The World Was Them Now

The stars shimmered in the dark night sky. He couldn’t believe what had happened. He couldn't stop thinking about all the disasters and carnage that wrecked the world that he had always loved, the only world he had obviously ever known. He didn’t know where to go from here. There was nothing for him.

A few days passed. And there was still nothing. He was alone. This was all he knew. Carlos wanted to see somebody else, anybody else. But there was nobody left. His family was gone. His friends were gone. He didn’t want to be alone anymore, but there wasn't another living soul left on this Earth.

So he walked. And he walked. And he walked.

Carlos didn’t know where he was going. He didn’t have any idea how he would be able to keep going knowing that all was lost. That in a way, he was lost. But he thought that maybe, just maybe, he would find something that would give him a sense of hope. He needed to believe this, this small feeling of hope was somewhere out there, because there was nothing else for him to believe.

The days grew longer as he walked. The nights were restless. The stars shone in the darkened sky, slowly disappearing one by one. Carlos didn’t know why they were gone. He didn’t know if they would be back. He doubted this, but he still wanted to have something to be hopeful about; even if it was just the stars in the sky. Everything else seemed to leave, so why not the stars, too?

Weeks passed. Then months.

Carlos kept a journal, recording everything he did. At first, he tried to distract himself by driving around in expensive cars that he would have never been able to afford. Then he stayed in houses he could have only dreamed of owning one day. Expensive clothes he never thought about trying on. He ate the foods that he wanted, the ones that he could, the ones that were left.

But none of that mattered to him after a while. It got old. Sure, it was nice to pretend that things could be normal, even for just a little while, to try to trick himself into believing that he wasn't so alone, but Carlos knew better. He couldn’t just keep pretending that the world was still functioning the way it used to: it wasn't.

He was alone.

Carlos hated the fact that he was alone. He thought about this all the time. It’s all he could do. He didn’t want to be alone anymore. He didn’t even understand where everybody had gone, not really. They just, well, he didn’t know how else to describe it other than that they all disappeared. There was no explanation. Some of the people didn’t just disappear, though; those who didn’t, well, their lives ended in terrible ways. He didn’t even want to think about the things he had seen.

The flashbacks of the days of killing other humans never left his mind. The things he saw, the way they happened. He could drink all the alcohol, or try to sleep away the time, do absolutely anything to not think about what he had witnessed, but it made no difference. Carlos remembered the bitterness, the blood, the sounds, the death. He didn’t understand how nobody had killed him.

Why was he still alive? Why wasn't he dead, like everybody else on this Earth? Carlos spent so long pondering these questions: why wasn't he killed? Why hadn't he disappeared? And he never came up with any solution. He was just stuck on this godforsaken planet, left to live alone until his inevitable demise.

So he traveled. Carlos didn't have much else to do nowadays, now that everybody on the planet was either gone or dead.

The road sign said Welcome to Ohio!; it was the first one he had seen in what felt like days. Carlos hadn't been traveling for long, but he decided that he should try to find something else in this lonely existence. Maybe Ohio would be the place he would find it.

As he drove through the quiet town, it was all the same: deserted. It was midday, probably around one o’clock, and Carlos wanted to stop and actually explore the town. He had never been one for travelling, but there wasn't much else to do anymore, so he decided to take it up.

Carlos parked the car and walked along the sidewalk in the forgotten town. Cars sat empty, some crashed into one another while others were parked neatly in their spots on the side of the road. He sighed as he walked, knowing that there wasn't going to be anything here for him. This place was no different. But he still continued on his walk, needing to be out of the car for a while.

As he turned down the street, Carlos caught sight of something darting down an alley. He stopped in his tracks, knowing that there wasn't anything left alive to do this. Hesitantly, he began walking down the sidewalk once more, toward the alley, not knowing what to expect. He just wanted something different to happen, and this sure was something different. He wasn't worried about dying anymore. He felt like he had died long ago.

The streets were silent, as they always were. Carlos took a breath, not knowing if he should say anything. When was the last time he had actually used his voice? He couldn’t recall. What if it had been nothing? What if he was finally going crazy? He hoped not. For both of those situations. He wanted something to be with him in this world, and not just a figment of his imagination. He wanted something real. He needed something real.

