Beyond The Collapse

by Kip Nelson

  Adam dropped the knife immediately and apologized, holding out his hands to try showing this man he wasn't going to be a threat. The man still seemed unsure and he looked at Adam warily, his eyes moving to the knife that now was on the ground. All at once Adam wondered if this had been some sort of a trap, if the man just was playing possum and actually would grab the knife and attack Adam. If it was a trap, then Adam deserved to die, and he would welcome his fate and walk into the dark night willingly.

  “I'm Adam. I'm sorry about the knife, I wasn't thinking. What's your name?” he asked.

  “I'm P-Peter,” the other man said, and it seemed as though his fear was genuine. “It's a nice knife. I used to have one like it a long time ago. That was a long time ago though, and I don't have it anymore. I don't really have anything anymore. Do you know what happened?”

  “What do you mean? To the city?”

  “Yes, to the city. It all went dark and I heard loud booms, but nobody was on the other end of the telephone and when I went to see other people they all were gone. I don't know where they went. Usually they tell me if there is a trip. The food was all hot as well and the fridge is supposed to be cool. Everyone left for city hall, but I couldn't go. I didn't want to leave my home.”

  “I don't really know what happened. I don't know if it was an attack or something else. Everything went dark. All the electricity is gone.”

  “Oh. Well, I hope they find it again.”

  “Where do you live, Peter?” Adam asked, concerned for this man. From the initial exchange, he could tell Peter wasn't the most intelligent person, but perhaps that was for the best. After all, the saying that ignorance is bliss is very true. Adam wished he didn't understand the true nature of the world because he wouldn't have been so damned depressed. Peter turned his head and pointed to an apartment block across the street. “And everybody was gone?”

  Peter nodded. “They said they were going to city hall, but I don't really know where they could have gone. Perhaps they went to the same place as the electricity. I heard them talking, but nobody came to find me. I think they thought I would be alright on my own because I've lived alone for so long.”

  “Maybe they did,” Adam said, humoring the old man, wishing it was that simple.

  In that moment Adam felt a great deal of pity for Peter. The old man didn't know what was happening and was plunged into this world like everyone else, but without the ability to comprehend it fully. Adam had thought about how he wasn't equipped to make it through this world on his own, but that was certainly true for Peter. Now Adam was ashamed of the act he just had contemplated. He wondered if Peter could tell what he had been thinking about, and hoped not, because it was a secret shame that Adam didn't want to acknowledge any longer. It was a moment of weakness that had passed. He had to remind himself that he wasn't truly alone and he wasn't insignificant in this world. He still was a part of it, and even though it was going to be challenging he still could make it through. If Peter still was alive, then Adam could endure longer, because people like Peter needed people like Adam. And maybe in some ways Adam needed someone like Peter as well.

  “Do you have any plans, Peter?”

  “No, not really. Usually at this time I have my shows to watch, but they're not on anymore. When I woke up I came out here to see what was happening, but I haven't seen anyone else. I thought I would sit in the park for a little while. It's always so peaceful here. Do you think we'll see anyone else?”

  “I'm sure we will at some point,” Adam said, glancing around. If what Peter said was true, then most of the people who lived in the apartments would be moving through the city by now. He still was wary of people lying in wait for him.

  “Look, I don't really know what my plan is. I don't have a plan, to be honest with you. I'm just trying to muddle my way through as best I can. Would you like to stick together, maybe we can watch each other’s backs?” Peter nodded eagerly. “I'm sorry to say that it's a dangerous time to be alive and there are people out there who think they can do whatever they want. This isn't the world you're used to, Peter. Everything has changed and we have got to rely on ourselves to survive.”

  “Oh, that does sound dangerous,” Peter said.

  “Yes, it does. And we must find our own food as well. It's pretty tough, but I think if we stick together, we might just make it through, and maybe we'll find some kind of hope.”

  “Yes, maybe we will,” Peter said.

  Adam's first instinct was to be alone, but that quickly had changed after meeting Peter. Although Adam considered himself a selfish coward he couldn't leave Peter by himself. That just would be cruel, and when he talked to Peter, he himself was filled with hope, because he didn't want to dash Peter's fragile mind and tell him nothing ever was going to be alright. Adam wasn't quite sure he believed there was hope, but when he told Peter that the two of them could make it through this world, he felt a glimmer of something positive for the first time since the world had gone dark. He looked at Peter, and wondered if there was a family looking for him, or if he was alone just like Adam. Then it hit Adam. For better or worse, he wasn't alone anymore.

  “Do you have any family, or any close friends?”

  “There's Barbara who lives down the hall. She was a lovely woman. Always came to check on me and give me meals because sometimes I forgot to cook for myself. I never was a dab hand in the kitchen anyway. I liked soup, though. Even as a boy I liked soup. My mother always tried to get me to eat more, saying I needed to get more meat on my bones, but I didn't like eating a lot, not like my brothers. They were big, strapping lads. I was the runt of the family, you see, and had to live with getting the scraps. So, I just got used to it.”

