The Affection

Picnic At The End Of The World

Year 86

Camper: Verity Caoimhe Fellis

A blue baby stroller with a busted front wheel slowly clattered down the rotting wood planks of the Bar Harbor town boardwalks. A soft summer breeze whistled in the air as Verity Fellis, a curious two-year-old with black hair and brown skin stared out at the passing world. The air was starting to get colder as autumn began to take over the summer warmth and sun, but it was still pleasant enough to head out for a picnic.

Her six-year-old brother, Ryan Fellis, skipped ahead of the stroller, kicking rocks to see how far they would scatter. Verity's father Holland, a fairer man with blond hair and blue eyes, pushed the stroller while leisurely looking around at the birds perched on streetlights and the roofs of long abandoned shops.

Holland's wife Caoimhe was walking close behind Ryan, eyes protected behind sunglasses and face shaded by a large sunhat. As Ryan kicked another rock, it crashed into one of the streetlights, sending the seagull perched on it flying off with an unamused squawk of indignation, feathers ruffled.

An Affected, a creature named for its reaction to a strange disease that had taken hold of the world 86 years ago, shambled a way ahead on the boardwalk, slowly but surely getting closer to the contented family. It had thin, stringy hair and was missing an eye, likely ripped out based on the slashing marks on the rest of its face.

86 years ago was when the pandemic first delved the world into chaos and panic, and caused people once dead to roam around the earth craving nothing but human flesh. There were theories when it all first began, just like there had been for every other major catastrophe, and the most common conclusion was that some form of rabies or wasting disease had finally jumped to humans through the spread of bug bites.

The Affected noticed Caoimhe first and picked up its speed by a fraction, its legs knocking against each other as it walked, its teeth grinding with hunger. Ryan giggled, his sister full on laughing at the sight of the Affected. Caoimhe smiled down at her son as she pulled a handgun out of her belt and aimed it at the Affected's head. Taking off her sunhat, she delicately placed it in front of Ryan's face.

A loud shot echoed through the air and the Affected fell, smoke lazily drifting out of the barrel of the gun as it was returned to Caoimhe's belt. Caoimhe looked down at the sunhat, now splattered with blood, and casually tossed it aside, giving a lighthearted grin to her son. Verity gave a little kick as the stroller passed the body, giggling as she waved goodbye to the corpse.

Holland bent to give his daughter a bottle full with cow's milk, while his wife reached out to grab Ryan's hand, swinging it merrily as they walked. The family continued down the boardwalk without another thought or passing glance at the Affected's body.

"There they are." Holland smiles, pointing to the run-down amusement park that was once the crown jewel of the town, and what attracted most of the tourists before the apocalypse fell.

Holland was referring to the teacup ride, where the family often went for picnics. Holland settles the children into their seats and tucks away the stroller while Caoimhe set up the table, using the wheel in the centre that used to steer the cups. They were far too rusted now to ever turn again. Caoimhe hands everyone their plates and dishes out the food she had brought from the camp where the family lived.

"Go ahead and eat." Caoimhe urges with a smile as the kids happily start chewing the carrots and cucumber that had grown in the latest harvest.

Most of the veggies packed in the lunches wouldn't look as big or appetising until spring rolled around again, and the proper growing times allowed them to flourish. Caoimhe savoured her celery while she had it.

Besides the vegetables, they had basic sandwiches, with nothing but bread the camp's bakers had made, ham from the pigs, and some cheese one of the cooks had made from the cow's milk.

"Quite the feast, huh?" Holland smiles at his kids. Verity picked the cheese off of her sandwiches and ate it first, before eating the ham and bread together. "Silly girl, why do you do that?"

Verity smiled at his light teasing and giggled. "It's good!" She says with a wide grin and nod of her head.

As the family continued to eat, storm clouds slowly started gathering closer and closer. The air began to rumble with thunder. Verity starts to lowly whine, clapping her wrists together as it got darker and darker outside.

"Very, Very, it's okay." Ryan reaches over and places a hand on the toddler's shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"It's just thunder, Verity. It's okay." Holland continues. "The thunder won't hurt you."

"No!" Verity whines, high pitched, trying to get out of the teacup. "No, bad! It's bad! Go!"

"Verity-" Caoimhe reaches out for her daughter, trying to gather her into her arms. "I'm right here, listen to my heartbeat. Verity, calm down." She says, somewhat urgent.

Thunder booms and lightning flashes across the sky, and Verity screams. Affected start to shamble out from houses at the noise, moving towards the family. Caoimhe shoves Verity into Hollands arms, climbing out of the teacup and lifting Ryan out, Holland and Verity climbing out after.

"Take them back to the mall now, I'll deal with the Affected and buy you time." Caoimhe orders.

Holland lifted Ryan onto his hip, struggling under the weight of both of the kids, and breaks into a run, heading back towards the Bar Harbor mall, the stroller and picnic abandoned. Once they reach the doors, he sets Ryan down and pushes the door open. He pulls Ryan inside the vestibule, then through the next set of doors he hurriedly unlocked.

Setting Verity down, he looks over at his second hand, Blaine. "Take them to their rooms!" He yells at him, Blaine reluctantly doing as told as Holland looks outside the dirtied doors, hoping to catch sight of his wife.

"Damn it!" He curses, pulling out his gun and looking back at the guards that were stationed at the doors. "Get your asses outside, now!"

He goes back outside, finding the nearest Affected and sprinting at it. A shot echoes through the air, leaving a hole oozing with blood in the Affected's neck. Another shot sends it to the ground. One of the guards levels his gun and shoots another Affected down, the gunshots being somewhat masked by the thunder. Rain starts as a small pattering on the sidewalks, then pouring down from the sky and drowning the grass.

Holland tackles another Affected, pinning their hands down as one of the guards shoves a machete through their head. Holland turns his head to avoid the spurt of blood as he stands and moves for the next, the blood red against his cheek.

"Sir, you should come back inside!" One of the guards yells. "This isn't wise, if you're not thinking clearly you could be killed!"

"I'll tell you what's wise, how have we not taken out every Affected in this town after a hundred years?" Holland yells, his usual ration masked by his upset. His hair was plastered down to his forehead, drops dripping down his cheeks to fall off his chest. "There should be none left! None!"

"Well, what's an Affected ever done to you?" Caoimhe's voice asks.

Holland turns. His wife was covered in blood that was being somewhat washed away by the rain, her fingers deftly reloading her gun. She laughs at his face as he runs at her. She holsters her gun and greets him with an embrace, more rain washing over them as she kissed him, the taste of blood in their mouths. Her arms wrap around his neck as he held her hips.

Caoimhe pulls away, wiping the blood off of his cheek with a lovelorn smile. "What a day for a picnic right?" She asks rhetorically, gesturing up at the sky.

Holland laughs, dropping his gun to the grass and lifting her up to kiss her some more.