Silently, I ran over familiar ground as I scanned the vacant buildings and empty streets. Each time I left, I had to go further, making my journey more dangerous.
My eyes had adjusted long ago to the never-ending darkness.
Heading out of town I crossed what used to be a field before life was sucked out of every living thing, including the grass. Now it was black sludge, like a cross between mud and slush, except sticky.
Since the enemy arrived, it seemed nature had ceased to exist, no sun-blinding moments, no wind whipping my face and no rain showers refreshing the air. Nothing grew. All things were dead. Except me.
As if I had conjured the enemy into waking, by mere thinking of them, the sound of machinery revved up and a sleepy roar travelled from far in the distance.
My legs instantly picked up pace, despite the heavy load I was carrying, as adrenaline shot through me like Pavlov’s dog hearing the bell. They were either awakening earlier or I was coming back later, whatever, I needed to be home, now.
I ran almost at a sprint until I reached the remains of what used to be my family home. Climbing into the broken kitchen, I started to loosen the binds cutting deep into my skin, then removed the piece of wood at the back of the cupboard revealing my hiding place.
The bags were tossed through the hole first then I emptied the larger items from my pockets before clambering through myself, securing the wood behind me.
It was dark as death’s eye inside. I had to take well-rehearsed steps, two to my left, placing my hand on the wall, and five forward. Bending down to fumble with the little oil lamp, I lit it to a soft glow that illuminated the room without being seen from outside.
Among the heavier items I carried tonight were five new books by an author I’d recently discovered. I’d never been a reader before and had over a thousand now. It was the only way to pass the time without going insane and they also lined the walls creating the comfort of a real home.
The rest of my cargo was food. I avoided the supermarkets, the stench of rotted food still lingered and made me heave. So, I scoured the gyms for good protein products and health food places with long-life dried food. The outdoors and adventure shops were the best though and had complete nutritious meals that only required water, which I boiled on my camping stove.
Content with my successful night of looting, I began emptying the bags, smiling to myself as I placed items in my makeshift kitchen when suddenly, I felt something move behind me.
Instinctively, I went for my knife, unsheathing it from my hip holster. But I was captured too quickly to defend myself. A strong arm pinned around my waist while the other clamped a hand over my mouth.
Screaming was futile, I hadn’t used my vocal cords in a very long time and there was no one to come to my aid. Even so, I screamed silently into the coarse calloused hand that tasted of tobacco and metal, while thrashing around with my knife trying to maim the man holding me.
My feet dangled and my legs flailed hoping to connect with a backwards kick. It was useless, the grip on me was too strong and I was no match. The hoarse whisper in my ear went nearly unheard over the thumping heartbeat in my chest and drumming in my ears.
‘Kate, it’s ok, it’s me, Jack.’
Jack? The only Jack I knew was the scrawny boy who lived next door who had locked me in here. The man I was currently wrestling was a bear with forearms bigger than my thighs and easily a foot taller and wider than me.
‘Kate, I’m not going to hurt you. Calm down.’
His grip on me relaxed allowing my arms and legs to swing again as I bucked against him, desperately trying to sink the knife into his flesh.
‘Stop!’ He hissed.
Oddly, I obeyed his command and stilled. After a pause, he spun me around to face him and the sound of a gasp left us both.
This man was nothing like the boy I remembered. A searing scar ran through one side of his forehead along with other smaller scars on his face. His granite expression morphed into a cruel smile. He looked like a killer, a psychopath and was utterly terrifying.
Not only had he locked me in here to die, while everyone else was being rescued, he was back to finish the job.
Shaking him off, I spun to the other side of the room where my foot caught the mattress under my tent, slamming my head into the wall with a sickening crack. I scrambled to an upright position and composed myself, trying to disguise the pain exploding in my brain.
I couldn’t show any weakness if I wanted to live, and I needed to protect myself and my home. Except my knife was no longer in my hand, it was in his.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,’ he growled.
Furious, I held out my hand demanding my weapon back. He took his time, waiting and watching my chest heave and my body tremble. Finally, he let out a rush of air as he flipped my knife and held the handle towards me.
I grabbed it and held in it my palm tightly, ready to strike.
He didn’t seem too bothered about whether I could hurt him as he casually stepped back, raking his eyes up and down my slight build dressed in high-tech running gear under a trench coat with enough pockets to rival a smuggler at customs.
When he took a step left, I went to the right until we engaged in circling each other around the room like two fighters in the ring.
Abruptly, he bent down to a bag I hadn’t even noticed. Taking out a bottle of water and a t-shirt he wet the material and stepped closer to me. I automatically took a step back.
‘You’re bleeding,’ he tapped his head indicating where I was hurt.
I ignored the cloth he held out. However, my body had now frozen in fear, and I had no choice but to stand like a statue while my brain scrambled to catch up with what was happening.
‘I’m not going to hurt you, Kate.’ His voice was softer this time, sounding more like Jack the boy.
I let him step closer and slowly touch my arm until we were inches apart. Thick fingers swept away the loose strands from my ponytail and I flinched as he gently cleaned the side of my face.
“Do you remember me?’
