The Demise of Humanity

by Miller, Jayme L.

  The Demise of Humanity

  BY

  Jayme L Miller

  Dedication

  Thank you Mason for having the most

  horrid and high pitched scream I have ever

  had the displeasure of hearing. You, little guy, gave me

  the idea for the night screamers and from

  there this story came to life.

  Thank you Olyvia for the endless hours

  you spent editing and proofreading with me.

  Day 1:

  The sun warms my body as I exit the wooded trail and enter into a huge field. I exhale and run with extraordinary speed across the beaten down grass. My feet move over uneven ground and I notice the sun feels different today. I look up and squint my eyes at the red fireball in the sky. My eyes burn as I stare at the orange-red colors it illuminates. I continue to run. The field normally takes less than two minutes to cross but today I make little progress with my sprinting. My body is covered in sweat and a strange feeling comes over me. Uncomfortable heat moving throughout my body. The sun’s rays are thick and the heat makes my lungs fight for air. My skin starts to tingle and burn. I move forward to the shaded trail ahead. All around me the grass is smoldering from the red sun. I realize I am no longing running; I have halted. I am standing in the middle of the field, Smoke is rising in all directions. Smoke pollutes the air and I cough. I take a step forward and feel my foot sink into the soft ground. I am sinking into the ground of fiery flames. My body is consumed in fire and my ashes fall to the earth.

  I woke with a start and felt pain and agony spread through my body like nothing I’ve ever felt. My body was burning from the inside. A fire flowed through me like a raging river. The fire racing through every vein in my body. My heart was a bomb. Only this bomb was set on repeat, exploding over and over. My entire body was being blown to pieces. The pain was unreal and worse than any nightmare I could have imagined. A steady stream of blood drained out of my nose, eyes and ears. I coughed and blood exited my mouth. I knew this wasn’t good. I was dying, slowly and painfully death had come for me. Then for the briefest moment in time, came complete darkness and paralyzation. I felt nothing. I was nothing. I longed for these moments. I didn’t know where I was or how long it had been. I only knew I was alone and longed for an ending...

  ✽✽✽

  Some time later;

  I slowly moved my eyelids and when I opened them, I felt they were wet like I had been crying. My body was trembling and I slowly moved my hands to my eyes. It was too painful to move. My muscles were tense and shook in protest. My fingers gently rubbed my eyes. I pulled them away and saw my fingertips were covered in blood. My hand moved to my nose. It too was bleeding or had been bleeding at some point. I coughed and the metallic taste of blood entered my mouth. I spit onto the floor and observed the dull color of the blood. I slowly moved my body. It awakened with a fight. I crawled. Actually, it was more of a slither across the floor. My eyes slowly came into focus. I was in a bathroom. I was in my bathroom at home. I was home! I tried to call out for help but the effort of moving and trying to speak was too painful. My throat was dry and all I could taste was blood. My heart was pounding in my head and I wasn’t able to speak. I couldn’t move anymore. The pain was coming back with pure fury. It was sudden but I knew what was to come. I felt my body involuntarily tense when the fire and pain flowed through me again. Everything in the room turned red before blackness erupted.

  Day 2:

  “Darkness! It was dark. All I could think was I was blind. No. It was dark outside. It was night time.” I had to calm myself. I could make out the hallway window. The moon was shining bright outside. I must have made it into the hallway before everything went dark. I tried to clear my head. I needed to focus. I needed to process what was happening to me. I remembered waking up feeling sick. I jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom in time to vomit in the toilet, then nothing. I must have passed out. The next thing I remembered was waking up on the bathroom floor. Where were my parents? It was dark outside and they should have been home by now. They should have been here when I woke up that morning. I didn’t understand what was happening. I’d never been so sick and in so much pain. I used all my strength to crawl into my room. I made it to my bed and with everything I had in me, I pulled myself up and onto my bed. I fell into the soft blankets and found I was winded like I had ran a marathon. My muscles were burning and sore. I barely made it into my bed before I felt the fire starting. I wanted to cry out but my voice was being seared by the fire. The fire exploded inside me, it left me helpless and begging for death to take me and free me from this hell.

  Day 7:

  My body was sore and shook uncontrollably. I gently moved my limbs around in bed. I wanted to get up and move but my body protested. I settled with waking my muscles slowly. A terrible stench entered my nostrils. My weak stomach tightened and the stench made me want to vomit. I realized the foul odors were coming from me. I was covered in dried urine, vomit and blood. I think there may have been other bodily fluids too but I was too embarrassed to inspect myself too carefully. I didn’t want to look at the mess I had made. I was determined to get up and out of bed. I prayed the fire and agony the sickness caused would stay away. I called for my mom, but all that came out was Mmm… I was unable to speak and put words together.