  Adam listened patiently to the brief family history of this man. “So, you have brothers?”

  “Oh yes. Well, not anymore. They've all died. I'm just the last person left. Always the last to leave, even at parties I liked to be the last. I hated the thought that I'd miss out on something. That's why I like my shows being on at the same time every day. I should get back to them and watch them. Otherwise, I'll miss an episode.”

  “Do you not have any children or anything?”

  “No, we never did have any children. She always wanted some though...”

  “Who did?”

  “It's not important now,” Peter said, bowing his head.

  He reached to his side and ripped up some blades of grass, tearing them between his fingers nervously. Adam sensed this was a sensitive topic. Although his curiosity made him want to know more, he could see it agitated Peter. He didn't want to do anything more to put the man in an awkward position. It was clear Peter didn't have anyone special in his life, and the two of them were more alike than Adam perhaps cared to admit.

  “Well then, it seems as though the two of us are stuck with each other for the time being! We'd better think of a plan to survive because we're going to need it. There's plenty of things we need to do now, like get food for ourselves and figure out where we're going to go.”

  “There's a store just around the corner,” Peter said.

  Adam was about to say that wasn't what he meant, but he didn't have the heart. Instead, he told Peter it was a great idea, and the two of them strolled through the park toward the store. Adam could imagine that in the days gone by this park would have been filled with the sounds of people laughing and having fun. It was only a small area of grass with a few trees around, and a winding concrete path that split it like a river, but it provided Adam with a sense of awe. There still was beauty in the world, it just took a little more effort to find. He wondered if anyone ever actually would get back to enjoying life. It was going to be a hard adjustment for everyone to get back to a point where they had a stable existence and could afford moments of joy, but as they walked along Peter looked happy when he saw a butterfly flutter by.

  “At least the animals haven't been harmed by all this. It's funny, isn't it? This world has changed so much, but to them it's all the same. It ma
kes you wonder about the way we look at things sometimes, doesn't it?”

  It was a profound thought and one that, without wanting to be disrespectful, Adam was surprised came from Peter's lips. He still was getting used to his new companion and wondered how many other things were going to surprise him. He also wondered if there were any other people lurking nearby. Perhaps other people such as Peter, ones who didn't fully understand what was going on, but they didn't find anyone like that. In fact, there didn't seem to be anyone around at all. Adam was surprised that everyone could move about so quickly.

  It made him wonder if there was some secret plan for survival that others knew about, some place of refuge where people could go and be safe. He didn't understand why the streets were not teeming with people. It was a mystery that would linger, however, and he simply had to put it at the back of his mind since an answer was not going to make itself known immediately. But then again, he told himself he probably was over-thinking it. People either would try getting to city hall, or stay safely in their homes. People probably were behind the walls of the buildings he was walking past, and in time they all would make their way out into the world just as he was doing.

  It still had been such a short time since the world had ended that most people probably were trying to figure out what had happened and what to do next.

  It wasn't a bad thing, though, because at least he didn't have to worry about having to protect himself and Peter for the time being. Now that he had the knife he could perhaps scare people, but he still wasn't sure he wanted to actually use it, or even if he could. The feeling that spread through his body when he was confronted by dangerous people came to the forefront of his mind again. He wasn't sure if he ever would be able to bring himself in conflict with another person. Especially not when confronted with someone who was superior in strength to him, but that would be a problem he would have to contend with when it arose.

  “Oh my, this certainly is a mess,” Peter said when they entered the store. Everything was in disarray. It was much like the last store; a small building and the shelves had been ransacked. “I knew the people who owned this store. They must have been devastated by what happened.”

  Adam called out to see if anyone was there, but nobody answered. If anybody was hiding in the back they probably would have been too scared to answer. The two of them moved through the store and grabbed a couple of sandwiches, along with two bottles of water, which were warm. They carried their food back to the park and sat on a bench where they munched on their sandwiches and watched the world go by. It was peaceful and surreal that they could find moments of quietness in among the chaos, and Adam found he actually liked having a companion. There still was much to learn about Peter, but there still was much to learn about himself as well.

  Chapter Eight

  “I want to go home,” Peter said when Adam asked him what they should do next.

  Adam crunched up his sandwich wrapper and tossed it towards a nearby trash can. The trash circled the rim and rebounded out, falling onto the ground. Adam cursed his luck and moved from the bench to pick it up. Just as he had deposited the trash in the opening he smirked to himself and thought about how that behavior had been trained into him from a young age. Even though there wasn't anyone watching him he still wanted to do the right thing, and he hoped other people felt the same way. Adam went back to the bench and sat down with a sigh. His body was beginning to ache and he was starting to feel the effects of the long, stressful night. His sleep had been interrupted by the apocalypse. Even though the early evening was just about to encroach, he was ready for bed, but it wasn't as simple as that. Nothing in this world was.

