HOME | DD

Description
      Humanity
By: marlen carrillo

The sunlight of the city reflected off of the young man’s face. He wore dark brown jeans and a pale gray tee shirt. A cap was pulled over his eyes, keeping his brownish-blonde hair back away from around his shoulders. He had a well-hidden I-just-won-the-lottery smirk and an aura of complexity about him. Restlessly, he leaned against the wall, took off his cap revealing his crystal emerald green eyes, and gave a small sigh.

  Here it goes, he thought, three, two, and one… suddenly he looked to his left where a girl was running towards him.

“ Damien!” she hollered. She grabbed onto his shirt. “Don’t leave me alone like that ever again!” he held back a chuckle. Gently, he held her hand.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist myself.” He mocked. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and shook her head.

“ I thought better of you Damien Rein,” her chocolate brown eyes were filled with a mix of melancholy and disenchantment. Damien stared at her.

“ Sorry Ann-”

“Sorry? We’re the last people on earth and your sorry!” Ann exclaimed. “Take a look around us Damien.” He bit down hard on his lip and scanned his surroundings. Trees were scattered in random places probably as tall as a skyscraper. All the buildings were demolished, leaving few standing walls. The dirt was now a sandy shade of color, and there were overgrown gardens everywhere.

“How do you know we’re the last humans?”

  “ I’ve been checking our transmissions for days. Nothing and no one has been responding… not even China!” Ann exclaimed. Damien crossed his arms.

“Please, that nuclear attack wouldn’t wipe out the whole world.” Damien muttered. Ann looked at him in disbelief, like he was crazy.

“Were you asleep at the time? Was it your snoring that blocked out the sound?” Ann remarked. Damien’s eyes twitched.

“I do not snore,” he said darkly. Ann laughed.

  “Or so you say?” Ann murmured. Damien needed to let out his anger.

  “You! I.never.Ugh!” Damien hollered as he kicked at the ground, fiercely. Ann was surprised by his sudden behavior; she had thought he was going to take it out on her.

  “Damien calm down!” Ann exclaimed. Suddenly, everything seemed to shake. A loud blast came north from them. Damien snapped back.

“Ann run!” he ordered as the ground below him started to rise and crack. The sandy dust flew upon the air placing him out of sight.

“Damien!” Ann shrieked. Almost immediately, he ran out of the dust coughing. Quickly, he grabbed onto Ann’s hand and ran to the only shelter they had, two small wooden doors that were placed firmly in the ground. Thank goodness someone used a basement he thought. He opened the two doors and led Ann down. He latched them closed whenever they were safely inside. Further blasts could be herd in the distance.

“That was a close one.”  Ann said. Damien nodded.

“The bombs go off more frequently now.” Damien declared. Ann sighed.

“How long do you think it’ll last?”

“Do you mean us being the last humans? the bombs? Or me being the last man on earth?”  He added playfully. Ann prodded him in the stomach. She wanted this cheerfulness to last as long as possible.

“ You already know that even though you’re the last man on earth” she started, “you need to earn the right.” Damien smiled.

  The bombs had ceased and a faint tat-tat-tat could be herd from outside. Damien lit a match, placed it in a lamp, and it brightened the whole room. Ann seemed to be peaceful at the moment. Her dark brown hair flowed down to her waist. Her yellow shirt seemed to follow her curves. Her mind seemed elsewhere. Damien stared at her, mystified.

“Would you mind if I try now?”

  “Damien, I-” before she could say anything else, Damien held her face and kissed her.

  As soon as he pulled away, he half expected a loud smack and a pulsing pain in his cheek. For he had kissed her once and it didn’t turn out so well…

Ann covered her mouth and blushed wildly. Overwhelmed, she bolted out of the basement.

“Ann!” she ran into the muddy street. Her heart raced. Rain pounded on the floor beside her. She could hear Damien’s cries for her. Why do I feel this way? she asked herself.

