Chapter Text
It was too damn early for this.
The clock read 5 A.M. as Will jumped out of bed, running through his little Texan suburban house to open the front door. The sky was just beginning to lighten, but not a single one of the neighbors he had was in sight. Normally, he would have no problem with this - although everyone considered him an extrovert, he would rather have a night in with a movie and his favorite squishmallow - but he had just heard what could only be described as the loudest noise in existence.
He went to his nearest neighbor's house, and knocked on the door. Then he rang the doorbell. Then he rang it again. Of all times for Octavian to leave me alone.
He continued down his street, doing the same, deciding to stop when he got a response. He was halfway down the next street before he heard the emergency broadcast signal.
Will drew up his sweater into a big scrunched up ball, shoved his face in it, and screamed.
[If you are hearing this message, an Error Three-Oh-Seven-Three-Two has occurred. You are currently one of the, if not the only, remaining human(s) on the planet. Please find your way to one of the shelters on this map to access food. We wish you luck.]
Will pressed the play button on the remote. The message repeated, the words appearing on screen as the automated voice spoke them calmly. He pressed it again, and again, and again, convinced this was all just some stupid prank that someone had played on him….but who?
Will had no family. His mother had died of cancer, and his father wasn't in the picture. He probably had siblings, but he didn't know who they were or where they lived. His friends were all there, but he wasn't particularly attached. He was prone to moving around for his job, so he didn't really form deep friendships. He didn't have someone that cared enough to play a prank this detailed on him.
[Please find your way to one of the shelters on this map to access food.]
Will looked up at the message blinking on his television, sighing. He got up. He might as well at least try to survive on his own. It's not like it was any different than most of his life.
Will finished hauling the cans from the shelter back to his house, shutting his front door. He supposed there wasn't particularly a point to doing so, considering there likely weren't even people to come through it, but it had become a habit. Besides, it helped this all feel a little less……apocalyptic.
You are currently one of the, if not the only, remaining human(s) on the planet. Jesus Christ. When they memorized the emergency broadcast system numbers, he'd never expected that this one would come about. He shook himself out of his trance, starting to put the cans away.
After he'd finished he wandered out to the garden, picking out some Italian basil leaves and some rosemary. He would make some pasta tonight. He would have to get rid of his less fresh produce. He didn't have long before he would run out.
Will sang along to the Wallows music he was playing on his Bluetooth speaker as he watered his plants. 37 days after the emergency broadcast, he'd driven over to the nearest gardening store and taken all the vegetable plants he could find. He was lucky enough to have a large yard that could fit all of them, and a climate that could support their growth. The plants that were suited for colder regions were growing in his house. He figured he might as well have a steady food source if he were to be the last one alive.
He'd begun to measure his time in days after the broadcast, rather than Mondays or weeks or months. He'd been panicking for a few days, but put himself together around 23 days after the broadcast. About 5 days later he'd found a random cat. They had a mutual understanding of each other now - the cat would come hang out sometimes, and Will would let it hunt in his garden. It wasn't a half bad deal.
He figured he was probably still in shock. It all still felt like a dream to him, like he could wake up and text his friends asking to hang out the next day. Like everyone was still there, just busy.
He wasn't sure what would happen when it sunk in. He wasn't eager to find out.
It was too damn early for this.
The clock read 5 A.M., again, as Will jumped out of bed. Again. He grabbed the throwing knives he kept by his bedside as his home security alarm blared, and ran to the living room, where the supposed invasion was happening.
His heart skipped a beat as he saw a black mass coming through his shattered living room window. A bear?
Then the mass raised its head, and Will's heart skipped a beat for an entirely different reason. A boy.
The boy stared at Will. Will stared at the boy.
The boy looked around at the dirt knocked over onto his helmet from the plant he had headbutted and shattered glass around the half of his body that was pulled through Will's living room window. He looked back at Will with a guilty expression, Will's basil plant haphazardly perched on his head.
"Um. Sorry?"
Will blinked.
"It's fine."
He moved towards the boy. Another person. After approximately 54 days since the emergency broadcast, he'd finally found another person.
Will crouched down, cupping the other boy's cheeks in his hands as the boy looked at him with wary, hopeful eyes.
He slid his hands down to the boy's shoulders, looking back at him.......
And shoved him out of the hole in the window, dropping the curtains over it.