‘One is not afraid of the dark because he thinks he is alone, it’s because he thinks he isn’t.’

It’s been a year since the Release. The clouds look whiter than before. The wind blows faster. The air is much easier to breathe. I have been wearing the same jeans since 3 months and it makes me laugh at how I used to do this before the Release as well. They’re a bit tattered now at some places but that was bound to happen. All I have to cover my torso is a T-shirt that has been torn through the middle so it looks more like a shirt. And it doesn’t even have sleeves because I used them to cover injuries. 

I walked through the woods like every other day. Deserted roads scare me. The addition of crashed cars and spilled blood keep me away from them. I’ve travelled quite a lot this year and have not seen any of my fellow human beings yet. I can’t believe I’m longing for the same humans who caused this. 

A year ago, there was a war. The scientists had a secret weapon, they had created these monsters. Around 5 feet tall creatures, who looked like velociraptors. They have long, bony heads and a bent, scaly body. They’re forest green in color which awfully helps them in being camouflaged in the trees. Thankfully, they stick to the populated areas and leave forests alone. The most peculiar fact about them is their reproduction. They eat (humans) and when they’re full; they secrete a gooey mixture from their mouths and coat themselves with it, forming a cocoon. A few minutes later, out of the cocoon emerge two smaller creatures; hungry for more. 

I’ve had my encounters with these creatures, they never saw me though. I always ran away. If one of them finds me, I don’t know if I will be fast enough. 

For now, I keep walking. In these trying times, when it feels like there is no purpose of living, it’s really important to find one. I have found mine, it’s to travel. I won’t stop and stay in a house. I will keep walking.  

I saw a squirrel and successfully killed it. At least I have food for dinner now. After walking for the entire day, I deserve a feast.

I lit a fire to cook my dinner with the lighter from my backpack. It’s the only one I have and I have no idea how I will live after it dries out. A fire is always a risky move; the smoke might alert the creatures or even the animals in the jungle. But I want cooked food nevertheless. 

The sun made its way downward and the sky was a beautiful shade of red for a few minutes. I stabbed the meat with a stick and slowly roasted it over the fire. It gave off a delicious smell. I took my last cigarette and lit it in the fire. I smoked it looking up into the moonlight with the meat in the other hand. The meat was tender and fulfilling; I ate every bit of it and sucked the bones raw. I lay on my back, looking up at the star-lit sky, feeling like a human once again. I crawled up next to the fire and a smile found its way into my face. The blinking of my eyes was getting slower and slower and their duration of being closed was gradually increasing. I had planned to sleep on the top of tree, safe from anything that might plan to attack in the night. But the pleasant atmosphere, the crackling fire and my full belly persuaded me to not get up.

I was almost asleep. My mind had begun to wander in its own realms when suddenly, I heard from right behind me.

Crack

Something had stepped on a stick just about 10 feet away from me. Without thinking even for a second or bothering to look behind, I pushed myself upward from the ground, made a sweep to grab my backpack and sprinted in the opposite direction of whatever was behind me. My stomach groaned but I didn’t stop. It would be too much of a risk to look behind and see if it was still following me. 

I must have been running for 5 minutes straight before I slowed down to take a breath. I didn’t have to put my hand on my chest to feel my heart. It was thumping. I rested my palms on my knees and heaved. My stomach was tightened and hurting. It felt like there were boiling, hot rods placed inside my calves. Sweat dripped down my forehead.  

And yet I was cold. My hands were shaking. I didn’t know if it was because of the sprint or the fear. My eyes kept darting in every direction. I spotted a clearing near me. There was a house. It had two storeys and was made of bricks. There was a chimney at the top. Beside the house was some kind of a garage. The shutter was open and there was no car inside. I wondered, ‘The residents had clearly left in a hurry. A house in the woods… there must be a gun inside. Unless, the owners had taken it with them when they had left,’

Crunch crunch

I glanced behind. The darkness helped to cloak my predator. I could still make out some greenish figure rushing towards me. I looked back at the house. I was going to take my chances. I leapt towards it. As I got there I found the door to be unlocked. I jumped inside and locked it first.

The house wasn’t very big. The only source of light was the moon so I couldn’t see very well. The hallway felt crammed and there was no place to put a gun here. I saw some kind of empty holder on the opposite wall which must’ve held a rifle once. There was a staircase to my right and a kitchen leading to the left. I would have a better chance upstairs so I bolted up the stairs. There was a passageway with a room on the left and one on the right. I chose left and instantly felt regret. There were drawings taped to the wall and toys scattered on the floor. 

I turned back towards the other room and kicked it open. It looked like the master bedroom. It had a huge bed in the middle and a drawer beside it. I prayed as I stepped toward the drawer and opened it. There were some papers. I hastily threw them out and found a pistol underneath. My heart gave a leap of joy. I picked it up. I took out the magazine and saw only one bullet in there. My heart’s leap came crashing down. I looked inside the other drawer and the closet hoping to find more bullets but there were none. One bullet was not going to be enough to finish the creature, if there was just one. They attacked in groups. I looked at the bullet with tearful eyes as I realized my inevitable death. 

I heard a thud at the main door. It had found me. I checked the windows, they were sealed shut. I was trapped. I kneeled beside the bed and aimed my pistol at the entrance of my room. I could shoot it and hope for the best. That is, if there was just one. A fatal shot was difficult to deliver even to a human. I had no idea if it could kill the creature.

Thud

My brain raced to think of a solution where I could escape with breath in my lungs but it couldn’t. My stupid pistol with just the one bullet felt useless now.

Thud

Then, it hit me. If I was going to die, I wouldn’t let it happen by a grotesque creature that would drain my life by tearing and biting at my flesh and giving me a slow, painful death. If death must occur, let it be me who registers it. Suddenly, my one bullet started feeling like a boon from god itself. I changed the aim. The cold metal kissed my lips, I shivered. My index finger lay itself on the trigger, ready to pull. 

The last thing I heard before my brain spattered over the wall was the sound of the main door opening.

A figure enters the room. It is no creature, no animal, it is a man. He is cloaked with leaves, a camouflage technique. He screams at the sight of the dead fellow.

“An entire year of wandering aimlessly and when I finally find another human, the bloody idiot shoots himself!” the man shouts and slams his leg on the floor. 

“The sheer bad luck I have,” says the man shaking his head.   

The man lets out a deep breath.

“I guess he’ll keep me fed for a few days,” he sighs. 

He pulls the body by the leg out of the room. Blood spilling as his head is dragged over the floor.