The Last Days

1

"They are out tonight."

"Aren't they out every night?"

"Yeah but tonight..."

I looked out the window. I knew what she meant now. There's more than usual, "Are we just going to do the same we always do?" 

"We have to do a few more precautions just in case but other than that we just have to be normal...and quiet."

I jumped up from my chair and peaked out the window once more before getting started on the daily tasks to protect the house. 

Mom rushed upstairs and opens up the entrance to the attic which leads up to the platform we built when the apocalypse started. It stood at least 20 feet high off the ground. It's high enough so the terrifying foes cant notice we are there. 

I grabbed the axe from the corner of the room."Gotta clean this" I mumbled to myself. "It's got blood all over it." One of them zombies jumped out on us. Mom had to save both of us by giving it a good swing to the head. 

We were looking for others that day. We still have to assume no one else is out there. Of course the chances of that is probably impossible. We have no evidence of anyone else out there so far. 

I picked up the washcloth in the kitchen sink. I ran some water on it and started scrubbing. The blood had come off with quite a bit of effort. Shouldn't have kept it that long without washing it. Blood dries and gets this old thing all crusty. It might be the end of the world but we still like to keep our things nice. 

I washed my hands off with some of the dawn dish soap we had bought pre apocalypse.

I stepped back to look out the window once more. 

"Getting dark. Better cover up the windows. Any sort of light will let them zombies know we are in here. They may be dead but they arnt stupid that's for sure." I closed the blinds and put the curtains over them. Sort of a nice touch, them curtains are.

My next task, dinner. I mostly did a lot of the tasks a housewife would do. Mom is too busy with making sure every other thing is ok. She was an army woman. Ain't no housewife. She was in charge of all the guns and weapons we have with us. Supplies too. After she was done with all of that, she would sit down on the couch and cuddle up next to me. She may have been an army woman but she was also a sweet person. She had such a soft voice and a comforting smile. 

I poured the beans in the pot and turned the stove on. The flame flickered till it was on. I set it to a low setting and went to sit down. I stared at the blank TV screen. Sometimes I would like to think that my favorite tv show was on. Playing my favorite episodes. I'll never live that life again I thought to myself. The days I walked to my friend's houses and we played video games all day. My birthday parties I used to have when my family was all alive..back then, life was fun. But now, life is a challenge and that challenge is to stay alive. It's been like this ever since my family and the whole world got the alert on the tv. 

We interrupt this program with a serious message. Zombies are roaming and destroying everything in their path. Board up your doors and hide because they are coming.

I get up to check on the beans. "Almost done." I grab the plates in the cabinet to my right. They were made of glass. Heavy and fancy. To fancy for this meal I thought to myself. I put them back and grabbed the plastic ones instead. This seems more appropriate. I set them down on the counter and start scooping them out of the pot with a big spoon. Making sure mom got just a bit more, I set the pot in the sink and put the plates on the dining room table. Perfect. Hopefully mom doesn't take too long, or this will all be cold by the time she gets here. The whole point was to have a hot meal for her. I don't much care what temperature the food is. 

Mom came down the stairs. She had a numb look to her face. 

"Made supper?"

"Yeah."

"Whatcha make?"

"Warm beans."

"Smells good."

"Doesn't it?" I said with excitement.

She walked slowly over to the drawers to get a spoon.

"Hand me one too. I forgot to get one myself."

She came back to the table, gave me the spoon and sat down this time, not giving me one look.

"Did you see anything out there?"

"Obviously zombies. Nothing out of the usual."

"What did you see mom?"

She looked away from the plate and stared into the distance. 
"There's definitely more of them. I counted about 10 of them that seemed fresh."

"You think that some of these zombies got to a group of people?"

"I dont know."

I definitely guessed right. She got emotional about it. 

"It's gonna be ok mom. We will survive. Just because they didn't-"

"I dont know."
She cut me off angrily. 
"I don't know if we will."

"Why wouldn't we?"

"Two girls living out in the wasteland? Alone? Doesn't seem like a good idea."
She said sharply.
"Plus i'm just not fucking doing well. You realize that there are no ways to get the help that I need or the medication?"

"Your PTSD?"

"I can handle that right now. You realize I have my heart condition right? I could die at any given moment. I'm not stable."

"Well I'm here.."
Tears started to fill my eyes. She's never snapped at me like this before.

"There's nothing you can do to help gray."

"Why are you so su-"

"You don't understand what I'm going through. I just don't want to have you lose me in this time especially like this. My symptoms are coming back again. Dramatically coming back."
There was a long pause.

"You'll be ok mom. You won't die."

Her face went cold.
"Ok but in case I do, you need to know what to do."

"I know what to do mom. The same as I do everyday."

"If only it was that easy.. I'll teach you some things tomorrow ok?"

"Ok mom."
I smiled at her. She got up and wiped my tears. We ate the rest of our supper and went to the bed that was placed upstairs. 

The bedroom, still in contact, was a small room. A dresser sat in front of the full sized bed. In it, our clothes laid neatly folded. All the clothes we took with us when we abandoned our old house. Apocalypse appropriate, or what we thought was. Long pants, sweatshirts, t-shirts, underclothes. I left what I had on. 

I layed in bed crawling up next to mom. She put her arm around me. 

"Do you ever think this will just all go away?"

"Hopefully. I'm getting tired sweetie. I'm going to go to bed ok?"

"Ok. I love you mom."
She hugged me closer.

"I love you too my little angel. Goodnight. "

"Goodnight mom."

I drifted off into slumber. 

Waking up realizing that she passed away in her sleep, broke me inside. 

I moved her arm from around me so I could get up. I punch the wall in anger. Making my knuckles bleed. I sat down in the rocking chair next to the bed and looked at her.

"Why the fuck is this happening to me? What the fuck did I do to deserve this? What did I do?"
My face grew cold in realization. 

"I'm alone now."
...