The Last Man Standing

Sun rays are striking straight to my skin as I get to walk another mile to reach the demilitarized zone. It has always been like this ever since the great nuclear disaster of 2020. The explosion which was able to wipe out 95% of the human population is still haunting the entire world as mutant animals and high level of radioactivity makes everyday living a nightmare. I was one of the lucky few who have survived the explosion. Working as an underwater scientist, we were having a deep water exploration in the pacific when the accident did occur. I can barely think how chaotic it must have been atop the ocean.

“Beep Beep Beep”, my phone started ringing.

“Hello Lieutenant X775A! You are directed to proceed to the laboratory of biological studies.” a synthesized voice said on my radio.

“What nightmare shall we face this time?” I asked myself.

Ever since we abandoned earth and decided to establish a settlement on the surface of the moon, we have been visiting it to check for signs of human life, but what we have found for the last 10 years are mutant animals possessing mutated characteristics. A fish with feathers swimming in the ocean floor, a dog with x-ray vision, a rat as big as a 3-storey building and a carnivorous tree - these are few of the bizarre things we have found on earth. Out team have scanned most of the places, but we have found not a single human who was able to sustain under such amount of radiation.

“Hey Lieutenant X775A!” lieutenant X346Q greeted, “I have been anticipating your arrival.”

“What’s the fuzz all about?” me asking Lieutenant X346Q.

“We are tracing some abnormal microbial activity near the pacific ocean.” my lady partner uttered.

“What now?” I exclaimed, “We have been tracing such activity in the past. I was thinking of some new findings regarding our search for human life.”

I was a little bit disgusted to hear it, but my interest was caught after seeing the satellite images. A big pit filled with corpses of dead mutant animals. I was even surprised to see that the imagery was taken from a group of island on the western board of the Pacific Ocean. The nuclear disaster which did occur 20 years ago happened there. So if this is a sign of survivor, how did they survive?

The chief of the settlement ordered us to conduct investigation on the event. Earlier, a robotic fleet was sent to gather specimen from the pit. It is 1800H and we decided to conduct survey the next morning. Feeling a little bit uneasy, I decided to check the specimens.

“I am examining specimen A-01 from the pit. It appears like the genetic structure of the specimen is somehow similar to that of a water buffalo but with some genetic modification.” me recording my voice.

While my eyes were on the ocular of the microscope, the sound of the alarm has brought me to a state of panic. (What is wrong?) I immediately rushed to the command center to execute certain protocols.

“Sir, our engines are destroyed. The power center is damaged and we are currently running on back-up.” Lieutenant X346Q reported.

The uneasy feeling I have been hiding all this time is starting build up on my face. I can feel that something is wrong. I went to check the surveillance video and was startled by the scenes I came across.

“Attention Command Center this is lieutenant X775A. I am sending some footage regarding the inflicted the damage on our ship.” I voiced over the radio.

“This is Command Center; please inform your captain that your ship is placed on a Code Red status. You cannot proceed nor do any action without authorization from the Command Center. Do you copy that?” The command center officer said.

“Yes sir, copied.” I replied.

I was just about to report to the captain when my surrounding went black. I am not able to see not even a single drop of light. The image of a child levitating and throwing some metal like pieces to machine was flashing in my memories. I was worried that the child entered our ship and that he is about to kill us all. With so much fear in me, I manage to find my way back to my quarter where I have my personal emergency kit. Having grabbed the flashlight, my next move was to load my laser beam shooter with ion rods.

Kaboom! The sound of a big explosion has demobilized me as I nervously see the flame rushing straight in front of my eyes. Before it gets to burn my body; I was able to grab a large sheet of metal, probably debris coming from the explosion, just in time to secure me from the scorching heat. In no time, the flame started to subdue and I was forced to drop the flaming hot metal I was holding earlier.

By the time the metal landed on the floor, I started seeing the silhouette of a child. This has brought me so much terror that I grabbed my laser beam and started shooting towards that direction. It’s getting closer to me and I can now barely see the face of an innocent child. Who is this kid and why is he doing this to us? The leaser gun got depleted but nothing has happened. I was in a close distance from the child and was filled with terror.

“Why did you leave us?” The child started crying.

No matter how much I struggle to utter words, my lips are incapacitated to do so. I was in a state of total shock. Though filled with fears, I grabbed the child and hugged him. I was then crying and memories from the child’s past started flashing in my mind.

“Lieutenant X775A can you hear me now?” a strange female voice asked me.

“Who are you and what is this place?” I replied.

I later found out that I was actually lying in a hospital bed back on the moon settlement. The nurse informed me that I was the only survivor rescued from the mission sent to earth. This has caused me so much sorrow that it felt like my heart was bleeding. Why have I not just died? I started recalling fragments of memories from what has happened to me and I then realized what happened that very moment I hugged the child.

Days have passed and I have fully recovered. I was tasked to report to the investigation committee regarding the mission. I will tell them what happened and what I have found out about the world. I want to shed light to the mysteries of the nuclear disaster 20 years ago.

As I was about to speak I get to remember the last few words of the child.

“...Mistakes of the past can no longer be corrected. If you want to help us down here, do it by commemorating the past and making sure that it shall not happen again. You can salvage this world and find us, but let me tell you this - Your quest of finding the last man standing will not make the sacrifices of a large part of the human population serve its purpose. You continue living for us, that’s all we ask.”

I decided to respect what the child has delivered in a collective thought for the people down there. In front of the investigation panel, I made my explanation short.

“What exists down there is a product of our past mistakes. Finding and knowing more about them will only aggravate the sorrow of their hearts. The earth may have our past, but living in the past is surely not good. Let us move forward and make sure that the sacrifices they have made will shed to a better human civilization.”

I walked out from the investigation room full of hope, reformed and ready to forget the past to look for the better future.