They dragged through the barren path slowly, their limbs feeling as heavy as stone. Their hearts heavy with the consuming weight of guilt. Their minds filled, with clear memory of the horrors they had witnessed. There was no place to escape. There was no refuge, or assistance to be seen. It was just them, walking down the path, trying to deal with the tragedy that had just unfolded.

It was just an ordinary night. Nothing seemed or felt different. They walked casually down the bustling street of their small, friendly town. After a long week of work, all they wanted was a night to let loose, and spend with friends. They planned to go to the town’s most popular diner, which was wisely placed in the center of the town. It was everyone’s favorite place. It was the perfect little diner to connect with people old and new.  People of all ages gathered there on Friday nights, including them; them being the three best friends.

They had known each other their whole lives. They grew up together. They all went to school together. They all graduated together, and they eventually all got jobs together. They were inseparable. They did nothing without each other. They chose to spend as much time with each other as humanly possible.  They promised each other that they would never get separated. However, fate seemed to have something different in store for them.

As the darkness of the night began to set in within the city, an unexplainable feeling consumed the town. Something felt off. Yet, nobody was worried. Nobody was worried until the first scream echoed through the walls of the diner. With that scream, the whole town was changed forever.  

Everything after was blur. Of the three friends who entered the diner that night, only two of them were lucky enough to escape. Only two of them would get to see the light of day again. Only two of them would live to get married and have children. Only two of them would grow old and retire. Only two of them remained.

         The two that remained,they would never be the same. Their minds would be forever burned with the piercing screams they heard that day. Their eyes forever engraved with the sight of their best friend in anguishing pain. Their hearts, forever broken from the loss of their best friend.

The town that remained would never be the same. Its once innocent record had now been scarred with the lost lives. The diner that was once crowded with people of all ages now stood abandoned. The streets once heavily populated now stood bare and lonely. A feeling of grief and sadness had permanently set itself within the town.

As the two best friends walk through the barren path, they reflect on the experiences they had lived through. They reflect on the bravery it took to survive the incident. They have gained a new appreciation for their lives. They have gained a new understanding of the precious nature of humanity. They have learned that in their darkest moments, they must focus on the light. Life is short and must be lived to its fullest.