Last On Earth

Chapter 1: The Beginning After The End (Noah's Perspective)

I thought I had woken up from a nightmare, but that was hardly the case. I had woken up to stare one in the face.

I heard a muffled crash outside, the sound of something knocking over the trash can. Instinctually, my eyes shot open as I willed myself to wake up.

I yawned, rubbing my eyes and shaking off another uneasy night. Sitting up, I almost didn't notice the difference.

The comforting sight of various posters plastered on the wall and my neatly organized desk greeted me, easing away any annoyance or frustration I harbored at my sleep schedule.

The fairy lights that normally made me smile were knocked off the wall. Had I done that?

Looking around the room, I frowned. It looked like someone had tried to search for anything of value and had failed miserably, leaving havoc in their wake.

Was it my brother? He had always had an issue with invading others' privacy, so it wouldn't have surprised me. But if it was him, then how was he able to reach the fairy lights? He was much too small for that, he had only just turned 10. And unfortunately, tall genes didn't run in the family.

Other than the crash, I didn't hear anything, which was...strange. The mornings weren't usually quiet, much to my displeasure. But today, everything was silent.

The birds weren't singing like they always did, and the purring of car engines from the road was eerily absent. There was no irritating pitter-patter on the floorboards that accompanied my little sister's clumsy running.

After frowning in confusion I stood up, steadying myself on my nightstand as I shook off the faith feeling that came with doing so. Mentally, I reminded myself to ask my mother to finally take me to get checked for iron deficiency.

I navigated my way through the room, trying to avoid stepping on any of my belongings in the process. Tip-toeing my way to my bedroom door, I went to open it.

I twisted it once. Nothing. Again, I attempted to open it. Nothing.

Was I locked in? No, I removed that lock a couple of weeks ago. Kids can't be trusted with that ability.

Rattling the door handle a few more times, I felt myself getting more and more agitated. Finally, I slammed myself into the door, hoping that would be enough to get it to budge. Luckily for me, the telltale sound of a crash told me I had escaped.

Swinging the door open, I frowned. There was a chair there. How did that get there??

I walked toward the kitchen and noticed how bare it was. As if someone had come through and ransacked the place. Grabbing the nearest steak knife, I made my way through the rest of the house. It was unheard of for me to wake up before my family. And what was weirder even, was the fact that Laurie, my service dog, wasn't running up to greet me.

I got the sense something was very, very wrong. Cautiously, I walked toward my mother's room. Knocking on the door and receiving no response, I slowly turned the handle. The door swung ajar, revealing a disastrous sight.

The room was stripped of anything significant, with drawers hanging out of the dresser. Cracked picture frames and broken belongings.

No sign of my mother.

Turning around, I darted toward my siblings' rooms, praying that my suspicions were false. Surely enough, the same sight greeted me. Scattered possessions, disarray, and no signs of my family.

"Where the fuck did they go..?"

I walked out of their rooms in horror, ignoring the sinking feeling in my gut. I looked outside the kitchen window, looking for our car, and gasped. The streets were chaotic. Crashed cars, scorched trash, and what looked to be blood.