[ WP ] An immortal , in self-imposed exil , finally sees reason to live again . A scientific breakthrough creates the first ageless humans . At long last , he is not alone anymore .

`` It's my birthday, today; just in case you did n't know.'' 
 *''...'' * 
 `` Ah, geez, you should n't have.'' 
 *''...'' * 
 
 He got the chalk and drew a cake with one candle on the wall. There were about 100,000 marks on the walls of the room covering the ceiling and the walls and weaving around windows and doors. 
 Cakes were everywhere. 
 In the center of the cake, he wrote the number'274'. 
 
 *''...'' * 
 `` What's that? Oh, it's my Two-hundred-and-seventy-fourth birthday!'' 
 *''...'' * 
 `` No... I did n't think to plan a party this year.'' 
 *''...'' * 
 `` Oh, no, it's... it's fine.'' He sighed and turned away from the stuffed dog so it would n't see him wipe the tear out of his eye. 
 He had to be strong. 
 `` I just did n't want to bother anyone is all.'' 
 
 From the island, he had watched the world slowly destroy itself. When he was a younger man, he was right there with them. 
 War used to be glorious. 
 Now, the memories were all he had left. 
 *Mushroom clouds* 
 There were so many of them. 
 
 *'' You're the last man standing. `` * 
 
 
 Those were the only words the dog had spoken to him and he was n't sure whether or not it was a dream. 196 years is a long time to remember, but not much has happened since he'd arrived. 
 He found the dog waiting for him in the house when he discovered the island in the middle of the Pacific ocean. 
 He had taken a boat and put his back to the world. 
 *This was no place for a man like him... * 
 They shared every minute together. 
 It was the only face he could look at anymore. 
 *Man's best friend. * 
 The conversation was minimal, but he liked it that way: quiet; peace and quiet. 
 *''...'' * 
 `` What did you say?'' He jumped with a start and spun around. 
 There, in the doorway... 
 
 
 *** 
 
 
 
 She was tired of the bunker. 
 
 It was dark, cold. 
 *Quiet*. 
 When the bombs went off on the television, she'd hoped they would reach her here. 
 But fate seemed to be holding a grudge for some wrong she had committed in a past life. 
 The sting of death, and the victory of the grave was all she had craved for, but when the tremors finally ceased after what must have been days, she decided to venture out of the underground facility. 
 The first step, breaking the door down was easy. 
 She had begun scraping the metal away for nearly fifty years after the tremors stopped. They had caused a crack to form on one side. 
 Instead of using the metal utensils to try and find a way to succeed in killing herself, she devoted her time to more constructive pursuits. 
 The walls were etched with marks tallying the total days she had been there, but she stopped counting. 
 *What was the use? * 
 The door made a sound different from the scratching her ears had become accustomed to. 
 
 She had broken through. 
 
 She put her shoulder to the hunk of metal and pushed. 
 The squealing of metal against metal was music to her ears. 
 So many days must have passed since the tremors. 
 *What year is it? * 
 
 She looked around the corridor. It must be a basement. 
 She could n't remember where she was or how long she'd been there. 
 *Stairs... * 
 
 She made her way to a flight of stairs and walked up. 
 There was a trap door above her which she pushed up on. 
 The sunlight stung her eyes, but the fresh air made her press on. 
 *Finally... * 
 
 
 She found herself standing in a house. It looked nice. Clean. 
 *Someone's been taking care of it. * 
 *They could still be here. * 
 But why was she under a house? 
 *All these years... * 
 
 She looked in the kitchen. 
 *Empty... * 
 The toilet in the bathroom did n't have any water. Not that she needed to use it. She had n't eaten or drunk water for God knows how long... 
 She heard a faint murmuring. 
 
 *'' No... I did n't think to plan a party this year. `` * 
 The voice sent shockwaves through her body. She remembered what sadness sounded like. 
 *The room down the hall... * 
 
 
 *'' Oh, no, it's... it's fine. `` * 
 It was a syren song. 
 Her feet moved on their own. 
 Drawn to the emotion. 
 *'' I just did n't want to bother anyone is all. `` * 
 She had been in the silence for so long... 
 
 She came to the doorway. 
 *My God... * 
 A lump started to form in her throat. 
 There was a man sitting in a chair with his back to the door. 
 He seemed to be talking to a stuffed dog. 
 
 *** 
 
 `` What did you say?'' 
 He jumped with a start and spun around to face her. 
 Their eyes connected. 
 It was the longest silence either of them had ever experienced...
