THE LAST ONES LEFT (An Apocalypse Story)

CH. 02 - RADIO STATIC

~ ▪️ ALLIA ▪️ ~

𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐥l𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐬. Seeing these stars is a promise in the seemingly dense darkness. It reminded me of warmth as I sat there shivering in the cold sixty degree desert. Somehow, I missed the scorching miserable heat as my light red hoodie just wasn't enough to keep the breeze away. There were no city lights that dimmed the stars, there haven't been for almost a mere ten years. It was silent, the most we could hear were the remaining wild life in the distance. Eerie to say the least. Light for the darkness is rare to come across nowadays. Electricity had gone extinct.

Our small hideout was at the top floor of the decrepit rustic cabin we had discovered. Amazingly, the stairs have not yet been destroyed by nature like the rest of the house has. We chose to stay at the top floor because if there was any other danger around us, at least we'd be able to see our enemies coming from afar. From what we discovered, to our amusement, the cabin belonged to an old couple who definitely hated the city. And upon further inspection, the cabin seemed to evolve into a property of a ranch that used to have cattle.

The only source of light we had was a small fire-lit lantern that our father had kept for when we used to go on family camping trips. I huddled next to it to capture any source of heat it might've given off while we rested for the night listening to the small roaring flame that would be working tirelessly through the night for us. Across the exposed room, Tobi sat cross-legged and messing with our father's old emergency radio whilst nibbling on a piece of bread that I had given him for the night. It was in fact one of the only things we had left. 

We were in trouble if we didn't find another source of food in this upcoming city soon.

I sat there and stared as he fiddled with one of the radio's knobs. The tones of the static frequently went up and down without a break. It was a bit irritating to say the least. White noise never settled with me. Never has and never will.

Ever since it was just us, Tobi carried around dad's radio like it was his most prized possession, just in case he heard anyone over it. He was attached to it like glue. If dad were here, I bet the two of them would play around with it together whilst mom and I sat together and counted the stars.

I often wondered what mom and dad were thinking. Whether or not they would be proud of us for making it this far or wanted us there with them, stuck in the limbo of the afterlife. I tried not to think about that too much because of what dad said to me just before his last breath.

It was just as I remembered, a day so dark that I had to eventually just burry it within me in order to survive. Even though I tried to forget that day, I still remember it so vividly. It was back when society was still somewhat held together but only by thin shredding thread. 

The house had been barricaded doors, windows and all. My father, a man in his late fourties, who wasn't quite yet ready to leave this place, was on the brink of losing his life all because of one plague that no one could stop and no pharmacist could figure out. He looked like a splitting image of both Tobi and I. Unfortunately for my mother, who had passed on before father, we didn't inherit many of her looks except the fact that I had her skin complexion.

I sat on the floor as my father laid there on the couch, his skin pale, blood streaming from his mouth. I couldn't touch him. If I did, I too would've caught the plague. Then what? Tobi would've been left with no one but himself. The plague spreads fast and I couldn't risk that. But I did desperately want to hug my dad. Tears streamed down my face, I couldn't control them. I wanted them to stop. However, no matter how hard I try, I they didn't.