"This was it… I could not do this anymore…"
Dr. Janus Vein wrote in his journal with a heavy heart, his hands trembling as he put his thoughts and feelings into words. It was the end of the world as he knew it, and he was the only one left to document it.
"Oh… I would kill for a can of coke…"
The days prior had been a blur, a whirlwind of chaos and destruction. It seemed to happen overnight, a mysterious virus spreading like wildfire, infecting and killing millions in its wake. Despite the hard work of scientists and medical teams, they could not contain it. It was unstoppable.
"Heh~! Even the COVID pandemic would pale in comparison."
It was Hell carved on Earth.
The world descended into darkness, the governments of the world collapsing under the pressure of the pandemic. It was too much for the world to handle. People were scared and desperate, and the virus was merciless, consuming all in its path.
And then, it was over. The world was silent, still. Everyone was gone. Dr. Janus Vein was the last one left. He knew. After all, he was the only one with the vaccine.
"I tried my best…" Tears escaped his eyes, small tremors occurred in his hand wielding the pen, and the decay on his gut continued to spread. "I did my best…" He repeated as if in repentance and self-blame.
He had roamed the lands with the cure, trying to save as many people as he could, but his efforts wouldn't just do. Luck was not on his side. Or perhaps, God was not on his side.
But he never lost faith in himself, and to his fellow human beings.
Janus pushed forward and sailed the seas searching for a person to save.
The memories of the past flowed to him as his pen moved, recounting the torturous years he had been alone. He was a survivor, a fighter, and a doctor. "I could not save anyone…" His tears had dried, which had become sore from the crying.
A sense of dread enveloped him. His eyes became serious as the thought of defeat crossed his mind.
It was bitter.
"I guessed this was it for the rest of humanity…"
He wrote in his journal, documenting the tragedy of the world's end. He was the only one left to bear witness to the destruction, the loss, and the utter despair. He wrote with the hope that one day, someone would find his journal and learn of what had happened.
Aliens. Gods. Demons. The next sapient race. Whoever and whatever they were, if they did read his journal, he hoped that they would heed his warning and fear what was coming… The sickness, death, and in whatever form it might take.
"Thus, the extinction-level event was never prevented, not to mention curbed. As a species, humanity had prospered in unity and fallen from disunity. Our tragic ending... It was meant to become a cautionary tale to the other intelligent species of the universe.
Sincerely, Dr. Janus Vein, The Last Witness."
He finished his writing with a heavy heart, knowing that no one would ever read his words. Humanity was gone. Extinct. Ceased. Ended.
The pen was left on the table beside the pinky's thick worth of journal.
In his peripheral vision from the windows, he watched the undead lumber around the residence.
"If only life was like a zombie movie, then perhaps there was a protagonist out there…" But Janus knew better. He had traveled far and wide, and nothing… There was nothing left in this world anymore.
As he had claimed, he was the last of it. Though at the back of his mind, he had this delusion that perhaps, he had not searched enough, and out there, there were still humans in hiding from the threat. "I wished it was that simple..." He stopped his wishful thinking and stood up from his chair.
It was truly a sickness like no other. He touched the decay spreading from his abdomen. "Ugh…" He winced at the hurt. He was inside the humble house of a couple here somewhere in the Pacific islands. This was the last place he visited before he was done in by a highly mutated undead.
He gazed at what he assumed was a wedding picture of a couple in their wedding apparel. The picture hung on a wall. This reminded him of his wife and daughter.
The virus was truly a menace in that it would kill a person within 17 hours. When he was finally infected, he was lucky enough to conjure a vaccine before it was too late for him… but not for them. Not for his wife. Not for his daughter. Not for the world.
He went to the sink and faced himself in the mirror. Long gone was his younger self as time had robbed him of his vigor. What was left was the husk of an old man nearing his death. With weak and trembling hands, he grabbed a razor to shave his unsightly greying beard.
Though he nicked himself a few times, he managed to finish. The man reflected in the mirror despite losing the beard remained unfamiliar to him. "Janus… Was that you, Janus?" He addressed the reflection as he felt self-pity at the fact that he could not even recognize himself.
"You'd be joining your wife, daughter, and the rest of humanity soon… How did you feel?" He was not crazy, simply melancholic and regretful. "I wished I could have done more…" He voiced his regrets to the mirror.
He walked away, went to the bedroom, and checked on the wardrobe. He felt for the lab coat that draped over him. He had been with his lab coat for a very long time, and it was time for it to retire.
Removing the lab coat, he wore a stylish suit and tie instead. He should at least dress for the occasion of his funeral, and this was the best thing he got, so he just had to be satisfied with what he found.
He resisted the hurting of the decay in his abdomen, while he changed clothes.
The sickness was spreading quickly, and it was only a matter of time before he turned. After the painful debacle with the clothes, he went for the kitchen trying to find something for his last meal.
He grabbed a bottle of wine he thought fancy from the rack hidden in a far cabinet and then picked up a couple of packs of instant noodles. He put them in his bag and went on his way outside. The lumbering undead ignored him because of the scent of death he himself exuded thanks to the infection coursing his veins. He made distance with a destination already in mind, taking in the view on his way and imprinting them in his eyes.
The sea breeze touched his cheeks, which earned a smile from him. He arrived at his destination already limping from the hurt and decay. He sat with difficulty on a bench just adjacent to the sea. He watched the waves come and go by. It was the afternoon, and the sun ought to set.
It was like the rise and fall of their civilization, except this time, his civilization would not be coming back. It just went and vanished. It was sad, but he could do nothing about it.
"My name was Janus Vein… and I was here."
He remained sitting while unwrapping the pack of instant noodles. He watched the sun slowly descend, its light had touched him and warmed him. He bit at his food, tasting its crunchy contents. He had no time to heat the water and cook the noodles since he estimated his time was near.
"Oh, the sun was beautiful…"
Only now did he realize this, and he was thankful to see it… for the one last time.
He unwrapped another pack of instant noodles and proceeded to eat it. He then uncorked the bottle of wine with whatever was left from his sheer strength. He was glad enough to have enough strength to pull the cork. He drank from the wine bottle directly, savoring its taste.
Was it tasty?
The instant noodles? The bottle of wine?
"It was delicious."
The truth however was all of it tasted shitty. But he could not utter such a sad thing. How could he say such harsh things when he was about to die?
That was why… "It was delicious…" He decided for his last meal to be delicious, or in this case, his last supper. He smiled. Dr. Janus Vein smiled.
And then he shook. His hands trembled. His feet gave out. His face twisted. He was in agony. He took it all. The pain. The misery. He accepted them purely for what was their worth— punishment.
This was his punishment for his failure.
Finally, when he was about to turn, he fumbled to his bag and took out his revolver. He directed the weapon on his temple, and with one quick pull, he tightened the trigger.
~Bang!
The sound echoed in the lonely beach where lay the dead carcass of Dr. Janus Vein.
Came past the figure of a streamlined dark-furred quadruped. It gazed at the lonely figure of the human.
"Meow," Sounded the black furry. "Meow…" It repeated in a mournful cry.