No More Stress, a five minute freewrite

He walks through the city. The streets are almost empty.

A few dogs and some cats fight over a rubbish bin.

He sees another person, but when he waves at her, he thinks it is a young woman; she turns and runs.

He doesn't blame her.

If he saw someone like him waving, he would run a mile too.

A bus sits on the side of the road, the door is open. He steps into it, cautiously. There is a smell of death, and he backs out quickly.

There are no familiar sounds of this city that he thought he knew. The sounds of people bustling around, horns and sirens; the sounds of city stress.

No more stress, he thinks.

Except that isn't true.

He feels constantly on edge. He feels like prey, although he is not sure what is hunting him.

He can't see it. He can't feel it.

But something has taken the people away.

Everyone, but him.

And that ghost of the young woman he waved at.

Where have they all gone? What has happened to them?

...