The Last Ones

by Rachel Contopoulos

Jack crouched silently in the shadow of a tall, sturdy building. He was shaking; his shirt, drenched in cold sweat, stuck to his back as he waited, leaning against the wall. He hated the night shift and silently cursed his bad luck in drawing it two nights in a row. The thick fog that invaded the city obscured his vision, so he listened intently, slightly longer than was really necessary, before darting frantically across the street to the shelter of a second large building. The street lights were out, not broken or anything, they just stood there, tall and dark as they had been for the past three months, with the moonlight glinting sharply off of them making the smooth metal appear dented and distorted. Jack closed his eyes, trying to calm his breathing as he prepared to cover the last long stretch of cold pavement. Then he was off, covering the remaining thirty yards in seconds that felt like hours. Time had a funny way of behaving when he was exposed.

He slipped through the door quickly, slamming it harder than necessary in his relief to be back inside. From the corner of the room, Kasey gave a start before settling back down to rest with his head leaning against the rotting boards. Kasey looked terrible. His curly gold-brown hair was matted and greasy and since their small pack of razors had run out a few weeks back, a frizzy beard had started to sprout from his chin. Running one grimy had through his shaggy black hair, Jack figured he must look equally awful. The shadows from the flickering candle cast odd shapes on to Kasey’s drawn face making him look older than his twenty-five years. The strain never left his mouth, always pulled into a taught line, and his eyes remained tight and wary.

“What took you?” he demanded as Jack began unloading his pockets. “You were supposed to be back thirty minutes ago.”

Jack didn’t look up as he finished arranging his catch. He had found ten Power Bars in total, and was quite proud of his success.

“I don’t know, I guess I was just being cautious,” he admitted.

“When we have a schedule, you stick to it.” With that Kasey closed his eyes again and lay back against the wall.

Jack scowled at him and sat down as well. He hated Kasey’s lone wolf behavior. For three months they had been working together, putting their lives in each other’s hands, yet the only kind of conversation Kasey offered was strictly business. It had been easier when Sarah was there…Jack broke off mid-thought; some things were best not remembered. A low snore escaped from the corner where Kasey slumbered and Jack sighed as he realized he too should be trying to get some rest. He hated nights. The wind moaned through the loose wooden planks of their shelter, and sinister shadows crept along the walls. Jack shuddered. They didn’t even know what was out there; that was the worst part. So he was left to imagine the haunting possibilities as he sat waiting for sleep. And sleep would only bring more nightmares, which wasn’t exactly a comforting alternative to his frantic brainstorming. He glanced at Kasey again, wishing they could talk about it. But even as the thought crossed his mind, he erased it. Kasey wouldn’t speculate since Sarah’s disappearance. He hardly did anything aside from run a shift every couple of days and there was no sign that his distant behavior would change any time soon. His thoughts raced along in endless circuits, yet he could never quite put a finger on what he was missing; what was out there. Jack fidgeted with his hands as his agitation grew, then subsided as he slipped off in to an uneasy and restless doze. He twitched and shuddered for five hours until the rising sun crept through the cracks in the walls and flickered across his face. Jerking awake, Jack rubbed his tired red eyes and braced himself for another endless day of fear.

Kasey was up already, slowly pacing the fifteen yards from one rotting wall to the other. His eyes were unfocused and he hardly glanced at Jack, even when he stretched and stood up.

“‘Morning,” Jack muttered.

Kasey offered no reply, so Jack shrugged it off and went to open a bar. There was no use getting worked up over Kasey’s routine behavior.

Jack tore the stiff brown putty in half, putting the still wrapped section back into the pile. He glared at the small lump in his hand, lamenting the fact that it was all he was going to get for breakfast. Jack sat down hunching his shoulders, and began to eat. The bar was dry and he had the distinct impression that he was chewing on sandpaper.

“We need to change locations.” Kasey’s voice was calm and low, but Jack jumped violently, accidentally swallowing the remaining chunk of Power Bar he had been holding in his mouth.

Kasey never spoke until late afternoon when it was time to decide who had to run the night shift.

