Adam: The last man

Chapter 9: Better be careful

"Maybe it's ridiculous to talk to yourself in the future," murmured a somewhat younger version of Adrian. At first glance, the sadness on his face was palpable. "If you wake up and feel confused, you should know you promised to live. Everything is over. Nothing can reach you there where you are anymore."

Adrian leaned against the sofa. DOPy had played that short video; everything indicated that his supposed memory was real. He was holding a gun, which the capsule kept intact, took a look at it, and put it in a well-hidden compartment in the suitcase he had, filled with Math awards, contests, and so on. A promising youth that led to nothing.

He closed his eyes, and the ghost of another memory attacked him, where the barrel of that same weapon had once touched his lips while receiving a not very pleasant proposal, his downfall.

Adrian held a necklace with a small 'M' charm and a small metal crucifix. Gently he slid his fingertip over it and closed the suitcase. He snorted with boredom, not liking when the dark-haired girl went to that Eden. It was not fun. 

He felt more distracted when the girl was with him, and he liked to make her blush when bothering her. The freckles made her look adorable when that happened.

The boy hadn't thought of anything concrete before, but now he did, and it tormented him. What would he do? There were no more men, only the 'males,' who were supposed to be the new men. The loneliness feeling hit again, making him sigh.

He was alone, incredibly alone. There was no more left. What would he do then? Would he live in hiding all his life? His dark brows drew together, denoting sadness and concern.

DOPy returned, and its very low hum caused the distressed young man to open his eyes. It unfolded a tray with his CD, put it on the table, and positioned itself to play.

"How do you know I'm sad?" Adrian wondered in a whisper.

"Heartbeats, expression. Although with you, sometimes it's difficult to know."

"Sure..."

Adrian saw towards the big windows. He had to admit women had made a good technological advance. Apparently, what was left of the habitable planet was well cared for. According to the rare television on the wall, there was no poverty besides. 

They had followed the rule of using English, Spanish, and maybe Mandarin as official languages. Although he had not heard it, perhaps it had also disappeared. They didn't look into space because they said the earth was our home and would concentrate on taking care of it.

However, on the other hand, external beauty was overrated. The more status one woman had, the more they were admired in the gossip programs that abounded, while to him, all those women became very unreal and plastic. Nothing in them seemed to be natural, not even the eye colors. 

They didn't look at or mention the weight problems. They blamed women for their condition. Then they also blamed them for falling into bulimia and anorexia. There was no LGBTQ+ mention, and even the 'heterosexual' term didn't exist either. If there were transexual, gay, or other people, they probably didn't know since there was no information. They were just out there, lost and hiding because the leaders only admired what 'feminine' in their eyes was.

His lips tightened for a few seconds, realizing Teresa had a hang-up with her look because of the false beauty standard. His stomach reminded him that he had not eaten, so he went with DOPy to snoop in the pantry. The new food supplies were already there, but the funny thing was that he didn't see them arrive.

****

The girl waited outside the leader's office and wanted to look out the gardens through the window.