Frank's Heart

Frank had never been a ladies man; women never really paid him much attention at all. He was always seen as the friend to confide in, the nice guy next door. Frank had always thought there would be more time. Time to work on himself, to become a better man, but life didn't pan out that way. So many days wasted at the pub with his equally awkward friends when he could have been finding that perfect woman. What he wouldn't give, for just one day in the life of a man who had found love. Now in his early thirties, Frank wished he had focused more on finding love as he found himself with no romantic interests as the world burned around him.

Three months had passed since the invasion had begun, or maybe more (without his phone, he didn't really know much these days). They had taken out the power grid first, so no one was connected anymore, not like they used to be. Unless you were a savvy doomsday prepper with some solar setup, but who knew they would be right. Most of humanity had either been killed or enslaved, taken away by the enormous ships that used to hang over cities like massive morbid mobiles. That's what Frank assumed anyway, as he didn't have any contact with anyone from either species. The last person he had seen was around three weeks ago as they were dragged away for god knows what by the aliens. The Aliens were a weird looking lot, around seven to eight feet tall, humanoid in shape but with 4 arms longer than they should be. They were armoured, so most guns were ineffective unless you managed to hit a soft spot, not that Frank had a weapon. Frank didn't know if they wore armour or if it was part of them, but as he thought about it, his mind drifted to the memes about how a spider would wear pant and chuckled to himself. They were still around but in smaller numbers now, and most of their large prison ships had departed with their sinful cargo.

Frank's days were almost the same as before the invasion in many ways, no friends and an endless search for terrible processed food. All the fresh, healthy food rotted pretty quickly, and it's not like many farmers were trying to stock the shelves again. On this particular day, Frank was rummaging around an old warehouse looking for anything to help him survive when he heard footsteps crunching on the gravel outside. His heart sank as he quickly looked around for somewhere to hide. The air in the warehouse was thick with dust motes that glittered in the afternoon sun. He spotted a large cardboard box and rushed to it, kicking a random bolt as he did so. The sound of it ricocheting against the abandoned machinery made him instantly sick to his stomach. As quickly as he could, he crept to the discarded box lying on its side and sequestered himself inside. He tried to quietly fold the box lid over, and his heart sank further as he realised it was missing most of its top. Despite the feelings of impending death at the hands of a four armed armoured alien, it all seemed a bit comical, like a child hiding in his fortress.

He waited, trying desperately to control his breathing as dust threatened to make him cough. He could just see the ground outside his cardboard fortress, below the tin sheeting that was the warehouse walls. Nothing happened for a long time, human or alien; it wasn't moving, waiting for him to make a wrong move. Little did they know, Frank was a champion slacker who could probably nap right now if he tried hard enough. His heart rate returned to normal as his mind drifted with the dust motes in the sun, remembering a simple time from his childhood. Suddenly he heard it again, only quicker this time as whoever it was ran across the gravel again. Frank saw the off white sneakers and felt a wave of relief crash over him. Then another emotion rushed in to replace his fear, "were those women's sneakers?" His heart now ran to a different beat as he rushed to his feet, tearing part of his fortress with him.

He ran as fast as he could to the exit on that side of the warehouse, his mind reeling with a dichotomy of thoughts. Do I shout out to her? No, that might scare her off. Do I follow her? No, that's stalking, you sicko. What if she doesn't like me? OMG, you idiot, just make contact first! No wonder he didn't have any luck in the old world, but his legs carried him onward with urgency. He flung open the door, smashing it into the side of the warehouse, creating noise he knew he shouldn't. Looking in the direction that she had fled, he shouted "Wait" just as he caught a glimpse of her as she ducked around the corner of an old brownstone.

He didn't know why he was chasing this woman; he had avoided all contact with almost everyone for his entire life. Even in the aftermath of the invasion, he had kept his distance; maybe all those Zombie TV shows had taught him something. He rounded the corner just as the woman was squeezing herself through a gap in the fence. Too Far away for a polite conversation, he shouted again for her to wait as she raced off. As he approached the fence, he noticed something glinting in the fading light where she had forced her way through. A heart-shaped locket lay on the ground, its broken necklace still hanging from the chainlink steel.

This was it, he thought as he picked it up, admiring its pureness against the palm of his dirt-encrusted hand. This was his Cinderella moment, he could return the locket to the woman, and maybe the sparks of true love could blossom. Without a moment to lose, his heart full of optimism, he pocketed the locket and pushed through the fence. He found himself running through the industrial area without a care in the world. Is this what love feels like, he mused to himself. He felt almost invincible, like he could go toe to toe with one of the aliens if one came around the corner.

The light was getting low as the sun dropped below the surrounding buildings, adding a sense of urgency. He caught another glimpse of her as she darted into an alley. His legs burning, he pushed himself harder, rounding the corner five odd seconds behind her. "Wait, I've..." suddenly, his vision went white for a second, and his ears began to ring. His momentum slowed as he saw her, and a smile grew on his face. She was gorgeous, he mused to himself, tall, tanned skin and long black hair, albeit dirty, but who wasn't right now. He noticed her bright emerald green eyes, like something from a movie, as his mind finally caught up to the fact that he had just been shot. His smile quickly turned to abject horror as he dropped to his knees, clutching his chest. The woman stood a few meters away, breathing heavily, pistol still pointed in his direction. He looked down at his chest as blood poured around his hand. Looking back at her, he smiled, then slumped against the adjacent wall, wincing in pain.

She turned to run again as they both knew that gunshot would be drawing the attention of the nearest invader. "Wait", he blurted out, coughing up blood as he did. She paused and turned back, those piercing green eyes staring straight through him. With his other hand, he fumbled in his jacket pocket, both pain and joy exquisitely bitter to swallow. "What do you want" she exclaimed impatiently as he finally held out the heart-shaped locket and chain. One of her hands shot up to her neck in panic, the other still pointing the gun. "You dropped this" he smiled, trying to be as nonchalant as he could given the circumstance.

A tear formed in her eye as she grabbed the locket from him, the gun still aimed firmly to his head. "I'm..." she stammered, then turned and ran, leaving Frank in the alley alone. Frank had never known love, had never felt a deep connection with anyone before, but strangely he had found it in the last moments of his life. He winced again as he leant his head against the moss-covered brick wall of the alley. A light breeze caressed his face as a single tear rolled down his cheek. Tiny ants were crawling in between the mortar, picking off bits of moss. He mused at how oblivious they were to everything that was happening. His mind turned inward, thinking of the woman and her beautiful eyes as the familiar whirr of an alien vessel could be heard faintly in the distance.