The Final Hour

The first bullet hit metal. The sound rang through the tunnel like a bell.

The second bullet struck rusted bolts.

The third.. wood and steel snapped.

Then.. the ceiling groaned.

Lexi pulled Ryan forward. “Move! Move!”

The tunnel began to collapse.

Dust exploded in the air, turning everything to darkness. Chunks of concrete fell, crashing onto the tracks. Jason ran, his heart hammering, feeling the ground shift beneath his feet.

Behind them.. the creatures screamed.

And then.. silence.

The collapse cut off the noise. Cut off everything.

Jason coughed, dust filling his lungs. They had made it.

But the tunnel behind them.. is gone.

Ryan doubled over, gasping. “Holy crap.”

Lexi wiped blood from her face, exhaling slowly. “That is close.”

Jason took a deep breath. They aren’t safe. Not yet.

They had stopped the creatures.. but now, there is no way back.

And ahead of them.. only darkness.

Jason checked his ammo. One bullet left.

Lexi looked at him. She had nothing left either.

Ryan’s hands trembled. “What do we do now?”

Jason looked ahead.

The tunnel stretched out in front of them, silent, endless.

No way back. No way forward.

Except for one thing.

Faintly, from deep within the tunnel..

A voice crackled over a distant radio.

Jason froze.

Lexi’s head snapped up.

Ryan’s breath caught.

Someone is out there.

And they are still alive.

The End of the Tunnel

The first bullet hit metal. The sound rang through the tunnel like a bell.

The second bullet struck rusted bolts.

The third.. wood and steel snapped.

Then.. the ceiling groaned.

Lexi pulled Ryan forward. “Move! Move!”

The tunnel began to collapse.

Dust exploded in the air, turning everything to darkness. Chunks of concrete fell, crashing onto the tracks. Jason ran, his heart hammering, feeling the ground shift beneath his feet.

Behind them.. the creatures screamed.

And then.. silence.

The collapse cut off the noise. Cut off everything.

Jason coughed, dust filling his lungs. They had made it.

But the tunnel behind them.. is gone.

Ryan doubled over, gasping. “Holy crap.”

Lexi wiped blood from her face, exhaling slowly. “That is close.”

Jason took a deep breath. They aren’t safe. Not yet.

They had stopped the creatures.. but now, there is no way back.

And ahead of them.. only darkness.

Jason checked his ammo. One bullet left.

Lexi looked at him. She had nothing left either.

Ryan’s hands trembled. “What do we do now?”

Jason looked ahead.

The tunnel stretched out in front of them, silent, endless.

No way back. No way forward.

Except for one thing.

Faintly, from deep within the tunnel..

A voice crackled over a distant radio.

Jason froze.

Lexi’s head snapped up.

Ryan’s breath caught.

Someone is out there.

And they are still alive.

For a long moment, none of them moved.

The radio signal crackled through the darkness.

It was faint—so faint that Jason almost thought he imagined it. But then, it came again. A broken transmission, distorted and distant, but unmistakable.

A voice.

Someone—somewhere—was still alive.

Lexi turned toward him, her face pale, streaked with dust and sweat. “Did you hear that?”

Ryan swallowed hard. “That means there’s someone out there.” His voice trembled, a mix of exhaustion and fragile hope.

Jason clenched his fists. Hope.

That was dangerous.

Hope could get you killed.

But after everything—they couldn’t ignore this.

The tunnel was sealed behind them. There was no going back. The only path left was forward—toward the source of the signal.

Jason took a breath. “We move.”

Lexi nodded, gripping her knife tighter. Ryan adjusted his pack.

And together, they walked into the dark.

⸻

The tunnel stretched endlessly ahead. It was cold here. Silent. The kind of silence that pressed against your skin, that made every step feel like a mistake.

They moved cautiously, their footsteps muffled against the dirt-covered tracks.

Lexi kept her flashlight low, its beam barely cutting through the black. Jason stayed on edge, listening—always listening.

For the signal.

For the creatures.

For anything that might mean survival—or death.

Ryan whispered, “Who do you think it is?”

Jason didn’t answer.

The world had ended. The government had collapsed. Most survivors had already died.Whoever was still broadcasting had to be someone—or something—desperate.

But they had no choice but to find out.

They walked. Minutes stretched into hours.

Then—the static came again.

Louder this time.

Ryan flinched. “It’s getting closer.”

Jason exhaled. “Yeah.”

And then—they saw it.

⸻

A rusted door.

It was set into the tunnel wall, almost hidden beneath collapsed concrete and tangled wires. Faded hazard signs covered it, warnings written in a language Jason barely recognized.

But the sound—the radio signal—was coming from inside.

Lexi stepped forward, pressing a hand against the cold metal.

Silence.

No movement. No voices.

Then—a knock.

Faint. Careful.

From the other side.

Ryan inhaled sharply. “That was—”

BANG.

Something slammed into the door. Hard.

Lexi jumped back, her knife up.

Jason raised his gun, even though he only had one bullet left.

The door rattled again—not from force. But from the air.

A slow, door squeezing sound.

And then—he opened it.

Jason stared.

He is outside in a city that is completely destroyed.

The wind howled through the broken city, carrying with it the scent of ash and death.

Jason stood at the edge of the ruined overpass, staring down at what remained of the world. The fires had burned out. The screams had faded. The battle was over.

And humanity had lost.

Ryan sat on a piece of broken concrete, his arms wrapped around his knees. He was quiet now—not the restless, naive kid Jason had first fought to protect. A year had changed him. It had changed all of them.

Lexi knelt beside a collapsed street sign, dragging her knife across a stone, sharpening the edge out of habit. She knew, just as Jason did, that there was no one left to fight.

But what else was there to do?

They had made it this far. And yet—there was nowhere left to go.

⸻

Jason closed his eyes, listening to the silence.

A year ago, the world had been alive. Cities bustling. People laughing, arguing, rushing to work, making plans for a future that no longer existed.

Now, all that remained was ruin.

He exhaled, gripping his rifle. The barrel was empty. No more bullets. No more fights to win.

Ryan finally spoke. His voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper.

“Is this it?”

Jason didn’t answer.

Lexi sighed, resting her chin on her knee. “Does it matter?”

A cold breeze swept through the cracked pavement. The skeletal remains of skyscrapers loomed in the distance, their shattered windows reflecting the dying light of the setting sun.

The world had already moved on.

It just hadn’t taken them with it.

⸻

For the first time in a long while, Jason allowed himself to think—not about survival, not about the next battle, but about the past.

About the people they had lost. About the homes they could never return to.

About what it all meant.

Had they been fighting for nothing?

Had it all just been a slow death sentence?

Lexi stretched, rolling her shoulders. “I’m tired.”

Ryan rubbed his eyes. “Me too.”

Jason looked at them both, then back at the ruined city.

He understood now.

They had never really been running toward anything. Just away from the inevitable.

But there was nothing left to run from.

Nothing left to chase.

The world was gone.

And they were still here.

Jason let out a slow breath.

That was enough.

⸻

The three of them sat together, watching the sun sink beyond the ruins.

The sky was painted in streaks of orange and gold, a last gift from a dying world.

Lexi leaned back. “It’s kinda beautiful, isn’t it?”

Ryan nodded, a small smile on his lips. “Yeah.”

Jason didn’t say anything. But for the first time in a long time—he let himself feel at peace.

They had fought. They had survived. They had made it to the end.

There was nothing left to fear.

The world had ended.

And somehow—they were still here to see it.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Jason closed his eyes.

Not out of exhaustion.

Not out of defeat.

But because, at long last—he could finally rest.

⸻

The End.