Lucky Boy
I stared into the candle’s red flames as they gently danced in the pitch-black room. It was my lone source of light in my new home.
The lifeline known as electricity that humanity had grown accustomed to had disappeared long ago. It’s not as if I forgot to pay the electricity bill either. The people in charge of running the power plant have long since abandoned their posts. No matter how many times I flip the switch, none of the lights will turn on and the streets will remain dark at night.
I moved closer to the window covered by a blackout curtain and lifted it slightly so I could see outside. The entire city was shrouded in darkness with not a single light on in any of the buildings that I could see, nor were there any headlights from the cars on the streets. The clouds in the sky covered up the only other source of light, making the darkness feel heavy and causing a sense of claustrophobia.
The wind was picking up and the window was rattling from the force. It had been raining since noon and I was lucky to have found a suitable shelter before it started.
I was in a room on the top floor of an apartment building. It was a rather large apartment complex, but there wasn’t a single soul in sight when I arrived. They’re either all dead now or prowling the streets looking for their next victim. Some of the doors to the apartments were still locked, but the apartments that were left open had all been ravaged. They didn’t look as if they had been looted, no, it was as if a tornado had swept through the room, destroying everything in its path.
I was careful when entering the building and checked the few rooms that were open to be sure that I was alone. After confirming this, I decided to choose a room that had its door closed but was fortunately unlocked.
There was no sign of any devastation in this room. It’s possible the owner of this room forgot to lock the door when they went out, never to return. No matter what the case, their mistake is my fortune.
It’s also fortunate that this room is on the top floor. The infected rarely pay attention to anything high up. As long as I remain quiet and keep my light low, I shouldn’t have to worry about any of them finding me. The door to the staircase leading to the sixth floor is also closed, so this room is as safe a place as any for me to call home.
“Now then….”
I sat down on the floor of the living room facing the window and took out the contents of my backpack. I chose a can of corned beef and a bottle of water as today’s dinner and placed the rest back in my bag.
“Let’s eat.”
I clapped my hands together and opened the canned food. A few months ago I would’ve considered this a poor meal if even a meal at all. But in this world, canned food is more valuable than money. Luxury items are worthless and there are plenty of people alive today willing to kill over a few cans of food.
I took my time eating the greasy corned beef and savoured every bite in the hopes that it would stave off my hunger for a little longer. I can’t simply eat whenever I get hungry. I don’t know when I’ll find my next meal. I got lucky here and the water tower on top of the building still has water in it. I’ll be able to fill up my water here which means one less thing to worry about for now.
After finishing my meal, I decided to more thoroughly search the room with the use of my candle while chewing on xylitol gum. The gum was more of a dessert rather than a means of preventing tooth decay. It’s likely there’s still something useful here as the entire place still looks like it hadn’t been touched since the outbreak. The reason I’m choosing not to use my flashlight is not only due to it being a waste of batteries, but there’s also a greater risk of the infected seeing the bright light of a flashlight.
My obvious first destination was the kitchen. The food in the refrigerator was rotten due to the electricity being out but there were still several bottles of unopened water.
There were several cans of unopened food in the cabinet and around 500 grams of uncooked rice. There was also plenty of seasoning available and, if I’m careful about the smell, I could actually prepare a halfway decent meal for the first time in a while.
Most of the necessities have already been covered at this point, but I might as well check the other rooms. I was able to find some tools, batteries, a small amount of medicine, lighters, and a few other useful items. The medicine is especially important now that there are no more doctors. I sorted everything out before placing it in my bag.
There was also a child’s room in the apartment. Everything was relatively standard: a desk and chair, bookshelf, and bed. There was also a school uniform still in a plastic bag from the cleaners hanging from the closet door. It was safe to assume that the boy that lived in this room was studying for exams based on the numerous answer sheets scattered about his desk.
Seeing this undisturbed room reminded me of my own peaceful life, not long ago. I never imagined my future would be in a world overrun by monsters. I’m sure this boy was the same. Going to school every day, struggling with his studies (or maybe that was just me), and spending time with his friends.
That was until a few months ago….
After collecting myself, I returned to the living room and dusted off the sofa before lying down for the night.
I took a portable music player I found in the apartment out of my pocket. That being said, this device isn’t exactly the newest touchscreen model with an internal memory. It was an older device that I’d imagine existed around forty years ago and played cassette tapes. The people that lived here must have valued it for it to still be functioning.
