The Last Human

It had finally happened, just not in the way that everyone thought that it would. Destruction and chaos have reigned now for twenty years. And here I was, believing that I was now the sole survivor in what was once called the United States of America. Now, however, it was just considered the ground that supplied most of my basic needs. Food, shelter, and when I could find it, drinkable water. There have been days that I just wanted to give up and let the wild animals that came around devour me for their nourishment. Yet something kept pushing me to just survive one more day, no matter what it took.

This desolate land, it had once been covered in buildings and homes, or at least that was what my parents had told me. There were still a few buildings standing, but most had been destroyed in the blasts. They had shown me things that they had called photographs that depicted how the land once looked. Of course, that was before the war to end all wars, where nuclear bombs had been hurled everywhere from well, everywhere. Somehow, there were survivors, as they had been termed doomsday preppers. My parents had been such people and had survived inside their bomb shelter for years before I was born. Now they were gone, and here I was, wondering around aimlessly, wondering why.

Without warning, a beeping sound was heard at my hip. Looking down, I noticed the spike warning me that a cloud of toxic gas was heading my way. Quickly I raced towards my shelter, barely making it before the cloud could reach me. The small shelter that I had found was underneath a building that seemed to once house some sort of business. While they knew that humanity could not recover from what had been lost, they had tried to teach me all that they could before they were succumbed to some disease that it seemed I was immune to.

Over my head, I could hear the noise from the gas cloud, and wondered, not for the first time, I didn’t just allow it to kill me. Living alone for the past ten years, had taken a toll on my mental stability. Honestly, I have forgotten what my voice sounds like, as I have not spoken since the day that they died. A glint of light on the wall opposite caught my attention and I gazed down towards my chest. There, cradled between my breasts, was a heart shaped gold locket that had been the one and only thing left to me from my mother. Clasping it between my hands, I tenderly touched it before opening it to reveal fading pictures of my mom and dad on either side.

If someone were to see me, they would say that my beauty came from my bother. We both had long, wavy blonde hair and a strange blue green tint to our eyes. Bow shaped lips under a pert nose. However, those same people would say that I probably got my determination and grit from my father. He had told me that he had served in something called the Marines and had just so happened to be on a leave of absence so that he could be home when I was born, right before the end of the world. It did not seem fair that they were gone, and something kept telling me to keep going. Was it possible that there were more out there like me? That thought stirred as I realized that the wind had died down over my head. Knowing that even though the gas had moved on, that the air would still be dangerous for a few hours, I prepared myself for slumber.

Night soon descends over the land, and even here in this bunker, I can hear the wolves howling somewhere in the distance. My parents told me that they were no longer like the wolves before the fallout. They were more aggressive now and were out for any blood that they could get. The fresher it seemed, the better. That they were this close made me wonder if perhaps they had sensed me. Or could it be another out there? Honestly, I had not seen another person in a few years. The last one that I had seen, was from a distance. When I arrived to where I had seen them, they were gone and often I wonder if someone was there or my mind was playing tricks on me.

Slumber finally embraces me as the last remnant of the storm passes my shelter. The sound of the wolves in the distance singing me to sleep. A dream plagues me, one that seems real, and in the extremely near future. Disturbing figures danced around the edges of the dream, making me toss and turn. A scream erupted across my lips as I sat straight up off the floor. The sound of my labored breathing could be heard as I tried to remember what the dream, or more like nightmare, had been about. Yet the fogginess of my brain could not keep the wispy images from slipping past.

A heavy sigh was given as with a deep awareness, I realized that I was no longer alone in my shelter. Blue eyes darted around the small room as I tried to find the source of my nervousness. Was it the dream still lingering, or was someone here? From my left I saw a rat scurry across the floor, and with a slight chuckle, realized that it could have been the reason for the unease that I was feeling. That was right before my world went black.

How long was I out for? Well, that remained to be seen, for as I came too, I realized that wherever I now was, it was no longer my shelter. Where was I? And how did I get here to begin with? Honestly, as my eyes darted around, I wondered at what they had done to me while I was out. Doing a mental check, everything seemed normal, save for the dryness of my mouth. A drug then, I thought realizing that my body felt weird. Looking down, I finally noticed that I was bound in a chair.

“Ah, sleeping beauty has finally woken up.”

The voice was surprisingly female in tone, but from what my ears could hear, she was not alone in the room with me. Others were mummering things all around, to where I wondered how I had survived alone when there was clearly a small group of humans bound together to make it in this new world. What did they want with me? Perhaps the look upon my face gave away what I was thinking as I heard a male voice close utter something about how they wanted to study me. Study me for what I wondered. A sigh is heard as an older man steps in my line of view.

“It has been a long time since we have found someone wondering around alone. How have you been surviving? What direction did you come from? Sorry for the questions, but as I have stated, it has been an extremely long time since someone came to these parts. Are you alone? And what is your name? Mine is Dean. I will introduce you to everyone, once we get things settled.”

