The Last Flower on Earth

The Girl with Passion in her Eyes

One day passes, I wake up to find Emma sitting on the couch in her outdoor gear. Please take note of how I just dressed myself in casual attire for being inside.

"Emma, why the hell are you in your scavenging clothing?" The coffee machine beeps and produces a dark liquid into the cup under it.

"We're going out? Aren't we?" I set my sights on the steaming drink, I'm fully ready to say no, though assessing the situation would be better.

I put in the cream and sugar, two of each. The bitterness mixed with the sweetness is something I cherish, I'm so glad I was taught how to make the perfect coffee. I tune Emma out as I take another sip, and another slightly longer one. Emma notices her vocal attempts to grab my attention are not working.

She pulls my sleeve. "We're going out, aren't we?"

"We go out every other day, because today, I just don't feel like it." I smile as the cup touches my lips.

She gets irritated. "I woke up early, made my own breakfast, got myself fully dressed and ready to go, only for you to stand there smug and say 'I ain't feelin' it'!"

I take another sip. "I thought I told you. We go every other day."

"You're a dick."

I finish my coffee. "I guess we could go again today."

Emma's eyes light up, I don't know why she enjoys going out, but I'm not judgemental about it. Maybe she just wants fresh air or enjoys the cold.

After quickly making myself breakfast I put on my scavenging wear and head toward the lift, where Emma was already standing. She was fidgeting with a knife.

"If you're ready to go, then press the lift button." I call out while walking up to her. She presses the button, and the doors open.

I analyze every building I see. "What about that one?" Emma asks.

"The back has completely fallen off, the floor will not last a light gust."

She points to another building. "And that one?"

"That whole front was glass, you'd be lucky to not stab your foot on a shard."

"How can you tell?"

"The front is very open now and based on its height I'd say it was an office building. In shows and movies that I've seen, I'd say that that building looks kind of like them." Emma stands in awe.

"You're so smart about this kinda stuff."

I blush, but she can't see it. "I'm not smart, I just have a feel for surviving, over time you learn to see even the finest of details, smallest of secrets, you get trained to learn what the world is showing you. I don't know much aside from this, I only know what I know."

Emma is speechless. "You sound so wise!"

We continue walking. I pick up a sound, like a very distant bone cracking. "Emma, you remember the way back?"

"Yeah, you heard something?"

"When I say now, turn around as fast as you can. But don't run." She nods.

"Now!" she turns.

"I think I saw something!" I ask her if the snow was kicked up. "Yeah, that's exactly what."

I tell her that it's Hate Demons, she gulps. We back up really slow. "How... how do we kill them?"

"Emma, I don't know how." She's shaking with her knives out, barely able to hold them straight.

We slowly turn back to back to cover all angles. "We should get a roof over our heads, it should be safer inside." Emma agrees, we maneuver to the closest building and camp out.

Time passes, the monsters haven't made themselves known in a while. I speak my thoughts out loud, "Why are they hunting us?" Emma's head pops up before going back down.

"You have an idea?" She stays for a while.

"Maybe, they want us dead only because we're... alive." Her throat tightened on multiple words.

I reach over and grab her hands. "Emma, we'll make it back to the bunker in one piece, I promise you that, you'll be safe." Her hands are colder than I imagined.

"I know we will make it back. I know we will." Emma speaks with the same tone as if she was one hundred percent certain of our safety.