"Everything at Once" (Nature)

Tobin and Emilia had taken Annabelle’s group back to the campfire. Upon their return, he noticed that Ellie, Gisela and James had all vanished – though for their own safety, he did not mention this to Annabelle and her friends.

“We’ve been all over,” Annabelle began, firmly engaging her eyes on Tobin, “All over the country, I mean. Desperately searching for people. We did find some. Many spoke English, not all, but many. We interviewed people, we asked them all about their stories. The most important ones to me are what people were doing on Day Zero. I know it seems like forever since that day now, but most can indeed remember. So here’s the deal, you tell us your past, and we’ll tell you ours. Just a little bit of chitchat, then we’ll take your stuff and be on our way. That’s how we work, after all.”

Tobin and Emilia looked at each other, neither of them answering Annabelle. “Or we could just skip the storytelling and get to the part where we claim everything which you have. I just think that stories give it a bit more flavour, that’s all. Don’t you agree?” Despite how hard Annabelle tried to make conversation, neither of them responded. “Fine. Miguel, Vanessa, search them once more. I have the woman’s bag right here.” They headed over to them, patting them down and searching.

Tobin looked at Emilia and nodded. Raising his hands above his head, Tobin brought his fists down on the back of Miguel’s neck. Emilia raised her knee with force, knocking Vanessa back. They grabbed their counterparts and threw them back over at Annabelle.

“Leave us alone! We don’t want any trouble!” Tobin ordered. Vanessa and Miguel caught their breaths as Annabelle stood up. “What you’re really saying is… You just don’t want to fight because you don’t have any weapons. Well, that’s too bad. I had hoped we could’ve gotten some stories from you two. I guess not,” Annabelle pulled out her handgun.

“No!” Miguel jumped in front of the barrel. “Jesus, Miguel! That was a bit close, wasn’t it? Do you see how close I am to squeezing the trigger?” He nodded to apologise, but didn’t move out of the way. “You said it yourself. We need to get their stories from them. We don’t have to kill them!” Miguel’s sudden change of heart confused her, therefore she spared them to see his attitude develop, “Alright then, fine. You two, sit back down. Or I’ll kill both of you even if just one of you runs.” She kept her pistol out.

Tobin and Emilia looked at each other, before sitting down opposite Annabelle’s group again. “What do you want to know about us?” Tobin asked her. She thought to herself for several moments.

“Day Zero. Tell me what you were doing on the day everything first went to shit.” Tobin nodded, and took a deep breath. “Well…”

…''Ellie stood in front of her mother’s grave, wiping her eyes with a tissue. The wind blew through strands of her hair, making it flow crazily. “Every time I think about you… I… I just think of you and dad. I think of the argument. I just, I want you to forgive him, mum,” She looked at the flower over the grave. “Please, you need to forgive him because I know that I never will be able to. If he’d have known that was the last time you two were going to speak, it wouldn’t have been the same. Mum, you know he didn’t mean anything he said…” ''

''She stopped talking upon hearing someone approaching from behind. She didn’t even need to turn around to know it was her father. “Six months, huh? It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?” Tobin went to put his arm around his daughter, but she pushed him away. “Don’t… don’t you dare, dad,” Ellie couldn’t even look at him. “Please… Ellie… Do you really blame me?” She nodded unforgivingly, “Yes! It’s your fault! It’s all your fault!” As she began to raise her voice, she looked to her left, noticing a funeral taking place further off in the graveyard. “It’s all your fault,” she repeated her words in a lower tone as not to disturb the funeral. “Ellie… It was nobody’s fault. I regret everything I said, sure, but there were a million factors which played in to your mother’s death. And I am not –”''

''Ellie walked away from her father, unwilling to hear his excuse. “Ellie! Please!” He walked behind her. “Just leave me alone, dad.” He tugged at her as she turned around and slapped him, “I said leave me alone!”''

''They both stopped, as a deep scream emitted from behind them. Turning around, they noticed one the funeral attendees grasping his face, as he dropped to his knees. His entire face and hands went purple. The others all panicked. Some stepped back in horror, others went in to help, others called an ambulance.''

''A second funeral attendee started grasping his head as well, going purple and collapsing too. A third and fourth followed.''

''“Hey!” Tobin ran over to help. Ellie shook her head, “There we go again. Always putting me last…” She ran out of the graveyard. ''

''“What’s happening?” Tobin nagged several of the remaining attendees, looking down at the purple faces. “Oh my word!” He noticed the stillness of all of them. “Are they… dead?” Everyone fell silent, looking at Tobin. “Everyone leave the graveyard now! Keep away from one another, you need all the space you can get in case of an attack like these poor souls! Go! Everyone!” They all ran in a flurry, some crying, some tripping up…''

 

… “That’s what happened, pretty much. Half of the funeral attendees died right there in that very minute. Of course, we all know how global this ‘virus’ was.”

Annabelle raised her finger, “It wasn’t a virus. It was many things at once.” Tobin and Emilia looked at her, intrigued. “What do you mean by ‘many things at once’?” She shrugged, “I’ve absolutely no idea. At first we thought it was something in the air, then we thought it was something in the water, then parasites, then toxic spores, and now we think it’s a combination of everything. We think everything happened at once. Do you know what combines all of these factors?” They looked blankly at her. “Parasites, toxic spores, water infection, viruses, pandemics – they’re all connected to Nature…”

Emilia shivered, “Nature? You mean, everything that’s happened… it was caused by the Earth itself?” Annabelle shrugged, “Well, who’s to say?”

