A World Without Humans Makrina Savvoulidou “Run!”, a familiar voice sounded in the distance. Its sharp, piercing echo filled the blue sky as a dazzling light suddenly appeared. So close, yet so far. A gust of wind started sweeping the fine dust of the desert. It was relentlessly drifting everything on its brittle path as it approached me. Before I realized it, a man I once knew appeared like a moon, timidly emerging in a sky full of clouds. He was one of us. In his frantic, panic-stricken look, I could see despair and sorrow. Ι was flustered. And all my life flashed before my blurry eyes. I remem- bered our clumsy huts, constructed in all the areas we passed; even upon trees in order to escape the Hunters. I remembered my deceased friends, victims of gunshots. As they were left behind, their bodies were the only prey for the vultures. I remembered my father, who had to abandon his own wife when she died. I remembered myself, struggling alone to dig her grave. Then, I remembered the missile going through my left leg and the hysterical terrified crowd, evacuating the area in haste. Being left behind, I was trying to scream for them to come back, but no voice would come out. I was alive, but they were leaving without me. All the stories about the Hunters crossed my mind. Would they kill me as if I were a mere animal, like they did to thousands of us? So many incoherent thoughts, only half an hour after they departed. But then, how could I save myself? Do I even deserve salvation? I feel grief, only because I will never be able to spread the truth! They thought we were nothing special. That we didn’t love or care. That we were mistreating and ignoring other existences to ensure our survival. That we would only obey primitive instincts. But then, why did that man leave the others, who should be seeking for shelter, only to find me? They must have been wrong about all of us. This whole time I’ve been believing there were no humans on Earth. But now, watching this desperate face –supposed to warn me but actually being burned with me amid the explosion– I come to realize that there is no world without humans. This man decided to come back for me, while the others were looking for a secure place! This man sacrificed his safety to ensure that I wouldn’t fall into hostile callous hands. This man was and will forever be human. Because it is our own nature to love, regardless.
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