  I saw light peeking through my bedroom window and wondered what time it was. I saw my cell phone on my nightstand and I reached for it. The movements hurt but were doable. I heard birds chirping outside and thought a dog was barking in the distance. Otherwise everything was still and quiet. The screen came to life on my phone. I looked at the date and time. I scowled in confusion. It read July 5th, 9:10 am. How long had I been sick? The last day I remembered was a week ago. According to my phone I had been down for the count for a week. I tried to call my dad but there was no service. I dialed my mom’s number buts again the phone wouldn’t connect. I slowly moved to the edge of the bed and tried to stand. My legs were weak and shook like a newborn foal standing for the first time. Only I was seventeen and had stood endless times. I put the full weight of my body on my feet. It hurt to stand but it wasn’t unbearable. I was tired, weak, hungry, and so very thirsty. I could not believe how thirsty I was.

  I made my way down the hallway and conquered the stairs that lead down to the kitchen. I was winded and shook but there was no searing pain. I made it to the sink and filled a glass cup with water. I consumed many glasses full of water. I had always loved to drink water but now I had an overwhelming craving that seemed impossible to satisfy. Amazingly I felt revived and strong. My muscles once sore and tired seemed flexed and ready to move. My eyes once blurry, could now see clear and were alert. I took in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. I felt incredible and strong. I had no idea what was happening but I was happy to be pain free.

  I darted back up the stairs, taking them two at a time. I searched every room in the house for my parents. I looked outside and saw my parents vehicles were parked in the driveway. I called out for my mom but was meant with silence. The house was empty. I went into the bathroom and started the shower. I had never felt so dirty in all my life. I stepped into the steaming shower. The water felt incredible on my skin. I washed away the blood and filth. The hot water covered my body and I felt renewed.

  After I was dressed I grabbed my dad’s truck keys and climbed into the driver’s seat. I decided in the shower I would go into town and see if I could find my parents. My cell phone said it was 2 pm. My dad should have been at the police station. He was usually working this time of day. It was odd he hadn’t taken his truck to work. I started the twenty mile ride into town. The truck trudged along over the dirt road. I avoided the numerous potholes
left from a recent rain storms. I passed the old farm house down the road from us and noticed the cows weren’t out to pasture today. The horses were also missing. Mr. Martin was always out on his tractor or tending to the animals. I drove by slowly and noticed the house seemed to be empty.

  My rational side was telling me to stay calm but my irrational side was starting to freak out. I made it into town and an uneasy feeling spread over me. I felt on high alert and my senses were on overload. The town felt ghostly and was eerily quiet. There was no one on the sidewalks or in the parked cars.The roads were clear as the signal light turned from yellow to red when I approached. The shops and restaurants lights were on but no one appeared to be inside.

  There should have been people hustling about and enjoying the beautiful summer day. The town was holding its annual summer celebration this weekend.

  “Where was everyone?” I thought out loud.

  I parked the truck in front of the only grocery store in town. A vintage sign stated in bold lit up letters, “The Central Market.” I got out of the truck and cautiously walked into the store. The doors were unlocked and opened automatically. I knew better then to call out for help. I’d seen an abundance of horror movies. I wasn’t going to attract the wrong kind of attention by yelling my head off. The lights were on and the registers were lit up ready to be used but not a single person was in the store. I noticed some of the produce items had flies buzzing around them. There was a strange unpleasant odor in the store. I searched the store looking for any signs of life but no one was there. I decided to go see if my dad was at the police station. I walked outside and headed down the street. I turned down an ally that was a short cut to the station. I noticed the strange odor from the store was lingering in the alley too. I kept moving forward but increased my step to a light jog. Something felt wrong here, but I didn’t know what it was.

  I approached the station and entered the building. After a quick search I knew no one was there. I searched most of the station but there were some areas I couldn’t enter without a key. The town was empty and I was alone. I hadn’t even seen any dogs or cats roaming around. Come to think of it I hadn’t seen any animals. I had heard birds and maybe a dog barking, but now I wasn’t so sure.

  My mind started to race and every possible scenario flooded my brain. “Maybe the state was evacuated? Maybe I am dead? Maybe the apocalypse?” I was thinking about all the horrible things that could have happened when another thought came centerfold; I knew I would need to get supplies. My parents had a great stockpile of food and supplies at home. My dad was one of those crazy end of the world preppers!

  I left the station and reentered, “The Central Market.” I filled three carts with dried goods, batteries, matches, first aid supplies and lots of other girly essentials like, chocolate and tampons. I left all the cash I had in my pants pocket on the counter, loaded everything into the back of the truck and decided to drive into the nearest city. The closest city was Keene and it was a thirty minute ride from Sullivan. The roads were clear and I didn’t pass a single car along the way. I found this to be very unsettling. The ride was uneventful. I tried messing with the radio dials but found only static crackled through the speakers. I didn’t want to freak out but I felt a tear or two betray my brave face. There wasn’t a soul on the road or in the cars I passed. I approached the city and the air was thick with an unbearable putrid odor. Here in the city the odor was one hundred times worse than in Sullivan. I tried not to breath in the putrid odor in the air but my efforts failed. The putridness was too intense and foul. I gagged and felt bile raise in my stomach and up into my throat. I fought back the bile and eased it down by glancing at the city. The sun was disappearing behind the building and shadows starting moving around the city incredibly fast. Too Fast! I slowed the truck to a complete stop on the highway. Narrowing my eyes, I could see the shadows moving.

