After the End

“You know, I really miss videogames.” By his count, this was the fifth time Matt made the same comment, with the same heartfelt sorrow. “I know it’s not a priority right now, but I just do.”

“I would settle for a drive-through,” replied Dan. “Or delivery,” he added just as he finished going through the last drawer on his side of the room. He sighed. “Nothing here either. Looks like we are going back emptyhanded. Again.”

Daniel gave an empty can a frustrated kick. Not strong enough that it would make a loud rattle, of course. That would be much worse than going home without findings. At least today’s trip had been uneventful so far.

“Yeah, yeah I know. You are very practical. But I mean it man, but videogames… wait.” Matt stopped his rambling and stood facing the corner he had been searching. Daniel looked at him with surprise. Matt rarely stopped mid-sentence. Whatever it was he had found, must be important. He walked to the other side of the room to stand beside his friend.

“What is it?” he asked.

Matt was startled by the question and almost jumped away from him.

“Don’t scare me like that, you idiot,” he cursed on a low voice. “I almost screamed like you were one of them bastards.” He was serious, but he could not hide a nervous smile. “Look at this.”

Daniel looked at what his friend was holding. At first, he saw nothing special. It was a small box, covered with a thick layer of reddish dust. Then he saw the marks where Matt had tried to clear some fo the dust, and the image that was now only partly-covered.

“Oh, are those…”

“I think so,” Matt responded. “And I think it’s full. At least by the weight.” He turned to his friend and grinned widely. “Not emptyhanded after all, huh?”

“Well, open it, just to make sure.”

Matt nodded. Before he could move, a sudden thunder roared in the distance. They froze instantly and waited for a few moments to pass before moving. It was just one. They still had some time.

“We should get back,” said Matt. He quickly placed the box in his backpack and took out a pair of rain jackets. Daniel took one, and they both headed downstairs, careful not to make any noise.

The building had once been over 10 stories high, but now only parts of the eighth and seventh floor remained. Matt and Daniel made their way down to the second floor. There, knee-deep into the water they made their slow way through the hallway, out of a window and into their boat.

Outside the sky was overcast, as always, and the light was quickly fading away. To the east, Dan saw the distant storm slowly approaching. Faint flashes of lightning were tracing the dark clouds. They started rowing in silence, heading home. Or at least, the next closest thing.

Daniel and Matt had made this trip many times and by now they knew the safest way back. This part of the city had been mostly untouched by the wave of tornados that had ravaged through the region. The hurricanes, however, had blown away or torn through most buildings and parks, pouring down until half of the city was completely flooded. Those who survived were relying on the sewer system to slowly drain the rivers and lakes that had taken over the city. Unfortunately, when the country’s landmark volcano erupted, the following earthquake crushed most of the city’s drainage infrastructure. By the time ash started to fall, the city had been almost abandoned.

Dan had lived through it all, and he could honestly not say how he had survived it all. Very few people had. And those who did…

He looked at Matt. He wanted to ask him something, but he knew he shouldn’t. There would be time later, once they were safe beneath a roof and within thick walls. He rowed on, as quietly as he could, thorough the canals that years ago were streets and walkways. The constant crash of falling water was growing louder, as they moved towards the collapsed hospital’s waterfall. They adjusted their course to a lower level waterway and continued for another hour.

Soon they reached the Ducking Bridge. It must have had another name before, but Dan had forgotten it. The name didn’t matter, or so Daniel liked to think. Names and purposes fade away. What matters is that it endures.

They grabbed the ropes attached to the bridged and tied the rowboat. They climbed up to the bridge and let a bulk of plastic fall on the boat and -as they always did- preyed it was enough to hide it if necessary.

Daniel felt a heavy drop fall on his head, then another. He cursed under his breath. He noticed Matt was already looking up to the clouds.

“We should hurry. Just in case,” he noted, almost to himself.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

They started walking. After a few minutes, the rain began to fall.

Two long hours passed, and they continued to walk. The storm raged on, and the roaring of falling and running water was deafening. At least they didn’t worry about having to be silent. They were reaching the outskirts of the city, or what was left of them. The zone was mostly empty, but it was still the most dangerous part of the trip into the city. Once, there had been many people there, but now…

Dan shivered, either because of the cold air and rain, or a grim thought. He looked around and froze in his place. To their right, there stood a crooked figure next to a crumbled house. The curtain of falling rain made it almost impossible to see, but there it was. And it was moving towards them.

“Matt!” he cried out as loud as he dared. But he didn’t react.

Matt walked in front of him, too far away to hear him. He was too concerned with their path ahead to notice the approaching shadow.