  “We're can't just stay at home, Peter,” Adam said.

  “But it's my home. That's where I live.”

  “I know, but things have changed now and it's not safe. There isn't enough food in there or water. We're going to have to try finding somewhere that's safer. It's not going to be easy for us, but we're going to have to try leaving the lives we had behind and starting anew. There are going to be a great many things that are challenging, and the first thing is leaving behind our old lives. I know how you feel because I hated leaving behind my home as well, but the only things we need are the clothes on our back and the hope in our hearts.”

  “But all my things are there. I need my things.”

  “That's what I'm trying to tell you, you don't, and you can't have all your things because we can't carry them around. We ought to try being economical with how we live now. I wish I was better prepared for this...I don't suppose you have a secret bunker anywhere stashed with food?”

  “No, no, not a bunker. I used to have my own garden where I used to grow vegetables, but I didn't have a garden with those flats. This was the closest thing. I like coming out here because it reminds me of the life I used to have. Do we really have to leave this place? I've become quite used to living here.”

  “I understand that, but I've been wandering around the city since the middle of the night and I really don't think it's safe here. I've seen a lot of dangerous people around and they all seem to be out for themselves. I was at city hall and there wasn't anyone offering any guidance. Even the cops couldn't control the crowd, and it all ended in a brawl. It was horrible. I don't want to see anything like that again.

  “I wish I knew some safe place to go. I wish I knew how to find the people who were preparing for this world, but I don't. All I do know is there are people in this city who want to attack and take advantage of those who are less fortunate. They want to bully us, and I don't want to be placed in that situation. I don't know about you, but I'm not looking for a fight and I don't want to put my life in any more danger than it already is. It's only been one day, and I've met too many bad people already. I really don't think it's best for us to stay in the city. We should try getting away from people to make sure we're not at their mercy.”

  Adam was letting fear rule his heart. Perhaps if Peter had all his faculties the elder man would have told him that staying in the city was the better option because there was shelter, food, water, and an abundance of blankets and clothes they needed. But Peter went along with the plan, happy to place his destiny in Adam's hands. With that decided they struck out into the wilderness, but it was a long walk out from the middle of the city. They skulked through the streets and kept a low profile. Whenever they heard other people Adam made them stop and hide, waiting for the other people to pass. Peter wanted to make friends with them, and asked Adam why they were acting so afraid. Adam only could reply with the incidents he had experienced. He told Peter he didn't want to go through the same thing again.

  Adam continued gripping his knife tightly as they made their way through Opal City, staying away from malls and other areas that Adam thought were sure to be populated. He didn't trust them, and didn't want to be around a large group. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he felt safe. He wouldn't feel safe until he was out there enjoying some sense of solitude and sanctuary, able to feel secure in his surroundings. He didn’t want to worry that someone would find them while they were sleeping and put a knife to their throats.

  They walked through a suburban neighborhood and stopped off at stores, loading bags with food and water. Adam acted as though he had a plan, for Peter's sake, but really, he wasn't entirely sure where he was going. All he knew was that he needed to get out of the confines of the city. To him it represented a cauldron of simmering hostility and violence, and it wasn't something he wanted to be a part of. He had no idea if they had enough food or water, or anything else for that matter. The dark evening drew in, and with it came the colder temperatures. Peter was getting agitated and complaining about the temperature and aches in his back. Adam tried telling him to keep moving forward, but even he was feeling the rigors of their travel.

  The journey to the edge of the city was taking longer than he thought. He had miscalculated the sheer size of Opal City. Eventually, Adam said they would find somewhere to sleep. He was strug
gling to keep his eyes open, and didn't fancy spending the night huddled on the sidewalk, not when anyone could walk by. Although, so far, they had managed to avoid people despite hearing them in the distance. Whenever Adam heard people approaching he grabbed Peter and they ducked into cover.

  Who knew what other stories people were living, but Adam didn't want to be a part of them. As they walked through the neighborhood he saw shadows moving in windows and once again heard noises of people shouting behind closed doors. Other people seemed to think the best place to stay was in their homes, but Adam had to hope that at least one family had left their home so he and Peter could use it.

  They picked a house at random and went in, after listening carefully to see if anyone was inside.

  “This is wrong,” Peter said, not wanting to be a criminal.

  Adam had to try reassuring him. He called out softly, but nobody answered. The home seemed to be well-kept. There were pictures of a family. The food from the fridge was gone, however. This must have been a loving home, and Adam wondered what had happened to the family. Did they manage to make it to safety? Did some foul fate befall them? He never would know. They went upstairs and looked in all the bedrooms. The kid's room had posters of superheroes on the wall, and Adam smirked because it was much like his own room. He was looking at one of the shelves when he saw one of his games. He picked it up and looked at the back and all the praise that was written on it.

  “It's all for nothing,” he mused grimly.

  “What is?” Peter asked.

  “Don't worry about it, I was just talking to myself,” Adam said.