The Truth Does Not Exist

“Here’s your sandwich,” the young man behind the counter said. “What’s your name again?”

Alliana took the plate from him with a smile. “Courtney,” she said.

It was a stupid lie, and Alliana wasn’t quite sure why she lied in the first place. What did it matter if this boy knew her real name? She was leaving the stupid town as soon as she finished her sandwich anyway.

“It’s weird,” the man said, he had told her his name but she hadn’t been listening to him. “That you’re here. Not that it’s bad, I mean it’s nice seeing someone new come through here for once, or anyone at all for that manner. Most people left since…” his rambling trailed off as he turned to look at the television hanging on the wall in the corner.

“In two weeks news broadcasts will be ending due to the current situation. Though the war has stopped and all countries involved have put down their nuclear arms, the fires are still spreading uncontrollably. Scientists are estimating that at this rate, most of Canada will have been consumed by next week. In about two weeks most of the northern United States will be hit and the southern states have approximately five to six more weeks before they are hit. We advise everyone to remain calm and-“

The man turned the television off, cutting the newscaster short. He turned back to Alliana, shaking his head sadly.

“Yeah, well I’m just passing through myself. On my way to Hollywood,” she added with a toothy grin.

This, too, was a lie. She had no intention of ever seeing Hollywood. Not only was she not interested in it, but it would probably be impossible. So many people were trying to go there as the world ended that she doubted she would even see anything if she made it in. No, instead she was stopping in a small Alabama town, Mulga, next to another, smaller town, Edgewater, population 729.

“Good luck with that,” the man snorted. “It’s gonna be packed. My sister just headed out there, she’s wanted to be an actress her whole life. She’s only fifteen but my parents didn’t have the heart to tell her no, so they just decided to make a final vacation out of it.”

“And they left you here?” Alliana asked, her interest piqued for the first time in the conversation.

“Someone’s gotta take care of ol’ Mick,” he shrugged. Alliana didn’t understand what he was talking about for a second until she remembered that she was sitting in Mick’s Diner. “Poppop just turned eighty-two, had a hip replacement surgery and still thinks that he’s good to run a business by himself.” he rolled his eyes.

“That’s funny,” Alliana said, chewing on a french fry thoughtfully.

“So where’s your family?” he asked suddenly. “How come you’re all alone at the end of the world?”

It took a second for his question to register. She thought about telling the truth. I left them in New York. They lied, I got mad, I left. Really, what did it matter if this stranger knew? It didn’t. She knew it didn’t. But she still couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth for once in her life.

“They, uh, they’re actually…honestly, if you want to know the truth, um. My parents actually died when I was really young. I spent most of my time in foster homes and then when I turned eighteen I just left.”

He looked at her sympathetically, and she felt it. She felt the reason why she always lied. Her lies evoked more emotions from the people around her than the truth ever could. And that felt good.

“Sorry to hear that, Courtney.”

“It’s fine, I didn’t really know them.” Well. That was one bit of truth.

“Still, you must miss them sometimes.” he said, now taking her plate to clean up a bit.

“My parents lived in Hollywood,” she murmured. “Before they died. I’m going back to visit their house.

Again, another bit of truth. The location had been fudged, but this was the most honest she’d ever been with someone.

“That’s cool, I hope you find it without any trouble,” he said.

“Thanks,” she said. “How much do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied. “Your conversation paid for it.”

He grinned at her.

“You sure?” she held out a couple of crumpled paper bills.

“Positive. The upside of the end of the world? No bills to pay.”

“Okay then,” she put her money back in her bag. “Thanks for everything.”

She stood up to leave, smiling at him. Even if she had lied without blinking an eye at this boy, she had enjoyed his company. As she watched him, she had a sudden urge to just stay. To spend the rest of her time her at Mick’s Diner with the boy/man who’s name she did not even know. To spend the rest of her time telling the truth, in an effort to make up for all the lies before she met her maker, in the chance that she would actually be seeing her maker after death.

But she had a job to do.

She had to find the truth. So with a single glance over her shoulder, she left the diner and began her short walk to the next town over. The place where it all began.

Edgewater, Alabama. A small, nowhere town just outside of Birmingham. It was a two mile walk from Mulga to Edgewater, and it took Alliana roughly a half hour to walk it. She wasn’t rushed, actually dreading seeing the old place. She had no memory of it, but apparently it was the town she’d been born in before her parents moved her to Long Island, New York at age five.

The town was pretty much empty now, apparently most people had left at the end of the world to pursue bigger things. She wandered the town for about fifteen minutes before she found her old house on Lannie Bonner Circle. It was a small house, the first one on the left of the circle. For a while she just stood in the street and stared at it. Nothing came back to her. Nothing was familiar. No long lost memories were jogged from gazing at the house.

Suddenly rage filled her. The long trip, all the hours she had sacrificed searching, had gotten her nowhere. She picked up a decent sized stone from the street and hurled it at one of the windows. Then, she turned and ran.

“God damn it!” she screamed into the sky as she ran.

The nowhere town with nowhere people had gotten her nowhere. She wasn’t any closer to finding the truth now as when she had first started her trip.