His Last Song- "Ji'de Tas Anse"

Chapter Four 4.2

"When the meteor hit, some people disintegrated into thin air," he says, and I look at him.

He does know!?

"Others were eaten by the animals that they were companions with. Others died from the radiation. They died in so many different ways. The meteors aren't just regular meteors."

"Why are we still alive then?" I ask. "And what about the people in other countries? Have you gotten anything from anywhere outside of Hardane?"

"I did have a friend in Korea who was texting me during the first month. They stopped after a while; I don't know if it's because the internet went out or because something happened to him."

"Yeah? What was it like there?"

"He didn't know. He lived in the outskirts, so he wasn't really connected to the rest of the country as he could have been. But his electricity did go out."

"Oh. Maybe his phone could have died."

"Maybe."

"My friends were texting me during the second month; they live in Hardane. Now they're not texting back. But I'm sure they're alright."

He looks at me and if you look into his eyes long enough, you can see...pity. He looks away, "Yeah."

He doesn't believe me, does he? People not believing me is nothing new...

We walk through the street as we look around at the apocalyptic Hardane.

I miss the old Hardane so much. It's crazy how things can change so quickly.

We get to the crossroads after some walking then we turn left. As we walk, we see the hardware store at the end of the street. The body of the tiger still lies where the gunman left it.

It's still there?

There are a few small animals eating its body, but they run away after they see us.

That's odd. Not a lot of animals do that nowadays.

Song pulls me close to him and I look up at him. "Hmm?"

"The animals are out in the daytime now. They're adapting. We should stick closer."

"Adapting?"

"Animals are able to adapt to their surroundings, that's why invasive species are a thing. The meteor has just quickened the speed at which they adapt, I believe."

"Then...why did they have to stay in the dark anyway?"

"The animals were probably afraid. I mean, their bodies were shaping and shifting while they were still alive. Heat from the sun would most likely speed up the effects of the radiation; heat is a catalyst."

"Mmm," I hum. "Your dad really taught you a lot about animals, huh?"

"Ah... In ways. He told me things in passing, then the rest of what I learned from him was from secretly shadowing him as he worked."

"Oh. Did you, uh, have a good relationship with your dad?"

"What is a "good" relationship?"

"Uh, I don't know, your parents actually wanting you... That's good, right?"

"People can want children but not even want them for the right reason. They could just want them due to peer pressure or because they want to push their beliefs on others or they want to feel in control."

"Really? I thought people who have parents who want them have good lives."

He chuckles, "No. You may have had parents who wanted you and had a good life, but that's not how it is for everyone."