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Andrew stared at the computer screen, the curser blinking rhythmically on the top line. He had a story to write for his English class for tomorrow, but as usual, he hadn't bothered to do it until the last minute. Cracking his knuckles, he typed the first line before stopping to judge it.

"Once upon a time..."

No. That was too cliché. Quickly deleting the line, he went back to staring at the screen for a minute to decide on something less used.

"In a world not unlike our own..."

That was a bit better. It would do unless he could think of something that was more imaginative. With that in mind, he kept on typing the beginning to his story.

In a world not unlike our own, a young man was staring at the sky through a gap in the buildings. This was his usual habit to pass the time until something interesting happened nearby, giving him work to do. As was also usual, the sky was covered in thick grey clouds that blocked the blue of the sky above. He sat in an old rocking chair held together with tape and string. He had found it in the street after an old couple had moved away, leaving most of their things behind. That too was a usual thing as well. Every few months a family would just leave with what they could carry in the night, leaving what was left for the locals. As it was, the street had less than half the houses occupied.

Andrew stopped to think about what he had written so far. He had a man sitting somewhere thinking about his street and how people seemed to be leaving it. Why was he still there? Did he even live on the street, or did he just go there to pass the time? Why were the people eve leaving in the first place? Argh!! Saving his work, he highlighted a part of it and copied it below what he already had to try something different.

In a world not unlike our own, a young man was staring at the sky through a gap in the buildings. This was his usual habit to pass the time until something interesting happened nearby, giving him work to do. As was also usual, the sky was covered in thick grey clouds that blocked the blue of the sky above. He sat in an old rocking chair held together with tape and string so that it still rocked properly. At least it was quiet today so that he could read his book in peace.

Before he opened his book to where he had left it yesterday, he checked his surroundings carefully. He had his rifle next to him and a pistol just in case in his leg holster too. The north route was empty with no signs that there had even been an attack only yesterday. The south route was just as quiet, but the shallow graves betrayed the number of dead on their side. He had only today to get through and then he was gone, so it would be good to finish on a high note.

That was sounding better. There was the start of a plot going, even if he didn't know what it was. There was something attacking wherever his mystery man was staying for whatever reason. He only had one day left before he could go back to his home. Reading it a second time, Andrew noticed a small point that didn't fit at the start any more. Copying what he had written down below he changed a few words and kept typing.

In a world not unlike our own, a young man was staring at the sky to the north. This was his usual habit to pass the time until something interesting happened nearby, giving him work to do. As was also usual, the sky was covered in thick grey clouds that blocked the blue of the sky above. He sat in an old rocking chair held together with tape and string so that it still rocked properly. At least it was quiet today so that he could read his book in peace between acting the lookout.

Before he opened his book to where he had left it yesterday, he checked his surroundings carefully. He had his rifle next to him and a pistol just in case in his leg holster too. The north route was empty with no signs that there had even been an attack only yesterday. The south route was just as quiet, but the shallow graves betrayed the number of dead on their side. He had only today to get through and then he was gone, so it would be good to finish on a high note.

Opening his book, he read a few pages before dropping it back onto the table. There was a small rumbling in the distance, off to the south. Poking his head out of the window, he spotted a vehicle driving up the dirt track towards the camp, a green star inside a blue circle signalling it to be friendly. With a shrill whistle, he caught the attention of one of the men on the ground, pointing to the gate to tell them to open it. A few seconds after his men had opened the gate, a small van rounded the corner and into the small camp at the base of his tower. As soon as a replacement lookout reached the top of his tower, the man picked up his weapon and descended to see what was worth coming out here for.