Dark Apocalypse: A Post-Apocalyptic Family Saga

by Gabriel Alexander

  Suddenly, they hit a ravine, with a river down below.

  “We’re going to have to jump,” Bill said.

  “No way,” Carla said.

  Bullets suddenly hit the ground next to them.

  “We jump, or else we die,” Bill said.

  Sophie took Julie in her arms and said:

  “At the count of three… one, two, three.”

  And sure enough, after Sophie said “three,” all of them jumped in the river and let the current carry them. The angry mob reached it and kept shooting at them from up the ridge, making the water jump next to them.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  They let the current carry them about three miles. They got out of the water somewhere on a field, next to a road. They took their clothes off and lit a fire, to dry them. After the clothes dried, they put them back on and hit the road again. They walked for about five miles, until they eventually saw a house in front of them. It didn’t look inhabited, since it was all in shambles, about to collapse.

  “We don’t have guns anymore,” Bill said. “So let’s use caution.”

  They walked slowly, to avoid making noise. They opened the door and entered. Once inside, they started searching. Sophie and Bill took the downstairs, while Carla and Thomas went upstairs. They opened all the doors and entered every room, from the kitchen to the bathroom, from the bedroom, to the living room. After seeing that nobody else was there but them, they regrouped at the bottom of the stairs.

  “There’s no one here,” Thomas said.

  “Looks like we’ve got the place for ourselves,” Carla said.

  Julie ran toward them from the hallway, holding binoculars in her hands.

  “Everybody, look what I found,” she said. Her enthusiasm was sky-high.

  “Binoculars,” Thomas said. “Well done, Julie! These might prove handy.”

  “Okay, everyone,” Bill said. “Your mother and I will go look for some food. You wait for us right here.”

  “Wait a minute, dad. We still haven’t checked the basement.”

  “He’s right. We haven’t checked the basement,” Bill said. “Julie, stay right here with Carla. Thomas, Sophie, you’re with me.”

  “Okay, Bill,” Sophie said.

  The three formed a single file and opened the door leading to the basement. They went down the stairs and when they reached down, they found… weapons. Tons of them, stacked on tables, in lockers, on the ground, everywhere. There was plenty of ammo for them too, stacked in clips or boxes next to them. There were AK- 47s, M-16s, Berettas, all the weapons in the world were there.

  “Oh my God,” Sophie said. “Who lived here?”

  “I don’t know,” Bill said. “But they look prepared for the Apocalypse. It’s as if they knew it was coming.”

  “Of course they knew it was coming. They announced it on the news, remember?”

  “Yeah, right.”

  Bill opened a drawer and found a notebook. He opened it and saw all kinds of notes about hunting, rebel movements, nearby communities, making weapons and keeping them functional and survival tips. After taking a few glimpses over them, he closed it and put it back.

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Thomas said. “Let’s stack up.”

  Which they did. They took a backpack lying on the ground next to the weapons and they filled it up with four pistols, three AK-47s and an M-16 and tons of ammunition. When they couldn’t put more ammo in the backpack, they started filling their pockets with it. Then, they got upstairs and started searching for food. Unfortunately, they found nothing. So they had no choice but to go to sleep with empty stomachs.

  The next day, at three o’clock, when the sun came up, they hit the road, as usual. After about an hour of walking, they saw a hill. They climbed it and when they reached on top, they couldn’t believe their eyes. Sophie took the binoculars and looked through them.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Thomas asked.

  “Yes, it is,” Sophie answered. “It’s a town.”

  “Do you see people?” Bill asked.

  Sophie took another look through the binoculars.

  “No, I see no one.”

  “Well, let’s go investigate,” Thomas said.

  “Alright, everyone, weapons ready. We’re going in and we don’t know who or what we might face in that town,” Bill said.

  Thomas, Bill, Sophie and Carla prepared their weapons and they started walking toward the town.

