I walked down the dark hallway. The world seemingly unmoving except for me. It was a cold, cold feeling.

The silence was deafening, not even the hum electricity nor the whistle of the wind could be heard.

My thoughts began to scatter.

*What am I doing here?*

*Where are all the people?*

*Is this really Millenial City? No? Yes?*

*Why do I feel unsettled when I try to remember what happened?*

*Who is that boy and what is his gift?*

*Why am I the only person here? Wait. That boy is here*

*Am I forgetting something?* *Try and think what happened before the forest.*

*Why are there no people here?*

*Where are all the animals?*

*What is that thing on the boy's head? What does it do?*

*Was there a natural disaster?* *Will we find people if we leave the city?*

*I don't want to be alone.*

My train of thought was suddenly shut down as I walked myself into a wall. I had been walking toward my destination unconsciously that entire time. The silence nearly consuming my mind.

I looked up to see large industrial doors with yellow text on them.

>>>STORAGE AREA>>>

I had reached my destination.

I checked my surrounding to see if there were signs of people coming here for supplies only to find a plethora of dust on the floors. I looked at the keypad next to the doors look for any signs of damage.

It looked undamaged so I attempted to use my key code to unlock it expecting it to open as it always had before. Nothing happened.

I sighed.

"Of course. The power's out."

I stared at the doors intently. As if waiting for them to open by themselves.

*Maybe it has a delay*

Is what I thought to myself, but I knew that wasn't true. The city outside was in ruins it would make sense for its infrastructure to have collapsed also. That meant that all communications to the outside were impossible, that there was no power for miles on end, all basic facilities that were a part of daily life before were unusable.

*Schlitz*

*I can't use that without permission*

*...*

*But if no one's around...*

*I guess it's fine, as long as no one gets hurt, I just have to control it*

My thoughts were against the rules. No, they were strictly prohibited.

No personnel of the AFPV could use their gift without proper authority. No one could break this rule. All people had a gift, in fact, everyone was born with one. The initial power of a gift isn't determined at birth either. There are inferior and superior gifts but a person status was never based on the level of their gift. It's about how you would train the gift you were born with and how it evolved with you and your experiences. However, personnel of the AFPV had trained their gifts to an extent to where there was no chance of an average citizen could challenge them. For this reason, AFPV personnel were never allowed to use their gift in public.

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The AFPV was one of the most respected organizations of the world government for this and many other reasons.

This was ingrained in my mind. Never. Ever. Use your gift in public.

From the first day of training to retirement you must never use it in a public area.

But now things are different.

Millenial city wasn't the grand masterpiece of humanity anymore. I either survived here with the kid or died here with the kid. I wasn't going to abandon the only person for miles to come.

My mind was focused.

The area around me glowing a subtle green hue.

I could feel the energy of the world coursing through me. It had been a while.

I felt the air around me. Moving even when at its stillest.

I fixed my gaze on the door.

I extended my arm, reaching out for the industrial grade doors.

My palm opening. The closing. Along with it the door crumpling up like paper.

I brought it forward away from the entrance and tossed it aside. I didn't need it.

I stopped the flow of energy running through me. My body immediately feeling slightly heavier.

The air around me felt stagnant again and the world stood still once again.

It had been a while since I had used my gift.

I entered the now open storage area and immediately searched for food and water. I found it on the bottom shelf near the entrance so my time wasn't wasted looking around the area for supplies. Everything necessary for survival was located near the entrance.

The only problem was that I had nothing to carry it with.

I searched around the area. Maybe I was there for hours or for minutes but I searched until I finally found a tarp from who knows when. It was at least a hundred years old but it was still usable.

I took my newly found tarp and put all the materials necessary for my survival and his.

I grabbed all I could till I looked like Santa from the Winter Festival and I left to go back to where I left the boy.

I walked back. The silence still deafening. The items in the tarp only making minimal noise. The air stagnant as though it hadn't moved at all.

I almost got lost in my thoughts again. Running into a wall once was enough for me. I had to think about ways to contact other people. All once functioning infrastructures seemed to be down including communications. So our only option was to go out into the forest and travel by foot to the nearest populated area. It was an unsavory option to travel by foot but it seemed to be the best course of action.

I continued down my path. Walking in the silence not saying a word but silently making a course of action, of course, while looking straight ahead for any stray walls.

I turn down the last corridor and walk slowing seeing light from the outside seeping into my vision.

Then I see a shadow, of a little boy.

I continued walking down and I see him turn to me. His face that of confusion. Perhaps questioning my identity and where he is.

My joy couldn't be contained. I had been alone for a bit too long.

I walked closer to get a better view of him stepping into the light.

His features gradually becoming clearer until I can see him fully.

I dropped the tarp on the ground and ran towards him. Tears rolling down my face. I embraced him with both my arms wrapping around his entire body. My mind filled with confusion simply grateful to not be alone anymore.

*I need to say something. He needs to know that I am not here to harm him in any way.*

I was trying hard to think of something to say. But my voice acted on instinct. Saying the words that came from the bottom of my heart. Perhaps not sophisticated or the best choice of words. No. Definitely not the best choice of words. I could have said 'nice to see you what's your name' or something intelligent. But instead.

"I'm so glad you're up now"