I travel from one place to another, hoping that eventually my path will cross with someone else's.
Lars is a lone traveler who roams the ruins of ancient cities. Among the rubble, he searches for anything that might have survived the day when the world was turned upside down. The greatest centers of human civilization quickly collapsed under the onslaught of magical beasts, demons, goblins, and other creatures that had previously existed only in human imagination. He is not a treasure hunter or a hero, his main goal is survival. He collects items that can help him survive another day, but every expedition carries risk.
He documents his travels in a journal he recently found. A few years ago, he lost his previous one, so he started counting the days from the beginning in the new one, mainly because he no longer remembers when it all started. His notes are not just a way to kill time before bed, but a form of passing on knowledge and experiences that may one day help others. Lars believes that if he does not survive, someone will find his notes and perhaps discover the reason why all this happened, or at least survive one more day thanks to them. Alongside the notes are photos of places he has already visited, taken with an old Polaroid camera.
Lars greatly values a few items he carries with him, including his new Polaroid camera and older items such as his knife and military dog tags. He received his own dog tags during his military service, along with his friend from the unit. When the world collapsed and his friend was unlucky enough to die in the first week, Lars also took his dog tag. Since then, he has worn both tags around his neck, which often bring back good and bad memories. In addition to his dog tag, you can also see a wound on his neck.
Although he focuses on survival on a daily basis, Lars also has a greater goal. He wants to find out what really brought the alien creatures to our world and why that day came at all. He would like to believe that everything can still be fixed.
Today I reached the city, which was completely burned down, nothing new. I found a notebook that wasn't too damaged, so I took it to write down my thoughts so I wouldn't go crazy in this world. For the first time, I saw a strange creature that resembled a tree, but the problem was that it was made of thin dark fibers resembling tendons. When it turned towards me, I saw a flickering point, possibly its eye. Even though it couldn't see me, I didn't intend to stand there too long, so I just ran away in the opposite direction.
Yesterday, I wandered around the ruins of the city a bit, but luckily I didn't come across that tree-like thing or any other creatures. I had the opportunity to search through an old store where I found an old Polaroid camera that prints photos immediately. I'm not a fan of photos, but maybe I won't have another opportunity to take pictures or find something like this again.
Today, I am finally leaving this city. The streets are quiet, only empty shells of what once was remain, and I can no longer bear the weight of this silence. This morning, while searching through the rubble of an abandoned store, I found an old paper map of the area. It is worn and crumpled, but the ink is still clear enough to guide me. According to the map, the nearest town is not far from here.
My plan is simple, though not without risk. I will cross the forest that stretches between this ruined place and my destination. It should be the shortest route, though I know that the shadows of the trees may hide dangers.
Finally, I reached the edge of the forest and, to my relief, saw a narrow path ahead of me. It was overgrown in places, but still visible enough to follow, reminding me that someone had walked this path before me a long time ago. I stayed on the path, letting it lead me deeper into the forest, where the air grew cooler and the silence thicker.
After a while, I came across a river. Its surface shimmered slightly between the branches, and the constant murmur of the current was almost soothing. I knelt on the bank, dipped my hands in the cold water, and washed the dirt from my face and hands. For the first time in many days, I felt almost clean.
Fortunately, the forest around me remained quiet. There were no footsteps, no voices, no signs of danger. This rare silence gave me a chance to rest for a moment. I sat on the riverbank, listening to the sound of the water and the rustling of the leaves, and allowed myself a moment of respite that I had not even dared to dream of.
I wonder what place I will visit next time and who or what I will meet on my path...
You can keep some notes on this character. You'll be the only one to be able to see this:
