The End Boxset: Postapocalyptic Visions of an Unstoppable Collapse

by B. J. Knights

  Tobias could make Brian out through the trees. This quickened his pace. “Brian!” he shouted. “Hey man, wait up!” But there was no stopping Brian. He was moving with quick and frustrated determination. Tobias was nearly sprinting at this point, and was gaining closer. “Brian!” he shouted. Brian stopped and turned around. “What?” he yelled.

  “Wait—” and before Tobias could finish, he tripped over a large branch on the ground—and in one spectacular stumble, fell to the ground and rolled down a small hill.

  “Oh, come on!” Brian thought. Brian waited and waited, but Tobias didn't get up. “Okay, get up, Tobias,” he said. He walked over to the bottom of the hill where Tobias fell. “Hey?” Brian asked. “You okay?” Tobias was lying on the dirt of leaves and sticks, twisted in agony.

  “My leg,” he said, “I think it's broken.”

  “Get up, man. You're fine,” Brian said.

  Tobias face was dark red. His teeth were clenched. His T-shirt and jeans were covered in leaves. Brian had second thoughts about Tobias's state. Maybe he really was injured. Brian held his hand out.

  “Here, let me help up,” he said.

  Tobias smacked his hand away. “I already tried to get up, you asshole. My leg is messed up. I can't move,” Tobias said with spit shooting from his mouth.

  Brian grabbed Tobias arm with a tight grip. “Here, let's just try. I'm going to pull you up. Let's do it.”

  “No!” Tobias shouted.

  Brian got his steady footing in the ground and braced himself.

  “Here we go, one...”

  “Stop it!”

  “Two...three!” Brian pulled on Tobias's arm with all his might, lifting Tobias up from the ground. Tobias fell onto Brian screaming. His right leg, below the kneecap was loose. He fell back down to the ground like a giant rag doll. Brian stumbled back, dazed.

  “I told you,” Tobias cried, “I told you it was broken!”

  Brian back away, his thoughts became unclear. Nothing came to mind, no solution. His breathing grew heavy. He felt flush, dizzy, and sick. Tobias formed into a fetal position, clutching his leg and rocking back and forth in agony. Brian paced around in circles, looking into the distance to see if anything or anyone was nearby. But there was nothing. There was nobody.

  Brian walked to Tobias and kneeled down beside him. “Tobias. I don't know what to do. Are you sure it's broken?”

  Yes!” Tobias said.

  “What do you want me to do?” Brian asked.

  “Get me out of here,” Tobias said.

  It didn't sound plausible to Brian. Could he carry Tobias? How? Brian rose from the ground and scratched his head. The sun was sinking quickly. He looked to Tobias.

  “We don't have much time. I'll go back to the school and get some help.”

  “No! Don't leave me,” Tobias said clenching his teeth.

  “I can't carry you, Tobias.”

  “You can't go. You can't!” Tobias pleaded.

  “It's the only thing I can do—“

  “What if you get lost? What if you don't come back? I'll die out here!”

  “The school has to be only like a mile away. I'll get help. I'll run. It shouldn't take more than an hour.”

  Tobias erupted into a bawling fit of exasperated breaths and crying.

  “The longer I stand here, the worse it's going to get,” Brian said.

  “No. We'll wait. We'll wait until someone finds us. I don't care. I don't want to be stuck here alone. Don't do this to me,” Tobias pleaded between sobs.

  “I have to go,” Brian said, “I'll get help. Maybe we can put your leg on a splint or something. I was a Cub Scout before.”

  “A Cub Scout?” Tobias laughed, even in pain, “what a dork.”

  “We've got to get your leg straightened out and onto a flat surface,” Brian said.

  Brian got up and looked for something, anything. He found a large branch that had been split in the middle about five feet away. He tried to tear the sleeves off his jacket, which proved to be tougher than it looked. He yanked and yanked, and at one point, smacked himself in the forehead with his own fist.

  Brian stood up, kicked the branch, and threw his jacket into a bush. Tobias was laughing between fits of pain. “You think this is funny, you stupid cripple? I'm trying to help you,” Brian said.

  “I'm sorry,” Tobias laughed.

  Brian picked up his jacket and ripped off the sleeves with a few pulls. He picked up the branch and walked over to Tobias. “What are you doing?” Tobias asked.

  Brian picked up a small, thick stick and stuck into in Tobias's mouth. “Here, you should bite down on this,” he said. Before Tobias could react, Brian pulled his leg strait and placed it on the flat surface of the branch. Tobias screeched, heaved, and thrashed in a manner Brian wasn't even prepared for. Brian tied Tobias's leg to the branch with the jacket sleeves. Brian then jumped up from the ground and observed his work. Tobias spit the stick out of his branch and cried until drool funneled from his mouth into a puddle.

  The ordeal had clearly tired Tobias out, past the point of shock. He soon drifted into unconsciousness. “Tobias,” Brian called. There was no response, but Brian could see his chest rising and falling. Brian looked ahead to the route he believed would lead to the school. This was determined by broken sticks and footprints in the dirt, indicating a path recently traveled on. He was going to have to push himself, even though his head pounded and his body ached. He planted a long stick into the ground and tied another piece of his jacket to the top of the stick. Now it was time to run

  Chapter 7: Alice: Back to School

  Alice walked along the large chain-link fence that enclosed the high school. On the other side was the clay running track, and in the middle, a small soccer field. There wasn't a person around. She had taken the path into the woods and so far, hadn't run into any trouble. However, the mission was a long shot from the get-go. She was going to have to climb over the fence and run into the school to find Brian and now Richard, the son of a woman she had just met. She tilted her head up to see the top of the fence. It had to be at least a fifty feet tall, maybe more. She looked at the school on the other side. “It's now or never,” she said aloud. She gripped the fence cross pattern with both hands.

  Suddenly she heard a sound from not too far behind. It was the sound of something running through the woods. She spun around instantly upon hearing the rustling. The moving figure was hard to make out, but it appeared to be human. Alice felt nervous. She wasn't sure of who or what was charging through the woods. Was it after her? She ducked down behind a bush and waited.

  The moving figure was approximately ten feet in front of her. She could almost make it out. It was a child; a young boy, wearing jeans and a dark blue shirt, just like the one Brian was wearing today. Alice jumped up, grabbed a nearby stick and, moved closer. Brian was about to pass her by completely as he was headed in the opposite direction. “Hey you!” she called. He slowed, and then stopped. He looked around in confusion, trying to figure out where the voice had come from. “You, over there,” she continued. Brian looked over to Alice and stared at her intently and carefully.

  Alice felt her heart leap out of her chest. “Brian?” she asked.

  He moved closer to her cautiously. “Who's that?” he asked, “Mom?”

  “Brian?” Alice asked in disbelief, “Brian is that you?”

  She sprinted at Brian with all she could muster. “Brian!” she shouted as she threw her arms around him and pulled him close to her, “My God, what are you doing here?”

  “I was. We were lost. We—”

  Alice knelt down and pulled Brian closer in a tight embrace. “I'm so glad you're okay. I can't believe I found you.”

  “Mom, mom let go,” Brian said.

  “It’s a miracle,” she said, clutching him tighter.

  Her warm cheeks pressed up against his. Brian pushed and pushed, until he finally built the momentum to free himself from her grasp. She opened her eyes, shocked. “Mom
, you're not listening to me. I need your help,” Brian said.

  Alice looked over his dirt-covered face, and immediately noticed the cuts and the swelling. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him towards her. “What happened to your face? Are you okay?” She moved her hands all over his face, feeling his forehead with her palm, as well as whipping the dirt from his cheeks. “Stop it!” Brian said. He tried to squirm away, but Alice pulled him closer. She then pushed him outward to where they were at perfect eye level. “Brian, listen to me. We have to get home. I need to know if you're okay.”

  “Yes, I'm okay. What are you doing out here?” Brian asked.

  “It doesn't matter. I just can't believe I found you.”

  Alice stood up and took Brian's hand. “We have to go. I'll explain on the way.”

  She pulled Brian along, straight towards the path leading out of the woods. Brian resisted, but could not gain her attention. She had switched to one-track mind Alice. This wasn't uncommon when under a great deal of pressure. When Kiya swallowed poison as a toddler, Alice ran her to the emergency room. Brian was standing in her way holding mail that he had gotten out of the mail box. Alice would often give him a piece of candy for getting the mail each day. “I got the mail, mommy,” he said. Holding Kiya in her arms, Alice pushed Brian out of the way and jumped into her station wagon. The mail flew everywhere, and Brian skinned his knees on the pavement. Alice just floored the car in reverse down the driveway, leaving him crying on the ground. She later apologized and told Brian that she didn't even see or notice him.

  “We have to stop. Quit pulling me,” Brian demanded. Alice wasn't listening. Brian pulled away hitting her side with his free hand. “Stop it,” she said, looking ahead.

  With a few more pulls, Brian managed to break free. Alice looked down.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “We have to go back there,” Brian said pointing to the woods, “Tobias is back there. He's all messed up.”

  “What happened to him?” she asked.

  “His leg is busted. We have to call an ambulance or doctor or something. I can't even move him.”

  “Brian...”

  “I'm not going anywhere without him. He's my best friend.” Brian said.

  Alice placed her face into her hands sighing heavily. “Oh no,” she said.

  “What is it?” Brian asked.

  “There's a boy, a young boy trapped in the school that I promised his mother I would find.”

  “We have to get Tobias,” Brian pleaded.

  “We can get him later. We still have to get your sister. Then we have to walk all the way home. Our car doesn’t work. There's no electricity. Nothing. And we need to make it home before it gets too late.”

  “But Tobias!”

  Alice shook Brian. “Do you understand a word I'm saying? The sooner we get home, the sooner we're safe. I just have to do this one thing, and you're going to help me.”

  Alice grabbed Brian by the arm and pulled him to the school fence. “Now climb up there,” she demanded.

  Brian looked up the fence; its height was immediately intimidating. “Move!” his mother said.

  Tears formed at the bottom of his eyes. “I don't want to go in the school, mom,” Brian said.

  Alice grabbed the fence and hoisted herself up. The tips of her small shoes fit squarely into the fence cross section holes. Brian remained motionless on the ground. “Come on, Brian, let's go,” she said from above.

  Brian climbed against all his better instincts. It didn’t seem too hard, as long as he didn’t look down. He passed his mother and made it to the top. Alice was steadily behind him. Now he just needed to climb over. His mother’s movements from below shook the fence. She was having a more difficult time. “Go ahead and climb over, Brian,” she said, breathing heavily.

  Brian hesitated and looked in the distance for Tobias. He looked down to Alice. “Promise me that we’ll get Tobias after we find this stupid kid,” he said.

  Alice looked up. She was at his feet. “I promise, now move. I can’t hold on much longer,” she said.

  Brian placed one leg over the other side of the fence, then the other. The fence was jagged, sharp, and very uncomfortable to climb. Alice soon followed saying, “This is a lot harder than I thought.”

  “We’re almost there, mom,” Brian said, climbing down.

  About five feet from the ground, Brian jumped. He looked up and saw his mom struggling from above. The fence shook with every movement she made. “You’re doing fine,” Brian said. “Go ahead and jump.” She climbed the fence down to the ground, ignoring his heed to jump. They were now on school property. Alice looked around, straightening her clothes and brushing back her hair.

  “Are you okay?” Brian asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “And this is the only fence I’m going to climb today.”

  “Got it,” Brian replied.

