The sun was setting but it was a beautiful sight. Moving slowly, sinking behind trees that had long grown past their date. But there was no one to cut tree anymore. Not in the ways that mattered. The world was finally healing. But it was too late.

I bent my neck slightly, a small crack loosening the tension built up there. A sigh escaped my lips and I turned to the young man next to me.

"From the earliest I can remember, everyone knew about the "Door". Not just any door, I'm talking about the actual "Door". The one that had a keyhole that was compatible to every key to ever exist. It was grand as well, 10ft tall, with golden curves carved into it. It had small little halo looking circles design along its sides and its handle was sturdy but comfortable to hold.

No one knows where the "Door" came from. But we all knew about it. We all wanted to learn more about how it came to be and how it worked and numerous questions seemed to spawn the more we talked about it. The most interesting part is how the door changed when you inserted a key. The door would open and the destination would be unique to you."

I bent to grab small cloth from the floor and wiped my knife clean before sheathing. It had been a long afternoon and it was going to be a long evening as well. Especially with what he had planned with the kid.

"Infinite keys, infinite destinations..."

I sighed again and the young man grimaced at me. I shrugged and a smile formed on my lips. Slowly, I walked over the corpses at my feet until I was crouching in front of the young man.

"At first, curious tourists used it to return back to their homes, using their house key. It was funny. We laughed. Then, it got serious. Keys were leading to more places than we thought. Spies used stolen keys to infiltrate secret complexes and compartments and buildings. Assassins got into the homes of their targets easily.

Wars were started. Wars were fought. Millions died.

Some even turned their weapons and nuclear armaments towards the "Door" and blew it to high heaven. And in the aftermath of the fire and smoke, the door remained standing. Gleaming even, in the light of the fires raging around it."

I glanced back to one of the unmoving bodies, pulling one close so that I could sit. My knife left its sheath and sank into the bodies heart, a little confirmation for me and some urging for the charge in front of me.

"The bodies piled up until the last few sensible people decided to put some security around the door to stop it from being used.

But how do you trust people? How do you trust that the humans you chose wouldn't turn their backs on you at the earliest convenience?

So, the plan died and the fighting continued until all our modern weapons were spent and we were back to fighting each other with makeshift axes, swords and frying pans. Human civilisation regressing back to medieval times. And yet, the door stood against the change, though the area around it became irradiated."

I smiled wider at the young man. I hoped it was a kinder smile. Truly. Kindness was not a thing of this new world. Kindness was a weakness. One that I still held. It was what separated me from them. It was why I still had him tied to the tree stump and not hung out to dry like his comrades.

"The years have come and gone. And I must admit, I'm not as spry as I used to be..."

He glanced at my hair and a laugh escaped me. I removed the knife from the corpse and point it towards him. His eyes fixated on it and I didn't blame him. I would have done the same. A small sound made it through his gagged mouth and I gave him an apologetic look.

"But do you know... that time affords you with information? Sometimes, not through living but by truly experiencing things?

After all, information is power. Information is golden. Information is key.

And that's why I'm here, boy... The information you are protecting. I want it. And I am willing to wait for it."

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Took an hiatus but - /r/EvenAsIWrite is where I call home.