Beyond The Collapse

by Kip Nelson

  One particular day Adam decided to go out hunting on his own. He wanted to spend a chunk of time on his own, but he didn't want Peter to be left doing nothing. So, he left Peter with the task of repairing the shelter. Over time, given the weather, the shelter did suffer from some wear and tear. It needed to be reinforced and they needed to regularly get more wood to keep it sturdy. Neither of them wanted their shelter to collapse on them, or for it to blow away in the wind. Only once had they had a close call, and that was when a strong storm had been raging and left their shelter sodden. The wind had howled and whirled around them. The only thing they could do was hold tight and pray the shelter would protect them. Thankfully, it did. Adam told Peter to stay close and gather some wood, and make sure the blankets they had tied to form a roof still were taut. That was the only way to keep out the elements, although from time to time some of them still seeped through.

  There were times when Adam felt guilty about leaving Peter by himself, but there were other times when he reminded himself that Peter was an adult and could take care of himself, to some degree. It was just Adam's natural self-loathing that took hold. For some reason, even from an early age he always had had a feeling of guilt within his soul, as though everything he did was a sin.

  While he went out to hunt for an animal to feed them, he looked in the direction of the city and thought about the array of people he had seen and heard on his way out of there. While he had cowered in the hope of avoiding them, they had been oblivious to his presence and concerned only with their own lives and their own hopes for survival. He thought about his neighbors and the ones who had stayed behind at city hall. Had they all died in the brawl or had some of them survived, battle-hardened and with a greater determination to make it through the end of the world? He thought about the people he had heard in the suburbs; those families who had stayed behind closed doors.

  Weeks had passed and they surely had to have ventured out into the unknown. The streets would have been teeming with people who were trying to find their way to a better day. He dreaded to think how many people were forced out onto the streets, for whenever there were large congregations of people conflict often followed. His mind reeled in terror at the thought of the escalating violence that surely plagued the city. He was glad he and Peter had escaped the city before people began leaving their homes and searching the streets for new prospects in life.

  He had to try turning his mind away from thoughts about the other people he had seen because the majority of them must have been dead by now. That was the way of the world now. Strip away the veneer of civility and the world showed its true, cruel nature. The safety net of society had been shredded. He dreaded to think of the death that was piling up, and was glad he was in the wilderness. Although life was hard, it was at least isolated and far enough away from the city that the chances of anyone coming across them were slim. Indeed, they had not encountered anyone else as yet, at least not directly. There had been times when Adam had heard people in the distance, but he had not sought them out. If anyone had heard him, they had not sought him out either. There were times when he wondered if he was completely wrong. That everyone actually had managed to put society back together again, and that he and Peter simply had been forgotten.

  There were times when he was plagued with melancholy and wished he was a brave warrior from one of the games he had designed. Yet, deep down he knew he was a failure. There were moments when he felt like it was only a matter of time until he ran out of fortune and eventually died. There were only so many days left for him, he knew that, and knew that in this harsh world the chances of survival were diminishing the longer anyone stayed alive. But since he had Peter to worry about as well as himself, he did all he could each day, and told death 'not today.' So far it had worked.

  The day was spent by losing himself in his own mind, daydreaming about things that never would happen and the world gone by. When he used to think about the end of the world he was always the hero in his own mind, surrounded by beautiful women and covered in glory. He was the one who fought for what was good and true and defended those who couldn't defend themselves, like Peter, but in the real world he wasn't that special and didn't matter much at all. He was just another person trying to make it through the world as best he could. He managed to catch another small animal, one which would offer meager portions over the following couple of days. Adam wondered if he ever would catch a bigger animal. The meat would rot, but at least they could eat until their stomachs were bursting and feel satisfied after a meal, instead of having a gnawing pang of hunger constantly inside.

  The glory of hunting soon had worn off the more he had done it. At first, he felt triumphant, but the more he hunted the more he realized how futile it was. He was glad he had developed the skill to hunt, but every day he always was worried he wouldn't find an animal, and there was not enough vegetation around to sustain them. If that happened, they would have to return to the city to find another source of food, and that was the last place Adam wanted to go. He liked being alone.

  It was always strange for him to analyze himself because his philosophy was one of optimism and faith. Yet, whenever it came to actually putting it into practice, he failed. He lacked the self-motivation to be the person he wanted to be in his fantasies, which is one of the reasons he had gone into designing video games in the first place. It was a form of wish fulfillment because he could create a character that was an idealized version of himself, and perform the feats that he wanted to do. That's why he was looking forward to Hololife. Then there could be a virtual reality in which he was the person he wanted to be, without being encumbered by the paralyzing feeling of responsibility that so plagued him. Sometimes he thought it a wonder that he ever had nurtured a successful career given the way his mind worked.

  He was walking back idly, daydreaming as usual, humming to himself. It annoyed him that he couldn't remember the exact melody to a particular song. He tried out a few different notes make it work, but nothing did.

