we'll all waste away in hollywood hollows

It was dark.  it wasn't dark because it was midnight, but dark because the atmosphere was dark. Lightly burnt houses and overgrown cars parked in abandoned driveways meant for a society that crumbled long ago - yeah, that was why it was dark.  The lost neighborhood had an aura that lacked gratitude.  Any creature that dwelled there could sense why this society fell.  Everything was so big, one could see how the society's ego blew way out of proportion.  That was why the "lesser beings" had taken over.  They understood gratitude; they knew that they needed to take care of the world.  There was no laziness; they simply took what they needed and continued on.  The slight hiss that one heard when wandering through this empty homeland was the lack of background noise, the fear that there was and is nothing left.  The sense left a thought in the back of one's mind that one could not quite grasp.  It was as if there was a noise but one couldn't quite tell if it was actually there . . . the kind of noise that drives one mad.

Jesus Christ, I need to get out more, Renegade thought as she weaved her way through the grass that was just past her small shoulder.  The short grey fox thought like that all of the time, but she was just now realizing how awful she sounded.  The first feelings of loneliness were nipping at the ankles of her mind and she was sending her thoughts on a panicked run away from those feelings.  She was a strong, independent creature that could hold her own without any interaction.  But maybe, just maybe . . .  No, she thought, I can do this on my own.  If anyone were around, he/she would have heard the soft hissing sound emanating from her mouth.  Of course, Gage didn't realize she was making this noise (more than likely this was a side effect of being alone for so long).  Her breathing wasn't labored but she was stressed enough to be making nondescript noises.  If she were to be brutally honest with herself, she'd admit that she needed to talk to someone.  The young girl had avoided social contact completely for months.  She truly had kept her mouth shut - not a single syllable was uttered.

Renegade knew that she didn't usually grab one's attention, but one must always be cautious in a new environment.  She blinked her chocolate brown eyes and stopped, staring up at one of the colossal buildings collapsing in on itself.  She sat down and wrapped her fluffy tail around her small paws, studying the structure.  The moonlight shone in her eyes, giving her the appearance of something mystical.  She sighed softly and dropped her head, glaring into the black hole where the door used to be.