  A short distance away I could make out a man standing in the road. He was staring right at me. He had dried blood that had run out of his eyes, ears and mouth. His nose was hooked at an odd angle and blood had dried under it. He was terrifying and sickly looking. He tilted his head to the side and let out a terrifying scream. I jumped in my seat and my body tensed. I had never heard anyone scream like that. It was incredibly loud and high pitched. I covered my ears but it only dulled the scream. He went on and on, screaming like a mad man. I couldn’t imagine anything sounding worse than his scream but then there was another scream. Somewhere out in the city more screams echoed. My ears began to ring and my head beat to the sound of screams surrounding me. I knew immediately I had to get out of there but the screams were paralyzing me. I thought things couldn’t possible get any worse than the torture of the screams but I was wrong because the man with the hooked nose darted with incredible speed in my direction. I pulled my hands away from my ears and saw there was blood on them. I wiped my hands on my pants and put the truck in reverse. I turned the truck around and quickly started driving away from the wild man. I kept driving but saw the man was approaching the truck at an unreal speed. Even more terrifying I could see he wasn’t alone. More people had joined him, first two, then ten and then too many to count. I pushed the gas pedal to the floor. The people were still running towards me. The truck sped up and I could see I was starting to make progress in losing them. The full moon was ascending in the sky and the city was moving shadows. It was a terrifying sight to see shadows dance and race across building walls.

  I wanted nothing more then to leave this place and never return. The further away from the city I went the more I realized my world wasn’t going to be the same. Something horrific had happened to everyone. I drove down the highway and saw dark shadows run into the road. They stood in front of the moving truck, I was driving seventy miles per hour. I slowed down but didn’t stop. I approached and the headlights from the truck revealed the shadows were people. They were people but they, weren’t people. They looked mostly human but when they came into view I could see their eyes were a pale gray and their skin was a sickly shade of white.The light from the truck made them scream that horrid scream. They jumped away from the light and I sped up again.

  I made my way back into the town of Sullivan but I didn’t stop the truck.There were people wandering around the streets and in the stores. There were far less people here in the town but I could clearly see these people were sick too. They moved wildly about when I passed in the truck. They were destructive, breaking windows and throwing objects; they appeared to be searching for something. They screamed out and tore through the stores and down the streets. The light from the truck seemed to affect them. They screamed out loudly, my ears buzzed and rung. I kept peaking in my rearview mirror to make sure no one was following me. It was hard to tell if I was being followed because it was dark this far out in the woods. I pulled onto the dirt road home and approached the farm. I drove too fast along the dirt road home but wasn’t going to slow down. I hit every pothole in the road. All was still and I breathed a sigh of relief. There didn’t appear to be anyone this far out of town. I finally made my way up my driveway. I pushed the automatic garage door opener and pulled into the garage. I sat and waited for the door to close behind me. I started to shake uncontrollably and tears fell down my face like a faucet turned on full. I had never felt so terrified in all my life. I sat in the truck for some time before I had my bearings again.

  I was too scared to turn any lights on. I didn’t want to attract any attention. I grabbed a flashlight off my dad’s work bench and carefully made my way into the house. I went into my bedroom and glanced out the window. The world appeared to be the same as any other night. The sky was lit by the full moon and stars sparkled everywhere. I could hear night noises and the scene was comforting. I stood at the window and listened to something in the far distance. A dull sound echoed in the night. I had heard the sounds only minutes ago. I unlocked my window and lifted it open a few inches. I turned my ear towards the window and listened carefully. Screams traveled on the wind right
into my very room. I slammed my window shut and locked it. I realized I was all alone here and I couldn’t help but shake with utter fear.

  ✽✽✽

  Day 8:

  I did not sleep well, I tossed and turned. Everytime I started to drift off nightmares filled my dreams. A handsome young man was calling out to me. He needed me to help him but I couldn’t reach him. He kept screaming my name. “Layla, Layla! Help me! Help us!” He was lying in a bed and he was trapped. He was dying and he needed my help. He was reaching for me and I tried to take his hand but no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t reach him. Darkness closed in around me.

  I sat up in bed and saw I was covered in sweat. I told myself it was a nightmare but it felt real. He felt real.

  ✽✽✽

  Day 10:

  I’m not going to pretend I was some kind of fearless and brave teenager. To be honest I was terrified to leave my house. The past couple days I had been hiding away inside my home. I stayed busy adding supplies to the stockpile in the basement. I took inventory and had calculated that I had a two year supply of food and water. If I was careful I could stretch it out longer.

  My parents bought our home on the mountain when I was a baby. The house was over sixty years old. They made improvements over the years and added onto the original house. They also put a big addition on the backside when I was twelve. The newer part of the basement is where we kept the stockpile of supplies. My dad was insanely crazy about the world going up in flames or viruses being released into the world. He built a bunker off the basement. It was actually really cool. The bunker was hidden behind a huge metal shelving unit in the back of the basement. The bunker wasn’t huge but it was livable. I used to be scared of the bunker. The thought of living underground sounded awful. I really wished my parents were here with me. My dad always told me he would keep me safe but here I was all alone.