𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐫 | 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐬𝐨𝐧

01.

Joel Dawson

i didn't really have your typical up running. i mean, i did at first. but then the world ended. i mean i dont think anyone was really shocked. we always thought it might end and it just, finally happened. but how it happened, now thats where it gets intresting. agatha 616. yep. an astroid. heading straight for earth. i know, so obvious. so humanity came together an dwe did what we do best. we shot a bunch of rockets at it and blew it up and it was great! but it wasnt. you see, the thing that makes rockets rockets, chemical compounds. a lot of em. which rained back down on us and everything changed. and by everything i mean, cold blooded creatures and by changed i mean mutated and started eating us to death. ants, lizards, roaches, crocodiles, you name it. theres a lot of em. i actually knew this kid who was eaten in his sleep by a goldfish he won at a carnival. man, todd loved that goldfish. and that cat. so for most of human history, if you wanted to kill a cockroach all you needed was a shoe, right? well suddenly you needed a shotgun, and sometimes even a tank, and sometimes even that doesnt work especially if you dotn stay in the tank.. bob. eventually the really big ones in our military took eachother out. we lost 95% of the human population in about a year. its a lot of bobs and a lot of todds. those of us who survived, hid anywhere they could. bunkers, caves, panic rooms, all around the world. so for the last 7 years, i've been living in an underground bunker. and its not- its not as bad as it sounds. really, its a great group of people and we all love eachother. you know its kinda what i imagined college woulda been like.

as i laid in bed, i heard the couple next to me about to do the dirty.

"are you sure he's asleep?" she whispered.
"who?"
"joel. who else?"
"yeah he's asleep"
"check"
"joel!"
"see, he's asleep"

dear aimee,
i am wide awake. i've just gotten good at not really moving or breathing. being stuck in a bunker with a bunch of people who have all found their soulmate is less than ideal. karen and ray got together a few months ago. so their still kinda in their honey moon faze. it is super physical. good for them you know. their both very attractive and apparently quite flexible. hey, lifes short. especially down here.

"uhh-" i said as i saw their bare legs when i got up.
"hey joel!"
"hey ava" i said awkwardly.
"joel. how's it going?"
"its going good tim. how are you- how are you doing?"
"yeah. good"
"cool"
"i couldnt sleep" i said nervously.
"yeah, we know the feeling" ava said from the bed.
"yeah, probably not for the.. same reasons" i replied quietly.
"uh- you guys's doors open. is that uh- did you know that?" i asked.
"yeah we know" they both replied.
"okay"

after tim's parents were eaten by a swarm of termites, he and ava became inseparable.

"okay! goodnight" i said before walking off.

in every way. so pretty much everyone's coupled up down here. our first baby was born last winter, it was super emotional. welcome to the apocalypse kid. the food sucks, atleast you'll never know what your missing. katelyn and connor got together after carol died. carol was a cow who ate a box of laundry detergent and now we only have one cow. her names gerty. gerty is great. gerty's not our only food source. we actually have a hunting party that brings back whatever they can from the surface. it was easier in the beginning you know, before we ran out of bullets. chasing down one of those things with a janky handmade weapon is no walk in the park.. or so they tell me. i dont- i dont go on the hunting parties. they need me in the kitchen. im kinda the.. chef of the bunker. everyone likes my minestrone. being the only single person in the bunker has its perks too. i get to hang out with mav1s. of course she's not much for conversation anymore. her core battery is shot just like every other mav1s i'd imagine. i've actually never seen a working one.

sure wish you were here aimee. i'd love for you to meet everyone. maybe we could do a little target practice together. it's kinda my thing. oh-

"sorry mav1s" i said while looking at the arrow that went through the robots chest.

as i looked around, the power went out. i turned around instantly at the sound of a deafening squeal.

"guys! i got the weapons!" i said as i entered the meeting area.
"ok! get what you need and lets go!"
"whats happening?! whats going on?!"
"were breached!"
"breached?"
"joel!"
"what do you mean like, inside the bunker breached?!"
"thats what breached means pal!" a member said as he grabbed the crossbow from around my shoulders.

i followed them to the tunnels as they discussed a plan.

"where do you need me?" i asked.
"i thought we were past this joel" tim said.
"past what? you guys need help. i can help! let me help!"
"are you gonna make me say it?"
"say what?"
"you cant handle it joel!"
"you get shook!"
"okay yeah so you guys dont get scared ever?"
"we get scared"
"we all get scared joel but you get really scared."
"were not tryna make you feel bad joel"
"we love you joel"
"but your unsafe"
"your a liability"
"even on supply runs"
"okay why did that speech feel so rehearsed?" i asked nervously.

we all backed up as a loud rumble was heard from inside the tunnels.

"okay! 30 meters out. lets move!" ray said as they entered the tunnels.

as we all watched the monitor, our people got closer to the monster.

"its got one of them!"
"what about the others?"
"their coming back!"

i turned on my heel and walked towards the curtain.

"joel!"
"they need help! im going!"
"joel wait!"

i ran to the tunnels and held my crossbow in my shaky hands. my breaths became uneven as the ground creaked under me. once i got to the curtain, i saw a shadow behind it.

"connor?" i whispered as a growl was heard.

the shadow was lifted and swallowed as the huge creature's shadow started tearing the curtain. my shaky hand lifted up the scope as i stared at the monster. tears flooded my eyes as it got closer. i was frozen while the yellow slime dripped all over me and i shut my eyes.

i heard an arrow fire as i kept my eyes shut and heard liquid hit the ground. i opened my eyes to see the head at my feet with an arrow in it. yellow liquid and blood surrounded me.

"did i shoot it or did you?" i asked as i looked back at her.
"what do you think?" she replied sassily as she lowered her crossbow.
"you" i said while turning back to the monster.

oh an i have a pretty severe freezing problem. but i am working on it.