“Um…why?” Jack asked timidly, not wanting to scare off Kasey’s talkative mood.

“I think we should. It’s been almost five days which is longer than usual.”

That was true, but Jack’s stomach clenched unpleasantly as he thought about leaving their shelter.

“When?” he asked nervously.

“Now. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up all morning.”

The knot in his stomach tightened and Jack felt the cold sweat begin to cover his body.

“So soon?” he croaked. “Shouldn’t we prepare? Plan this out?”

“I have,” his partner informed him. “I won’t wait around to be found. And taken.” His voice hardened and his eyes became ice.

Jack blinked, again surprised by Kasey, but even as he tried to come up with an argument against leaving, his face drooped in defeat. There was no point in arguing with Kasey once he made up his mind.

“Pack up.”

Jack would’ve laughed at that if he remembered how to. Instead he turned and glumly shoved the nine and a half remaining bars into his thin pockets.

“Done,” he said flatly, an edge of sarcasm in his voice.

“Let’s go.”

Jack waited expectantly, unsettled by how abruptly they, or rather, Kasey, had decided to leave, but Kasey was looking pointedly at him. Heart pumping madly, Jack reached out and cracked the door open. Glancing swiftly in each direction, he slipped out, into the open, and pressed himself against the wall, waiting for Kasey. A thick, heavy fog swirled around Jack’s ankles and pressed itself over his mouth and nose, forcing his breathing to come in short, shaky gasps. He closed his eyes and fought to stay calm. Moments later, he felt Kasey’s arm at his side. Reluctantly, Jack turned and walked hesitantly along the building, keeping one hand pressed firmly on the cold, damp wall. At the corner, Jack started to turn right, but Kasey grabbed his arm and pulled him straight.

“Follow me,” he hissed, and disappeared into the dark fog ahead.

Jack choked back hysteria as his hand left the wall and he plunged blindly after Kasey’s fading silhouette.

As they pressed on, the fog grew thicker. Jack squinted through the dark mist until his eyes locked on Kasey’s faded green flannel and he hurried forward to catch up.

The leader was taking none of the usual precautions, they were entirely exposed and he didn’t seem to care. Over the roar of Jack’s pounding heart, he tried to focus on Kasey. Kasey who had once been so sure and confident, who kept hope alive. Well, he still appeared confident, but Jack was no longer as calmed by his presence as he used to be. Jack tried to scan the painfully quiet road but could only tear his gaze from the green flannel for a split second before fear would drag it back into place. They seemed to have walked for hours when suddenly Kasey stopped and Jack slammed into his back stumbling sideways.

“We’re here.”

Jack could still see no more than a couple meters in any direction, but peered around eagerly for a sign of shelter. Kasey turned and opened a door on his left. The door was so normal, not like the one to the shed they had been staying at. Staring at it, Jack felt a pang of sorrow for what his life used to be. Before the disease. Before the mutations. Slipping inside, he gasped in shock. The walls were painted a familiar gray-blue and even before he looked, he knew there would be a small, rickety wooden table to his right.

“Why are we back here?” Jack asked anxiously.

There was no reason to have returned. He and Kasey had waited a brutal seven days in that very room after Sarah disappeared, until finally Kasey’s pain and frustration dulled into hopelessness and he allowed them to leave.

Ignoring Jack, Kasey went to sit in the far left corner where merely weeks before he had held and comforted Sarah. Glad as he was to be inside and away from the menacing fog, Jack couldn’t relax. Why would Kasey lead them back here? It wasn’t like it was much easier for Jack to get by without Sarah. The two of them had been friends even if she and Kasey had become something more. He shook his head and sighed as he went to sit in his usual place next to the table. Curling up by the wall, Jack closed his eyes. It was only mid afternoon but the change in location left him feeling weak and tired, a short nap would probably do him good.

