The Last Legends: A Novella

Alec

When I woke, it was not result of the barking dog, though the sound persisted, but instead the screeching of something heavy being dragged across a wooden floor. Fearing the Infected had managed to push open the front door and, with it, the barricade, I sprang from my bed immediately. I grabbed my rifle and began bounding down the stairs.

I found Cassie by the door, dragging the couch she had used earlier away from the door. Letting my instincts take over, I tackled the girl, dragging her away from the door. 

"What are you doing?" I growled at her. "What kind of death wish do you have? Are you stupid?"

"I...I know him!" She replied, trying to push me off of her, which failed due to the muscle I had built up since the Outbreak. "My...My boyfriend is out there!"

"He's dead!" I told her. "You should be well aware of that! Had you said something earlier, we might have been able to get him, but it's too late now!"

She screamed at me, breaking free from my grip and making to move the couch once more. At a loss, I hit the back of her head with my rifle. She crumpled to the ground, moaning in pain. At least I hadn't killed her.

I carried...well, dragged her back up to the room she had been using. I closed the door, leaving both of us inside. After her actions, I couldn't risk her waking up and repeating what she had attempted. I took a seat on the floor, keeping an eye on her.

I didn't know I had fallen asleep, but, when I woke, Cassie was still asleep. I left the room and made my way downstairs. Again, the night had been quiet, save for Cassie, though I hadn't watched out for any of the Infected.

Without a word to my guest, I grabbed my gun and set out. Like the previous day, my neighbor's house was abandoned, though I didn't get the chance to search further. As I was exiting, I discovered Cassie leaving my house, carrying an armful of canned goods. 

I shouted at her, causing her to start running. I chased after her, discovering she wasn't all that fast as I quickly caught up to her and tackled her to the ground. Cans went rolling in every direction as she screamed and clawed at me. 

"I should have known you were a thief!" I growled. "You were just going to leave me to starve? How can you call yourself human?"

She stopped struggling, giving me an evil grin. "I don't. I was just trying to get you out of that fortress of yours. Your end has come!"

I let go of her, noticing the figures beginning to move from the surrounding houses. Many of them were armed, I noticed, though only with crude knives, save for one man who was wielding a pistol. I clung tightly to my rifle, rising to my feet.

"Do you know how many of us you've killed?" Cassie spat, rising to her feet as well. 

"I've only ever killed Infected," I replied coldly. "What are you talking about?"

"Simple," she replied. "With every plague, there are those who die, those who get sick and recover, and those who are immune. While we have not fully recovered and have been forever tainted by the disease, everyone here was once ill, but we are still alive."

"But I've only ever killed..." She didn't let me finish.

"Do you know how many you killed that were recovering?" She snarled.

"You're insane," I sighed, my finger inching toward the trigger of my gun. 

"Had you not begun killing our own, we would have allowed you to live," the man with the pistol stated. "But once you began killing us, you had sealed your fate."

"I was defending myself, just like I'm doing now," never before had I moved so fast in my life. Without thinking, I spun toward the pistol man and shot off a round without aiming. Though the bullet failed to slay my foe, it knocked him to the ground and provided me enough time to bolt from my encirclement.

Without looking back, I ran from them. I ran from my home. I ran from my life. I ran until I fell to the ground, gasping for oxygen, and then I continued by crawling.

It was only when night began to set that I paused. I had been heading toward the closest city to my house without realizing it. Already, I found myself at its outer limit. 

Without bothering to clear it of Infected, I found the nearest multi-story building and barricaded myself in at the top floor. With shaking limbs, I sat in a recliner I had not bothered to move. My heart was still racing from my ordeal.

That was the closest I had ever been to death, and at the hands of humans who considered themselves Infected. Or, at least, I thought they considered themselves such. It only made sense, after all. However, it was necessary I admit to myself I had no knowledge of how diseases work.

When I woke the next morning, I ran again. Then barricaded myself in another building, then ran again the next day until I stumbled upon a group of living Infected, if what Cassie said was true.

Cassie was among them, I noticed. 

"Your execution awaits, Alec Matheson," she cackled. "As were vampires and zombies to you, you are just to be a legend to us: the last human. With your death, humanity will go extinct. If only you weren't a killer, perhaps you could have lived with us. But now..." 

I felt two icy hands grasp mine from behind, forcing me to the ground and quickly binding me. I glowered at Cassie, silently cursing every atom in her body. 

"You have two days left to live," Cassie told me. "Your execution shall be made public and our people will rejoice at the death of the hunter!"

I closed my eyes and let myself be dragged away, into a building about three blocks from where I had been captured. I was locked in an office building in a room that would likely not kill me if I jumped from, but would certainly injure me greatly. I could not jump, or I would simply be captured again to await death on their terms.

I had two days to escape.