  Then he stopped in his tracks. Something caught his eye. He backed up and stood behind a tree, hiding behind the rough bark. A small campsite was laid out with a backpack leaning against another tree. A small pan was out, although Adam craned his neck and saw it was empty. It was sitting on a blanket and sticks were arranged in such a way that it had clearly been used as a fire. Then there was the tent. The flap was open and it fluttered in the breeze, but Adam couldn't see anyone in there.

  He looked around and wondered if the person was nearby. His first instinct was to make a hasty retreat, but the more he looked the more he couldn't see any sign of anyone there and his curiosity was piqued. He carefully made his way forward and came to the tent. He looked inside and was relieved to see that nobody was there. It was a sparse tent, with nothing but a sleeping bag, a canteen of water, and a rough, well-worn paperback book. Next, he looked in the backpack but it was empty, seemingly everything had been laid out in the small campsite.

  Adam was struck with a thought. What if this person had been camping while the world ended? Was it possible for there to be people who didn't realize what had happened? Adam felt it was his civic duty to tell this person what had happened. So, decided to wait a little bit in case this mystery person returned. But then Adam noticed a moving shadow out of the corner of his eye. He froze in fear, thinking it was a trap and he had been lured in by some cannibals or a serial killer. It wasn't the world that was going to be the cause of his death after all, but the monstrous side of humanity.

  Then he noticed the movement was a steady rhythm, swaying back and forth like a pendulum. He was filled with dread and the color drained from his face. He moved around the tree and the body came into view, hanging limply from a branch, a thick rope tied around the man's neck. His glassy eyes bulged out of his head and his skin was a musky shade of yellow. It couldn't have been hanging there that long, however, for the smell was not yet unpalatable. Adam stared at this man for a long time. It seemed as though he had known the worl
d had ended after all.

  With a heavy heart, Adam turned back and walked through the camp. Standing there, he wondered if it was disrespectful to take the dead man's things. Then he decided if he could use them, then he had every right to do so. So, he gathered them up and stuffed them in the backpack, carrying them back to the shelter. He wasn't humming any longer, and there was much on his mind. Seeing an actual dead body was a startling sight, and brought forth the horrors of the world. He hurried back to the camp, glad that Peter would be waiting for him because he didn't want to be alone.

  But when he arrived it turned out that Peter wasn't alone either. Adam heard voices, and he crouched down, hiding himself.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Adam's heart was in his mouth. He hadn't expected anyone to find them in the wilderness. All the fears came rushing back to his mind. He gripped his spear, but felt so powerless. If the men turned out to be violent and he threatened them with the spear, he didn't think he even would be able to go through with the threat, but he couldn't stand by and watch Peter be harmed.

  Adam was a flawed man, but he wasn't that bad. He stayed hidden as he watched the scene unfold and tried getting more information. Seeing the man who had hanged himself had given him pause, and reminded him about the complexity of human existence. While it just had been the two of them in the forest it was easy to forget that other people had their own agendas. Now he wondered what was going through the minds of these two men.

  He forced himself to breathe slowly, inhaling and exhaling deeply to make sure he kept calm. The last thing he wanted to do was panic. The two men were standing beside each other. They both were of similar height. One had a slightly darker shade of skin than the other, and dark curled hair. The other one had a blonde wash of hair with a dark beard. Adam reached up to feel his own thick stubble. He'd never thought himself the type to grow a beard, but after a couple of weeks and a few awkward attempts to hack away the hair with a knife he decided he was better off letting it grow.

  As far as he could see the men didn't have any guns with them, which was a relief. So far, Adam had been a little surprised at the number of guns he had heard throughout the city. Opal City always had been quite liberal, and gun control had been a hot issue throughout the country, but he didn't think there were that many around! It made him feel more vulnerable. What use were a knife and a spear against a single bullet that could tear through flesh and kill in an instant?

  He drew nearer and the mumbled words became clearer. His heart raged because the men were taunting Peter. They clearly were amused by him, playing with his lack of intelligence. Adam always had hated bullies, having been the victim of them himself when he was younger. Even though he'd grown up and left that life behind a long time ago, those experiences still hung over him and haunted him. And now in those two men he saw the bullies of his youth, but he didn't know how he was going to deal with them. He could stride over and come to Peter's rescue, using his sly words to make it clear they shouldn't mess with them. He could fling the spear from his position and hopefully drive them away, or he could run out and shout like a madman. The only problem was that if they weren't scared away, then Adam would lose any advantage he had, for he was not good in a fight.

  The other option, of course, was to submit meekly to their wishes, but that didn't sit right with Adam. They were asking Peter for clothes and other supplies, and when Peter turned his back on them they chuckled.

  “I told you it would be good leaving the city,” one of them said to the other. “There are so many nice people around. Hey, old man, do you have any food in there as well?”

  “Not really, it's hard to come by.”

  “How do you eat anyway? Do you make your own soup or something?”

  “Oh no, my friend goes out and hunts. He's out there now.”

  “Oh really,” and the men laughed. “Is this friend imaginary?”

