The world was still dark. The only light that revealed him and I came from the flames flickering all around us. He had brought destruction to our land. Everyone wanted him gone. I had to finish him.

I walked up to his slightly charred body. His porcelain mask still remained egg shell white despite all the blows he had taken. He was laying there, unmoving, frozen in a wicked pose. A name embroidered into his unfamiliar uniform read Skyline. I wondered were the man, or thing, had came from. He had brought so much havoc in a short amount of time. Hundreds of lives lost. I felt responsible too. Me, an Overwatch, had allowed this to happen. I admit that he was much stronger and more powerful than I had expected. Maybe even more powerful than me. He had taken out 3 other Overwatches, as if they were nothing. I had to take him out right then and now. Before he awoke, and began his destructive path.

I walked to his body. It was still sprawled out after the last blow i delivered. He didn't seem to be breathing, but there was no way to be sure; I had no idea what this thing was. His body appeared to be humanoid of some type. All his features, down to the fingernails, were human. His suit covered his entire body except to his wrists, ankles, and just below the neck. I took out my blade to examine him. I used the tip to try and slide off his white mask. He quickly retaliated.

The sound he made when he scrambled to his feet was wild. The sound could only be described as a large jungle cat being enraged, but many of those animals had long been annihilated. His mask remained upon his face as the eye holes began to emit a sharp blinding light. The light seemed to illuminate the darkness he had brought with him. the brightness was  too much to bare. I had to shield my eyes but the immense heat burned my flesh. I couldn't handle it much longer; I collapsed and couldn't get up.  

When I opened my eyes and the burning sensation had subsided, it was day. The music that had been playing in my head was stopped, but i dull throb replaced it. I was surrounded by other Overwatches, all looking for survivors. I knew whatever that thing was, it was not friendly.

Have you ever noticed as you walk down the sidewalk the plethora of cracks and crevices that cover the forever long concrete? The same concrete that is the structure of our very society. Our ever expanding world is decorated with concrete. You can call it any amount of names, but a good commonly used word, is The Concrete Jungle. A place supposed to be found only in the shadows of society. Known for their crime, ever growing debt and depression. This  stereotype is wrong, the concrete jungle can be used to describe any area of town. We, in our town, can even be called this. Thats because the name does not necessarily mean a ghetto, or the hood, it means a place of despair, or depression. A place with no escape. Now picture a sidewalk covered with these cracks, and they look as infinite as the sidewalk itself. This represents our society, a world of cracks. Examples of these cracks are broken homes, war torn cities, and even  ignorant towns. But there is an exception to this endless cracked sidewalk, because sometimes grass and weeds pop out of these cracks. A tiny bit of resilient life, sprouting out of the concrete jungle. This represents the people that make it out. Weeds and grass make it out of the despair, the underdogs. The little bits of life, usually thought nothing of, are the very ones who are doing what they have to do to not just live, but to thrive! Theres a class of people in our world that can be described by this process. In the plant kingdom, the “fighters” are considered resilient and strong. In our society, these people are considered evil, cuniving, and rebellious. Even antagonists. That's true oppression. For those who are able to make it out of the dark cracks of the world, it does not come easy. But there's a better class of people who also come from the cracks. This is a person who is strong, yet delicate. A person who is beautiful inside and out, despite coming from where they started. The equivalent to this in the plant kingdom, would be the rose that grew from the sidewalk. To be the envy of your fellows plants; Your fellow products of the despair. To be the one, that sprung up unscathed; The one that stayed true, and made it. The people who didn't stay true, who didn't make it unscarred, don't are just happy to be there alive and living. But it's the rose that  grew from the cracks in the sidewalk, who is really the survivor.

Weeks on top of weeks of being home,weared on me. I had to get out of the house. I decided that I would take my dog, Skipper Walter the Third, to Petco. I strapped him to his leash after getting out of the car, and he was excited! I had a little money after Christmas so I decided I would treat him to a little extra fun. First, i took him to the Petco groomers. He is a pure bred white Maltese, and his fur is very thick and curly so its a hassle to groom him! They gave him a bath, trimmed his hair, and even clipped his nails! Good thing they were professionals because he is hard to manage sometimes! Then, we went to the toy aisle, and he was losing it! Sniffing and carrying toys everywhere. The sound of squeaks and honks filled the isle. He finally decided to take a elongate, orange, ferret-like creature and he didn't wanna let it leave his jaws clench! After that ordeal I took him to the treats! I let him try and sniff a few and I think he liked the chicken flavored treats the best. I also picked out some treats made to freshen his breath and clean his teeth. I scooped a pounds of the treats into the plastic bag and went to pay. Skipper didn't wanna breath without his new toy! The sound the toy emitted drove me crazy! It was crazy how long that dog could bite that thing! From the time he woke up till the time he went to sleep he had that thing in his mouth. He could even eat treats and have that thing in his mouth! He seemed to manage his time very well between his toy, and his treats, and food, and water! He might even like it more than me! My other dogs tried grabbing it and running off with it but he was always quick to retrieve it from his “foes”. He ran and wagged his tail all day and night! I swear he must have thought that the thing was living! The orange squeaky creature has captured his attention thats for sure, and he has already taken quite a beating! All the slobber, chewing, tugging, and practically eating has broke him in but i'm sure he will live to see a few more years. All together, i think the spa treatment, the treats, and the toy really made him happy. Although it's annoying I love him and I think he was glad that I treated him to those late Christmas presents. I think maybe his tail wags a little faster now, and it will for years to come.