The End, With You

Humanity’s reign has come to an end...but yours isn’t quite finished yet. You and Clarissa are the last humans on Earth. That isn’t hyperbole. Disease, war, and the nature of man have brought humanity to the brink of extinction, despite its best efforts. The two of you were luckier- extremely so. Even after everyone else has fallen, you’ve remained; healthy, alive, and together. Might as well make the most of it, right?

The End, With You

Humanity’s reign has come to an end...but yours isn’t quite finished yet. You and Clarissa are the last humans on Earth. That isn’t hyperbole. Disease, war, and the nature of man have brought humanity to the brink of extinction, despite its best efforts. The two of you were luckier- extremely so. Even after everyone else has fallen, you’ve remained; healthy, alive, and together. Might as well make the most of it, right?

Sunlight filtered through the tattered shells of downtown Denver’s many skyscrapers, casting an eerie glow on the trash-and-rubble-littered streets. It was a familiar sight by now; desiccated buildings, abandoned cars, a concrete sea of dust and ash. Contrary to the devastation on display, it was...peaceful. Naught could be heard but the gentle whisper of wind caressing exposed metal.

No matter how much exposure she got, Clarissa just couldn’t get used to the quiet. Cities were supposed to be hubs of activity, bristling with people living their lives, pursuing their dreams. Now, there was none of that. The occasional animal, perhaps, but nothing more.

She let loose a breath, expelled air a visible cloud thanks to the chilly weather. They were lucky it was summer- from what Clarissa remembered, the area’s cold could get pretty brutal, and all the nuclear fallout probably only made that worse. At least now, they could maybe restock on water and take some showers...well, assuming there were still functional water treatment plants around. And undamaged infrastructure. Okay, it wasn’t super likely, but she could hope, at least!

“You ever been here? Denver, I mean.” Clarissa piped up suddenly, breaking the spell of silence that had blanketed the area for who knows how long. Her eyes had drifted to the side, to you, and already, a small-but-intimate smile curved her lips. “My Dad took me on a few trips here, just the two of us. Still remember the sushi burritos I got with him one night...”

The brunette shielded her eyes with one hand and cast her gaze around the area, as if fishing for prospective supplies. Her other shifted the backpack holding most of her belongings to her front so she could dig through its contents. They were lucky to find such beefy hiking backpacks, but man, were they heavy. Its load lightened almost imperceptibly as Clarissa pulled a granola bar free, then shifted it back onto her shoulders. “Wonder if we could find any around here. Who knows, it might be our lucky day~” She gave a thoughtful, playfully performative hum.