“MATT!” he screamed. But it was too late. His friend turned towards him, surprised. As he did, he turned his back to the half-rotted, corpselike creature. Before he realized what was happening, the ragged thing threw itself over him, bitting at his shoulder with its few remaining teeth.

His friend screamed and cursed, but Dan barely heard him. He ran towards him, but tripped over and came crashing down. His head bounced against the concrete road, slightly damped by the layer of rushing water. His ears were ringing and the whole world seemed to be drowning. He forced his vision to focus, but everything around him was overwhelming. The water kept flowing over him and through his clothes, filling his gasping mouth and crashing against his eyes.

Before he could recover his senses, he felt himself raised from the ground. He noticed a pair of hands grabbing his shirt and pulling him to his feet. On the other side of these hands was a familiar face.

Matt shook him back to reality.

“We’ve got to go, now!” he snapped at him. Dan could only muster a quick nod but regretted it quickly. Before he realized it, Matt was already running, avoiding as best he could the small rivers that marked the road. Dan went after him.

After several minutes of endless running, they made their way to one of the many abandoned structures that were spread around the road. They ran one that looked mostly intact and -more importantly- had all four walls and a door. Once inside, they barricaded the door with what they could find at hand.

Dan was still recovering his breath when his mind processed what had happened.

“Are you okay?” he asked his friend. His vision was still blurry. “Did it get you?”

Matt was silent. He too was catching his breath, but his silence was too long, too heavy. He did not respond. Matt walked to the wall opposite the door and sat on the floor. He rested against the crumbling wallpaper and gave a long, frustrated sigh.

Matt looked at Daniel in the eyes, and he knew the answer. He went to his friend’s side and fell into place beside him. The wall was cold -but strangely comforting- against his back. What do we do now? he thought.

“I hate zombies,” said Matt, with a painful chuckle. “I always hated the bastards.”

“You know they’re not really zombies,” Dan began but stopped when he realized it would not help.

“Like hell, they’re not. The damn things are practically undead.” He was looking paler with every word. “Who thought it was a good idea to make that vaccine anyway?”

They both knew the answer, of course. Because they were desperate. Because they thought it was their only chance to regain control or some sense of normality. After the countless deaths caused by the changes in weather and natural cycles, the side effects of their promised cure began to appear. Not zombies, or at least not as they had known them in movies and videogames, but they were close enough. You would not turn if you were bitten. Instead, everyone was potentially one of them and after you died for some other damned thing in this God forgotten world, then you might rise from the cold earth to ravage on like a mindless parasite.

He took a sideways look at his friend. His face was composed but his eyes glinted with fear. He knew his mind was somewhere else right now.

“Take off your jacket,” Dan told him, still clinging to some hope.

Matt did his best to look offended. “You better at least buy me a drink first,” he said.

“Just do it.”

Matt sighed but he did as he was told. Even before he did, Daniel noticed he could not move his right shoulder. Once he took off the heavy, ragged rain jacket, the reason was obvious.

The blood was already blackish and stagnant around the missing chunk of flesh on his shoulder. The smell too was beginning to emanate from the wound. His right arm was pale and hung stiffly to his side. A bite might not make you one them, he thought, but it makes sure you rot the same as them.

“You think it will stain my shirt?” he asked. They both let a nervous laugh wash over the stress and worry. Then there was silence. But it was not awkward or unwelcomed. The two friends knew what that wound meant and what would happen next.

It was not the first time either of them had lost someone. They had even talked about the possibility of either of them finding themselves in this exact situation. But it did not make things easier, or their pain less real. They noticed the rain was less intense now and the sound was down to a faint batter. It would be a long night.

They spent it mostly in silence, each with their own thoughts. They talked for a while. Then all words that needed saying were said. For a few minutes, the clouds even cleared enough to steal a glimpse at the moon. Neither of them slept that night.

Daniel knew what he would have to do come morning. Soon his friend would stop breathing and finally fall asleep for good. He would then go outside and look for something he could use to take him home, perhaps an old cart. Then he would make his way back home, and since they had never arrived last night, someone would be looking for them near the main road. Then he would prepare the fire that would make sure his friend rested peacefully. In the end, he would say goodbye. He would take his friend’s backpack, open it and take out an old, dust-covered covered box he had hoped to share with him after their long trip to the city. The bright red light at the end of the cigarette would shine brightly in the dark of night, the fine trace of smoke would rise and go with the wind. He would say goodbye.

Then he would have to carry on. Life was harder now, it certainly was crueler and defying, but he would carry on because the world had not ended. Not yet anyway.