I knew it was Jack as soon as I’d looked into his eyes. Irises of blue, deep enough to be purple, framed by those thick dark lashes that I had always been envious of.
Memories of our friendship pained me. We had been inseparable since we were toddlers then I’d decided I was too cool to hang out him anymore in our teens. I’d been such a bitch, calling him names, mocking him for not having any friends and ignoring him at school. He hated me and had executed his revenge perfectly.
My cheeks flamed but I managed to give him a slight nod. His long, tangled hair tickled my face as he dabbed at my scalp. I fixated on calming my nerves and slowing my breath.
‘I think you’ll live,’ he announced, and my eyes darted to his with horror. ‘Your head,’ he added. ‘You have a bump and it’s stopped bleeding but it’s going to ache for a while.’ Without breaking eye contact, he moved to rest against my couch. ‘Have you been here the whole time? Alone?’
My lips parted to say something, instead, I looked away and stayed silent. Where else would I be? I never thought of going anywhere, I made this a home and waited to be rescued. When that didn’t happen, I accepted this way of life. In time, I became used to being alone.
The silence continued as if he were waiting for me to speak, or he was possibly letting me adapt to him being here. It was intimidating but he was giving me space and I was regaining some confidence.
Occasionally our eyes would meet, and he gave a slight smile. He still had his dimples, they were just hiding under the blonde scruff on his face and as time went on, I became accustomed to this monster version of Jack.
‘How long has it been?’ I managed to croak. ‘Since that last day I saw you.’
‘3 years, 4 months and 2 days.’
Stunned, my body slumped. I thought it had been a year, maybe a little longer. In the beginning I tried tracking the days but then I became confused without a working device to tell the time or sunlight to signal a day had passed. Wow, the year was now 5024.
‘Why have you come back?’
He gave a long sigh as he looked down at his hands. ‘It’s haunted me. You’ve haunted me. I needed to know if you survived.’
‘It’s taken you more than 3 years to check on me?’
His head dipped. ‘It’s a long story but yes it’s taken this long.’
He didn’t say anything else, and I waited for him to tell me the story. The longer I waited the more irritated I became. What pathetic story was he thinking up to excuse what he’d done to me? Did he even care?
‘Are you not going to apologize?’ I blurted out.
‘What?’
‘You locked me in here over 3 years ago,’ I accused. ‘And I lost my chance to escape with the others. I got left behind.’ Bitterness raged and my chin wobbled, I still felt the emotions like it was yesterday. First, the panic when I realised everyone was gone, then the devastation that no one came back for me, followed by the desperation of being so alone.
Jack looked at me for a long time as if he was trying to follow what I had just said. ‘You think the other people left?’
‘Well, they weren’t here when I managed to tunnel myself out.’
‘That’s because they died Kate. They were killed, all of them.’
‘How?’
‘They were vaporized.’
‘What do you mean vaporized?’
‘They used a weapon and it…’ he paused, scrubbing his hands over his face. ‘It lit up the whole sky and everything living in its path turned to gas.’
‘How do you know this? Why are you alive? Why am I alive?’
‘I was in the hills. I went to the cabin. I should have taken you with me, but I didn’t know what was going to happen. I mean, I knew something was happening but not that. I put you in here. It’s an old bunker, remember? We used to play in it.’ He pointed at the hole in the wall. ‘That used to be a door from the kitchen but then it was remodelled and became a cupboard. I tried to keep you safe.’
‘Oh,’ I thought the news of hearing everyone I knew was dead would be upsetting but I’d kind of made peace with never seeing them again. Obviously, it was strange that I hadn’t seen a person, animal or insect but vaporized?
‘Was it the Russians?’
‘The Russians?’
‘Yeah, or maybe the Chinese? I don’t think anyone else would have a weapon to…’
‘Oh my god.’
‘What?’
Jack was shaking his head and looking at me in disbelief.
‘Kate, they aren’t human.’
I laughed, then I had a panic attack that Jack was deranged, and that I was in danger. The next few hours were a blur. He told me I was in shock and pulled me to sit beside him. I had no words, so I listened instead, with my eyes closed so I could hear the voice of my childhood best friend as he told me his truly horrifying story.
As it turned out, I was the one who was deranged. I was living right next to a camp of creatures that had obliterated the planet. I had also harshly judged Jack by his appearance and his actions, not just when we were younger but now.
When he said he had somewhere safer for us to go I didn’t hesitate to agree. Looking around, at what had been my safe haven, an uneasiness trickled in. I had been so self-absorbed, reading the ingredients on a protein bar and selecting the right book to read when most of the world had been vaporized to gas!
‘Are you ready?’ Jack smiled, holding his hand out to help me up from the couch.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded. I was terrified out of my mind. However, I was no longer alone.
As we left, I looked at the back of the cupboard one last time.
This short story was part of my English Literature and Creative Writing BA degree coursework. I was awarded a 2:1 in 2023. I am now studying for an MA in Creative Writing. I think the stories should be read, rather than collecting dust in my Mac. So, for fun, I’ve posted them in their original form, unedited and imperfect. Please feel free to share your thoughts below.
Oh, and some are autobiographical, can you guess which ones?
Carolyne