I selected one of the cassette tapes I found, put in my earbuds, and pressed play. The light and vibrant music filled my empty world now that the candles had been blown out.
I couldn’t help but smile after hearing the old-fashioned music. This is the type of song you’d expect to hear in old movies and tv shows. It protested sending troops to Vietnam and conveyed the feelings of the average citizen being shipped off to war. Throughout the song, the word ‘unlucky’ stuck in my mind.
“Was I just unlucky?”
Am I lucky to have survived so long in this world? Or am I nothing more than the unluckiest person alive? I can’t say for sure, but I know many would think the latter. Many people that survived the initial outbreak chose to take their own life rather than living another second in this messed up world, just like that unnamed man in the house. Suicide has become a regular and accepted practice.
There is a common belief that it’s better for you to choose how to die and make peace with yourself rather than being ripped apart and eaten alive, or, even worse, turning into one of the infected and attacking those you care about. Deep down, I think that’s how I feel as well, but I’m too much of a coward to take my own life. I’ve been attacked several times when I’ve been with other survivors, but while so many others have died, I have survived, alone.
“Why did this happen….”
The exhaustion I had been ignoring for some time suddenly hit me all at once. I’ve been constantly on the move since yesterday and even before that I was rarely sleeping. The world I’ve been living in for the last few months may have trained my body in certain ways, but I am still a seventeen-year-old boy. I’m not a trained soldier that’s capable of staying awake for days on end.
The thought of one of the infected finding me while I’m asleep is impossible to ignore, but I reassured myself that I was safe. I’m on the sixth floor and there are no lights on. Any noise I’ve made should have been drowned out by the pounding wind and pouring rain. The stairs leading up to this floor are blocked and I have a means of escape if any of the infected manage to make it to my door.
I’m safe. Immediately after reassuring myself of this once more, sleep finally overtook me as my vision faded to black.
[Good morning. Today is the seventh of March and this is your morning news. There have been reports of several riots breaking out in multiple African countries yesterday evening. The African Union is pleading for assistance from the international community….]
Only a few months ago, the world was at peace. I remember hearing reports on the news that violent riots were erupting all across Africa. To me, and so many others at the time, these events might as well have been in a different world; something happening in a far off country that won’t have any effect on our lives. Either way, I paid as little attention to the news that morning as any other high school student would have.
[The violent riots which originated in Africa have now reached mainland Europe and have even spread to parts of South America. The total number of fatalities from these riots numbers in the tens of thousands….]
When the news reported this a few days later, I’m sure many people still believed that this would never affect them. I remember that’s how I felt. Who had time to worry about the tens of thousands of dead when the stock market was dropping so substantially? My parents and the government reassured me that this would pass and the world would be able to return to peace in no time. I didn’t fully believe them at the time, but I know I never expected it to get this bad.
[The cause of the rioting that has affected Africa, South America, and Europe has finally been discovered. A research institute based out of the United States has found a link between the heightened aggression noted in the rioters and a newly discovered virus….]
[People infected by the virus lose all reason, turning violent and attacking those around them….]
[Today, the President of the United States has ordered that the U.S.-Mexico border be closed in the hopes of preventing the virus currently ravaging South America from spreading to the States….]
[An emergency cabinet meeting was announced today to discuss ways to prevent the virus from reaching Japan….]
I was still calm several days later, even as the news continued to escalate. A few people were voluntarily choosing to evacuate to less populated areas, but many people, including my parents, continued going to work as if nothing was happening. Everyone was going about their lives like normal in a desperate attempt to avoid facing the horrors that were moving closer with each passing day.
The number of flights in and out of the country was practically nonexistent at this point and the economy was the worst it’s ever been. At this point, the government understood how serious the situation had become, they attempted to close schools all across the country, but this all happened around the end of year exams and after a heavy backlash from students and faculty alike, many schools remained open. I was allowed to continue living in blissful ignorance with my friends for a few more days.
Up until the day the world ended, there were people trying to continue their daily routine.
But that all ended when —
“…hah!”
I sat bolt upright on the sofa. At some point, the cassette player had finished playing and now sat silent. A few rays of sunlight were shining in through the gaps in the curtain. I checked my watch before getting up and peered out the window. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.
My clothes were wet with sweat due to the unpleasant memories haunting my sleep. I had to take a moment to calm myself down. I accept the world that I live in now, but the memories of that day still cause pain in my chest. A pain that I hope someday will heal.
I forced the bad memories of the past out of my mind and regained my focus. There’s a lot that needs to get done today.