Apocalypse [Joshler]

two

Ohio

"What time is it?" asked a weary Brendon. Sitting in the car for the past hour wasn't easy for him. He was already a jar of nutella down, and that drove him insane.

"It's barely 10. You've been complaining for the past 30 minutes." sighed Tyler. The streets were eerily quiet, not a single light was on to help them see. They could only depend on the headlights, but it wasn't much.

"I wonder since when has the power been out in Ohio." mumbled Brendon as he saw the tall silhouettes of abandoned buildings. They looked vacant, infested with who knows what. "Probably after Ohio became contaminated with the pathogen."

"I'm still confused," paused Tyler, looking at the road "how did we not get sick?"

"Maybe we are sick, but haven't revealed any symptoms yet." pointed Brendon. "or perhaps we're badasses who don't get sick at all."

"Whatever." laughed Tyler. The world ending brought tragedy, and that came along with depressing feelings. Having Brendon around sure kept Tyler calm and happy. "i just hope you don't get sick and die like the million of other folks in this country."

"Maybe instead of worrying about me, you should worry about where we're staying tonight."

"In the car." replied Tyler monotonously. Brendon turned his head over to the other, eyes popping out of his framed glasses. "you can't be serious?" 

"What?" questioned Tyler. "you don't expect me to check in a hotel do you?"

"Tyler." began Brendon. "This is probably the last time we'll be in Ohio. Why don't we go to Texas but along the way stay in decent places? No one's going to charge you, money has no more value anymore." 

Tyler thought deeply about Brendon's statements. "OK, we'll manage to gather resources along the way, but honestly, i don't know where we're heading. It's pitch black and there is no service anywhere."

"Gps? I dont know her. Coming from Ohio, you should know everything by heart." baffled Brendon. The swarm of trees vanished, exposing them to the rotting city in front of them. Overgrown plants started to eat the buildings up, every single one of them have been vandalized horribly. 

"The pathogen hit Ohio 5 months ago, but it seems like it hit it a decade ago," stared Brendon. "Everything is literally rotting."

"Do you still want to stay here to rest?" snorted Tyler, expecting Brendon to take back what he said earlier.

"Yea." Brendon responded in an obvious tone. "We can get more 'resources'" Tyler rolled his eyes in disbelief and pulled over at an abandoned-looking motel. The neon sign swung back in forth with the wind, the sound of the metal hinges groaning eerily.

"You seriously want to stay here?" Tyler asked one more time. Brendon opened the door, a big smile on his face. "Totally. Bring a flashlight, we might need it." Tyler hesitantly opened the trunk, searching the clutter for his backpack.

"Hey Tyler," called out Brendon. He ripped the 'do not cross' tape from the door, revealing the empty lobby. "You might want hurry."

The brunette abruptly slammed the door shut and jogged his way towards Brendon who held a rusty crowbar at his fingertips. "After you madame," he said jokingly.

"Whatever." laughed Tyler as he shone the light to the reception desk. Graffiti covered the walls with friendly messages saying, 'the world is ending' and 'there is no hope'. Trash littered the floor, and the unmistakable aroma of death dominated the area.

"Do you want to check in?" played along Brendon, ignoring the wreck the place was. He sat down in the ripped leather chair, awaiting a response from Tyler's pale face.

"Cut it out B, let's just look for a room." he finally said as he adjusted to the smell. On the outside, the place seemed small, but really it was massive. The halls seemed endless, like if there was a hundred rooms in each one. "I can't believe I agreed to this." sighed Tyler as they walked up the steps. "tomorrow night we're staying in the jeep."

"Ok, but the night after that you owe me a night at a luxurious hotel." grinned the other. He looked to his right, admiring the untouched floor way.

"This seems less dead than the other ones" pointed out Brendon as he kicked the door open to a random room. Unlike the other rooms on the lower floor, this one seemed to be in a pretty good shape. "You're right." agreed Tyler as he set down the backpack. Brendon flicked the light switch on, getting no power turned on as expected. "It's so dark in here though," he muttered. "Check the bathroom for candles or something, i saw one down the hall." 

"What kind of motel is this?" 

"A dead one. Now scat, find me some good smelling candles." retorted Brendon. Groaning in complain, Tyler headed out the door, shining the light towards the row of rooms, hoping to see the bathroom sign quickly. The peelimg wallpaper revealed the sign Tyler was hoping for, giving him strength to run towards it. He reached for the knob when suddenly:

"Who's there?" Asked a voice that was immediately followed by breaking glass.

"Hello?" Tyler asked, opening the door slowly. A figure shrieked and tumbled backwards, covering it's face in fear.

"Please don't hurt me.." it wailed.

"Calm down, i won't harm you. I'm just trying to find candles."

Slowly, the person lowered it's hands to reveal itself to Tyler.

"Okay." She said.

"Might I ask your name?" Tyler wondered, flashing the light to the moldy ground.

"Melanie." She responded. Melanie grabbed a hold of her own bag. "I can't remember my last name, but that doesn't matter anymore. Are you alone?"

"No" began Tyler, helping Melanie up. "I'm with my friend Brendon here. We're staying for the night, but leaving when the sun rises."

"Leaving? Where?"

"Not sure." Tyler said quickly. "Somewhere safer."

"May I Uh-" the blonde looked down at her feet, struggling with her words. "Maybe join you guys?"

"Sure." He smiled. "We could use the company."

Melanie grinned. "Thank you so much. Oh and, i have the candles you're looking for."

(Awkward ending yikes.)