  When they reached it, a very depressing view greeted them. Burnt cars in the middle of the streets, buildings ruined in every possible way, street signs, traffic lights and poles either already on the ground or about to crash, and zero people in sight. In the center of it, there was a huge hole in the asphalt, with a car in it. Also, there were broken pipes coming out of the hole. The streets were also filled with broken chairs, glass shards and torn paper.

  “Hello?” Sophie yelled.

  “Is anyone here?” Bill yelled as well.

  No one but the wind answered.

  “It’s empty,” Thomas said.

  “Yeah, apparently so,” Carla said.

  “Okay, here’s what I suggest,” Bill said. “We split up and search for supplies. Anything from food to some new clothes will be perfect. Thomas, you take the north side. Carla, you take the south, Sophie, you and Julie take the east, and I will go west. When we’re done gathering whatever supplies we find, we meet back here. Okay?”

  “Okay,” everybody said.

  Then, they split up and started searching for supplies. About forty minutes later, they regrouped and presented their “spoils.” Thomas got two jackets and three cans of corn. Carla found a winter coat and Bill found a pair of shoes, which weren’t exactly new, but they would have to do.

  Sophie and Julie, however, did not return. At first, the others did not worry, thinking that they did not find anything yet. But as the hours went by and darkness began to settle, they were starting to get worried about the two.

  And their concerns got even bigger when they heard gunshots coming from the south. The others immediately got up and started running toward the source of the gunshots. As they were running, all sorts of questions and suppositions were crossing through their heads. Was it Sophie who fired? If so, at whom? Or was it someone else that fired at her? If so, did they hit her or miss her? Is she still okay? What about Julie? Is she fine? Suddenly, they stopped running and started yelling Sophie’s name.

  “Sophie!” Bill yelled. “Sophie!”

  “Mom!” Julie!” Thomas also yelled.

  “Sophie! Answer me!” Bill yelled again. “Julie!”

  “Why is everybody yelling?” Sophie suddenly said, while coming toward them from their right, with Julie right next to her.

  Thomas and Bill ran toward the two and gave them a hug.

  “Mom!” Julie!” Thomas said, while hugging the two.

  “Sophie!” Bill also said, after hugging his wife. “We heard gunshots. We thought…”

  “You thought what?” Sophie asked. “I fired. At this.”

  She showed them a dead rabbit in her hand.

  “Come on. Tonight we’re having rabbit for dinner.”

  ***

  They built a fire next to an apartment building and they skinned the rabbit. Then, they put it above the fire and waited for it to cook.

  “So, do you think the world will be rebuilt?” Thomas asked.

  “I, for one, don’t think so,” Sophie said. “I mean, The Alignment caused too much damage for us to rebuild. Too many buildings collapsed, too many roads were destroyed… too many cities wiped out. The Earth changed its appearance. Not to mention the fact that too many people died during The Alignment and its aftermath. There is too little of us left to rebuild. No. I don’t think that the world will ever be rebuilt.”

  “What do you think, dad?”

  “I’ll have to agree with your mom on this, son. Our world is just too damaged for the few of us to be able to rebuild it. Not to mention the fact th
at people would have to want to rebuild our former society. And I doubt that is ever going to happen.”

  “Maybe materially speaking,” Carla intervened, “we will not be able to repair our society, but spiritually, I think we can. If we pass on the values, the traditions and the culture that make us who we are, maybe we will change this world for the better. All we have to do is try.”

  “You can try all you want, young lady,” Bill said. “The world will never be changed, materially or spiritually. Even before The Alignment, we were the worst species on Earth. Always killing, polluting, raping, stealing, pillaging… we had no respect for ourselves or other species on this planet. The Alignment only made us worse, even though it was sent by God to teach us a lesson. At least that’s what I think. Who knows now? Anyway, my point is that no matter how hard you try to change human nature, you will never succeed. Because we like being evil. We like to disrespect each other. We are thirsty for suffering and blood. We always were. And there is nothing you can do about it.”