“Come on Ann! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to come on so fast!” Damien sprinted after her. What did he do? It was an innocent kiss. He didn’t know much about Ann, but he knew she didn’t feel the same way.  If he were the last man on earth, he would want a chance to have a future with Ann.

He was finally gaining on her. Gently he grabbed her arm and twirled her towards him. It was really amazing how perfectly his hands fit around her waist. He could feel her skin burning against his skin, even though, the rain was freezing cold and his shirt was soaking wet. Ann’s hair was plastered to her face, skin, and clothes.

Ann felt Damien’s muscular chest. She didn’t know whether or not the water running down her face were tears or the rain. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t fall in love again.”  She murmured.

“What do you mean?” Damien asked, half confused. Ann took a deep breath. She pressed herself even closer to him, gently wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave herself completely to him. In utter shock, Damien didn’t know whether or not he was dreaming. Ann’s lips were fully pressed against his. Damien pulled away.

“What the-” he started, “first, I kiss you and you run away. Second, I try to apologize and then you kiss me? What the heck is going on?” Ann gave him a small smile. Damien raised an eyebrow.

The rain seemed to stop. The sun parted through the clouds. The sunlight reflected off of Damien’s eyes, making them glimmer like diamonds. Giving her a smile that made her heart melt, Damien finally said, “Guess I can’t be mad at you for that” Ann laughed

“I guess.” She said. Damien played with a lock of her hair. She giggled.

“What now?” Damien questioned

  “ I remember when I was eight and you were twelve. We used to be inseparable.  Our parents used to joke about us falling in love.”

“ I bet they never knew we would.” Damien sighed, “and that was twelve years ago. How can you possibly remember that?”

“Because…” she started, “ I had a small crush on you back then.” Ann felt herself turn red.

  “And you don’t now?” Damien stated playfully.

“ You get my point.” She muttered, punching his chest. He grinned.

It had been a year since humanity had become an endangered species. He had barely thought about his old life. The old schools, hot summers, Christmas, innocent crushes, all of it he missed. It was just an upsetting fact that he had taken it all for granted.

But now they could change all of that. He and Ann could restart humanity and make a world that was perfect. No wars. No hate. No hunger. No pollution. No-

“Damien,” he felt Ann shake his arm. “Damien!” Ann repeated. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Yeah?” he tried to remember what they were talking about before. Concerned, and prodded his stomach.

“ You dozed off completely” she muttered, “ am I that boring?” Damien laughed.

“No. No. You’re not boring. I was just… processing what happened.” Ann rolled her eyes, gave Damien an I’m-sure-you-were look, and sighed. Grinning, Damien kissed her again. “ Don’t whine,” he whispered as he pulled away.

For the first time, he took a look around. “Ann, where are we?”  Ann shrugged and peered around too. They were in a dark and lonely street, filled with small shrubs and tall trees.

“ I don’t know. This doesn’t look familiar.”  Ann stated. He must have chased Ann here without knowing. Suddenly, the ground started to shake fiercely. A dark red-orange explosion suddenly was in front of them. Damien was flung to the ground, with Ann landing on top of him. Dirt flew into his eyes, causing aggravating pain. Stunned, Damien tried to shield Ann from the scraps flying through the air. His hand passed something oozing wet. He lifted his hand to see what it was. Red. Blood was all over his hands. Ann’s eyelids were slowly closing.

“No! Ann, stay with me!” he hollered at her, “ please don’t leave. Not now. Not without me.”  He lifted her up, ignoring the rubble around him. His gray shirt was now being stained with blood. “ Ann can you hear me? Don’t you dare fall asleep.”  He was running down the road now, trying to find their usual shelter. Ann was gasping for air. Time was against him. He knew Ann had no chance.  He knew this was his entire fault. He knew if he had only kept his feelings boiled up for a bit Ann would not be dying. He also knew he was lost.

He placed Ann in a nearby field. Ann was smiling… she wasn’t breathing. Damien leaned over her dead body and cried like the little boy he used to be. He sobbed and murmured some things to Ann that he would never ever say. Hope, dreams, company were all long gone now. He might be the last human.

