Licensed Apocalypse

*eleven* Real

Eric spat out the rest of the coffee.

"It just keeps getting worse and worse." He gagged. Lucis agreed as he dumped the rest of his coffee out into the sink.

"It's not even worth it anymore." Lucis said, trying to wash out the taste with tap water. They had officially run out of water yesterday and they didn't know how long the tap water would last. Eric joined his friend at the sink and began copying him, hoping Lucis' strategy would work. It did in fact, after a while. Lucis sank to the ground below the sink and gasped for air, face dripping with water.

"Thank god it's gone." Eric gasped. Lucis took a deep breath in agreement.

**

Midnight. Both Eric and Lucis were sleeping soundly. Nothing alerted them. Nothing at all. A smile creeped across Lucis' face. He was having a good dream. A dream where there were no zombies but actual people. But that was just a fantasy. Only a wish. A thought. But Lucis' smile never wavered. He was enjoying what he could with a full heart and wide open arms. An imaginary sun beat down on Lucis' smiling face as he walked through bright green grass. This truly was a fantasy. A good dream.

Lucis opened his eyes to early morning. He smiled, remembering the dream he just had. If only the real world was anything like that. Lucis thought, smile wavering.

"Ah Lucis!" Eric said happily, entering the room. "You're awake! How did you sleep?"

"I slept great." Lucis said. "How 'bout you?"

"I slept okay." Eric said. "When I got up you were smiling."

"I had a really good dream." Lucis said.

"May I ask what it was about?" Eric asked, sitting next to his friend.

"It was about what the world would be like if the apocalypse never happened." Lucis said, his heavenly smile returning. "It was amazing."

"It sounds amazing." Eric said. "I wonder what it was like."

"In my dream it was sunny and there weren't any clouds in the sky." Lucis described, remembering the dream. "Everything was so clean and every house had an owner! People were so friendly. Complete strangers smiled at me when they passed like I was a long lost relative." Tears crawled out of Lucis' eyes. "It was beautiful." Eric squeezed Lucis' hand and looked down sadly.

"I wish that was now." Eric said. Lucis sniffed and squeezed his friend's hand back.

"So do I Eric. So do I."

**

Cold. Wind. The top of the mountain seemed to reach the clouds. If there were any in the sky. It was one of those days where the only thing in the sky was the sun. A few times birds flew past, black and jagged. Eric and Lucis were standing on top of a hill near the house. They needed a break from being stuck in the neighborhood. The rows of houses seemed to stretch for miles like the houses from Harry Potter. Lucis smiled, taking in the beauty of the early morning. Dawn had just ended and the remains of the sunrise still flecked the sky in colorful streaks and dots. Eric shivered slightly but didn't try to warm up. He was too mesmerized by the scenery.

"Imagine this," Lucis said, hand sweeping across the air in front of them. "But with people all through it. Cars going every direction and people waving and saying hi to their friends."

"I can see it." Eric laughed happily. "I can see them."

"Look," Lucis pointed at an empty street facing the mountain. "They just got married."

"Congratulations." Eric said. "They look happy."

"I wonder what love feels like." Lucis said. The moment broke. "You know, like true love." Eric looked away from where the imaginary newly wedded couple drove and sniffed. The broken moment hung between the two like halloween's darkened version of mistletoe. The crumbly mistletoe vanished as Lucis pointed into the distance. "Plane." He said hopelessly, arm falling back to his side limply. It was just a bird.

"What's wrong with us?" Eric asked.

"I have no idea." Lucis said, eyes still following the black bird.

**

"Green grass?"

"Correct."

"Strangers who smiled at you?"

"Yeah."

"People?"

"Yes that's correct Eric."

"Wow." Eric smiled.

Lucis' smile fell.

"Is everything okay?" Eric asked.

"Will we turn out like him?" Lucis asked, eyes not looking at Eric.

"I-I don't know." Eric said, smile gone as well. "I don't want to be like him."

"I don't either." Lucis said. "But what if it's something we can't stop?"

"We won't end up like him." Eric promised. "I promise." Lucis smiled and finally looked up at his friend with sad eyes.

"Thank you Eric."

**

Target practice. Eric was getting better by the day. Now he could hit the bullseye two to three times in a row. Lucis grinned at Eric as he hit another bullseye.

"You're getting better. I'm proud of you." Lucis congratulated his friend. Eric smiled and raised the readied gun. "Try again. You've got this."

Blam.

Bullseye.