Jack was alone in the streets again. It was dark; the only light came from the few starts visible through the heavy mist. He was sprinting. Every muscle in his legs burned and begged him to stop, but he pressed on. A shriek pierced the still silence so fearful and desperate that it sent violent chills down Jack’s spine. He couldn’t stop. Dodging right, he hurled himself in the direction he thought the sound came from. The scream came again yet no matter how many corners Jack turned, he couldn’t find her. It sounded once more, this time directly behind him. He whirled around and stared in horror at the writhing, twitching figure on the ground in front of him. Sarah. His arms ached to help her, to reach out to her, but he was frozen in place. Her head lolled to one side and for a brief moment, her tortured gaze locked with his, agony tearing at her face. But then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and the stare was broken. The piercing wail erupted from her shaking lips. Hot tears streamed down his face as Jack fought his immobile muscles. “Sarah!” he sobbed, his voice breaking with the effort. “Sarah!” She continued to writhe and scream.

Jack’s eyes flew open as he rolled over and vomited. Sweat clung to his back and the last scream rang through his ears. Just a nightmare. Just the nightmare. He stumbled up, gripping the wall. His hand felt for the switch and he flicked it on. Warm light spread across the room and Jack could breathe again. From the other side of the room, Kasey blinked several times peering around, but as his head cleared, his look changed from one of confusion to one of rage.

“Jack! TURN OUT THE LIGHT!” he roared.

Darkness.

“You can’t turn lights on at night! Are you trying to give us away?” Kasey’s voice was quieter but each word punctured the night like a blade.

“I had the nightmare again. I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Jack whimpered.

The one window at the front of the room had a set of bent, broken blinds as a barrier to the outside world. Kasey pushed them aside and glanced around. Shoving them back into place he turned to face Jack.

“Don’t. Do it. Again,” he snarled as he returned to the corner.

Jack slumped against the wall, sliding down until he was in a seated position and put his head in his hands. He hated being back in this room; it let too many unwanted memories resurface. Thinking about it wouldn’t help. Instead he tried to focus on the little noises surrounding them. The rustling wind on the other side of the wall, Kasey’s rhythmic breathing, a faint tapping sound by the door. Jack lifted his head up and inched closer. There was a brief pause, then the taps resumed. He backed away as quickly and quietly as he could.

“Kasey,” Jack whispered in a high, strained voice. “There’s something out there.”

Kasey stood up slowly and crept to Jack’s side.

“What?”

“Something’s at the door,” Jack breathed.

As Kasey cocked his head to listen, three short taps penetrated the silence. They had no weapons and no escape. Taking a deep breath, he cracked the door open an inch. A second later, the door was flung wide open as a tall dark figure forced its way inside. Jack instinctively jumped back as it came towards him, but before he had time to react further, Kasey’s overjoyed shout filled the room.

“SARAH!”

He threw himself at her with enthusiasm Jack hadn’t seen in weeks. Scooting forward, Jack reached out and shut the door before any more fog could crawl inside, then turned around just in time to have the wind knocked out of him by a powerful embrace. By the time he could breathe again, both he and Kasey were crying their eyes out with sheer relief and elation.

“Sarah!” Kasey was having trouble grasping their abrupt change in luck. “Are you okay?”

“I guess so,” she said as if she couldn’t believe it herself.

“What happened?” Jack asked finally able to speak. “Where have you been?”

“It’s a long story…” Sarah trailed off.

“We have all night.” Kasey smiled at her. “Take as much time as you need.”

Sarah took a few moments to gather herself.

“I need to sit down,” she said, and the other two joined her.

She placed herself between them with her back resting against the wall.

