At World's End

Chapter Two

The outside of the house was more dilapidated than the inside. Brown slats of wood covered most of the first-floor windows and the siding of the front was peeling off and burned in some places. What's with all the burnt things anyway?

After the agonizing climb to the stairs and the even more painful descent down the stairs, I was tired and sore. Who knew that walking around with who-knows-how-many injuries is painful?

I've solidified my guess that my arm is, in fact, broken. I tested it on picking things up (like the ever-present chair or table) and it felt like something was squeezing and stabbing me at the same time.

I must've had allergies in my past life. I've decided to call it that because I know I had one but I can't remember it so... past life. Anyway, I walked into a row of flowery plants and I started to sneeze and my eyes got really itchy.

This place has remarkably good landscaping for an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. All the trees, bushes, and other miscellaneous plants are flourishing and blooming. Funny how even after we "conquer" nature, it lives on without us.

Without us.

I never thought about that. What if I'm the last person alive? What if they all died in some freak global catastrophe and I'm the only one who survived. No, that's all crazy, right? Maybe not. At this point, all I know is that I've seen one more dead people than I care to admit, so I very well could be that last living human on the Earth.

On that note, what does the backyard have to offer us?

Other than that shed and a few lawn chairs on a cracking patio, not much was to be found.

I sat down in one of the chairs. This was exhausting.

After a few minutes of rest, I decided to check out the shed and see if anything of use could be found.

I seemed to have missed the fallen playset near the shed. It looked as if no one had been on it in years.

The shed was pretty destroyed but I did find some shovels, which were covered in a crusty layer of dirt.

Now what do I do? I guess I should look around the property for someone else. If anyone else even exists.

As I walked around the wooden areas, I heard a rustling. It wasn't like the one I had heard when I was getting up. It was more like a twig-snapping, animal-walking noise. It had to be either an animal or another person. What would I even do if there was someone else here?

Turns out, the cracking was a squirrel. Who knew they were that loud? I continued to explore, but my journey didn't reveal much other than the fact that I have an injury and probably haven't moved in a long time.

Dejected, I trudged back to the house.

That was when things got interesting.