The only sound in the stifling quiet of the bunker was the buzzing static on the radio. Olivia held the final rifle while crouching in the corner, her hands shaking. The air was already becoming stale without the power, which had been cut off an hour ago. Soon it won’t be long.
“Is anyone… anyone out there?” Over the radio, a feeble voice crackled. Through the distortion, the signal was so weak that it was hardly heard.
Olivia’s heart was pounding. It had been days since she had heard another voice. Her voice barely above a whisper, she reached for the radio. “I’m present. “Where are you?”
Quiet. Then a quiet moan, and then another blast of static. Olivia’s blood froze at the sound. She was too familiar with that moan.
the afflicted.
The frequency was filled with a wet, guttural growl, then a scream that ended suddenly. The radio went quiet.
Olivia tightened her hold on the weapon. She heard faint scratching coming from the other side of the bunker’s reinforced door, and she looked at it. The scraping had begun as a few, but now it was unrelenting and continuous. They were outdoors.
The moans became more intense. Even though she knew it was almost over, she was unable to move or resist. Too many people had been infected and the sickness had spread too widely. There were no more places to hide or flee to.
The door of the bunker trembled. The quiet was broken by a fracture and a moan from the metal. With a hesitant last breath, Olivia closed her eyes.
After the end of the world, all that was left was