He was talking, and I understood him. But was he wanting me to talk in return? While I could speak, it was just here and there utterances of annoyances, or a brief curse when something was not going my way. With my arms tied down, I could not let the man know that I needed water or something to wet my throat so that I could speak. My tongue darted past my mouth to lick my lips, in the hope that he got the message. Indeed, he did as he sent someone to fetch something for me to drink. Tipping my head back, I allowed the woman to help me once she returned. Once I was done, my eyes went back to the man that had spoken at first.

“Maya. Alone. Barely have I been surviving. I am not sure, though I have been traveling from an area once known as Virginia. Where am I now?”

Even to my ears, I could hear the grittiness of my voice from the years of not having anything to say as there had been no one else around. Those around me, soon were giving me sympathetic looks, realizing that I had indeed been alone as I had stated. For no reason at all, I felt moisture in the corners of my eyes. Perhaps now my lonely days were behind me. But wait, did not the first person say that they were going to study me?

“Wh-wh-what did you mean by you were going to study me?”

My nerves were now shot, wondering just what they planned to do with me. Would they tell me?

“Sorry, but it isn’t what you are thinking. By study, we mean talking to you, and hearing what you have to say about things Maya. We are going to pick you apart to see what makes you tick. Well not literally, but figuratively. Here, maybe this will help.”

Dean said this, as he cut the bindings that were holding me in place.

“There, that’s better, isn’t it? You will find that we are just being cautious, as we have many others that we are trying to protect. I am sure that you mean us no harm.”

Did they really think that I could do them harm? They outnumbered me, there was no way that I could do them any serious harm. Besides, it has been a few days since I last ate, and my strength was waning. At that, my stomach let out a loud rumble which had my face turning red. The man named Dean smiled while shaking his head. He did not even say anything, though a motion with his head had a person that had yet to speak rush past into another section of wherever we were.

“As to your question, you have made it a long way from Virginia on your own. We are in a place known as Illinois. We are in the outskirts of what was once Chicago. Glad we got to you before you entered the city. Bandits have taken over for the most part, well we call them that anyways. They have a new social system in place that makes slaves of those who they do not think are worthy enough. Those that had some training in certain areas are above the rest. We were there, a part of the system, until we realized just how bad it was.”

My eyes kept a steady gaze upon the man before me as I sat there eating the food that had been brought out. Was he talking about a new society within the city? I wondered about those that thought of themselves worthy and why they seemed to think anyone else was beneath them. My parents had a strict policy about how no one was above another in any type of scenario. Seems like they would have been needed here to set the people straight. They had instilled in me that same reasoning. This was something that I would have to look at first hand to get a better understanding of it.

“Would you show me? Where this other group lives?”

I honestly had no intentions of staying here, or there to be honest. Society had crumbled once before, and it would probably do so again. Out on my own was where I felt the most secure. Just from what little bit I had been here, there was a noticeable lack of real structure in the leadership. And if what Dean had told me, this new society were not any better. Had they learned nothing from human history and how slavery was not a good thing at all?

No, my best bet was out there on my own, far away from societies that did more harm than good. But would this group just let me go now that I knew about not only them but those inside of Chicago? Heck, were they even telling me the truth about where I was? Honestly, I thought that my path was carrying me more westward than north. My thoughts were interrupted when a new voice spoke up from closer to the back of the group surrounding me.

“Why do you want to know about them? They are not ones you want to meet up with at any time of the day or night.”

“I do not wish to meet them, but study them from a distance to see if we might help liberate those that they have enslaved. Slavery has, and will always be wrong, no matter what the circumstances are.”

There was truth in my statement. If I thought that this group had a chance to, it would be amazing to free those that were wrongly forced to do things against their will. Though I had not seen the other group, something told me that this one was no match for the one in Chicago.

“We have already tried, and out numbers are now lower because we really thought that we could take them. We were wrong.”

Dean said this with a sigh as others in the group lowered their heads. Did this mean then that they would not show me where this other group was? Just because they had lost some people, did not mean that they should stop trying to get people free from their oppression. Would they even help? What was I thinking? Was there a chance that I was going to give in and help them figure out a way to break the prisoners free from their enslavement? Or was I going to do as I had planned to do and make a run for it the first chance that I got?

Days later, I found myself being led to a tall building that showcased everything that I wanted to see. It had taken some time, but Dean along with a few others had decided that to stop my curiosity, it would be better to just take me inside the city to see what we would be dealing with, if we were to do anything to help those poor souls out. Binoculars in hand, my eyes looked over the landscape before me. As with other places, the wildlife was taking everything back over. Noticing how vines were climbing up some of the taller buildings, I wondered just when it would take over human life. Shaking my head at the morbid thought of how the vegetation and animals would be mans downfall in this time and place.

There was nothing moving from what I could tell, but I knew that something was out there. Watching and waiting for a slipup from the group that it knew was bound to try again to help those wrongly enslaved. Movement caught my eye, and I peered through the binoculars to see that a lone figure was moving about on a street a few blocks over. They appeared to be looking around while waving what looked like a white flag. What was this about? Was the Chicago group baiting a trap for us? Or perhaps something else was going on that I could not see right now.

