Post-Apocalypse Survivor

Liv tramps across the city. The faded lights of a neon shop sign act as her spotlight. She moves from one distant light to the next, like a moth fluttering from flickering stoplights to street lamps to glowing billboards. One of the storefronts catches her eye. She stops for a moment, staring at it. The giant glass display has been shattered thoroughly. The cardboard cuts out of men and women who have lost their heads. Their torn-up smiles and hollow eyes lie on the floor. She looks further into the store. No rats or roaches, she notes, though she is certain some are hiding around somewhere. No living people either. Never any living people. Being careful to avoid the glass littering the ground, Liv walks closer. Despite knowing that this one has already been raided, she can’t help but have an interest in it. She’s certain this would’ve been one of the shops she’d have liked if only she could’ve been around when it was open.

She doesn’t bother using the door. Instead, she jumps up on the open display and slides off of it. She flicks the light switch, but she isn’t surprised when the lights give a brief flicker before going out. Most of the bulbs have been smashed already. When the riots first started, people were just breaking windows and destroying products. After a few months, they’d start breaking nearly anything useful in stores, including the lightbulbs. They’d go on a rampage and ruin homes too. It makes it inconvenient for her, but she can’t blame them. She’s just as ticked as them. She would’ve joined those riots in a heartbeat. After all those empty promises given by leaders around the globe were broken, everyone snapped. The world went from normal to insane in just a week, or so she’s heard. She didn’t experience it first-hand. Her parents had, but they’re gone now. Her eyes flutter shut as she recalls them.

Liv glances back at Zena for comfort. The cat stands on the display, cautiously tip-toeing around bits of glass. Zena is really all she has now. Liv found Zena wandering the streets nearly starved. Liv offered some food and water to save the cat, and she ended up taking care of her for a while. Zena hasn’t left her side ever since.

Liv watches as Zena raises her head, her ears alert and moving to follow the sounds. The tortoiseshell cat leaps off the display, running into the store to catch something. Liv watches as the cat runs around a corner and disappears. The girl only gives a faint smile. At least Zena is feeling energized. Liv walks around, grabbing items that she might need. A slightly ripped-up backpack and faded clothes. Liv walks to another nearby shop. This one is larger and has a variety of items. She grabs some water bottles, scissors, and wire cutters. Her nose picks up a faint whiff of something. She only scrunches up her nose, turning to walk in the opposite direction. She’s almost entirely gone nose blind to that scent by now. Liv shakes her head, trying to wipe the scent out of her mind. As she keeps searching around, she finds the remains of a small bakery, but it’s already been robbed of any food. She’ll have to be getting her dinner someplace else.

Her eyes catch on a paper lying crumpled on the floor. She picks it up, delicately smoothing out the creases. The title stares up at her with big bold letters: “THE CAPITOL’S BEEN NUKED”. She glances at other subtitles. Riots, killer mobs, an increase in fires and hurricanes, assassinations, and more bombings. She glances at the date on the paper. Upon seeing that it’s from February 26th, 2032, she crumples up the paper. She hasn’t found a paper that was printed during March yet, and any paper printed before then will say the same thing as all the others. None of it is new.

It’s not like people didn’t know what was going to happen. If there is anything she’s learned from the tattered books lying around is that people had some idea it was going to end like this. People just weren’t expecting the world to crash all at once. All the major threats decided to strike at the same hour. Her parents used to tell her stories. They said that people used to walk about these shops freely, buying things with green paper and coins. On the news, weather reporters would mention how the temperatures were getting more extreme, but all the viewers would simply turn it off and say to themselves: “eh, it’s happened before”. The generation of young adults would see the news and have to hide their disgust and anger. People would hear of death threats and the looming start of a nuclear war, but none of them seemed bothered. My parents claimed that this generation was known for being extremely apathetic or extremely passionate. There was no in-between.

Once the Capitol was reduced to ash, everyone broke. That’s all it took for the world to lose it: one big bomb. The people who never cared suddenly grew violent. They ran around in mobs, devouring all they could in their rage. Those with awareness beforehand screamed “I told you so!” from rooftops as they watched blood flow through the streets. They knew what was coming. They had known for years, but no one would listen. Everyone else believed that humanity was this great species that would reign forever, but they were wrong. Humanity will end the day when it chooses to end itself. And humanity finally did it. They dug up plants by their roots, filled the sky with smoke, created weapons that could kill millions, and tried to suffocate those who needed help. Congratulations world leaders! You successfully ignored your children and raised them to be mentally unstable. Enjoy the rest of your time on Earth. You’re lucky you’ll die before it gets to the point where the world is uninhabitable for the rest of us.

Liv drops the crumpled-up wad of newspaper. She steps on it, covering it in the dirt on the bottom of her shoe.

Zena proudly strides back towards Liv with a dead rat hanging from her jaws. Liv kneels down, running her hand along Zena’s fur.

“Ready to go?” she asks.

The cat blinks.