  “No, at least I don't think so. He's quite real. He's nice. We met in the city and we came out here because he said there were dangerous people. Is that why the two of you are out here as well?”

  “Totally,” the men said, glancing at each other.

  Adam didn't like the way they stood, and was sure that at some point something very bad was going to happen. If this had been a game, Adam would have had no hesitation in going out there wielding his weapon, hoping for the best. But in the game if he died, he just simply would start again. There was no starting again if he died or was mortally wounded here. The man who hanged himself couldn't get a restart, it was just all over. Adam had to think carefully, and plan, but his mind was fuzzy. He looked all around him, trying to think of some way he could use the environment around him to his advantage. His heroes always could think of something, and he wished he had their imagination, or even their skill in fighting, but he had nothing.

  Peter returned from the shelter holding up some clothes. “This is all we have, but you're welcome to have it, and hopefully it'll help. I know how bad the rain can get, and it's good to have a change of clothes so you don't catch a cold.”

  “Our thoughts exactly. So, where's this friend of yours? Is he going to be back soon?”

  “I don't know. Sometimes he goes out for a long time, and sometimes it's just quick, but he always brings back something to eat because he's really good at that. Although they're only small animals, they still fill us up. I do miss the food I used to have, though, but that's all in the city, and Adam says we have to stay away. So, I think we'll be staying here for a while. It's okay, though, because it's like an adventure.”

  “That's what life is like now, an adventure! Well, before he comes back there's something we want. You see, me and my friend here are not that good with our hands and it seems like you've built quite a sturdy shelter,” the blonde man said, stepping forward and placing his hand upon the structure, pushing it to test its strength.

  The shelter held firm. Somehow the mere act of someone else putting their hands on the shelter that he and Peter had built felt violent. The anger and resentment within Adam grew even stronger and he knew his instinct was right. These men were not friendly. They were exactly the type of people Adam had fled the city to avoid meeting.

  “Yes, it took us a long time, but it has kept us dry. I couldn't have done it without Adam. He's very clever.”

  “I'm sure he is. The thing is, me and my friend don't have a shelter. So, we're going to have to take yours. You and your friend are going to have to leave. Don't worry, you can wait here for him, but we're going to live here now.”

  “I...um...I don't think that's quite right. We built this. We live here,” Peter said, his simple mind trying to process what the men were saying.

  “I know you built this, and we thank you for that. Isn't it good to know that something you built will help people? Because the thing is, you clearly can build a shelter and we can't. So, if we have this one, you can build another one, but if you stay here we're just going to be out in the elements all the time and that's not fair, is it?”

  “I suppose when you put it like that...” Peter said, “but it still doesn't seem right to me. Why don't we wait for Adam to come back and then we can talk about this properly? I don't really think I should make this decision without him.”

  “Look you fool, we're taking this shelter and everything you have whether you like it or not. I don't need you umming and ahhing about what to do and I don't give a shit about your friend. Move out of the fucking way or I'll make sure you never forget this day,” the darker man said, looming threateningly toward Peter, his fists clenched.

  The other man didn't make any motion to stop him, and a look of fear came over Peter's face. That was all too much for Adam. Without thinking he ran out screaming and wailing, pumping the spear in the air. His throat was raw with his efforts and the other three men turned to face him. Peter's face was filled with hope while the other two men were confused. Adam looked wild, with his unkempt hair and his untidy beard, and his wide eyes. He was holding an anim
al in one hand and the spear in the other. He didn't speak words, only yelled incoherently, and so loudly it caused all the birds in the trees to fly away. Adam was so scared, but he knew he had to give himself fully to the act. It was the only way to drive them off.

  His arms flailed wildly, and in the confusion, he threw the dead animal instead of the spear. The two men jumped to avoid the carcass and were so confused they thought Adam was insane and quickly ran away. Adam continued hollering and howling until they disappeared into the distance.

  Adam had won.

  He placed his hands on his knees and doubled over, panting. Peter came up to him and slapped a hand on his back, thanking him for the rescue. “I couldn't let them hurt you,” Adam said, and picked up the dead animal. “Never knew this would make a good weapon,” he said, chuckling to himself.

  They went back into the shelter and Adam sat down, relieved after having been on his feet for so long. He sighed and smiled at himself, proud for having driven off the men. It wasn't a conventional combat tactic, but it worked, and that was what mattered. Peter tried to fill him in on everything, but Adam told him he had overheard, and he just was waiting for the right moment. “This is why I told you we had to leave the city, because of men like that.”

  “I don't know why they would act like that,” Peter said.

  “Because some people think they can do what they want without facing any consequences. They think they can just go through life and do whatever they want to do, especially now that there are no cops. They're bullies, plain and simple, and this is the type of world they love because they can find people like us who are alone and try bullying us. But we're not going to let them, are we?”

  “No, we're not,” Peter said, beaming. Adam almost believed it himself.

  “I just wish they hadn't made their way out here. I thought we'd be safe here, that the forests would be left alone. I thought people would have stayed in the city. That would have been the smart move...”