January

The universe is infinite—we may never know if there’s another place like this, so beautiful and full of life, anywhere in the galaxy. Countless species, perfect and stunning, breathtaking landscapes, and humans capable of feeling and appreciating this world in peace. What were the odds of something like this happening? Why couldn’t humanity leave this world untouched and cherish the opportunity they had? It’s a miracle that such a planet exists, yet they had to waste it.

Earth is no longer what it used to be. A year ago, everything went to hell. The sky is green, buildings are in ruins, trees are rotting, river water is gray—the list could go on, but none of that matters now. The only thing that matters is what’s in front of me: these monstrosities. Two massive, purple-skinned men with tattered clothing were beating the hell out of me. One had bulging eyes, while the other had pieces of his brain oozing out through his ears. The one with bulging eyes started clapping loudly, creating a shockwave that made my eardrums feel like they were about to burst, while the other vomited an acid that melted everything it touched. With all the strength I had left, I tried to get some distance and catch my breath. I rolled backward far enough to observe them from a safe spot, thinking of a plan. In the end, the only thing that came to mind was to distract them.

"Hold on, hold on. Why don’t we talk this through first? What exactly do you guys want?" I asked calmly, raising my hands in a gesture of peace.

The two purple, obese men glanced at each other, as if deciding who would speak first, until one finally answered.

"Uh… we… want… food…" the bulging-eyed one spoke, as if he had just learned how to talk yesterday.

"And women, if you have any," the other added, speaking perfectly.

If that guy could talk properly, why didn’t he start the conversation? Would’ve saved me the headache of trying to understand the idiot.

"I see, I see. As much as I’d love to say I have food, unfortunately, I don’t. All I have is a pack of cigarettes."

That was the truth—my backpack was completely empty. Normally, I’d lie in situations like this, but if you hooked me up to a polygraph right now, it would confirm I was 100% telling the truth.

"And women?" the other one pressed.

"Look, buddy, if I had a woman right now, I’d be spending my days in bed with her until December, but instead, I’m here fighting two giant purple dudes—no offense."

The desperate one lowered his head in disappointment while his companion comforted him with a pat on the back.

"So, now that that’s settled, how about we all just go our separate ways and forget about this, huh?" I said, trying to approach them in a friendly manner.

"But… hunger… too much…" the less articulate one drooled as he stared at me.

The other snapped out of his depression, and together, they started advancing toward me, growing even larger as they approached. Unfortunately for them, this would be their end. I would never become food for a couple of purple freaks.

Suddenly, two gunshots rang out simultaneously. Both bullets pierced the mutants’ brains, and they collapsed to the ground. Behind them stood the sources of the shots—two identical young boys, distinguishable only by their clothing. One wore a lab coat, while the other had a red hoodie and a backward cap. Both held pistols in their hands. They looked at me, grinned, and ran toward me.

"Uncle Jason!" they both shouted, hugging me at the same time.

"What do you think of my aim, Uncle?" the one in the hoodie asked smugly.

"It could still use some work, Rick."

"You’re not hurt, right? That Ultramutant’s scream didn’t damage your ears?" the one in the lab coat asked.

"No, I’m fine, Andrew. My ears are used to loud noises."

"Of course, Uncle Jason is invincible!" Rick said with a grin.

"Alright, boys, now hand me the guns back, and remember—this was just an exception. Understood?"

"Okay," they said in unison.

After they returned the weapons, I stood up, dusted myself off, and glanced at the poor bastards lying dead on the ground. Bet they never imagined my ten-year-old nephews would be the ones to kill them.

"Alright, whoever finds something useful while searching the corpses gets the night off from guard duty."

"Yay!" the kids cheered as they rushed to rummage through the pockets of the fallen giants, while I sat on a nearby rock and lit a cigarette.

Kids can be useful sometimes. But suddenly, one of them screamed—it was Rick, pointing at one of the mutants' hands, which was twitching as he tried to lift his head. The moment I saw it, I pulled my gun from my pocket and shot him three times in the heart—assuming he even had one. Just in case, I also shot the other corpse. The last thing I needed was for it to wake up and puke radioactive vomit all over my nephews.

"That should do it. Next time, always double-tap—failing to do so is a rookie mistake. Now, please tell me you found something useful, or we’ll be eating napkins again tonight."

"Uh… Uncle, maybe you shouldn’t have shot him. He didn’t seem dangerous—he probably would’ve left us alone. Dad wouldn’t have hurt him," Andrew muttered.

"Andrew, trust me, you don’t want to deal with Ultramutants. They’re dangerous, no matter the situation. If you see one, you kill it. Got it?"

"But Dad taught us not to harm the innocent."

"Those two were going to eat us, whether you like it or not. So do as I say. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows," I said, my tone growing harsher.

"But… Dad taught us to help people become better. I think we could’ve helped them," Andrew insisted.

"Well, look where that got your father—rotting in the ground, thanks to those mutants. So shut up and do as I say, got it?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, even knowing how sensitive he was and where this would lead.

Andrew turned and ran off, crying, without looking back.

"Rick, go find your brother, please. As soon as you do, head straight to camp and don’t move from there," I said, closing my eyes in frustration.

"Yes, sir!" With those words, he ran off to find Andrew.

Alright, let's see what we have here.

I took advantage of the silence to search the giants, hoping they had something useful.  

Unfortunately, it seemed like they didn’t. The only things they carried were some adult magazines—which I kept, just in case I ever felt lonely—and a few pills that were of no use to me.  

With a sigh, I got up and headed back to the camp to check if the kids had calmed down after all the chaos. Taking care of children is tough. They complain and ask about everything. They should just do as I say if they want to survive. They should be grateful they have their uncle protecting them from these ultramutants.  

