Prompt 3: Time Traveler's Log; Episode 1

The sound of pencil scratching against paper softly hissed amidst the dank air and smoky view. Quiet footsteps billowed dust and ash into stagnant clouds, lightly staining the landscape. Cluttered with debris and barely-there structures, wild flowers and weeds reclaimed the environment. Trees' roots nestled themselves along support beams and hugged cables and strangled skyscrapers. Ivy choked the sun from plants too small to reach sunlight, and mushrooms ate the dead.
A pause in the writing was flooded by the quiet noise of soft breathing and clothes rustling against one another in movement.

"The range of decay has reached a plateau in this area. More plants begin to grow and small woodland creatures and prey have begun to reemerge. Predators seem to be more frequent as well. I wonder why..."

The sky, fogged with vapor and ash, shone light through a russet film. High noon saw the clouds thin and tainted. All was not well.

-

"Goddamn this thing" irritated, hand lightly tapping the side of the device. The green light refused to shine above a dull jade, making it impossible to use until it was recharged. Unfortunately, the silent rain scattering along the ground and overcast skies made that chance far into the future at no doubt the most inconvenient time. Typical of Lady Luck's interference.
Dusk approached lazily that midsummer day.

-

"They issued a warning for the entire county to evacuate within days. Days! Why didn't they order us to leave sooner! What is going on? What-"
The recording stopped there. Machine whirring idly, the switch is flipped off on it to conserve power. While many machines powered by electricity have since shut off, somewhere in between now and then some were converted to other means of power. Little things.
Kept everyone a little sane. Supposedly.
The tape recorder was put back on its shelf. Whoever owned this house prior must have been sentimental about family heirlooms. A scrapped television sat off in the corner next to a sturdy, weather-worn bookshelf housing tattered copies of medical journals mixed with popular best sellers and a few children's books. An authentic cassette player sat atop a DVD player and a disconnected house phone sat at the edge of the highest shelf, threatening to fall if its cord slid any looser.
Avoiding the overturned table and its contents, shoes cracked on glass shards and the pieces of a dinner set. Decidedly, the family must have left in a hurry.
Silence permeated the area.
No strongholds left.

Clicking the on switch to a smaller, more portable device, spoken softly as not to disturb the air, observations began.

"Day 3. I'm pretty sure that this area is relatively isolated from the original spread. I feel no symptoms nor are they present in any other organisms encountered. My pencil is running out of lead. I lost my pen. The watch refuses to recharge despite only a thin cloud covering. Is all as it seems to be?"

Pause. A small sigh blows dust in the air.

"I'm stuck for now until the clouds clear. I haven't encountered any dangers thus far. The skies still show signs of discolouration, yet the water is safe to drink and most power to the area has remained though to a smaller degree. Running water, leftover non-perishables, stuff like that. I found clean clothes, which is a plus. Wouldn't have to loot if i could just go back however, but beggars can't be choosers. Certainly not now.
Something doesn't feel right though. I need to leave as soon as possible."

Walking through the home, a hall leads to a couple bedrooms and a bathroom at the end. Picking the nearest room, it showed to be probably the youngest child, walls painted with bright colours and cartoon comforter set. Toys littered the floor. A long web stretched from the far corner to the ceiling.
Next room then. Hopefully.

-

"Day 5. It's raining hellfire and bricks. The last house was too leaky and now I occupy an apartment complex where someone's china cabinet fell through two floors. But the shower had warm water and there were less spiders. Victory? Yeah, yeah, I'd say so."

-

"Day 6. If I perform the rain dance backwards will the sun come out? I'll test that. Also, I'm running out of charge for this thing and I can't find the right batteries. The area hasn't changed much since I arrived, but... I don't know. Maybe just being here so for long has made me uneasy.
There's...something here. I can feel it. Whatever, maybe I'm just psyching myself out."

-

A distant, guttural wail pierced the night with a shattering pitch. The flutter of hundreds of wings beat the air into a cloud of panicked noise and fearful squawks.