The Last Companion

He was roaming around the streets by looking at the places which were once beautiful. It had been years since he had met someone. He was waiting for his days to come. But to his luck, there was no one except him on this earth.

Or so he thought.

All the species went extinct on the earth, by leaving out only him.

The buildings, theatre, malls, houses, empty plots which humans bought were useful for no one. They all gone dead without enjoying those. But he did, he knew it was not his property neither anyone's.

He didn't know which country it was now. He had been traveling around on bicycles, which were on the stands.

He felt hungry and decided to barge in a shop to grab something. No one was there to question him. He freely entered any place without disruption.

He parked his cycle on the stand and looked up at the shop's name.

"Fulfill Bakery." He snorted by the weird name and pushed through the door.

To say he was shocked would be an understatement. The least he expected was to see a human sitting on a table and eating something.

"Am I starting to see things? Oh shit, I am going crazy." He thought to himself and slowly walked to the human who was not bothered by his presence. He thought he was seeing dead people's ghosts, but the dress, the hat, and eating sound proved to him that the person sitting there was a human, a real living thing.

The man looked like he was in his fifties, the dress looked neat, and he knew it was not his. He was happy that he was not the only one on the planet.

"And here I thought I was the one with most committed sins." Lee sighed in relief and grabbed some fish chips from the other's plate.

"What do you mean?" Asked the other guy who looked up by munching to see a human standing in front of him.

"You know, my mother always said, people who commit more sins tend to live longer."

"That's the silliest thing I have ever heard, for what like the past several years?"

The other guy snorted and munched the remaining chips on the plate.

"Glad to meet you, Lee." The guy winked and reached his hands for a shake, and the other guy gladly accepted it.

"Maddy, by the way, I like your hairstyle."

"Ahh, it's been years since I last cut my hair. Do you have a band?"

"Hmm, sure." Maddy removed the hairband from his tied hair and offered it.

"You sure don't want a one?" Lee hesitated to take it from Maddy.

"Use it. It's not mine, neither it's going to be yours. And I realized it too late for my liking."

"Eww, do you always speak like this? What are you, a philosopher?"

Lee removed some Maddy's hair from the hairband and tied it to a high ponytail.

"I wish I was. But it doesn't matter now since it's of no use anyway." Maddy lazily munched his chips and sipped water.

"Where do you live now?" Lee sat beside Maddy by pulling a wooden chair and dusted it before sitting.

"No place in particular." Maddy shrugged his shoulders and burped loudly, making the other laugh.

"It's been years since I had a conversation with a human."

"Me too." Said Maddy and got up from his seat.

"Where are you going?"

"Why do I need to answer that?"

"Oh, come on, after several years wandering like a zombie, I finally got to meet my species, and now you are leaving." Lee was frustrated and ruffled his hair, and can't believe he would end up alone again.

"What do you want?" Lee was getting annoyed with the human and wished he had never offered the chips to him.

Oh wait, he didn't offer, the human took it.

"I don't know when I will meet you again or anyone from our species. I was alone, walking and riding a bicycle on the streets, chatting with the non-living things, and sleeping and searching for food to survive for the past God only knows how many years."

Maddy breathed out a heavy sigh and sat on his chair.

"Lee, have you ever thought that you don't need these things to do."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that, if you had not been searching for food or things, you would be dead by now because of starvation. You humans are always nagging and whining about something even though the world is no more."

"You speak as though you are not human. If so, then why don't you starve to death. But, here you are eating chips and living a pathetic life." Lee chuckled by Maddy's words.

"Aren't we both pathetic?" Maddy asked while looking at the water in the glass.

"In a sense, yes." They both laughed at their situation. Maddy shook his head and got up once again.

"I can't sit here and chat with you. I have so many things to do."

"Like?"

"Searching for food, a cozy closed theatre to sleep, a park to take a walk, and a place to bath."

"Wow, never knew you were living a normal life in this abnormal planet."

Maddy snorted by Lee's reply.

"I have been doing this for the past... several years. I stopped counting it after it reached eleven and started to live my moments."

"The food you get won't be expired?"

"Haa, you think I am dumb?"

Lee shrugged his shoulders by saying, "I don't know." Maddy sighed heavily and grabbed his hat from the table. Suddenly he got an idea, and deep inside his heart, he didn't want to leave the only companion he got after being alone for years.

"I know a place where we can relax a bit. Wanna come?" Maddy asked. Before Lee could reply, Maddy grabbed his hands and started to run out of the shop.

...

"No matter what humans invent, we always find peace in nature." Maddy threw his fishing rod into the sea, and grabbed his chair and sat next to Lee, who was busy in catching a fish.

Lee was surprised that Maddy owned a boat but realized it was not his, neither any of them. Now he knew what Maddy ate for living. They both closed their eyes by enjoying the cool breeze, and the sound of waves made them feel alive once again. For once, they felt thankful that they were not alone in this journey. They didn't know what was waiting for them on the next shore, but they wanted to live and enjoy the moment until they can.