After The End

by Jamie Campbell

  In the very early hours of the morning, we finally break from the overgrown farming fields. We step out onto a road and pause while we gather our bearings.

  “North is that way,” Garlind says, pointing to our left. “We can sleep on the road for a while or keep going. How’re you feeling?”

  “I can probably go a little further.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. But don’t ask me again or I might fall asleep.”

  He smiles and it lights up the night. Our steps are slow as we head north. It’s a luxury not being constantly slapped by weeds. The road feels wonderfully wide and lacking in snakes. It’s amazing what you learn to treasure in this new world.

  When the sun rises, we decide to take a real break. We veer off the road long enough to get some cover from anyone that might walk by on the highway and settle down together on the ground.

  I close my eyes and it takes a fraction of a second for me to fall asleep. In Garlind’s arms, I know I’ll be okay until I wake.

  There are no dreams, just a very deep sleep for a few hours. If there were any nightmares, I can’t remember them when I wake up. My first thought is that I could use a few hours more. There are never enough hours in the day to be truly rested.

  Garlind stirs beside me and groans as he stretches. “We’re going to have to keep going, aren’t we?”

  I poke him in the ribs. “Yes, we are.”

  “I’m starving. There is a can of beans in my backpack from the last house we stayed in. You hungry?”

  “Do you really need to ask?”

  He laughs. “No, I don’t think I need to.”

  Garlind reaches over and digs around in his pack for the can of beans. It has a rusted ring pull on the top which miraculously still works and doesn’t immediately fall off.

  Seeing the beans is like witnessing a miracle. We eat them with our hands, bean by bean. It’s a slow way to eat but the only way that prevents us from guzzling down the entire can and then vomiting.

  Bean by bean, I enjoy every single one of them.

  It would be nice to linger a little longer but we’re already losing the sun for the evening. We’ve slept longer than we should have but we really did need the rest. If we didn’t take some time to recover, we won’t get anywhere.

  We pack up our measly possessions and leave the can before heading back to the road.

  We walk.

  We occasionally rest so we can get our rhythm back again. After a few days we’re walking in the daylight and sleeping in the moonlight again.

  Every day is the same. Walk and rest. Walk and rest. Sometimes we find food to eat.

  Finally, we cross the border into Pennsylvania and enter the town of Annville. This is our final destination for our mission. Here, we’ll either succeed or fail dismally again.

  I feel nervous as we enter the town. We’ve put so much hope in finding help here but there is no guarantee we’ll find it. The whole place could be destroyed by the aliens already—just like in Washington DC.

  The town itself is relatively small. It doesn’t take long for us to reach the downtown area. Shops line the streets, dwarfed by some taller multi-level office buildings. Everything is faded and falling apart, just like in every other town.

  There doesn’t appear to be anything different about this place. I search for clues that the military might have a secret base here. Any signs of life that we haven’t been wasting our time and efforts to get here.

  We search for supplies as well as people. All the stores we rummage through have already been picked clean. There were people here at one stage to take everything. That was probably close to twenty years ago.

  After leaving a drug store, movement to my right catches my eye. It’s nothing more than a fleeting flutter in the wind but it’s something out of place.

  I hurry over to see what it was.

  It’s a piece of paper with writing on it. Nothing more than a note saying the writer will meet the reader at eight o’clock that night. It’s a very mundane message but it could be the clue we’ve been searching for.

  I show it to Garlind who takes it eagerly. “There’s no water stains on this paper. It could have been written today.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” I reply.

  Paper is fragile, the ink written on it even more so. If this note was floating around in the wind for any longer than a few days, it would be destroyed by now. Someone has written this note recently, soon enough that it’s not damaged in any way.

  I tuck the paper into my pocket to keep it safe. Whenever I’m ready to give up, I’ll be able to look at it as a reminder that we’re close to finding something.

  Now we have found a sign of human occupation, we are spurred on to find more. Garlind and I move from store to store. Every shelf, display cabinet, and storeroom has been picked clear. They are the cleanest shops I’ve seen since leaving the bunker.

  By nightfall, we’ve covered most of the town and still haven’t found the army. Nobody has come at us with guns or demanded we submit to them. Everything has been quiet, really.

  Too quiet.

  No wild animals roam the town, no aliens land their ships nearby. It could just be Garlind and I left in the world now and it wouldn’t surprise me.

  We curl up in a store that used to be a launderette. The big washing machines are all rusted now and wouldn’t work no matter how many quarters we feed into the slots. It feels cozy in here, clean at the very least.

  Garlind pulls me close to his chest and I snuggle into his embrace. It’s disappointing we haven’t found the army today but we’ll keep searching tomorrow. I know we’ll do whatever we have to do in order to find help. We’ll take back this planet any way we can.

  Sleep sweeps me away.

  I dream of an endless search—my brains way of processing our day’s activities. I grow more panicked inside my dream state as I look everywhere but find nothing. The longer I’m asleep, the more unsettled I become.