Indeed, just a few minutes more the figure was surrounded. From around me I gathered that those that were circling the person, that this was a small faction of the group we were here to watch. With bated breath we all watched in wonder at what was about to happen. Sadly, I thought, it would be better if we could tell what was being said. Our position however rendered us helpless where that was concerned. Suddenly a shot rang out and several gasps filled the room as the lone figure slumped to the ground, red surrounding the now dead body.

Thoughts swirled about as I realized that the group, I was with, had not been lying when they claimed that the Chicago group was brutal. But why had they shot the one person when they could have easily taken him or her out with a hit to the head? The group looked around, until one motioned with a hand towards our general direction. Had they spotted us? Seems like those that noticed the same movement that I had quickly told everyone to run as fast as they could. Personally, that seemed like the worst thing to do, as we had no clue if we had been made or not.

But I was not the one in control, and so many began to leave as quickly and quietly as they could. After a few minutes the one that had mainly issued the order looked over at me.

“Are you coming or not Maya?”

Wait, he was giving me the option of going or staying? Why was I even wondering about it? If everyone else was leaving, then so would I. Just because there was no way to know if the Chicago group would be coming here or not, did not mean that I would stay behind to be caught or worse. The one named Paxton took my hand and helped me stand before we began our own mad dash down the stairs and out towards the area we had came in from. Once we were clear from the city, I turned to look back at the building we had been using for out stake out.

Shock came over me as I realized that we must have been seen entering the city. But how, and why were they watching? Several people swarmed around the building, branching out in different directions, as if searching for something, or rather someone. The only two that had yet to escape was myself and Paxton. He reached for my hand about the same time I was turning around. If we were caught, we could be killed as well. Turning towards where we had come from, I followed Paxton along as we darted towards the spot in a fence that we had climbed through. Once through that, we would be back in the trees that were off one side of city.

Neither Paxton nor I slowed down, but we did start running away from the hideout. If the Chicago group got close enough to us, we did not want to lead them back to the rest of the group. But we both realized that for us to really get ahead, we were going to have to split up. While that thought scared me, it also fueled me. This would be my chance, if ever there was one. Nodding to each other, Paxton took off towards the right while my feet carried me to the left. Noises from the Chicago group could be heard, but there was no way of knowing if they were close to my location or not. Realizing that I did not know where my feet had taken me, I paused to catch my breath before continuing.

That was what the group needed to capture me. My body landed hard with an oomph as I was tackled to the ground. Not one person spoke as my body was pulled up and made to walk back towards Chicago. From what I knew, Dean, Paxton, and the rest of the group that I had been with would not come to my aide. If I was going to escape from this group, my mind needed to be sharp as a tack. In no time at all, I was hauled in front of what one could only assume was the leadership of what I was now referring to as the Chicago group. For minutes they studied me as my body stood there allowing their scrutiny to wash over me.

“Release her.”

A voice spoke and suddenly I felt the bindings that had been wrists to fall slack. My eyes darted around while another voice spoke to me to not be a fool and try to run. Internally I laughed all the while shaking my head at them believing that was something that I was going to try to do. No, all around me the group were holding items that would render me useless for any amount of time if I was foolish enough to try to run. Irony though that both groups that had captured me thought that I was crazy enough to want to die after everything that I had survived. Eventually my time would come, and I would be free to do what I wanted to once more.

Quietly I stood there, wondering just what this group had intentions of doing to me. Honestly, given what little had been told to me about them, I worried that they would try to enslave me. Still the one sitting in the very middle of the line of people looked me over. The way he would tilt his head this way then that made my skin crawl. It was not an aggressive look, just one that had me wondering if his intentions were instead of the collective group.

Not that I was about to find out, as an earth tremble started shaking the ground beneath our feet. Chicago was not notorious for earthquakes, but that did not mean that one along the New Madrid fault line could reach this far. As many of those surrounding me were jostled to the ground, I knew it was now or never. My feet began to move as I scurried towards the doors and began to move outside. Building were collapsing all around, but that did not deter me in the slightest. As quickly as my feet would carry me, distance finally came between me and the Chicago group. Though, I was sure with the fallout of this disaster, it would be some time before they tried to catch me again. If they even survived this, that was.

A loud boom had me looking over my shoulder to see that the building I had just been in moments before was now a pile of rubble. Doubt clouded my mind, knowing that unless someone was right on my tail, that no one had survived that was inside. While that should have filled me with some sort of happiness, it did not. As I had no idea if anyone wrongfully held there against their will was inside or not. That more than anything had me stopping and wanting to go back. Before my feet could begin their new path, an arm clamped down around my waist to pull me against a rock-hard body. Looking over my shoulder a sigh of relief escaped past my parted lips as I saw Paxton and Dean standing behind me.

One look at them told me the story. We were the last survivors of both groups. Now there really were no more rules to follow, and while I did not long to be used in that fashion, I knew that both would try their damnedest to get me to be with them. When the tremors started, we began to run for the nearest cover. The guys ran into a cave, yet before I joined them, ruble from above the entrance poured down covering the hole. At long last, freedom from everyone and everything else had been restored to me. That was the last thought I had before darkness swallowed me entirely. As my thoughts drifted away, I realized that this was it, the end of humanity. We were gone from this world with no one to remember us or the great things that we had done. This was our legacy. Destruction and chaos.