[ WP ] You 're the last person on earth - but thank god Pokemon Go still functions ! You amuse yourself by catching Pokemon as you travel so as to not feel so isolated and alone . One day , on your screen , you see in the distance that someone has set up a lure .

`` Finally! God, you've been the most annoying one so far.'' After what seemed like an hour of tracking down an unusually elusive Abra, I look up to see where the little bastard had taken me. I was n't familiar with this side of town, and from what I could tell, there was still some exploring left to do. 
 
 I do n't know what happened, but a short time ago, everyone I know just vanished. I tried calling them, messaging them on Facebook, I even tried tweeting at them to see if they'd respond. After a few days, I slowly accepted the fact that they had all disappeared. Days turned to weeks, then months, and finally I gave up all hope of ever finding them. The only thing that's kept me going so far has been an app I installed prior to everyone leaving: Pokemon GO. 
 
 In hindsight, it's a good thing I picked up Pokemon as a hobby. It's kept my mind off my loneliness, and given me a purpose. The cute sprites I see along my path offer a small sense of camaraderie, and I indulge them as if they were friends for no other reason than to keep my sanity intact. I've even started naming them after people I knew. I named my starter, now a Blastoise, Gregory after my dad. I named my Charizard Alison after my mom, Venusaur Jason after my brother, and so on. 
 
 `` I finally have enough candy to evolve Nate.'' I speak out loud to myself. It sounds alien to hear my own voice, sometimes. Some days I ca n't tell if the voice I hear comes from my mouth or my mind. Watching Nate evolve into Alakazam, I start off towards the cluster of PokeStops that I spam for Pokeballs and eggs. I click on each stop, spin the doodad, and collect my goodies. But as I click out of this last PokeStop, I see something shimmering in the upper right-hand corner. No, it ca n't be, can it? I start walking towards the shimmering, and it's unmistakable. 
 
 A lure. 
 
 I do n't remember dropping that lure. I walk within range of the lure, and I select the stop to see if it was one I dropped. A name pops onto the screen, and it is n't mine. 
 
 I collapse onto the ground. Is someone really out there? Am I not alone? Who could it be? do they know what happened? Questions race through my mind as tears drip on my hands. I can barely process this revelation, my arms are trembling under my body weight. I try and call out for whoever it is, but my voice croaks. I have n't spoken much more audibly than a mumble, I ca n't believe I forgot how to yell. I try again. 
 
 `` HELLO! HELLO! CAN YOU HEAR ME!'' 
 
 I wait, and hear nothing. I sprint off down the road, and double back. I take off in a different direction, scanning the streets like a hawk with its prey. I run through every street and yard I can see. I run until I can pull my legs forward anymore. 
 
 I see no one. 
 
 Laying on the burning asphalt, feeling my heart beat between my ears, I silently cry. I question whether I actually saw a different name, or if it was my mind playing tricks on me, a cruel joke to make myself believe I was n't in solitude. This is it, I relent. This is when I lose my sanity. After months of holding out, of belief and denial, everything crashes down in less than a day. 
 
 I can feel the gravel digging into my skin, and I finally get back up. What do I do now? I stand motionless, pondering my options. Seemingly out of habit, I reach for my phone and load the app. The map pull up, and my heart suffers another blow. I'd barely made any distance between myself and the `` lure.'' I was running in circles. A five-minute walk places me back where I thought I saw the lure, and I continue walking. I hardly felt the joy that I once held searching for Pokemon. I was cruelly reminded that they were, in fact, sprites on a screen. My heart sinks, and my eyes well. 
 
 As I walk down 33rd Ave., I see it. Another lure. Disgusted, I ignore it. I'm not falling for the same trick twice. I storm past the water tower, now feeling rage as well as crushing solitude. A ping on my phone snaps me out of my anger, and my attention is drawn to another lure further down the road. 
 
 One lure could be wishful thinking, but three? I cautiously walk to the statue where the PokeStop was placed. As I approach, I see something etched into the base. Someone scraped with a rock the words `` Follow the statue.'' 
 
 I stumble backwards, staring at the words. Follow the statue. It has to be real. I ca n't be imagining this. I crawl back towards the letters and run my fingers over the etchings. I feel the valleys where the letters were written. This is real. Someone wrote this, and wanted me to see it. I'm not alone. 
 
 I look up at the statue, a cavalryman holding his sword in the air. `` Follow the statue'' must mean that I have to go towards where he's pointing. I turn around and heed the directions, renewed vigor in my step. I look at my map in-app, and soon see more Pokestops, all with lures one after the other. Whoever they are, they left a trail for me to follow. 
 
 Whoever they are, I'll see them soon.