  It’s too much for me take. As I burst through yet another door and rush inside, I start falling. This house has no floor so I just go down and down and down.

  I’m about to hit the floor when I jolt awake. I sit up quickly as I gasp for air. I was so certain I was going to die in that dream and now I have to convince myself that it wasn’t real. That it doesn’t mean anything. That I’m actually still in the launderette with Garlind and it definitely has a solid floor.

  Sweat is dampening my forehead. I must have been in the dream for longer than it seemed. The sun is already rising outside and chasing away the night. We’ll have to get up soon to keep searching. I just hope our mission isn’t as pointless as it was in my dream.

  I lie back down and stare up at the ceiling, refusing to fall back asleep. I don’t want to go back to that place and I’m certain I will if I close my eyes again.

  Garlind’s face is serene as he sleeps. His eyelashes are so thick and dark that any girl would be jealous of them. His lips are pink and perfect for kissing. It takes a lot of self-control to let him sleep. But I like seeing him like this, he looks so much younger and very innocent with his face relaxed.

  I think I’m the luckiest girl in the world that he has chosen me to be his partner. When he saw my bunker door almost six months ago, he could have kept walking. I wonder what it was that made him stop and knock?

  Maybe it was fate.

  Maybe it was just sheer curiosity.

  Now I know Garlind so well, I know it’s in his nature to explore. He’s not content to just let things go. It would have been his need to know what was behind the door that caused him to stop. He wouldn’t have allowed himself to wander off without knowing.

  I’m sure he didn’t expect to find me behind that door. He certainly got more than he bargained for. I tried to make him go away but he just wouldn’t. He stuck around and won me over in little more than a few minutes.

  His eyelids flutter open as he catches me staring. I brush the loose strands of hair
from his forehead and press my lips onto his. “Good morning,” I mutter.

  He sighs and then stretches, looking into my soul with those beautiful brown eyes. “Have you been awake long?”

  “Not really. Had a bad dream, didn’t want to go back to sleep. You looked like you were in a peaceful place.”

  “I was dreaming of ice cream. I’ve never had any before but in my dream it was delicious. There were all these flavors—everything you could imagine.”

  “That sounds yummy.”

  “Maybe we’ll be able to make some one day and find out.”

  “Yeah,” I reply. It’s nice thinking that might come true one day, but I seriously doubt it. Even if we can do the impossible and carry out our mission to the end, it will be a long time before this world resembles anything like the old world.

  Where ice cream is plentiful.

  Where we can create a home.

  Where we won’t have to run except for our health.

  That world seems more like a dream than anything our sleeping subconscious can conjure up for us. I’m going to pretend it’s possible, though. I’m going to hold on to that hope until I breathe my last breath.

  “We should make a start for the day,” Garlind says, crashing us back to reality. “Maybe search the surrounding areas. If there is a military base here, the entrance could be anywhere.”

  “I guess it’s more likely it will be outside of the main town area so they can access it discreetly.”

  “Exactly.”

  We eat what little food we have and then pack up our things. I sling the backpack over my shoulders and feel reassured by its weight. We’re going to have to find some more food today but at least we have some clothes and a blanket for the cooler nights.

  Walking out of town, we pass the stores we’ve already gone through and stay alert for any changes. It may have seemed deserted here yesterday but that doesn’t mean it still is today. There is nothing guaranteed in this world.

  Everything remains quiet with only our voices adding sound to the chirping birds. They seem to be a constant no matter where we go. I guess having wings gives them a major advantage. They can flee in seconds to avoid danger.

  The town is surrounded by fields that are dotted with trees. It’s not thick enough to be called a forest but not clear enough to be farming land. They were probably private properties once, the owners able to live on a large plot of land and enjoy the serenity of not having nearby neighbors.

  I keep a keen eye open for houses that might still have food stashed away, just in case we get lucky. We decide not to stray too far from the town so we can return at nightfall for another day of searching. Beyond this place, we don’t have any plans. We’d placed everything we had on finding the army here.

  About half a mile out of town, voices drift in with the breeze. We both freeze in place and strain to listen. I can tell there are at least two men talking but can’t discern what they are saying. I just get random words here and there.

  Garlind gestures for us to head toward them. It’s fraught with danger but that’s why we’re here. We need to find an army, we don’t have the luxury of playing it safe.

  We creep in the direction of the voices with every sense on high alert. I sniff the air but don’t smell any traces of alien. All I can smell are the trees and they’ve got a nice earthy scent to them. There can’t be any animals in this area either.

  The voices get so loud we can now understand their conversation. It’s mundane—they’re talking about food. That seems to be the go-to thing to discuss these days. If we’re not searching for food, we’re dreaming about it.

  Our footsteps can’t be completely silenced with all the dead leaves on the ground. The two men come into view and see us the moment we see them.

  One of the men speaks first. “Stay right there and identify yourselves.”

  “I’m Garlind and this is Maisy,” Garlind says in a confident voice. “We’re looking for a community to join in this area. We mean you no harm.”

