When the earth went dark

Old places and new

          Walking down the ruined roads of my hometown, I looked around, Everything was destroyed. Places I used to shop at, my friends' houses. "Kaden, do any of these buildings remind you of anything?" I asked him. He stared at me blankly, assuring me that he knew nothing of the world before. Apologizing, I told him that maybe it would jog his memory. He reassured me that it was alright, looking around once more I noticed a pair of eyes looking at us. Tapping Kaden on the shoulder, I whispered "I think we are being watched." He nodded and told me to just keep walking, that they only attack if seen. I agreed and kept walking at a slow pace.

         Eventually we came across a familiar street, it was the street I lived on, but now it looked destroyed. Buildings were crumbling, roads were full of cracks and it looked as if mother nature was beginning to take back what was hers. Vines covered walls, grass was growing through the floors. It had only been a day, how was this even possible. "The radioactive shockwave must have super fertilized the land." I said. "Alright, Kaden, my house is just down the street. Well, it was anyway." We advanced down the street seeing a couple of runners, they acknowledged us as soon as we came into view.

         Matthew shouted for me to aim at the head as they advanced, I lost my plank shield so this would be more difficult, but not impossible. Running at us, I swiftly held up my arm at neck level so their teeth couldn't sink into me. Raising my knife, I went to drive it into the runner's skull, killing it instantly. My knife slipped from my hand, falling to the ground. Thinking quickly, I took my fingers and drove them into the mutant's neck. I turned the monster around, pulling up on the runner's skin as I tore through it.

         "Kaden, I need some backup here." I begged as I was defenseless, He told me to wait a moment while he takes care of his runner, it was up to me. I pulled with all the strength I had, ripping the skin from the monster's face. The decomposed flesh fell to the ground, the runner shrieked as it came off slowly. Using the arm wrapped around its head I pulled back, snapping its neck. It fell to the ground incapacitated but still shrieking. Stomping on its throat, Raspy noises could be heard coming from it. I picked up my knife from the ground it was laying on and put the poor monster out of its misery.

         I placed my knife on the monster's forehead, pushing it through the brain, apologizing. Kaden looked at me confused, telling me not to apologize to these monsters who kill in cold blood. "I think it's time I explain something to you Kaden." I say looking at him. He asks me what it is. Looking at him disappointedly I say, "These monsters, before mindless killers, they were just like us, our species was called the human race. A meteor hit the planet and wherever you woke up, you survived. Just like me." Kaden looked at me as if to say that I was crazy.

         "This is not a joke Kaden, Whatever happened to everyone, it looks like you have all forgotten, my FBG must have protected me from the effects but not everyone else." He looked at me now sympathetically apologizing, but that we should continue moving since it would soon be nightfall. We made it to a place that looked like my house. Peeking through the window, I saw two runners. One female, one child. I leant back against a wall, I broke down in tears. Kaden asked me what was wrong and in between tears I managed to tell him that the two runners in there were my wife and my son.

         Kaden patted me on the back and told me that I knew what I had to do, I agreed. I picked up a nearby brick and threw it through one of the windows to draw the attention of one of the runners, my son. I ran into the house, closing the door, locking him in. It was now just me and my wife. As she advanced, I was shaking, holding my knife. "I don't think I can do this." I thought. I closed my eyes as I raised my knife, striking my wife's skull. A loud thump could be heard as I opened my eyes, she was dead, lying there on the floor. Sobbing as I saw her, her skull was split open, brains spilled onto the floor. Turning my back to her I went back outside.

         "Hey man, are you okay?" Kaden asked me with genuine concern on his face. "I" I paused for a second letting out a couple of tears, I took a deep breath before continuing, "No, I don't think I am." Kaden patted me on the back once more, "That must have been hard for you." He told me, looking back inside the window towards where the brick was thrown. "So, what were they like?" He said pointing towards the window. I looked at him with genuine pain in my eyes, it felt as if my heart had sunk to the deepest point in my stomach to hide away. "I don't think I want to talk about that right now." I said replying to Kaden's question. He nodded and went silent waiting for me to speak. Looking at the window, then back at Kaden I asked him, "Could I borrow your gun for a second." Kaden nodded, handing me the shotgun that was previously resting on his shoulder.

         Bringing the shotgun up to my shoulder, I tapped on the window to get my son's attention. He ran to the window, punching it, scratching at it. Looking at his deformed face, it looked as if the blast melted it half off. I looked into my son's eyes, a feeling of doubt came over me as I pulled the trigger, the shot missed his head, the bullets ripping through his neck, fully decapitating his head. Falling down to cry, Kaden came to comfort me. "Should we bury them?" He asked cautiously, "You know, out of respect."

         Nodding, I stood up, leading Kaden to a shed where I kept my shovel, it was still intact. Walking back to the house, I noticed Kaden had already begun to dig. I let a bit of a smile show as I walked back towards the house I once lived in, bringing out the bodies of my wife and son, round to the back of the house where Kaden was digging. It didn't take him long to dig two shallow graves. I held my wife and son one last time before placing them lightly into their graves.

          Kaden looked at me, worried, "Matt, it's getting dark, how about we spend one last night in your house before setting out to home base." I was shaking with sorrow, managing to nod. We entered back into the house, lay on my old bed, I placed my hand where my wife used to lay, tears soaked the pillow as I thought to myself. "This is like a whole new place." Shortly after falling asleep.