“Hello?” he called out, looking around the alley. It was a dead end, and he hadn't seen anybody or anything leave the way it had entered, so he was guessing whatever it was, if it was real, was still here. He hoped it was something real.

“Hello?” a quiet voice answered back. The voice was hesitant, but Carlos was just relieved that he had actually heard it. He heard something else that was living.

Carlos turned his head to the left, seeing a slender figure step out from behind the dark green dumpster. It was a boy. Obviously Carlos didn’t recognize this person, but it was still a person. It was another living person. He couldn’t believe it.

“Are you real?” Carlos immediately asked, hoping that he wasn't crazy. He didn’t know if that was a good first question, but it didn’t really matter. He just needed to find out if he had gone insane or not. And that was really the only question that would answer his thoughts.

“Are you?” the guy asked him back. He was around the same height as Carlos, but pale, and had medium brown hair that looked kind of shaggy. “I haven’t seen anybody since, well, you know. Since it happened.”

“Yeah! I mean, yes. I’m real. I thought I was the only person left. You’re the first person I’ve seen since, yeah.”

The two guys stood in silence for a moment. Carlos was relieved that he had found another living person. The other guy seemed rather timid, and Carlos didn’t really blame him. He was confused though, a little. He hadn't seen anybody else in almost two years. And this guy apparently hadn't either? How could that be?

Well, of course Carlos thought he had been alone for those twenty-one months two weeks and three days, but still. He didn’t truly believe there was anybody else left. And now, he had been proven wrong. Carlos was wrong. And he was happy about it.

“What’s your name?” Carlos questioned the other guy. “Mine is Carlos.” He didn’t want to be too forward, because he didn’t want him to run off or anything, but he needed to find out about this other person.

“Andrew,” the brunet responded. “Well, Andy. Where have you been this whole time?”

“I, well, that’s complicated? I’ve been traveling around, trying to find any sign of anything living. I started off in Arizona, and I guess I got here, to Ohio. What about you? Where have you been?”

“Here. I didn’t want to leave after everything happened.”

“You’ve just been here all this time? Alone?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to see what they did to each other. Seeing the two people was enough. Hearing it was enough. I didn’t leave where I was staying for almost thirteen months after it all happened.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Andy almost looked suspicious. Carlos didn’t understand why. He just knew he needed to get this guy to not leave him, because he couldn’t deal with being alone. Not anymore. Not after knowing he wasn't actually alone.

“I don’t know. I feel like that’s what people say in difficult situations, you know? Or maybe I guess because you’ve been too afraid to try to find out about anything. Why did you eventually leave? Food?”

Andy just nodded. He wasn't really the talking type, apparently. Carlos nodded a little back, not knowing what else to say. He had always liked talking before, but now, he wasn't sure what to say to Andy. He couldn’t just ask Andy what his favorite color was. That wasn't something that happened anymore. The world was different now.

The world was them now. Maybe just the two of them. Carlos didn't know.

“I know we just met,” Carlos began, “and you’ve never left this town or anything, but I’ve been to quite a few places, and I never thought I would find somebody. But then I found you. Which I’m really happy about. You don’t have to say yes, but maybe we could go and try to find more people? Together? If you trust me? Which I could honestly understand if you don’t. Like I said: we just met.”

Andy hesitated. Carlos felt himself holding his breath, not wanting to hear the other guy, the only other living guy Carlos had found in almost two years, tell him no. But he had a feeling that’s the way he was leaning.

“Okay,” Andy replied quickly. Carlos let the breath of relief out. “I just, I don’t know you, but I do know that you might be the only other person left in this world, and I just really don’t want to be alone anymore. I feel like I could maybe trust you, though, so there’s that. So yes, I will go with you.”

“Good! Great! And look, even if we don’t find anybody else, at least we won’t be alone anymore. I’m glad that we found one another. I really am, Andy, because I don’t want this to be the end for me. For us. For either of us. And I’ll tell you all about me, anything you want to know, so you can learn to trust me. Okay?”

Andy smiled softly back at Carlos. “Okay.”