  “My mother once told me about a man named Martin Luther King Jr.,” Carla said. “She said that before his fight for civil rights, black people were always discriminated. They weren’t allowed to sit next to whites on benches or in buses, and they were always insulted for who they were. They even risked being hanged just because they were black. Until Martin Luther King Jr. dared to speak against these practices and asked for civil rights for the black minority. And he succeeded. He helped black people obtain right from the government. He was shot for that, it’s true, but he did it. He stopped the blacks from being discriminated. So you see, sir, one can make a difference if he wants to.”

  “Not anymore,” Bill said. “Those times are gone, Carla. Now we’re back to the Middle Ages. Like it or not, the world took a turn for the worse when The Alignment hit. And I’m sorry to tell you, but I don’t believe it. I don’t believe society will change. Society will never change. A perfect society is a utopia. It can never happen.”

  Thomas took a fork and checked the rabbit.

  “It’s cooked.”

  Thomas woke up. He yawned, got up and went outside, to answer the call of nature. He made his way through the debris in the middle of the street and reached another building. When he got next to it, he unzipped his pants and started peeing. God, it felt good losing weight.

  Suddenly, he heard something that sounded like engines. Lots of them.

  He went back inside the building where he slept and where the rest were still sleeping and grabbed the binoculars. He then went up on the roof and looked through the lenses. And he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A whole convoy of cars filled with rebels was heading toward the town. They were about a mile away, which meant that they will be in town in about half hour to an hour.

  Thomas quickly ran downstairs and awoke the others.

  “Wake up! Wake up, everyone!” he told them, while shaking them. “Wake up, now!”

  “What is it, Thomas?” Sophie asked.

  “Rebels! Tons of them. Heading this way.”

  “Are you sure they are heading this way?” Sophie asked.

  “Yes, mom. I am positive. Now come on, let’s go!”

  After a few moments of silence, Bill eventually looked at his wife and asked her:

  “Should we do it?”

  “Absolutely!” Sophie answered.

  “Do what? What are you guys talking about?” Thomas asked.

  “Thomas, you, Julie and Carla can go. Me and your mom are not going anywhere.”

  Thomas was shocked.

  “What?! What are you guys talking about? What do you mean you’re not going anywhere? What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “We are tired of running, Thomas,” Sophie said. “We will stay right here and fight them, in order to buy you some time. It’s the only way for you, Julie and Carla to live.”

  “What?! Hell no, you guys. I’m not going anywhere without you. We’re a family. We stick together.”

  “Thomas,” Bill said, “you’re an adult now. You are old enough to start your own family. Which is exactly what is going to happen if you, Carla and Julie leave right now and let us handle things here. If you want them to stop chasing you, you’re going to have to let us do this.”

  Tears started flowing on Thomas’ cheeks.

  “Are you crazy? There are hundreds of them and only two of you. What you’re trying to do is pure suicide.”

  “Maybe, Thomas. But if it means that you will survive, we have no choice but to do it. Make no mistake, young man. I don’t like this anymore than you do. But we have no choice. Now go. Take Carla and Julie with you and start your own family.”

  “Hell no,” Thomas said, with tears in his eyes, after a few moments of silence. He grabbed a gun from the backpack.

  “If you are staying, then I am staying too. I will fight those bastards with you. We started united, we end it united.”

  “Hell no, young man,” Sophie said. “Nothing will come out of this if we all die. The very reason why we chose to stay is for you to be safe. Now, for God’s sake, listen to your parents, who know better than you, take Carla and Julie and get the hell out of here before those sons of bitches get here.”

  Thomas’ crying intensified. He went to Julie and kneeled in front of her.

  “Julie, mommy and daddy are going to stay here,” he said. “You and I, however, will have to leave.”

  “No. I’m not going anywhere without mommy and daddy. I’m staying here with them.”