The two leave, roaming through the streets again. It gets darker as they leave the mall. They walk off to an abandoned house. It’s the only one on the block that has green grass. California never has had enough rain. Liv enters the house, setting the backpack full of supplies on a chair. She turns on a lantern, taking it with her. She goes to the backyard.

She opens a water bottle and pours it into her self-made garden. She kneels, inspecting a carrot growing there. She carefully uses her fingers to dig at the dirt surrounding it. Liv sets down the lantern. Concluding that the carrot looks about ready, she grabs it by the stem and rips it out of the ground. She pours some water and tries to scrub most of the dirt off of it. This probably isn’t the most sanitary thing to eat, she thinks to herself, but she has few alternatives. It’s hard to find quality food nowadays. She used to be able to find some granola bars and cereals in the shops, but that source has dried up. She’s learned how to grow vegetables and a few fruits in order to survive. Liv picks up the lantern and goes back inside the house.

Zena is sitting on the dinner table, pinning the rat to the table with her paws and biting into it. Liv takes a seat beside her, nibbling on the carrot. Zena’s fur shines in the light of the lantern. She looks like a golden tiger ripping into her prey.

“It was hot out today,” Liv mumbles to Zena. “Even when it’s night.”

The cat glances up at her.

“It’s getting hotter every day.”

The cat stares at her.

“I was able to grab some cooler shirts and some shorts,” Liv continues. “Although summer can’t last forever. Soon enough, it’ll be freezing.”

The cat simply blinks and continues digging into her rat.

Liv sighs. The carrot snaps as she bites into it. She eats the whole thing, tossing out the green stem once she’s done. Her stomach growls. She sighs and digs her elbow into her gut to silence the sound. If she wants to survive through the cold months to come, she’ll have to ration her food. She can only afford to eat enough to get by.

When Zena finishes her meal, Liv puts on gloves and takes the rat carcass outside. Liv comes back, seeing Zena on the kitchen counter by her bowl. Liv opens another water bottle, pouring out a bit of water for the cat into the bowl. Zena gratefully drinks it. Liv simply sits down again with a soft sigh.

She should get some rest. She hasn’t been able to sleep for the past few nights. She keeps on hearing things outside during the night. It really shouldn’t bother her. She knows there are rats, mice, and other stray animals roaming around. None of them would mess with her, so she shouldn’t stress out about it. She glances at Zena. The cat notices quickly. Zena licks the water off of her lips. She jumps down, walking towards Liv. She stretches her paw up to lightly touch Liv’s arm. Liv pulls her chair back. Right on cue, Zena jumps up onto her lap. She nudges her head against Liv’s hand. Liv smiles. She gives the cat her full attention. Zena always comes over to comfort her when she knows something is on her mind.

When both of them grow tired, Liv gets up. Zena gives a soft meow before leaping gracefully off of her lap. Liv sets up her bed. It’s a beat-up, firm mattress with a sleeping bag and some blankets, but at least it gives her a place to rest her head. She turns off the lantern, getting herself comfortable in the sleeping bag. Zena jumps up onto her, following their nightly routine. The cat lies down on her human, with her tail towards Liv’s face. Liv has gotten used to it. She simply tucks the tail down under her hand so it stops hitting her in the face. She pets Zena with her other hand.

Liv’s eyes drift to the ceiling. She makes a mental note of all the things she has to do. Find more water bottles or do your best to purify water from the sea. Get some more batteries. Scavenge stores to find some more pills since she hasn’t been feeling as numb lately. Search for more instructional books. See if anyone else is out there…

Well, she’s had that one on her checklist for the past year or two. As far as she can tell, everyone who survived the riots is gone. They left this city behind. They left her behind. Honestly, she’s partially glad that they did. It makes her days lonely, but after seeing all the images in the newspapers and hearing the stories her parents told, it’s likely best that the mobs left her. Who knows what would’ve happened to her? There’s nothing for her now but to try to survive. One day at a time. She shuts her eyes. That’s all she has to do. Survive today. Just today.

Zena stretches out a bit, getting comfortable before resting her head on Liv’s lap to go to sleep. Liv gazes at the feline. Zena is the only reason why Liv is here right now. Liv has grown so attached to her, just as Zena has grown fond of Liv. The two depend on each other. They go everywhere together. When Zena dies, Liv knows what she’ll do. It won’t be pretty.

But that day hasn’t come yet. Liv hopes that it never will come. Zena is going to live forever.

She continues making her mental checklist. Batteries, water, books, medication, food, warmer clothes for winter… Zena’s not dead… New lanterns, new light bulbs… Zena’s right here… Shovels, maybe an axe to expand the garden… Zena is alive. Don’t think about her parents. Zena is here. Nothing is wrong. Nobody died in this house. No bodies were here. She didn’t have to clean up the blood. She didn’t have to carry their corpses outside. She didn’t have to dig graves. Nothing happened. No one is after her. The rioters aren’t going to come after her too. No one is here. Zena is alive.

No one is here but her and Zena.

No one is here.

Nothing happened.

Everything is fine.