In the days after, Damien digged a grave for Ann right there in that very field. Every time he dug a hole, he said something good about Ann. For days, He had checked all the transmissions he and Ann had sent. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Ann was right about one thing. He was the last man standing.


                      Word count: 1638

Description
      Humanity
By: marlen carrillo

The sunlight of the city reflected off of the young man’s face. He wore dark brown jeans and a pale gray tee shirt. A cap was pulled over his eyes, keeping his brownish-blonde hair back away from around his shoulders. He had a well-hidden I-just-won-the-lottery smirk and an aura of complexity about him. Restlessly, he leaned against the wall, took off his cap revealing his crystal emerald green eyes, and gave a small sigh.

  Here it goes, he thought, three, two, and one… suddenly he looked to his left where a girl was running towards him.

“ Damien!” she hollered. She grabbed onto his shirt. “Don’t leave me alone like that ever again!” he held back a chuckle. Gently, he held her hand.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist myself.” He mocked. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and shook her head.

“ I thought better of you Damien Rein,” her chocolate brown eyes were filled with a mix of melancholy and disenchantment. Damien stared at her.

“ Sorry Ann-”

“Sorry? We’re the last people on earth and your sorry!” Ann exclaimed. “Take a look around us Damien.” He bit down hard on his lip and scanned his surroundings. Trees were scattered in random places probably as tall as a skyscraper. All the buildings were demolished, leaving few standing walls. The dirt was now a sandy shade of color, and there were overgrown gardens everywhere.

“How do you know we’re the last humans?”

  “ I’ve been checking our transmissions for days. Nothing and no one has been responding… not even China!” Ann exclaimed. Damien crossed his arms.

“Please, that nuclear attack wouldn’t wipe out the whole world.” Damien muttered. Ann looked at him in disbelief, like he was crazy.

“Were you asleep at the time? Was it your snoring that blocked out the sound?” Ann remarked. Damien’s eyes twitched.

“I do not snore,” he said darkly. Ann laughed.

  “Or so you say?” Ann murmured. Damien needed to let out his anger.

  “You! I.never.Ugh!” Damien hollered as he kicked at the ground, fiercely. Ann was surprised by his sudden behavior; she had thought he was going to take it out on her.

  “Damien calm down!” Ann exclaimed. Suddenly, everything seemed to shake. A loud blast came north from them. Damien snapped back.

“Ann run!” he ordered as the ground below him started to rise and crack. The sandy dust flew upon the air placing him out of sight.

“Damien!” Ann shrieked. Almost immediately, he ran out of the dust coughing. Quickly, he grabbed onto Ann’s hand and ran to the only shelter they had, two small wooden doors that were placed firmly in the ground. Thank goodness someone used a basement he thought. He opened the two doors and led Ann down. He latched them closed whenever they were safely inside. Further blasts could be herd in the distance.

“That was a close one.”  Ann said. Damien nodded.

“The bombs go off more frequently now.” Damien declared. Ann sighed.

“How long do you think it’ll last?”

“Do you mean us being the last humans? the bombs? Or me being the last man on earth?”  He added playfully. Ann prodded him in the stomach. She wanted this cheerfulness to last as long as possible.

“ You already know that even though you’re the last man on earth” she started, “you need to earn the right.” Damien smiled.

  The bombs had ceased and a faint tat-tat-tat could be herd from outside. Damien lit a match, placed it in a lamp, and it brightened the whole room. Ann seemed to be peaceful at the moment. Her dark brown hair flowed down to her waist. Her yellow shirt seemed to follow her curves. Her mind seemed elsewhere. Damien stared at her, mystified.

“Would you mind if I try now?”

  “Damien, I-” before she could say anything else, Damien held her face and kissed her.

  As soon as he pulled away, he half expected a loud smack and a pulsing pain in his cheek. For he had kissed her once and it didn’t turn out so well…

Ann covered her mouth and blushed wildly. Overwhelmed, she bolted out of the basement.

