Chapter Text
I’ve been staying around where Los Angeles used to be. The buildings are broken and at night everything is so dead. Street lights flicker a dim yellow light across the empty sidewalk and streets. Pieces of glass windows litter the ground along with debris. I miss the commotion, the people running around, the cars speeding down the street. Now it is so rare to even see one person. Now everywhere I go if I see a person I am so scared to approach them in case they are infected. I am not completely alone though, my brother and I survived the bomb.
We stayed at an old restaurant, it had all the fount windows broken and covered with cardboard and tape. The second floor is blocked off because a piece of the roof is missing and we weren't testing our chances.
Last week we ran out of food. I remember I went to grab some and it had molded. So we were out looking for more. We had to cover our noses and mouths to not breathe in chemicals or the virus. The virus was still a big problem and worse now. It had become airborne after the bombing.
The bombing. I still hear the loud bang and the screams, seeing the smoke. Cars crashing and explosions, setting fire to any nearby houses. Watched my little sister run to me for comfort. She got infected almost a week after the bomb was set. We couldn’t save her, she demanded us to do it, to put her out of her misery. Our father had been in the hospital before it happened. He called saying that he was being moved to a hospital in Washington. Turns out they were putting the infected in one area to kill them, but it backfired. So many deaths, when you walk down any street you're bound to see a body or an abandoned car.
I walked into the restaurant that we were staying in and my brother, Jaxson, perched up.
“Welcome back, Makayla. Are you feeling alright? Did you see anyone? Did you find food?” He frequently asked questions like this when I returned. He was older by 2 years so, of course, he would be worried.
“I’m fine and yes, I did find food. Canned goods. Someone was shopping before the Bang,” We call the explosion the Bang, “Turns out they had a good amount too.”
I remember seeing through the static of a TV in a bar that the President was evacuating the country on the east coast. Unfortunately, we would need a good car to get there. My brother, the idiot that he is, said we could ‘just find one’. What?! I asked how we would be able to find a working car, gas, and keys.
“Unlike you, I had a life before the Bang so I know how to hijack cars,” He chuckled and winked. I scoffed. “We have enough to sanitize it and we can find some gas when we need it.” He reassured me.
And so here we are in Arkansas driving through the night. Less than 9 hours left. I’ve been feeling a little off but I’ll just blame it on the lack of sleep. We’ve been taking turns driving, Jaxon gets nights, I get days. Today though Jaxon didn’t when I tried, I got a little scared, but I kept driving. He finally woke up and I let out a sigh of relief for a split moment, then I heard him violently gasp for air.
“Stop the car,” He says shakily, his voice small and quiet. Out of fear and worry, I slam on the breaks. He opens the door and throws up on the road. He looks pale and has dark and prominent bags under his eyes. His cheeks look sunken in and he has blood leaking from his chapped lip. I quickly pull up my face covering and move as far away as possible, while shaking my head. No no no! This can’t be happening. My mind flashed to my sister, she looked like that when she got infected, too. I worried that he was sick like her.
“No, you can’t be sick! We’re almost there” I choked out.
“Hey, hey,” he said in a hoarse voice, “You’ll make it without me” he plastered a smile on his face and got out of the car. Tears welled in my eyes as I shook my head. You're all I have left. I couldn’t speak. “Make sure to sanitize this before you keep driving, okay?” I saw a tear leave his eyes as he walked away from the car, away from me. “Stay safe for me. I love you, Makayla.” He walked away from the car. I sat there for a moment not being able to move. I heard the bang and thud in the distance, the sound told me I was completely alone and had nothing left. I wiped away tears as I kept driving, speeding down the road.
I made it to Georgia and only had 10 minutes left till the airport. I can make it. I started crying again as I remembered my family. My vision got blurry and I closed my eyes for a brief moment. Before I could react a broken car was in my vision. I quickly slammed on the breaks. I ended up swerving out of control and hitting the abandoned car. I flew out of the windshield, shattering glass all over my face and body. My back hit the concrete and I slid. I felt the sting and burning as my shirt ripped. Warm blood pools out of the cuts on my body. I tried to sit up but before I could do anything the abandoned car blew up sending me flying back on more concrete. I saw black start to take over my vision and I felt sleepy. The last thing I ever saw was people in hazmat suits with American flags on their arms, trying to save me. “I made it,” I said as I passed out, hearing frantic voices and some sad tones. Then I saw Jaxson, my sister, and my father, waiting for me in some sort of empty blackness, a void. I sobbed and walked toward them. The End.