Short Stories Volume 2

My Last Day On Earth

Eighty two years. That's twenty nine thousand, nine hundred and fifty days. Give or take a few hours but that is how long it's been since I last saw a living person. My reflection in the mirror or in the water doesn't count. I spent the first month doing nothing but going door to door. Checking every single house and apartment seeing if there was anybody in there. All of them empty. There were a few that had some pets but no people.

I was only fifteen years old when I woke up on Wednesday morning to get ready for school. Mom and dad worked different schedules, one day shift and one graveyard. While we all saw each other on the weekends, during the week the most amount of time spent together was when one of us would pass the other out the door. Usually I'd just grab a piece of fruit or a muffin before I walked out. I don't expect a response back since she'll be asleep already but just so she knew I was up and going to school I called out to say bye.

My walk was really quiet. I didn't see Missus Grenn walking her two dogs but shrugged it off since the weather was on the colder side today. It wasn't until I reached the major cross street that I began to feel unnerved. Almost like all the hairs on my body stood up straight.

Not one car was waiting for the light. I looked behind me, to my sides and saw no one driving. Somehow I felt that calling out would be dangerous so I elected to go across the street to the little convenience store. Peeking through the window I couldn't see anybody inside. I knocked a few times but no one came out.

Reaching over to the door I opened it and called out. "Hello, anybody in here?" quickly closing it right after. I may have looked stupid doing so but I wasn't about to have some crazy thing coming out from one of the aisles right at me. The door may be glass and cheap metal but crashing through it can buy me some time to run.

But there was nothing.

Turning heels, I ran back home just to check if my mom was indeed home sleeping and not missing like what looks like most people are. The way back felt so much longer than ever before. I haven't even made it to my street yet when I started crying. Begging for the worst not to be true.

Nearly breaking down my front door I start screaming for her. "MOM!! MOM ARE YOU SLEEPING?! MA!!!"

Her bed was empty and still made from when dad had left. DAD!

Digging into my pocket I dial his number and cry when I get nothing but that stupid voicemail of his. After the seventh no answer I run to my neighbors and start banging on their doors. I can get grounded later. Missus Grenn's two little beagles come scratching at the windows. "Missus Grenn are you in there? I need your help I can't reach my parents and I don't know where they are. Missus Grenn."

I go around back and check if her back door is still unlocked. The two pups come running to greet me before bolting to the grass to relieve themselves. They took nearly a whole minute to pee but that shouldn't be cause she lets them out in the yard if she can't walk them. Looking down at their bowls and I see that they are completely empty. Both food and water. Missus Grenn loves these dogs like they're her own children. If she was here there's no way they would be like this.

After finding her house empty and filling up the dogs bowls, I start knocking on every single door that I come across. Sometimes I would find a pet of some kind and I would feed them if they needed it. This went on for so long that I would find some dead. I wasn't able to get to them in time and they either starved or were dehydrated.

I couldn't stop myself from crying like I was some baby whenever I saw one of their little bodies. Some of them were in their little beds or some in the beds of their owners. If it wasn't for their ribs showing or the smell it almost looked like they were sleeping. Those were the prettier sights. Some had more than one pet living in the house and while some were huddled together there were some... God there were some that their hunger took over so much that they ate one another.

I didn't want to be late saving the next animal but I couldn't leave the ones I found just laying there. As properly as I could, I buried them and hoped I made it in time to the next little guy.

Every house, apartment, condo or any kind of living quarter, I left the doors open. I was already in the next county and I still hadn't found anybody so it wasn't like I had to worry about the pets getting run over by a car. Plus in my head it felt like a solid plan because if I found a door closed from a place I had already cleared then that means somebody must have closed it. Right?

I stopped in the middle of the street when I saw the zoo straight across. They can be deadly on their own level but pets were one thing. How the heck would I check on the animals there? Shit what about the aquarium?

I turned around and headed to the nearest Walmart to get some supplies. If I was going to try and help them then I couldn't just in there with my band tee and some jeans.

Once I had everything I thought I needed I walked to the place where I felt sure I would get eaten. Even from to two blocks away I could hear all the animals roaring or making whatever noises that they made. I was shaking in my shoes as I walked through the gate entrance of the zoo.

So far I saw no animals that had escaped their enclosures. I treated it the same way I would as if I had come to the zoo on a regular day. To my surprise, these zoo animals were a bit easier to handle than the house pets. I'm not saying I was able to go in and pet a tiger but it was like they knew that I was there to help them.

I didn't really keep track of the days. Some things still had power so I was able to do some of the things I did before. Like I obviously didn't feel the need to post anything on social media but because of my accounts I still got notifications on important dates. Hearing the notification that it was my parents anniversary or one of their birthdays was hard and made me cry every single time. But not my own.

Technically I wasn't alone. Every day I made sure to check on all the animals that I could on my block. A lot of the pets had followed me home and they took up residence in the houses of my neighbors. After a while I couldn't keep going to every single zoo and aquarium every day to help those guys so I did everything I could to set them free in the proper place.

Today I was baking myself a cake to celebrate my eighty-second birthday. Most of my original friends have passed but I still have company. I sat on the porch of my house and lit the numbered candle. "Anyone want to blow it out this year or should I do it?"

I asked the numerous dogs, cats and birds around me. "Alright, I'll do it myself." I know none them would ever actually speak words to me but it helped me a little to talk to them.

After the little party and they went to bed, I got ready myself. My bones felt much more brittle and I had a hard time staying awake today.

"Good night mom. Good night dad." I say before I close my eyes for what feels like the last time.