Tobin laughed and shook his head, “What a load of crap! You seriously think that Nature independently woke up one day and decided, ‘Oh, I think I’ll wipe out the human race today!’”

Annabelle laughed back at him, “Considering everything that’s happened over the past three years, you’re the idiot for still being in denial. At least I’m willing to accept all the possibilities. Even more so, I’m willing to accept all of them at the same time.”

This lead Emilia to raise another point, “What caused all the giant animals then? All the really bulky strong animals? One day, they just randomly showed up. We found a tiger with knife-shaped teeth. Crikey it was a huge beast!” Tobin nodded, “I’d like to know that as well. Anymore crap – sorry, I mean – theories from within your mind, Annabelle?”

She stared sarcastically at Tobin for several moments before facing Emilia and giving her an answer. “Radiation.” Surprisingly, Tobin didn’t dismiss this, in fact he unfolded his arms and appeared to listen more closely. “Just like Chernobyl. The radiation lead to mutations, it leads to animals having abnormalities. Where it came from, I’ve no idea. Though one of my old friends suspected it was a missile.”

Now, Tobin turned away again. “A missile? Seriously? You think someone will just happen to have a fully functional missile this far into the apocalypse? At the beginning, maybe. But now? Come on!” He tutted.

“I believe her,” Emilia admitted. “Can you think of a better explanation?” She caught Tobin out, as he stuttered. “Alright fine, sure, let’s run with what you’re saying. Why on earth would someone willingly launch a missile anyway? What would that achieve in this new age?”

Yet again Annabelle shrugged. “I don’t know; why don’t you ask whoever fired it?” They exchanged looks of conflict at each other. “Well, it’s been fun to talking to you. Why don’t you two go to sleep? By the morning, we’ll have simply vanished and you will never ever see us again. Sound good?”

Tobin stood up, “No! We’re not going to be the victims of a daylight robbery!” Annabelle raised her finger a second time, “Well firstly, that’s not actually what a daylight robbery is. And secondly, it’s night time.” He threw his hands up, “Whatever! The point is… Well, screw you! That’s what! I’m staying awake until you give our things back, even if I die from sleep deprivation!” Annabelle rolled her eyes, “Fine then. As you wish…”

Despite how hard he tried to keep awake, Tobin had fallen asleep at some point in the night anyway, as had Emilia. Miguel and Annabelle silently woke Vanessa up, ‘Let’s go!’ They mimed to her. Quietly, they tiptoed towards the forest. Once they had gotten under the cover of the trees, they ran as fast as they could – they had indeed stolen everything from Tobin and Emilia. Unknown to them however, Tobin had opened his eyes, watching them run away. He got up, preparing to chase after them.

“Hold up!” Vanessa slowed down, needing to catch her breath. “Seriously, V? Now is not the time! Come on!” Miguel tried to hurry her. “Look, I’m carrying two rucksacks and I can still run, so –”

All three of them turned around in a specific direction, hearing the roar of a bear. “In France? What?” Annabelle whispered in confusion and fright. “I hate bears!” Vanessa remarked. “Yea well, today’s your unlucky day. This isn’t just a bear; this is a mutated bear!” Miguel had intended to come off as a dark comedian, instead he had only unnerved Vanessa even more.

“There!” Annabelle, still whispering, pointed out movement in between several of the trees. “I don’t see anything!” Miguel squinted in an attempt to adjust his vision, but there still was nothing. “I see it too!” Vanessa squeaked, however she was being too loud. Miguel covered her mouth his hands, “Shut it! Please!” He held her tightly.

Annabelle reached down and produced her pistol again, readying it in case of attack. “You two, go.” She gestured for them to run through the clearing. “As fast as you can. Just run. Don’t worry about me.” Vanessa didn’t need to be told twice, as she immediately headed off. “Annabelle? What are you doing?” Miguel tried to stop her. “Just go, Miguel. Please… Let’s be honest, we won’t ever find my mother again. She’s probably dead. I can forgive her in the afterlife… In case she doesn’t, at least let me go down knowing I did right by someone.”

“Alright,” Miguel sighed and gave in. “I’m sorry…” he took his hand off her shoulder at last, catching up with Vanessa. “Run!” She shouted out, jumpstarting the both of them to run as fast as they could through the clearing. The bear roared a second time, as Annabelle fired off several shots at it. “Come on then! Come and get me you bastard! I am your willing victim!” She could hear large footsteps trotting nearer to her – but the echoes made it reverberate from all directions, “Come on! Hurry up and get me!”

The footsteps drew nearer and nearer. At last, there was a roar behind her. She turned around, and much to her surprise, she saw an ordinary bear – nothing mutant about it at all. It took her a few split-seconds however to remember that bears were still dangerous, mutated or not. She ran in the opposite direction from the clearing, drawing the bear away from Vanessa and Miguel.

Despite running at her fastest speed, the bear was gaining on her rapidly. As it drew its’ claws, the bear jolted back against a tree, a spray of shotgun bullet-holes in its’ side. It was shot at multiple times before sliding to the ground, dead. Looking over, Annabelle noticed Tobin holding a shotgun, ejecting the shell, “You seriously think I wouldn’t keep a firearm hidden nearby for instances such as this?”