Gone

One

One:

By one dependable push by his husky dog, Shady, Harry slid down the escalator roughly and unevenly with a skateboard he took a from the sports store to the side. Of course he didn't purchase it. In the world that he was living, when did he need to do or by something with consent seeing that how he's the only one? He was terrified to do what he was doing, but due to his pride, he couldn't decline. Close to the marbled floor, Harry lost balance and splatted to the ground. Shady barked many times, racing down and skipping stairs in the process. The dog licked his cheeks numerous of times indicating his loyalty to Harry.

     Shady lurked around the empty streets of Baltimore, dragging it's ears in loneliness and sorrow two months ago until he stumbled upon Harry leaping from poll to poll. At the sight of the dog, Harry was left in awe as the bright, shiny and crystal dark blue eyes of the dogs were nothing compared to Harry's plain old green ones. The dogs fur was as soft as silk and the posture he stood in demanded attention.

     Harry petted it and took him home for a bath after discovering Shady's odor. Harry gave him the name Shady because his fur was all dark. He considered naming him Darkness instead but sounded a little too dull to him. Since then, Shady and Harry have been the best of friends for a long while and Shady's been nothing but a loyal dog that stands behind Harry through anything when needed.

     Still plastered to the ground, Harry didn't pick himself up. That's all he's been doing lately. He'd climb to the traffic lights and mess with the street lights in hopes to get electrocuted. He'd grab the cameras off the street polls and records himself with the wackiest faces until he'd fall down and sprain his back, of course. But to his satisfaction, the pain always heels pretty quickly. Give it ten minutes, tops. He flipped to his backside, staring at the glass ceiling of the mall as tears filled up his eyes. Not because of the pain of sliding down a moving escalator, but because he didn't have anyone to tell this story to.

     Most of his friends wouldn't have believed it. They would have gave him credit for and it and said he was no rebel. That would have really satisfied his ego. But not by the barks of Shady, of course not. He wished he could understand what he barked about most of the time, he was so oblivious to whatever he barked to. The sky above him was becoming at a darker shade of blue with streaks of pink and purple. The sun was setting, and Harry knew he couldn't stay here any longer. The dog mainly set that curfew for Harry. Whenever Harry tries to go to Mac's, the bar down town, especially at night, the dog would bark maniacally until Harry debated against.

     "Maybe we should sleep in the mall? That would save me the trouble in looking for my keys, am I right?" Harry said, more of in a singsong tone. The dog barked as though he was trying to oppose to his comment. Harry rolled his eyes and patted Shady down. "I figured you'd say something like that. Can I at least grab a beer before I go?" The dog didn't bark, it just rose and lead Harry to the beer store on the fourth floor of the large mall.

     Harry didn't just grab a bottle, he got the whole six pack. At his mansion, the moment you open the front, you'll find a ton of beer bottles spread out all across the wooden floor. The mansion wasn't even his, it was a former mayor who lived he along with his countless daughters that Harry never remembers at all.

His instincts lead him to the checkout counter before he pauses and laughs to himself. The laugh wasn't even humorous. It was dry and not friendly. It was one of those pathetic laughs to give when you feel bad for yourself. Those were just those days. Harry had that laugh every single day for the past three months. He's miserable but doesn't seem to act like it. He figured that if he did cry out loud and scream to the heavens, that wouldn't make anything easier except damage his throat and wet his eyes.

That's Harry's logic.

He walked away from the counter with slights shakes in his head to recognize the stupidity of himself. Shady walked closely behind his calves. He entered his car and started pressing the gas so hard as he reversed. The dog whined a bit. Harry didn't press the gas again because he had a thought to himself. He got out of his car, while the engine was running, and made his way toward the car door for Shady's as he sat in shotgun. He opened Shady's door and he leaped out, cocking his head in perplexity. Harry shut the door then and made his way to his car door, entered it, and shut it without hesitation. The dog began to bark again and that was unusual because Harry and Shady did everything together. Shady was a smart dog, humanly smart actually. The played cards and Harry even made the dog drink some beer and since then the dog been licking the bottle ever since.

The dog rose to his feet and used his paws to bang on the window. Harry felt guilty but he couldn't do this anymore he couldn't just live like this anymore. He's the last dependable being among the human race that hasn't been extinct yet. He pulled a map out of his seat in the car and studied the legends of the city until he found the ocean. He smiled to himself but the smile was filled with sorrow as his eyes were flooded. The dogs barking was louder now and sounded like it was going to strangle Harry when he gets his hands to him. Harry looked at the window where the dog stood, and the dog fully registered what Harry was plotting.

"I'm sorry, Shady. The thought of killing myself hasn't passed my mind. You were just distracting me from it." Harry said, every word fulfilling its truth to it. Shady pouted as though he was crying and that killed Harry even more. At least there was someone out there who cared for him. He locked the car door and Shady barked louder. Without consent, a tear rolled down his cheeks as he turned away from the window. He pressed the gas too hard that the car jolted a bit but moved forward and ahead. The wheels left scars on the ground due to his twists and turns with the car.

Most of the drive in the freeway was blurred with Harry's tears. Furiously, he wipes them away from the back of his hand. His leg was still positioned on the gas as he muttered things in his mouth. He didn't believe in apologies; he thought they were pointless but what was even pointless to him right now was the people around him he was apologizing to weren't even around him. He wished there was away for him to restart everything, but it was a cliche thought of him to think of.

He looked through his rear view mirror and saw Shady running behind after him. Now he was just annoyed that the dog wouldn't let go. But unfortunately, his guilty got the best of him. He thought for a moment that all of this wouldn't blow over if he died. The human race never died, they just disappeared. An epiphany stroke him and he extended his leg toward the breaks an pressed it with all his might as the cliff neared. He left his foot there expecting the car to jolt and halt but it continued. He pressed it again. And again. And the car defied him. He got out of his seat and shifted to the door but it was locked and by the time he unlocked, he was off the cliff.

He felt the Shady's name from a distance but felt at piece as he was falling. He neared the ground and shut his eyes. His time came sooner than he thought. The car dipped into the ocean with a wild crash, and before he contemplate further for his future destiny, and the water splashing was the last thing he heard.