[ WP ] A group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic scenario discuss the question on everyone 's mind : Why should they keep on living ? What 's the point ?

Probably not what you were looking for, but here is what I came up with: 
 
 `` We ca n't keep doing this.'' she said. It was becoming too difficult for her to keep running. She was still dressed for her 9-5 life, and not adequately equipped to run for her life. I was n't sure how she want on for weeks like this. She had abandoned her high heels a while back, and we have n't had the time to stop and grab a pair of shoes for her. Her feet were callused and bleeding. Propped up against the wall, she reached down to rub the bottom of her feet, trying to massage out the pain. Her eyes were looking up at me, searching for some sort of reassurance. 
 
 We stood there, frozen, for what seemed like enough time for me to think of any combination of words to console her. I could n't think of a damn thing worth saying. 
 
 I could hear them coming for us. Their movements echoed in the staircase below. They were maybe, if we were lucky, four sets of stairs beneath us. 
 
 I grabbed her, delicately slinging her arm around my shoulders and dashed into the hallway. Two apartments down I could see an opened door. We found refuge inside. 
 
 They were getting closer. I turned the lock on the door, attempting to find a sense of comfort in my now anarchy driven world. You were n't safe anywhere, but somehow twisting an inch thick piece of metal, separating me, from them, made me feel a lot better about my situation. 
 
 I helped her make her way to a couch in the living room. The television was still broadcasting the same message it was when this fiasco started, a haunting reminder of what our lives had become. 
 
 *'' This is the emergency broadcast system. Marshall Law is now in effect, due to an unprecedented breakout of the D4 Lunar Virus. Symptoms may include: Fever, chest pain, nausea, dilated pupils, discolored skin, and uncontrollable muscle spasms. If you notice a loved one with these symptoms, distance yourself and seek assistance from your local Emergency Medical Station. If you yourself need medical assistance, please seek aid at your nearest Emergency Medical Station. Stay in your homes. Food and Water will be provided to you shortly. `` * 
 
 The television echoed on. 
 
 `` What a load of Bullshit'' she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. `` Those were n't medical stations, they were execution lineups.'' 
 
 She was right. She did n't have any evidence to back up those claims, but she was right. I tried to convince her otherwise, denying the cruel reality myself. I tried to suppress the memory of my brother's visit. He needed antibiotics, badly. 
 
 My brother was stabbed in a shopping mall the day after they initial outbreak. The city had become so polluted over the years from our new supply of oil, his wound became infected in a matter of minutes. He stiched himself up, but the infection discolored his skin. People found it unsettling. 
 
 He walked up to the medical station with the hopes of seeking refuge and getting the supplies he needed, but that was n't the case. I found him a few weeks later, in a pile of bodies behind a medical tent. They did n't even put a bullet in him. Maggots were crawling out of the hole in his neck. 
 
 They were at the door now. I could hear them trying to ram it down, but they did n't have the strength. Savages. 
 
 A few weeks back, someone had the bright idea of spreading around the rumor that if you drank uninfected blood, it would grant you immunity from the virus, and clear you of all symptoms. What a load of bullshit. 
 
 They started at the blood banks. When that well was dry, they started finding live hosts. The latest innovation developed soon after they realized it was a waste of blood to kill someone and let their blood drain onto the ground. 
 
 Blood farms were set up. I saw my first one a week ago. The victims were strung up on bathroom walls, above bath tubs. I could n't count how many incisions were made on their blood stained body even if I tried. The ramblings of witch doctors polluted the area around the bodies. They were still alive. I ended their misery. 
 
 I looked over at her, as she sat on the couch, staring hopelessly at the image on the television. Tears were casually strolling down her cheeks, and she remained indifferent to their presence. I was only able to imagine what thoughts were running through her mind. 
 
 Did she regret pairing up with a stranger a few weeks ago? Did she never get to tell her loved ones goodbye? Did she, a shareholder, feel guilty about funding Lunar Oil Missions? Perhaps. But perhaps, like so many of us, she was trying to find the answer to a poorly timed existential crisis. 
 
 I told her we needed to climb down the fire escape, but as I motioned to the window she remained motionless. 
 
 `` What's the point?'' she finally said aloud. 
 
 Her words crushed my spirits more than any others could have. She was the last humane person I knew, and would most likely ever know, and she wanted to opt out like so many others before hrer. 
 
 I tried to tell her we could n't, and she said we could. She reached into her backpack and pulled out an apple. I loved apples. It had n't ripened yet, but had been growing after the virus filled the air. We did n't need to examine it under a microscope to know that the apple would kill us. 
 
 The apartment door was beginning to crack. I could hear the witch doctors preaching about how they were going to gut us, and drink the most blood. 
 
 She put the apple to her lips, kissing her life goodbye. 
 
 `` This is it.'' she said. I was panicking. I was struggling to say her name, let alone an awe inspiring speech to save her life. 
 
 `` I ca n't believe it took me so long to finally let go.'' she said, opening her mouth wide. 
 
 I wanted to tell her that although the world had gone to shit, we could n't take a bow before the show was over. For all we know, we were the last hope humanity had to reclaim its former glory. We were human beings. Our entire history was comprised of people fighting uphill battles until the very end. I wanted to tell her that if she gave up now, she would be leaving me to fight alone. I wanted to tell her that the only reason I was still alive, is because I did n't want her to struggle alone. My only reason for waking up in the morning was to ensure that someone else was doing alright. Her suicide was hurtful, because it meant that the feelings were n't mutual. She was fighting for her own survival, not mine. 
 
 I remember her telling me she was an atheist, too. Her wanting to oprt out was n't her looking to find paradise on the other side, it was her declaring her existence null and void. 
 
 She bit into the apple,, smiling with delight. Juices dripped down from the corners of her mouth as she chewed. Her skin quickly darkened and her pupils grew wide. She turned to me, as if she had one last secret to share. The words never made it off her lips. Her eyes showed no regret, but were screaming that she was sorry. 
 
 The apple hit the floor. She was gone. 
 
 I turned my head, starting at the door. I was defeated. A miserable existence was waiting for me on the other side of the door. Opting out was n't an option. It never was. 
 
 Even though, as I sat there, knowing I had no reason left to be alive, all hope of a happy ending gone, I could n't help but feel proud. I survived longer than most, compromising none of my humanity to do so. The show was finally over. 
 
 But just as the curtains of my bleak life were closer, and the hinges on the door were almost off, I heard a voice. 
 
 `` You're not my dad.'' came out of nowhere in a high pitched voice. I turned my head to see a little girl, frightened by the events I brought to her. I stood up and walked over to her. She was terrified. Kneeling down, I took her hand and smiled. 
 
 `` Where is your dad?'' I said, trying to seem more curious than scared. They were almost through the door. 
 
 `` He went to get me some soup.'' she said, holding her stomach as the words left her mouth. I put my hand on her forehead, she had a mild fever, was it a common cold or something worse? 
 
 `` Well, let's go find him.'' I said. I grabbed her arm and walked her over to the fire escape. 
 
 `` Ok!'' She said, filled with delight. The door was finally broken down just as her and I climbed out the window, making our way down the fire escape. 
 
 My show was n't over. Yet. 