  She ran toward Bill and Sophie and hugged both of them. Sophie lowered herself down to her level and told her:

  “Julie, if you stay here with us, something bad is going to happen to you. But you will be just fine if you listen to us and go with your brother and Carla. It’s the only way you will be safe. Do you understand that?”

  “No. I want to stay right here with you. I’m not leaving you, mommy and daddy. No.”

  Thomas came closer to them, hugged both of them and told them:

  “I will never forget you.”

  “Go now,” Bill said. “Stop wasting time.”

  “Thank you for being my parents.”

  “It was our pleasure and honor,” Sophie said.

  Thomas grabbed Julie by her hand and headed toward the exit, with the two girls next to him. Julie kept looking back, yelling:

  “Mommy! Daddy! I don’t want to leave you. No! I want to stay with you. Please! Mommy! Daddy! No!”

  ***

  Once Thomas, Julie and Carla left, Bill and Sophie started making preparations for the battle that will take place. They loaded their weapons, prepared some extra ammunition, which they put in their pockets and built a barrier out of debris in the middle of the street. They then went back inside the building, climbed the stairs to the second floor, took positions at the window and started waiting for the rebels.

  “You know,” Bill suddenly said, “it’s not true what they say that life is flashing before your eyes before you die.”

  “How do you know that?” Sophie asked him.

  “Well, we’re about to meet our maker and nothing is happening. I don’t see a single event from my life flashing in front of my eyes.”

  Sophie smiled and sighed.

  “Maybe it only happens to those that want it to happen.”

  “Yeah, perhaps.”

  After a few moments of silence, Sophie asked:

  “Do you regret anything, Bill?”

  “No. I don’t regret anything. I don’t regret meeting you. I don’t regret marrying you. I don’t regret having two kids… I lived a beautiful, abundant, pleasurable life. I regret absolutely nothing. What about you?”

  “I have only one regret. We didn’t travel the world. That’s pretty much it. Other than that, no. Nothing.”

  “We travelled enough after The Alignment.”

  Sophie smiled.

  “Yeah. That’s true. But I wish we could have seen the world before it. Before everything went to shit. The beautiful wor
ld before…”

  “Yeah. The beautiful world before…”

  After another moment of silence, Sophie asked Bill:

  “Do you remember when Thomas was three and we went to the swimming pool?”

  “Yeah, that’s quite a memory.”

  “When we got next to the pool, he started crying and saying that if he gets in, he’ll drown. And eventually, you took him into your arms and jumped in the swimming pool with him. And when you got to the surface, he started yelling for help and saying that he is drowning.”

  “All in all, we had a happy life. We had a happy marriage, and we raised some beautiful and disciplined kids together… There is nothing I can complain about.”

  “Yeah. Me neither.”

  Suddenly, they heard the sound of engines intensifying. Bill took the binoculars and looked through them. He could see the rebel cars approaching them.

  “Okay, here they come. Get ready!” he told Sophie.

  The rebels were getting closer and closer to the building. Sophie and Bill loaded their weapons and aimed at them.

  “Come on, you sons of bitches, come on,” Bill said.

  “Just a little bit closer,” Sophie said, concentrating on aiming.

  In the lead car, Drake Rim was scouting the horizon, looking for the next pray of the day.

  “Oh, well,” Sophie said, “we’ve got the main bastard here with us too.”

  “Perfect,” Bill said. “It would seem God is smiling on us today.”

  When the cars got to about thirteen feet away from their building, Sophie and Bill each fired a shot and hit two rebels in the head. They died before they fell from their car.

  “Spread out!” Drake Rim yelled. “Open fire! Kill the bastards!”

  The rebels jumped from the cars and started spreading out, firing toward Bill and Sophie. Most of them didn’t even bother to hide. They fired from the middle of the street. The rest took cover behind or inside cars.

  Sophie and Bill were now taking heavy fire from the rebels. The wall’s area around the window was filled with bullets and the two were pinned down by the rebel fire. But when the rebels stopped to reload, they would appear from behind the window and fire as well.