How the End came

I sit at my desk and stare at the floor and the unfinished pile of light novels I never had the time to read. “Heh. I guess I have all the time in the world to read these now.” I chuckle to myself. Not that that’s saying much anymore. Lazily I glance through the titles, “It’s OK for your little sister to spoil you if she’s older than you!”, “Reincarnated as myself, but I’m taller now!”, “Magical Finance: How to grow your 401 K in another world”. I groan, I really do buy too many light novels. 

Overcome from decision fatigue, I leave my new room in the basement of my house, going through the numerous steps to unlock the large metal door. I look out the window onto the street. A few people wander aimlessly, some lay on the ground never to wake again, and yet more surprisingly some seem to be going about their normal lives. 

“I guess everybody deals with stress differently.” I wander around my house to try and calm my nerves from being cooped up in that bunker. I notice some things missing from my house, and the door to my parents room was opened. *I guess some more scavengers came through. Were they looking for supplies? What’s the point in that? They could have been looking for something to keep themselves entertained? Or maybe the break in was entertainment enough? Whatever…* Plugging my nose, I close my parent’s door to keep the smell locked in.

For a moment, I ponder turning on the TV, but I’m not in the mood to hear that same old alert. “Man, I wish it would happen already!” This must be why Mom and Dad decided to go first, how romantic they went in their sleep together. Did they feel good about leaving me all the supplies in the bunker? Did they go happy feeling like they gave their son the best chance to make it for as long as possible? I don’t know. I guess I am better prepared than most, but I’m not sure how good this bunker is going to handle.

Me and Mom thought Dad was crazy when he installed this bunker our basement. Mom always knew he thought the zombie apocalypse was coming and that he wanted to be as prepared as possible for it. She thought it was cute when he bought a bunch of MREs and we all sat around the table trying them and joking about which ones were our favorites. It was fun going on camping trips as a family, spending the nights under the stars made for great family bonding. It showed how much Dad cared, wanting to make sure we would be able to survive on our own. 

That’s why when he told us he was going to reinforce the basement with blast proof metal walls that could survive any disaster, we raised a few eyebrows, but figured it would lead to another fun experience. In the end there was no family bonding, no laughs to be had, just lonely nights for me as I wait for the end to come. 

The house gets worse every time I come out here. You would think people would realize that they picked this place clean already. I look through the remains of a shattered drawer in my old room. I notice there, tattered and dirty, but still in decent condition the first light novel I ever bought, “How a poor farmhand fell into a well and became the Kingdom’s greatest knight”. I smiled as I looked at it, it wasn’t an amazing story. Generic power fantasy, I groan laughing to myself. This is the kind of story I must have read a thousand times. If I saw it now I wouldn’t think twice about passing it over. But it held a special place in my heart. It brought me back to normal times.

I brought it with me as I return to my room. I notice on my way more scratches on the door than there were last time I came out, I consider checking the cameras to see if I need to be worried, but then I remember that there really isn’t a reason to worry anymore. I head back into the room, lock it behind me, sit in my bed and open the book.

I don’t know how long passed as I read. I scan the words on the page, my mind drifting to other thoughts, with nothing but humming from the air filtration system to fill the air. I’m glad nobody’s bothered damaging the solar panels on the roof, or I might have to resort to using the diesel generator, and I do not want to have to deal with the smell in here. I wonder if I should start preparing an MRE, I’m kind of hungry, but I do need to prepare for long term just in case I do make it through… BOOM!

I guess it’s happening. I clutch the light novel I’d been absentmindedly reading close to my chest as I curl up in bed. I hear the crash first, then it erupts into nothing but noise. I can hear screaming even through the thick walls of this bunker, then I feel the rumble, and I don’t hear the screaming anymore. I clutch my book tighter and tighter as I feel the rumbling growing, somehow the noise continues to grow, becoming deafening, as I cry and scream, “I’m scared! Please stop! Please stop!” The sound of my screams don’t even reach my ears over the ever growing noise. The rumbling grows with it, shaking the bunker. I see the metal warping, before I close my eyes and hope that it all just stops and I wake up. This overstimulation continues to grow, until it stops. And I stop with it.