Year One: "The Wasteland"

 What once was a bustling symphony, with new opportunities - now a wasteland. The small, humble buildings were now skeletal remains of a forgotten era. The town square, a place filled with laughter, joy, and love now was frighteningly empty. 

The sky matched the state of the town - cold and gray.One known survivor remained through the ruin, Alex. He, similarly to the town, had lost any sense of life. His eyes appeared empty, and his face always carried a monotone expression. As he walked around, he found ruins. More ruins. The ruin shadowed the town, and Alex knew he had to face it by returning to where it all began. 

Wondering how he should start his beginning, Alex kept pacing until he reached the outskirts of town. His parents never allowed him to wander there as a kid, so it was all new to him. The outskirts matched the town. Destroyed. Only one building remained; a small, dirty, brown, warehouse. Out of pure curiosity, Alex stepped inside.

Through the dusty shadows, hes saw a figure at a workbench. Initially, he thought nothing of it, believing it was an abandoned standee. He began to explore the warehouse. The floors suggested chaos, being filled with sloppy documents.Suddenly, the figure suddenly turned towards him. Alex was terrified at first, until it stepped towards him. 

The figure was an man who appeared no older than 50. The man shouted at him, "Hello? Who is it?" Alex replied saying he was simply an explorer. The man, Stanley, came towards him and sat him down. At first, Alex was reluctant, but he later told him all he could remember.

Stanley told him all about his life. Similar to Alex, he didn't remember the destruction of the town. The last thing he remembers before the destruction was stumbling upon the warehouse.

When he arose, nothing was left. He salvaged what little was left of the warehouse and turned it into his home. Stanley's persistence inspired Alex, giving him a hope he hadn't felt in years. The pair continued to discuss the wasteland, deciding to attempt to investigate the desolation.

They began their exploration by walking. They walked as far as they could, until they reached what seemed like the edge.. For years, Alex was told primarily by his grandfather, the town elder, that the town was connected to a ghost town which everyone strayed from..

Instead, a barrier caged the town. At the barrier was none other than his grandfather. His grandfather, Henry, laughed at seeing them, telling the pair how their beloved town all this time was.. an experiment. The whole time, he oversaw the town. As a young teen, Henry was fascinated by human psychology. He wondered what would happen if humanity was stripped of its resources and was forced to rely on pure teamwork. As he got older, wonder turned into obsession.

After years of research, Henry found a way to erase people's memories. He decided to use this to his advantage, kidnapping his family and friends to use them as actors in his corrupt fantasy. He traveled to the most desolate corner of the Earth and built a barrier around it. He lived as the town's elder, watching the town grow and thrive.

As time passed, the residents started families and built fulfilling lives. They were satisfied with their current lives, not feeling the need to expand the town. So, Henry decided to destroy the entire town. It simply carry the same special spark of innovation it once did.

After hearing Henry's story, the pair decided leaving wasn't worth it. Henry would find them, and likely force them to relive the entire process again. Instead, they traveled around the empty town. They resided in the warehouse, attempting to rekindle what was left of the town.

written by Zoe