9 Years Ago:

Josh:

August 26, 2012

My cousin, Belle, is turning nine today and I was invited to a birthday party for her, which she insisted must be Beauty and the Beast themed. I walked in, instantly surrounded by pictures of castles and other Beauty and the Beast related things. I continue through the house, making my way to the backyard, with a group of little girls getting their princess makeup done in their princess dresses. I place my gift on the table stacked high with what must have been fifty presents. As I step out into the backyard, I scan the lawn for someone to talk to, and there is no one that interests me, except for one girl. She is around my age, exceptionally pretty, and she is admiring a rose as red as a firetruck. I was about to go up to her until there was a loud boom. The next thing I know, I opened my eyes and everyone and everything was gone. 

Present:

Rachel:

August 19, 2022.

The last few weeks have been getting more and more repetitive. I’m the last person on earth after an apocalypse that happened 10 years ago next week. I finally finished building a house, and learning to use new technology, and the only socialization I’ve had since the last of the human race died last year. is with an alien. He was on a mission to create a new settlement when his UFO crash landed on Earth last night. The only issue is that I can’t understand what he is saying; when he talks all I hear is mumbling, but there is definitely a pattern to his mumbles. I’ve been exploring past the places I marked last year, but there is nothing for miles. At one point I thought I saw a shelter, but when I came to see that it was abandoned, I realized it must have been from the people who died last year.

Josh:

August 20, 2022

I wandered too far away from my temporary hut, and ended up losing track of where I was. As I was beginning to build a new home, I stumbled upon a UFO. I set up a shelter and began to find some new technology in the UFO. I was beginning to disassemble a fire alarm when I heard footsteps. I tried to hide when an alien turned the corner to enter the ship. We made direct and prolonged eye contact, then I realized what I was looking at. 

Rachel:

August 21, 2022

The alien came back in the morning and I realized that we were the only two living things on earth, so I should probably name him. I decided to name him Steve, and I gave him a little name tag so he felt included, even though he didn’t understand. He tried to pronounce his new name but all I heard was indistinct mumbling. 

Josh:

August 22, 2022

In the morning I saw the alien walking back towards the UFO with something attached to him. As he got closer I saw that it was a name tag with writing on it. Steve. I said hi to steve and did not even think until after. Since Steve can’t speak english… someone else must have put this on him. I asked him to pronounce his name and he could not. That’s when I knew for sure there was another person around I should be looking for. I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote, “hello?”, put it on Steve and sent him away. 

Rachel:

August 23, 2022

Steve showed up this morning with a piece of paper attached in another person’s handwriting. I realized that there is another person on Earth with me. I sent back another piece of paper saying “where are you?” and sent Steve off.

Josh:

August 24, 2022

I waited all day for Steve to come back and eventually he did. I replied to this person’s note of “where are you?” with “follow Steve back to me.” I’m hoping to meet this person, but I am nervous because I haven’t had any human interaction in two years. 

Rachel:

August 25, 2022

I start walking with Steve in the morning, and we eventually start slowing down around 6 hours later. I was waiting in anticipation all day, and finally Steve stopped me in a rose garden. This rose garden looks familiar, and I realized that this was the rose garden I was looking at on the day of the apocalypse. Then Steve left.

Josh:

August 25, 2022

Steve waddles into the UFO and I am expecting someone to follow, I take a seat in frustration when I realize no one is following him. Steve is pulling at my sleeve and I eventually stand up and follow him out of the UFO. He is leading me towards the one place in town that I have successfully avoided for the past 10 years, the house I was in on the day of the apocalypse. Steve leads me to the backyard and I see a woman standing there, in the rose garden. As I got closer, I thought I was dreaming, because I have been in this same situation before, looking at the same girl. It is the girl from the birthday party I was in attendance at on the day that everything changed. The only word I could manage to say was “hello?”

Rachel:

August 25, 2022

I spin around as I hear a male voice, and I see him standing there. Then I realized that he was the same guy I have thought about for the past ten years, the man at the party. We both looked at each other in disbelief. “How did we not know we weren’t the last people on Earth for the past 10 years?”