The once smooth network of roads that let to Zumka was now indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape. Broken branches and leaves cover the roads inside the town while the tall grasses of the unkempt gardens sway in the wind.
Doors were broken, rotten and in most cases barely a door at all. Whether this was the work of looters, animals or the elements was unclear, but it didn’t really matter. Paint crumbled off of the walls and were slowly replaced by vines that crawled their way towards the rooftops.
Zumka , once bustling with life and brimming with light at this hour had become a forgotten relic of the past. Silence had taken hold and would’ve been deafening were it not for the many animals that had made this place their home. Bird songs, rustling bushes and the occasional howl filled the air.
The once tranquil peace of mind people found in the park was now found by cats enjoying the sunshine and tall grasses. With nothing and nobody to bother them they had grown into a huge community of their own.
You could go anywhere in town you wanted, walk into any home and visit any previously private part of town, assuming it hadn’t been destroyed by nature already. But there was something oddly poetic about nature reclaiming what was once theirs to begin with.
The now quiet road that led to Howe was barely discernible through the weeds and grasses that had reclaimed it. The wind gently sways the tall grasses in the abandoned gardens while wild bushes make their claim on every acre not taken by the grass.
Many doors had collapsed as rot ate away their edges. The open doorways that were once perhaps very welcoming were now an eerie and unwelcoming sight. Window panes hung perilously from their hinges and here and there drapes had been flung out by the wind.
Howe, once a major festival town and home to an amazing night lift had become a forgotten relic of the past. The sounds of insects, winds and creaking wood of trees which were once drowned out by the sounds of cars and people had returned as the dominant sounds once more.
The town hall, once the pride and glory of this town, was turned into a new pride and glory by the various animals that lived here. Birds, cats, dogs and all sorts of rodents had all taken their spots.
You couldn’t help but feel lost in this town now, even if you knew exactly where you were. It was a lonely place with only distant memories of what once was. But despite being nothing like its former self this town still served its purpose. It was still home to a community and lives still thrived, it was just in the form of animals this time.
