It's been 10 years since the apocalypse and my life is finally turning into a good place

I was 12 years old when the world ended.<br><br>Every year on this day, I sit in the corner of my little apartment and write all the things I miss about how life was before. This is how I count the time that has passed. I make sure to reflect on all the things that have gone wrong.<br><br>Last year I had a list of 100 things.<br><br>This year I had a list of 70.<br><br> <br><br>You see I started counting backwards when I meet my boyfriend Ryan.<br><br>I’d love to tell you about my life before the apocalypse, but it would take too much time and it would also be information you already know.<br><br>The world ended in 2023. A man-made virus swept across the globe and killed 60% of the Earth's population. The virus targeted men more than it did women and it also targeted children more than it did adults. 90% of the world's children had died in the first year. I was one of the ten percent that survived. <br><br>From 2023 until 2028 I lived in shelters and camps. My parents had died in 2023 and my older brother had died in 2025. <br><br>In 2028 I left all that behind. I had turned 16 and decided to make a new life for myself where I could be in charge of everything that happened to me. <br><br>Despite the apocalypse, I still went to school. I finished school two years early and graduated with A's in science, maths and English.<br><br>I had decided I wanted to study engineering in college. College was free now and I didn't have any family to worry about. I could live by myself and go to university somewhere else with no family to tie me down.<br><br>I moved to New York, an underground city that had been built with the idea of saving humanity from extinction in mind. It was my dream place to study and I wanted to do research in the science labs there.<br><br>I studied civil engineering and it had done me good. I have a good paying job that provides me with everything I need. <br><br>I live in my own place. I have a good paying job. I get to hang out with my friends. Life is finally good.<br><br>I have a pretty normal life and that is a great thing. Life is normal here. There is food. There are people. There are parties. There is love. There is music. <br><br>I have been in a relationship with Ryan for six months now. We share everything with each other. Our love life. Our professional lives. Our lives before the apocalypse.<br><br>We were both there when it happened.<br><br>We were both there when it ended.<br><br>We are both there now and we look at the future with hope. <br><br>I kiss Ryan on the lips and I feel like I am finally home. <br><br> <br><br>&#x200B;