  Seeing the men up close now, I can tell they’re not military. Their hair is straggled and their clothes are of civilians. Everything about them is just like us—shabby. They are polar opposites to the soldiers we found in Washington DC.

  The men stand tall as they approach us. They don’t appear to have any weapons but that doesn’t mean they aren’t carrying something. Even we found a small knife in the last farmhouse we stayed in. It’s currently perched in my waistband, out of sight but not out of reach.

  “Where did you come from?” the man asks.

  “We’ve been travelling all over. The last place we spent any real time was in Washington DC.”

  “DC, eh? A lot went down there recently. You have anything to do with that?”

  I answer before Garlind can. “We were there when the aliens attacked. We were lucky to get away. We…lost our friends there.”

  The man raises one eyebrow in question. “What were you doing in DC?”

  “We stayed with the US military for a few days. They took us in and we hoped to stay there for a long time to help out wherever we could.”

  “We had information about the aliens that was helpful,” Garlind adds.

  He looks us over from head to foot. I have no idea how this conversation is going. He’ll either try to kill us or welcome us into their fold. It could go either way.

  He takes a step closer again, his height towering over both of us. “Strip down and prove you don’t have any weapons.”

  Garlind and I exchange a glance. I have no intention of getting naked in front of these two strangers. Garlind obviously thinks the same thing. “That isn’t necessary. We will surrender everything we have to you.”

  “I said strip down. You only have one shot at gaining my trust and you’re starting to lose it.”

  I get the feeling he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t have much patience. Not many people do anymore. As much as I don’t want to show this guy any part of my body, I know gaining his trust is important.

  “Just do it,” I mumble.

  I carefully remove my backpack and place it on the ground. My knife is unsheathed from my waistband and I hold it up for a few seconds so the guy can clearly see that I’m showing it to him voluntarily before placing it on the ground. He takes a step closer to kick it away from me.

  I’m not going to lie, seeing my knife—my only weapon—out of arm’s reach makes me uncomfortable. I’m putting a lot of faith in this guy being the one that we’re looking for.

  Next, I start with my shirt and pull it up over my head. My pants are then added to the pile on the ground. Garlind reluctantly takes off his clothes and adds them to mine.

  We stand before this stranger in just our underwear in no time. I feel more naked than my underwear denotes. I can’t remember the last time Garlind saw me this undressed, let alone a complete stranger I’ve known for less than five minutes.

  He walks around us in a slow and careful circle while the other man just stands with his arms crossed and doesn’t move. I can’t read their thoughts from their blank expressions. I know they’re not happy with our sudden appearance, but what are they going to do with us now?

  He takes his time looking over me. His eyes graze over my naked skin too slowly. A small smile quirks his lips at the side. I feel like I need a shower to remove all traces of his gaze from my body. He’s definitely enjoying this a little too much.

  The man finishes his circle and stands before us again. He gives me a wink which makes me want to gag. “You hiding any other weapons in those undergarments?”

  We both shake our heads as Garlind adds, “No, sir. We’re here to make friends, not attack enemies.”

  He bobs his head before looking back at his friend. “You may as well get dressed and come with us. But if you try anything funny, I’m going to slit your throats.” He picks up my knife and pretends to slide it across his neck. The imagery makes me shudder.

  Both the men turn their backs on us and start walking. I
hate seeing my knife dangling from the man’s hand. I want to snatch it away so I don’t feel so damn powerless right now.

  Garlind gathers our clothes and hands me mine. I slip them on quickly and we hurry to catch up with our tour guides. We stay a step behind them, just in case we need to turn and flee at any stage. Our mission might be to find an army but there is no telling if these guys have anything to do with the US Military.

  We can only hope.

  Because they’re leading us somewhere.

  Chapter 11

  We walk about a mile before shimmying in through a broken chain-link fence. Beyond are rows of dormitories, little cabins that could make up a community. It’s looking more like we’ve found our army but there is no telling how many people are here. It could be just these two guys for all I know.

  “How many people live here?” I ask.

  No answer.

  Garlind tries too. “Is this the army base?”

  Silence.

  These guys are painful to deal with. You’d think stripping off for them would allow us some advantages. Even common curtsey would be nice. I can’t relax until I know all the details. Until then, my nerves are shot.

  A few people mill around in the distance. They aren’t wearing uniforms of soldiers, but they do seem to be busy with tasks. I can see one carrying a load of something—laundry? Another two are making repairs to a cabin. They all stop and stare at us as we pass by.

  So many questions are burning on my tongue but I clamp my lips closed. I’m not going to get any answers and I don’t want to annoy the men. They could change their mind about being civil at any moment.

  Everything about this place doesn’t seem quite right. It looks like it should be a military base—there is certainly enough space and buildings for it—but it doesn’t have the same regimental feel like Washington DC did.

  The people aren’t in uniforms, they aren’t saluting each other as they pass by, and I can’t see any people that appear to be leading the others. Where are all the rules and restrictions? Where is all the respect and duty?

  Maybe we’ve made a grave mistake coming here.