The Last

by Hanna Jameson

‘A lot of people confuse movement with progress,’

History is only the sum of its people and, as far as I know, we could be the last ones.

I was prepared to bet that she had voted for him.

Let me guess, your description of me for this interaction will mention I’m blond, blue-eyed and hot because male writers have to do that by law. This will be followed by an acknowledgment of your irrational dislike of me, and how that makes me unattractive in your eyes, and then an attempt to dilute that reaction by universalizing it or by referencing your own bias. You think this will convey that you’re enlightened and trustworthy. In reality, it’ll betray that you’re too self-conscious of your legacy. You have “This is my moment” written all over you.’

It struck me that at some point we might run out of pens, and it was likely she had already thought of that. She probably has a stash of them.

‘Why, after all, should we expect God to punish the innocent with more life?’

‘That’s great, mate, because I’ll be honest, I can’t hold an adult man in the air – you were always going down!’ ‘You’re an asshole!’ ‘I am, yes.’

time feels more like elastic, like an attempt to reach out, to move farther, before an event abruptly snaps you back into place.

Scotland was gone so of course we should call a cab.

‘I use humor to cope with the abyss, so sue me!’

‘I mean, I like hanging out with myself. But it makes your thoughts feel real big.’

Everything Adam says is in the same slightly sarcastic tone of voice. He’s funny without realizing he is. Deadpan.

‘I think science can explain how but not why.’

‘I might have done a bad thing.’ Adam said, ‘Oh, please say you did.’

‘Who says we don’t have sun anymore?’ Rob laughed. ‘We have our own ray of sunshine right here.’

We stockpiled hope now, hoarded it within us and hoped it was enough to tide us over until the next time there was a break in the cloud cover.

Tomi’s shot had been as good as her word.

Despite all of this, the irritating urge to protect her persisted.

I had ended up in one of the few places that escaped total devastation, and the idea of creating more by giving in to despair seemed ungrateful somehow.

‘A knowing,’ I repeated, because I was thirteen and I mostly wanted the selfish fuck to tell me what to say.

He’d be feeling very disappointed by His failed experiment right about now.

‘Holy shit, it’s raining!’ Nathan shouted. ‘Holy shit!’

‘He’s such a wanker,’ Adam said. ‘Wankers are gonna wanker, it’s a rule.’

‘He’s got it into his head that we’re all eventually going to repopulate the planet and I’m sleeping with too many women, which is absurd, because I am only sleeping with one.’

It was as if the building itself had drawn us to it from the most far-flung corners of the world. And when we arrived, the world had ended. I don’t know what I’m trying to suggest. It’s just a feeling I have.

The idea actually kinda turns me on.’

sometimes feel that there might be more people in the hotel than we know about.

Our history teaches us that we have built a civilization out of nothing before. So I believe we will do it again.’

The feeling that we were all guided here by a larger, unseen force.

‘Maybe I’m already dead, mate. Maybe this is the other place, and that’s why I can’t die.’

‘I used to call Marion Beeps. My daughter, I called her Beep-bop, but mostly it was just Beeps.’

‘No, that I knew was real. No, I …’ He gulped down the rest of his drink. ‘For a second, I thought I saw my dad.’

Adam said, ‘It’s unfair anyway! We should already be doing a rota. If you think I’m gonna keep going out and risking my arse for people who are just hiding here wanting to eat more, you can fuck off, mate.’

‘You’re so annoying. If you’re the last person I speak to before I die, I’ll be so pissed.’

I think it was Stephen King who said that the sum of all human fear is just a door left slightly ajar.

Tomi hadn’t lowered her weapon. It was still trained on Dylan’s skull. She gave me a brisk nod as if to say, I got you, and I felt a wave of gratitude.

An ending is easy. This terminal waking up, morning after morning, isn’t easy. Repairing and rebuilding isn’t easy either.