The End

THE END

June 22, 2063

Brad is starting to complain about the journey. He says he’s worried about the harvest, but I know it’s his wife. She found out she was pregnant right before we left. She’s only the second woman to become pregnant since everything ended. I’ve tried reassuring him, but he just gave me that Brad look and kept walking. I just hope he doesn’t keep complaining the rest of this trip. We’ve got another eight days before we can turn around for our month long trek back home.

We found an empty town today. That doesn’t sound unusual given the world has pretty much ended, but this one was. The town was set up a lot like what we have in Wichita, but the only bodies we found were those in the cemetery. We couldn’t even find any wildlife in the area when we made camp in the fields outside town. When we searched the homes, they seemed to have been lived in recently, as we found moldy plates on tables and kitchen counters.

Unlike all the roads we walked on to get here, the roads in town were mostly clean and well taken care of. There’s a line on each side of town where the roads become overgrown, as though marking the edges of the community. Right before we went to make camp for the night, I spotted one road leading away from town that looked wild yet well-traveled. Brad and I decided to go explore that way tomorrow, see if maybe there’s a survivor or a clue as to what happened here.

June 23, 2063

Brad and I went down the road out of town and found a single farm. When we first spotted it in the distance, we thought it was a mirage. The house was built into the side of a hill. There was farmland surrounding it, with barns and other outbuildings. At first, everything seemed the same as back in town; nothing and no one to be found anywhere. Brad wanted to leave, but I decided to check all the outbuildings just in case.

We found a small office in the back of one of the barns. It was sparsely decorated, really just a desk, chair, and bookshelf. There was a journal on top of the desk describing all the things they had done in the community since the world ended. Your usual crop rotation schedule and so forth. We didn’t think we’d find anything useful until Brad leaned on the bookshelf. It moved, revealing a staircase leading underground.

When we got downstairs, it looked like a lab at first. Beakers and other equipment covered multiple tables, formulas and schematics papered the walls. When we went further back into the room, the beakers and lab equipment changed to sheets of metal and glass with wires littering their surfaces. In the furthest corner of the room was another desk. Unlike the one upstairs, this one was covered in paperwork, knickknacks, and photos. One frame had two pictures side by side, an older couple, grey hair and wrinkles covering their smiling faces; the other showed two young children sitting on a dock, the boy missing his two front teeth.

I found most of a diary buried in the piles of paper on the desk. Some of the pages were ripped out, including the final entry. I wanted to stay and look for it, but Brad insisted we leave. He claimed the basement lab was creepy, so I brought the diary back to camp. We’ll be staying in town one more day and night to see if we can find any more clues about where everyone went. Brad refuses to go back to the barn, so he’ll be checking the houses in town while I venture down myself.

I read through about half the diary so far. This Alex person doesn’t seem to like writing very much, and most of the entries are just one or two sentences about something that happened that day. A few entries are longer and a bit more interesting, so I’ve included them below. It starts out long before the second Civil War, and we don’t have many records left of that time.

* * * * *

Diary Entries of Alex Jacobs

Tuesday, September 6, 1988 I made my first friend at school today! Max just moved here and is so cool. We played with frogs in the mud. Max didn’t like it when I killed one of the frogs, said it was gross and mean. I don’t want Max not to like me, so I guess I won’t kill anymore frogs.

Saturday, June 18, 1994 Max kissed me! It was …. wet. We were watching a movie and there was a really funny bit, we started laughing really hard and almost bumped heads and that’s when Max leaned over and just kissed me! I’m not really sure what to think. I do like Max a lot though.

Friday, August 13, 1999 I really don’t know why Max said I shouldn’t join the military. Basic training was a breeze, and I got to shoot a gun! Max said that I shouldn’t have gotten in at all with the medication I take, but I don’t see the big deal. They’re shipping me out to some secret location on Monday for my advanced training. All they will tell me about it is that it’s to do with chemistry. I won’t be able to make contact with anyone during my six weeks of training. I’m glad Max flew out here for my graduation though. We’re going out to dinner and a movie tomorrow.