  There didn’t seem to be a soul around, at least at this part of the school. Brian recognized the track, the soccer field and the bleachers. This is where they would come for PE, or physical education. A few weeks ago, another kid, Nathan Daniels, got hit directly in the face with a soccer ball near the track and started to cry. Brian remembered the scene all too well. Nathan fell to the ground covering his face, bawling like a baby. Most of the other kids looked at him with confusion or laughter. Well, mostly laughter. Brian couldn’t help finding it pretty funny himself. Now there was no one around. There was no Nathan. No other kids in their PE uniforms. No cheerleaders. No leering seniors. Nobody.

  “How are we actually going to find this kid?” Brian asked as they walked towards the school.

  “That’s why I need your help. His name is Richard. His mother said that he could be in room 2A,” Alice stopped and turned to Brian, “Do you know where 2A is?”

  Brian thought for a moment, “2A? That could mean a lot of things,” he answered.

  “Like what?” Alice asked.

  “It could mean building two, room ‘a,’ or it could be the second floor of building ‘a.’ I’m not sure.”

  “Whatever we do, we need to do it fast,” Alice said as they walked along the racket ball court to the first school building in their path. As they came closer to the school, they noticed little groups of kids running by, presumably to the front gates. In such time the school had already appeared to have turned chaotic. Trash cans were knocked over. School papers floated through the air. Administrators were yelling after students as they ran. Some obedient students stood against their classrooms as the teacher instructed them to remain calm and orderly.

  Alice’s focus darted from building to building. 2A had morphed from a simple room number to a code of some manner. Not far from where they walked was the cafeteria. This was the scene of the crime involving the fight with the jock. Out of pure paranoia, Brian searched high and low for the presence of his adversary, as if he was still lurking about.

  “Over there,” Alice said, “building two.” Sure enough, there was a second story building with the number two labeled on the top. She pulled Brian with her. “Mom, stop it!” he said loudly.

  Alice relinquished Brian. “Just stop yelling. We don’t want to bring any attention to ourselves. Try to keep up,” she said as her pace quickened.

  Brian could think of no better idea than to remain inconspicuous. After all, he was a wanted man himself, and had to prevent being recognized from the very administrators who had chased him and Tobias earlier that day. They made it to the building and walked inside. Alice stopped and touched Brian on the soldiers. “I want to thank you for doing this with me, Brian,” she said with a hint of compassion.

  “It’s no problem,” he said, though it was.

  “Now if we find Richard, just be aware, his mother said he was a special needs child. So we need to help him get out of the school safely,” Alice said. Brian nodded. “Let’s move,” she continued.

  They entered the silent building. It was dark and empty. The hallways had classroom d
oors propped open, trash on the ground, lockers opened, but no sign of any persons. “Looks like everyone bolted,” Brian said.

  “Damn,” Alice remarked, “There’s no power here either.”

  They walked along the deserted hall in search of the room. They passed a door with a small plate on the wall that read “Room G.” Then another door that read “Room F.” They were close, Alice thought. As a precaution, Alice peeked into each room for signs of anyone that resembled Richard. Every classroom was empty. Brian stepped over papers, and even a few book bags.

  Alice’s heart raced as they reached “Room A.” She could almost feel Richard’s presence. The sheer luck of finding Brian, or him finding her, had prepared her for another miracle. She walked into the dark room. “Richard!” she called. No answer. Nothing but empty school desks sat in the room. Alice circled the desks, growing more agitated with each step. Brian stood in the doorway of the classroom, ready to leave. He hoped that they would just give up the pursuit of Richard so they could get Tobias. “Dammit!” Alice shouted with a single pound on one of the desks with her fist. She shook her wrist to recoil from unexpected, but slight pain. “We’re going to have to keep looking,” she said to Brian. He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. “This is pointless,” Brian said, “We’re never going to find him!”

  “Don’t say that,” Alice replied. His insubordination infuriated her. But he was her son, and with Kiya, the most important thing in the world to her. The best thing that ever came from her doomed relationship with her ex-husband. Without them, there was no reason to live, she felt. And maybe Brian was right. Their mission was pointless. However, she wasn’t going to leave someone else’s son at the mercy of circumstance. She wanted to think that someone would do the same for her, if needed.