Apocalypse

The inspiration of this story came from this song. Listen to it while you read. :)

March 24th, 2022

A lone crescent moon filled the nighttime sky. The chilling sound of Growlers seemed to fill the air surrounding us as we camped out inside a shuttered, abandoned two-story house.

Fiddling anxiously with my long hunting knife, I glanced over to my right and made eye contact with my long-time friend Klaus as our small remaining group of survivors stood in the living room. The look of worry that was steadily rising on his pale face only seemed to increase my own anxieties. He raised a finger ever so silently to his lips. This group of Growlers sounded much larger than most.

We all crept silently down the hallway, to try and get as far away from the windows and doors as we could. Up to the second floor, we all went. With just the five of us, there was no way in hell we would be able to make it out of this house alive.

I was truly tired of living during this pandemic. Klaus knew that very well. After losing so many people in such a short amount of time, I just did not know how much more I could take. And now with a pack of Growlers that we could not possibly withstand, I almost was ready to give up.

We made it up the narrow staircase and Klaus directed us all to head towards the second bedroom on the right. It must have belonged to a young teenage girl at some point. We had already cleared this house before setting up camp in the living area downstairs.

It was difficult to see without power within the still of the night. The crescent moon glinted cruelly through the glass balcony doors.

"There has got to be about twenty or more out there of them bastards."

I could have wept. We had less than ten remaining bullets between us. There was no way in hell we were going to make it out of this bullshit safe haven alive. Our lowly group had grown increasingly small over the past year and a half. There used to be twelve of us. Ever since the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine began to change the citizens of Canada into horrendous man-eating monsters, my friends and family had been on the run trying to find some space to call a safe haven.

As society fell apart, so did most of our sanity. Or at least mine did. We always seemed to be looking for a safe space to hide out for a while. But eventually, the Growlers find us. They always seemed to find us.

Klaus stepped out onto the balcony to survey the desperate scene even further. He cursed silently. I knew this man like the back of my hand. His green eyes reflected nothing but worry back into my own. I studied Keith and Klaus as the rest of the group made their way to the west side of the house to survey the other side. With only ten bullets remaining between us all, we had to make them count.

"I wish we had found more bullets in this place." Keith groaned. I don't know what he had expected. There was always hardly any ammo or supplies located in most of the houses, especially during this time.

I tried to smile. "Relax champ. I'm sure we will figure a way out of this mess."

Klaus nodded in agreement. "We always do."

I joined the boys on the balcony. The houses along the block were packed tightly together. There would be some way for us to hop over to the next house if we had to. But if we stayed quiet enough, the Growler pack would move along.

Keith shuffled anxiously. "I don't know what we are going to do, but we need to get out of here. I swear there is no way they are going to leave us alone."

"You might be right about that, but we should come up with a game plan before we jump to any conclusions. Let's just ride this out for now." Klaus patted Keith on the back. I admired his strength. I honestly did. He was the glue that held us all together.

Keith nodded silently and joined the rest of the group inside. I placed my hands on the balcony ledge and peered out. Keith was right. There were about twenty or more Growlers in a large pack with more coming from down the block. We needed an escape plan.

Hands in pocket, Klaus turned to me on the balcony. "I was going to give this to you earlier."

I studied him curiously. With a half-grin, he pulled out a small silver heart-shaped locket from the pocket of his jeans. "I found this earlier while we were clearing the house. It made me think of you Violet. I know it might not be the best timing, but I am kind of glad that I waited until now."

I was shocked. We had been friends for a long time before the pandemic, but I never expected anything like this from him. "Your timing is a little off here buddy."

He chuckled wryly. "Well, there is no time like the present. Here, let me help you put it on." He shuffled over to me a little nervously. My hair was already wrapped up in a bun but I swooped the stray hairs away from my neck. He placed the silver heart locket around my neck very gently.

Stepping away, I studied the necklace cautiously. The locket appeared to glow in the moonlight. It was utterly beautiful. I turned back towards him. This small gesture meant the world to me. "Kiss me."

Klaus' green eyes smoldered into my own. "What?"

"Just... kiss me."

Like we weren't about to die, he cupped my face with both hands. I swear I felt fireworks explode inside my chest as our lips collided against each other. This is what the end of the world felt like. My heart utterly lept out of my chest. Even with a large howling pack of Growlers outside the house, and the rest of our group scattered amongst us, I melted against his touch. He just felt like home to me.

As we pulled away from each other, his small half-smile was back. "Took you long enough to finally ask."

My heart still racing, I swatted him away. The silver locket felt cool against my flushed skin. I fiddled with the locket anxiously, "Thank you, Klaus. This means a lot to me."

He smiled and winked at me. "If we make it out alive tonight, I promise that will not be the last time I kiss you. Mark my words on that."

I blushed. I had never heard him so passionate before. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. My heart still racing, and the pack of Growlers growing louder and larger by the second, we clutched each other's hands and rejoined the rest of our wary group. This was going to be one utterly long, hell of a night.

Chloe Rose Violet

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