Trapped

Driving down a dark mountain road; I had the windows of my Dodge Ram rolled down, letting in the crisp summer breeze. My long auburn hair was tickling the back of my neck.

 

Classical music whispered out of the speakers. With the peaceful sound of the river and the soothing lullaby of crickets was almost too calming. Then that sound of seemingly untouched wilderness was replaced by squealing tires and crunching metal.

 

It ended as quickly as it started. All I remember is a blinding light, and then a tree was sticking out of the hood. Then the world went dark. When I came to I saw that I was no longer in the truck. Instead I lay sprawled on the ground in the middle of a clearing.

 

I sat and glanced over myself. There was not a scratch on me. Even my yellow sundress was still as wrinkle free as it was when I left my friend’s wedding. However, my body screamed a different story.

 

I stood and looked around. The road and my truck was nowhere to be seen. All that was familiar was the sound of the river, so I started climbing.

 

I had only been climbing for a few hours when I started to hear commotion coming from over the next ridge. I could hear one voice so clearly it was as if the person was standing right beside me.

 

“Can you hear me, Evelyn?”

 

It was my mother, concern thick in her voice.

 

I laughed silently at hearing my name. My mother is the only one that calls me by my given name, Evelyn. Evelyn Rose is what I was born with, but everyone aside from her called me Eve.

 

“They are working hard trying to get you out.”

 

Get me out of what?

 

I then felt a tight squeeze in my left hand. It released shortly after.

 

Ignoring the odd sensation, I continued my climb. As I did so I started to imagine what I might find when I got to the top. I started picturing my truck smashed into a tree. Ambulance, fire trucks, and police cars parked all around; swarms of red and blue lights brightening the once dark forest.

 

I walked up the last bit a little more quickly, anxious to see if what I imagined was true. Then I saw it, the emptiness and vast darkness. There was not one sign that anything had happened.

 

It didn't make any sense. Did I imagine what I heard and felt too? Am I losing my mind?

 

I fell helplessly to the ground. I didn’t know what to do. So, with my arms wrapped around my legs, I began to rock myself. I continued for what seemed like a lifetime as I let the tears flow down my face. By now the moon had sunk behind the horizon as the sun came up to take its place.

 

As I let the last tear rundown my cheek I stood and started walking back towards the clearing. The only thing I could think of was to go back to where I started and try to figure out how I got there.

 

I got to where the clearing was supposed to be. Instead I found a cemetery. A well preserved wrought iron fence guarded its perimeter.

 

Curiosity leads me past the gates to get a closer look at the tombstones that lay beyond. They all stood as if time had never touched them, but not a single one was marked.

 

In the center of this unusual cemetery was a remarkably sculpted angel knelt in front of a larger tombstone, weeping for the loss. On this gravestone read:

For Those I Could Not Save

I Am Sorry

The feeling of immense sorrow started to wash over me. I felt I knew of everyone that was buried here and that it was my fault they were here. I took a moment of silence. As I did so I let my eyes wonder over the statue. That was when I saw it. At first I didn’t know what it was. All I knew was that it didn’t belong there.

I walked over and grabbed it out of the angels hands and what I found myself holding was a well preserved leather bound book, the pages inside were worn from constant use. As I flipped through those pages I noticed that all that was written were names and dates. The first date was of the crucifixion of Christ. I flipped to the last page and saw that all that was written was:

End of Mankind

I slammed the book shut. Should I know this information? Was I meant to find the book? I had no clue of the answers, but I kept the book incase I found them.

With the book in hand I started walking back out of the cemetery.