, not until I found that damned telephone thing that gave me the YouTube app.

I saw a glimpse of what life was like before, it wasn’t perfect. I doubt it has ever been perfect but at least it wasn’t this.

In the old world, at 18 I would be in a university, figuring out how to line my eyes and wear lips gloss and have shakes with my friends under the hot Lagos sun but not anymore, Lagos looks nothing like it used to, it is now arid land full of bandits and scavengers. Speaking of Lagos makes me remember the woman who set me on this damned trajectory of wondering if I’m doing the right thing.

“korty” I can only assume this is how her name was spelt.

Unfortunately for Me, I never learned how to read.

I was created for the battle field.

But korty, I think she was not real, maybe a fake Simulation put in that box to try to make the world better.

I do not know exactly, I only wish I had never found her.

It is unrealistic to hope like that in this kind of world and maybe the world was different then but it feels like it was unrealistic to have hoped then too.

but I watch her videos and I feel hope.

I feel like I should drop my knives.

And go to start a farm.

I feel like I can dance in the governors court.

Or even be an Apple.

like if I believe it, I can do it.

I let out a cynic laugh, attempting to shake the very thought off my head.

I really should stop watching those videos… her videos.

I breath in the cold air and in one second, my knives are unsheathed and my feet are silently traveling through the trees.

Are you confused? It’s because you’re still in the past