“So…I was out on that night shift,” she began. “The fog was especially dense and I was having trouble finding a house or store to scavenge in. I turned a corner and…these tiny pairs of hands, tiny yet powerful, grabbed at my arms and legs. That’s all I remember of that night. The next think I knew, I was back in a room. I don’t know how I got there, or how long it took to get me there, but when I woke up, I wasn’t alone. There was a little girl standing by the door smiling at me, except she wasn’t a normal child, there was something…off about her; she just waited there smiling, but the smile didn’t touch her eyes. She looked at me for a few more minutes before nodding once and leaving the room. Something about her put me on edge.” Sarah shuddered and Kasey wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I was there for about five days. They would give me food twice a day. Real food, and a lot of it. But that was the only time I saw any of them, the ‘kids.’” Sarah paused and had to take several deep breaths before continuing. “On the fifth day I was transferred to a new room. A window high in the corner caught my attention. They’re small, like the size of five year olds, so I guess they didn’t notice something so high up. Well, that night, I escaped out the window. It was rusty, but I traced around the edges with my necklace,” she held up the crescent shaped piece of metal and it glinted in the light, “and I was able to push it open. I just left. Took off running as fast as I could. By the time I was able to force myself to stop and look around, I was completely lost.” She shook her head and blinked back tears. “Eventually I managed to find this place again, but you guys were gone. I’ve been waiting around here hoping you would come back because I figured I would never find you by trying to search the entire city. Actually, I might’ve missed you if you hadn’t flashed the light on. I was down the street when I saw a faint light in the fog so I hurried over and well…that’s it.” Sarah fell silent and closed her eyes, leaning against Kasey.

“Are they…mutations?” Jack asked hesitantly.

“I don’t know. I think so,” she said quietly. “The disease killed people, I don’t understand how they’re still alive.”

“But these kids are our worry right now?”

Sarah shook her head. “Not kids,” she corrected. “They just look like they are.”

Then next morning Jack woke up puzzled. When had he dozed off? How had he been able to actually fall asleep? Then he remembered Sarah. Glancing quickly around he saw her sitting with Kasey by the window curled up in his arms. Jack sighed in relief, it hadn’t been a dream. His partner looked up and flashed him a grin. It was so nice to have the old Kasey back.

A few days passed with them staying in the room. No one wanted to risk a food run, especially when they still had several bars. Kasey spent his time either gazing lovingly at Sarah, or planning out their next location switch. Jack talked some with Sarah, but mostly found himself content with sitting and relaxing since it had been weeks since he was able to do just that.

However, by the third day, it was clear that they would either need to go find some food, or starve.

“I can go,” Sarah offered. “I’ve had a lot of practice being on my own and I know a few places we can check out…” She faltered under Kasey’s glare.

“You are not going alone,” he declared. “I’ll go.”

“Yeah? Well you don’t know where to go to get the food, how’s that gonna work out?” she challenged.

Kasey faltered for a split second before recovering.

“I’ll find some. I used to before.”

“Come on,” Sarah said. “We both know it would be easier if I just went. Right, Jack?”

Jack looked up from his hands. From the icy stare Kasey was giving him, agreeing with Sarah was obviously not an option.

“You could go together?” he suggested with a shrug.

Kasey’s brow furrowed as he tried to think of a reason Jack’s idea wouldn’t work.

“Sounds good, Jack,” Sarah said with an approving smile. “So, it’s settled. We’ll leave once it gets a little darker.”

Jack gave her a faint smile and went back to picking at his fingers. Even if he was kind of a third wheel, Sarah never made him feel like he was. She reminded Jack of his older sister. It still hurt to remember her, but somehow Sarah’s presence made it easier to deal with the loss. The loss of everyone he loved and cared about. The loss of civilization. It had been so sudden. Something broke at that research plant and the virus spread. People, humans, took on animal characteristics, hunting in packs and destroying cities. Jack wasn’t sure how he, or Kasey, or Sarah had survived. When it happened to his sister, Jack ran and went into hiding. Once infected people only lived two or three days. After the rest of the world died, he had been fortunate enough to run into Sarah and Kasey as he snuck around the empty city. They had lived in fear that something was still out there and now Sarah had confirmed that. A pack of children, mutated and dangerous, yet it didn’t look like the virus was going to kill them.

He must have drifted off to sleep because after what seemed like no time at all, Kasey called from near the door, “We’ll be back soon.”

Then the latch clicked shut and Jack was alone. His grogginess faded quickly, he couldn’t relax with both of them gone. Instead he brought his knees up to his chest and positioned himself to face the door as he anticipated their return.

It got later and later but Jack remained frozen in the corner. He heard a light drizzle start tapping at the ceiling and window, but Kasey and Sarah still didn’t come back. In an effort to comfort himself, Jack tried to brush off the fact that they were late. It had probably only been two or three hours, maybe they just stopped somewhere to wait out the rain. Maybe they were already on their way back. Jack sat in the silence and continued listening to the rain.