When I arrived at the abandoned building we called home, Rick was inside, tending to a small fire, while Andrew lay on a mattress in the middle of the room, sobbing uncontrollably.  

"And what’s wrong with him now?"

"The usual. He misses Dad," Rick replied, focused on the fire, unconcerned about his brother.  

"And you can’t calm him down?"

"I did it last time. It’s your turn."

"Damn it."

Tired, I walked over to the edge of Andrew's bed.  

"Leave me alone. I don’t want to see you. I want Dad," he muttered into his pillow.  

"Well, unfortunately, you’re stuck with me until November. After that, I’ll leave you alone, and you two will go with your mother." 

"But I’ve never even met her, and I don’t think it matters."

"Oh yeah? And why is that?" I asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer.  

"Because in December, the world will end!" He suddenly sat up, yelling. "I’ll spend the last two months of my life with a complete stranger who claims to be my mother, after ten months of killing monsters with a total failure of a man—just like Dad said. What a great way to end the world."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized what he had just said and covered his mouth with his hands.  

"I’m sorry, Uncle. I didn’t mean it."

"It’s fine. You’re right." I exhaled. "I’m good for nothing except killing. It’s the only thing I know how to do. I’m sorry if I ever forced you into it. From now on, you don’t have to. And if we find someone who seems like a good person, I won’t kill them. As for your mother… maybe you don’t know her, but I’m sure she loves you both and wants to see you before… well, you know." Even now, I struggled to say it out loud.  

"Alright. Thanks, Uncle. I feel better now." He wiped his tears and hugged me. "I’m sorry for what I said. I like being with you. I love you, and thank you for protecting us."

I awkwardly patted his back. I was never good at handling affection.  

"Yeah… I love you too, kid." I didn’t know if that was true. It had been a long time since I truly loved anyone. But one thing was certain—I would protect their smiles until the very end, no matter the cost.  

"Alright, who’s hungry? Rick, is the fire ready?"

"Uh, yeah… but we’re missing something kinda important."

"Oh yeah? What’s that?"

"The food."

"Right… food." I nodded absentmindedly before realizing the problem and tensing up. "Shit."

"Uncle, we haven’t eaten in two days."

"I know, I know. Don’t worry. I promise we’ll find a feast tomorrow."

"You said that two days ago."

"But this time, I really feel it."

"You said that yesterday."

"Well, this time, I feel it even stronger." A vein twitched on my forehead as I insisted. "So let’s all go to bed quickly. That way, you won’t feel hungry while sleeping. I’ll take first watch."

"Okay," they both said in unison, heading to their makeshift beds.  

I sat on a chair by the window, shotgun slung across my back. Pulling the magazine I had found earlier from my bag, I flipped through the pages.  

Ah… how beautiful women used to be. Now they’re all grotesque abominations. God, if you’re out there, just let me see at least one real woman before December.  

After half an hour of staring at the same pages over and over, a voice interrupted me.  

"Uncle?"

Andrew had woken up and was now standing beside me.  

"Why did humans want powers so badly?"

I sighed. "I don’t know, kid. Humans are greedy. Once they want something, they don’t care about the consequences. They’ll always want more and more… and look at what happened to the world." 

"Then why didn’t you and Dad take the pill?"

"I don’t know about your father. Maybe he saw this coming. I just didn’t see the point. The only thing I need in this life is a good cigarette." I stood up. "Now, how about you take watch while I go to the bathroom?"

"Alright," he said, taking my gun.  

"And if you hear any strange noises from the bathroom… don’t worry about it." I smirked, heading off with the magazine tucked in my pocket.  

After a while, I finally emerged. Andrew was still at the window, scanning the darkness. Then, suddenly, he turned to me.  

"Uncle… there’s someone out there." His voice was tense. 

I grabbed my rifle and rushed to check. Through the scope, I saw a man walking toward us, carrying an enormous backpack. Even more noticeable were his abnormally large ears.  

"Tch. An ultra."

"Hey! I know someone’s in there! I have food! Just let me stay the night in exchange for shelter!"  the man shouted, raising his hands.  

"Stop right there! One more step, and you’re dead!" I yelled back.  

"Alright, alright! No need to shout! I have super hearing! I can hear you even if you whisper!"

"Yeah, no kidding, with those Dumbo ears!"

"I SAID DON’T SHOUT!!!"

"Sorry! It’s just that when people yell at me, I feel the need to yell back!"

"WELL, STOP IT!!! If i don't shout, you can't hear me"

We both took a deep breath and calmed down.  

"Alright, what food do you have?" I asked normally this time.  

"Cans of tuna and lentils, lots of vegetables, and some clean water. So, can I come in?"

"Where did you get it?" I narrowed my eyes. That much food was rare.  

"I stole it from some old folks after killing them. They had a farm. You should’ve seen their faces—crying, begging for their lives. Best day of my life!"

…And there it was. He almost had me.  He looked like a normal person until recently.

I glanced at Andrew for a second. His face was pale, shaking with fear. That settled it.  

"Alright, you can come in."

Andrew's eyes widened in horror, staring at me as if I had lost my mind. I was going to regret this.  

"Thanks!!!" The man ran toward the building—  

*Click.*  

A landmine detonated beneath him, sending him flying, along with all his food. Blood started raining and his ears could be seen between it.

"Uncle… when did you set those mines?" Andrew whispered.  

"They were always there. If I had let him in, I would’ve told him to take the other path." I lit a cigarette.  

"But the food! It’s gone!" Andrew panicked.  

"Relax. I’ll check if there’s anything left. You go to bed and try to forget this."

I walked toward the remains, carefully avoiding the other mines. When I reached what was left of him, I spat on his face.  

"I’ll never let a scumbag like you near my nephews… even at the end of the world."