Sunday, May 26, 2002 Max and I got married today. Everyone said it was a beautiful ceremony, and Max is happy, which makes me happy. We leave for our honeymoon in Aruba tomorrow. I’ve figured out a way to sneak my laptop into my carryon without Max noticing. I just got a new assignment at work yesterday and it’s so close to what I’ve been working on the last few years! I don’t want to stop working, just because we’re on vacation.

* * * * *

June 24, 2063 – Dawn

I woke up with the sun this morning. I don’t know why, usually Brad has to drag me out of bed with bribes of hot coffee. Something about this place makes me feel on edge. I think it’s the lack of wildlife; I’m going to talk to Brad about moving on before dark. I still want to see if I can find the last page of the diary though. After reading a few more entries, I think the final page will tell us what happened here. In the meantime, I’ll copy a few more entries while I wait for Brad to wake up.

* * * * *

Diary Entries of Alex Jacobs

Thursday, December 27, 2007 Max found my secret lab today. We were planning on starting a family soon, but now Max says we should never have children. That it wouldn’t be safe. Max claimed it was because of what the future holds; that if what I had calculated was correct, there was no point in bringing another life into this world, just to die. But I don’t know if I believe that. I know how much Max wanted a family.

Monday, March 7, 2022 I’ve done it. Well, I’ve done what the military asked for. I’ll need to double check the numbers to create the proper yield, but the formula to keep it stable is complete. After I turn this in, Max and I will be moving out to South Dakota to retire. I’ll have to figure out how to get a new lab built without Max noticing though. If things escalate too far, I don’t want us to suffer. Hopefully, the military never uses the weapon I made.

Monday, June 22, 2043 The government used my weapon today. They chose some stupid town in Kazakhstan of all places. With the modifications I made, it might reach all the way to Australia before dissipating. They have no idea the level of destruction heading their way. Max insisted we go into town and explain to them what I knew so they could prepare. Obviously, I didn’t tell them I was the one who created the thing, but I still never expected them to thank me.

Sunday, November 4, 2057 I ran out of my medication today. Honestly, I’m surprised it’s lasted this long. I hope the voices don’t come back this time. I know I should tell Max, but there’s already so much happening right now in town. I think I’ll wait a little while.

Thursday, November 30, 2062 Max is gone. I woke up this morning and he was just gone. I don’t know if I’ll be able to cope without him. The voices came back at the cemetery, just whispers, but still. They’re back.

* * * * *

June 24-25, 2063 – Night

Brad and I walked well past dark. We didn’t stop until we heard wildlife again. Brad wanted to stop as soon as we heard the first coyote, but I insisted on going for at least another half an hour. I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep.

When I went back to the basement lab, I found a glass box sitting on one of the tables towards the back. There were pipes sticking out of it and going into the wall. Inside the box was a beautiful golden ball, and stuck to the front was a small heart shaped locket. When I opened the locket, it showed the same couple as the photos from the desk. Sitting on top of the glass box was the last page of the diary. As soon as I finished reading it, I ran to find Brad so we could pack up and leave. All those poor people.

* * * * *

Diary Entries of Alex Jacobs

Friday, April 13, 2063 I’ve decided to use my device today. I can’t take the voices anymore. They get louder every day since Max died. The town hasn’t gone a single month without sending someone to my door for help, so I’ve decided to expand the yield. I doubt there’s anyone else out there anyway, and a population can’t expand from just one small town. Better to let the planet start over from scratch. I changed the design of the bioweapon I made for the military; this one will be nice and clean. It has to be inhaled, so all the plants will survive. Just like with the military one, there won’t be any pain, they’ll simply all drop. Then the chemicals will react with the dead tissue and begin dissolving it. The bones will turn to dust and that will be all that’s left of the human race. I hung the locket that Max gave me on our first anniversary over the box. His beautiful face is sitting directly over the button that will release the gas into the ventilation system and out into the air. All I have to do is close the locket.

* * * * *

June 26, 2063

We found another small town yesterday. While I was inside, a strong wind blew down from the mountain and … it killed Brad. He just collapsed in the middle of the road and started to disintegrate. I sealed the windows and doors, but I’m not sure if it will do any

* * * * *