CRASH! The door flew open with a bang sending water flying everywhere. Jack screamed and threw his hands up over his head. A wet, shaking figure stumbled inside.

“J-Jack?” It was Kasey. He was sobbing. “Sarah’s g-gone again.”

Jack looked up from the ground in time to see Kasey sink brokenly to his knees. He stared at Jack with crazed, bloodshot eyes. His rain-matted hair was plastered to his forehead and he was gasping for breath.

“I chased them. I did everything!” he cried. “Bu-but I couldn’t see them. The fog was everywhere. Sh-she called my name a few times, but then it stopped. And I couldn’t track her anymore. I-I-I-” Unable to continue, Kasey buried his head in his hands. “We need to find her,” he managed to whisper.

Jack felt the floor drop from under him. Sarah, gone? Again? It was too much. She had come back for a few days of false hope, but that was all.

It was the longest night Jack ever sat through. At some point Kasey got up and began his empty pacing from one wall to the other.

“I have to save her. I have to save her,” he whispered over and over to himself.

As the dim morning sun began to rise, Jack’s stomach gave an angry rumble, but he ignored it. He spent all day watching Kasey break. His eyes became wide, but blank, and he kept up a constant stream of muttering. Jack tried several times to talk to him, but was repeatedly met with empty stares. This man couldn’t possibly be his old leader and ally. Jack’s stomach growled again.

“I don’t suppose you got any food?”

Kasey’s head jerked in his direction.

“Food? What food?” he asked before resuming his hopeless pacing.

Jack shook his head. He was going to have to go out on his own then.

“Kasey,” he began calmly. “I’m going to leave to get food. Okay?”

“Leave?” Kasey’s eyes widened in alarm. “Nobody leaves!”

Jack’s temper flared, he had had enough of this insanity.

“Let’s be rational,” he said more forcefully. “We need food. You can come if you want,” he added.

Jack pushed the door open and beckoned Kasey to follow. Kasey’s eyes darted in every direction as the fog closed in around them.

“Just follow me,” Jack directed.

It was odd; the despair that came with losing Sarah again had faded and cleared Jack’s mind. He would survive. He would keep living. Because there was no way things could get any worse. An emptiness settled into his stomach where fear used to reside. He led Kasey diagonally across the damp street as he made to cut through a park. The park still had trees, even if they were only made of dead branches, and they made a natural shield so that the fog was thinner than on the street. Jack walked deliberately, as if he knew where he was going. Snap! The breaking stick cut the silence with the force of a shotgun. Jack spun looking for the source of the noise. Maybe twenty yards away stood a little girl. She smiled sweetly at them. Kasey began shaking at his side. Jack glared at her warily. The longer he looked at her, the more she frightened him. His stomach clenched unpleasantly and a bead of sweat slid down his face. The fear that had miraculously left him was rapidly returning. The smile didn’t touch her eyes which glinted maliciously in the moonlight, and Jack could there was something wrong with the girl. The way she surveyed them was as if she was the predator and she was in control. Something off about her…put me on edge, Sarah’s words echoed in Jack’s head. The girl shifted her weight and a flash of light appeared on her neck. A crescent shaped necklace glinted against her pale skin. Jack cringed away from her in terror. He wanted to run, to escape, but there was one last thing he needed to do.

“Kasey,” he said quietly, his voice shaking. “Look at that girl. She has Sarah’s necklace. She hurt Sarah. Are you going to let her get away with that?”

Something clicked behind those blank eyes and he let loose a howl of rage, tearing away from Jack and towards the girl.

Wasting no time, Jack turned and ran. He kept running even when Kasey’s chilling shrieks of pain rang throughout the city. He didn’t look back, just kept his eyes fixed on the wall of fog ahead of him.

Five more children arrived at the park. Three of them mechanically lifted Kasey’s lifeless body and set off into the mist. The remaining three looked at each other with silent smiles on their perfect faces and nodded once. Turning in the other direction, they took off in pursuit of the rapidly vanishing prey.