THE LAST ONES LEFT (An Apocalypse Story)

CH. 03 - LOST

~ ▪️ ALLIA ▪️ ~

Three days. We've been traveling three days to trying to get to the location that they provided us from the radio.

As we trudged down the cracked remnants of Highway Seventy, the world around us felt like it was caving in. Abandoned cars lined the sides of the road, skeletons of what once were people's lives now reduced to rust and decay. Every step felt heavier, not just because of exhaustion but the weight of uncertainty. I kept glancing at Tobi, his face set in determination, clinging to the radio chatter like it was a lifeline. Part of me wanted to believe him-believe that there was something, someone out there. But my instincts were screaming at me to be cautious.

The voice from the radio wouldn't leave my head. "Survivors... coordinates..." It echoed through my mind like a cruel joke, over and over again. It's been days since we heard it, and I still wasn't sure if it was real, if it was something worth chasing. Tobi, though... he latched onto that voice like it was his lifeline.

We've been walking for hours-again. The world around us was dead, with nothing but miles of broken asphalt, decaying buildings, and empty, silent streets. Cities didn't look like cities anymore. They were just shells, hollow and lifeless, full of ghosts. I led the way, my bow that my dad gave me was strapped across my back, my eyes constantly sweeping the horizon for any sign of danger. The mutants from the nuclear fallout's had a way of sneaking up on you. The infected from the plagues were worse-silent until they were right on top of you.

"Tobi," I called back, glancing over my shoulder. He was still clutching that damn radio, staring at it like it was going to give him the answer to everything. "You're going to break that thing if you keep squeezing it like that."

"It's fine," he mumbled, barely looking up at me. His voice was tight, filled with the same stubborn hope that had kept him going since we left. That hope was dangerous. In this world, it could get us killed.

We were following the map we found a few days ago in a ruined convenience store. It was old, damp from rainwater, and barely readable in places, but it was the best we had. According to it, we were on the right path-Dayton wasn't far, maybe another day or two if we kept moving. But there was no guarantee it was anything more than another dead city like all the others we'd passed through.

"Let's stop here," I said, spotting an old gas station up ahead. The windows were shattered, and the roof had caved in on one side, but it looked safe enough. At least for a short break.

"No," Tobi said, shaking his head. "We need to keep moving. We're close, Allia. I can feel it."

I sighed. "We've been walking for hours, Tobi. We need to rest."

"We can rest when we find them," he snapped, still walking ahead now, eyes fixed on the road. His hands tightened on the radio, knuckles turning white. "They're out there. We just have to keep going."

I stopped walking. "And what if they're not?" The words slipped out sharper than I meant them to, but I was tired. So damn tired. Of walking, of running, of hoping for something that might not even exist.

Tobi froze, turning to face me, his face set in that stubborn, hopeful expression that made my chest tighten. "They're out there. I know they are."

I shook my head, trying to keep my voice steady. "You don't know that, Tobi. You heard a voice on the radio, that's it. For all we know, it's just a recording. There's no one left."

"Why don't you believe me?" he shot back, his voice rising, echoing off the empty buildings around us.

I could feel the frustration building, the exhaustion seeping into my bones. "Because I'm trying to keep us alive!" I yelled before I could stop myself. My voice cut through the still air like a blade. "GIVE IT UP TOBI! THERE IS NO ONE LEFT! WE'RE ALONE!"