“Ann!” she ran into the muddy street. Her heart raced. Rain pounded on the floor beside her. She could hear Damien’s cries for her. Why do I feel this way? she asked herself.

“Come on Ann! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to come on so fast!” Damien sprinted after her. What did he do? It was an innocent kiss. He didn’t know much about Ann, but he knew she didn’t feel the same way.  If he were the last man on earth, he would want a chance to have a future with Ann.

He was finally gaining on her. Gently he grabbed her arm and twirled her towards him. It was really amazing how perfectly his hands fit around her waist. He could feel her skin burning against his skin, even though, the rain was freezing cold and his shirt was soaking wet. Ann’s hair was plastered to her face, skin, and clothes.

Ann felt Damien’s muscular chest. She didn’t know whether or not the water running down her face were tears or the rain. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t fall in love again.”  She murmured.

“What do you mean?” Damien asked, half confused. Ann took a deep breath. She pressed herself even closer to him, gently wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave herself completely to him. In utter shock, Damien didn’t know whether or not he was dreaming. Ann’s lips were fully pressed against his. Damien pulled away.

“What the-” he started, “first, I kiss you and you run away. Second, I try to apologize and then you kiss me? What the heck is going on?” Ann gave him a small smile. Damien raised an eyebrow.

The rain seemed to stop. The sun parted through the clouds. The sunlight reflected off of Damien’s eyes, making them glimmer like diamonds. Giving her a smile that made her heart melt, Damien finally said, “Guess I can’t be mad at you for that” Ann laughed

“I guess.” She said. Damien played with a lock of her hair. She giggled.

“What now?” Damien questioned

  “ I remember when I was eight and you were twelve. We used to be inseparable.  Our parents used to joke about us falling in love.”

“ I bet they never knew we would.” Damien sighed, “and that was twelve years ago. How can you possibly remember that?”

“Because…” she started, “ I had a small crush on you back then.” Ann felt herself turn red.

  “And you don’t now?” Damien stated playfully.

“ You get my point.” She muttered, punching his chest. He grinned.

It had been a year since humanity had become an endangered species. He had barely thought about his old life. The old schools, hot summers, Christmas, innocent crushes, all of it he missed. It was just an upsetting fact that he had taken it all for granted.

But now they could change all of that. He and Ann could restart humanity and make a world that was perfect. No wars. No hate. No hunger. No pollution. No-

“Damien,” he felt Ann shake his arm. “Damien!” Ann repeated. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“Yeah?” he tried to remember what they were talking about before. Concerned, and prodded his stomach.

“ You dozed off completely” she muttered, “ am I that boring?” Damien laughed.

“No. No. You’re not boring. I was just… processing what happened.” Ann rolled her eyes, gave Damien an I’m-sure-you-were look, and sighed. Grinning, Damien kissed her again. “ Don’t whine,” he whispered as he pulled away.

For the first time, he took a look around. “Ann, where are we?”  Ann shrugged and peered around too. They were in a dark and lonely street, filled with small shrubs and tall trees.

“ I don’t know. This doesn’t look familiar.”  Ann stated. He must have chased Ann here without knowing. Suddenly, the ground started to shake fiercely. A dark red-orange explosion suddenly was in front of them. Damien was flung to the ground, with Ann landing on top of him. Dirt flew into his eyes, causing aggravating pain. Stunned, Damien tried to shield Ann from the scraps flying through the air. His hand passed something oozing wet. He lifted his hand to see what it was. Red. Blood was all over his hands. Ann’s eyelids were slowly closing.

“No! Ann, stay with me!” he hollered at her, “ please don’t leave. Not now. Not without me.”  He lifted her up, ignoring the rubble around him. His gray shirt was now being stained with blood. “ Ann can you hear me? Don’t you dare fall asleep.”  He was running down the road now, trying to find their usual shelter. Ann was gasping for air. Time was against him. He knew Ann had no chance.  He knew this was his entire fault. He knew if he had only kept his feelings boiled up for a bit Ann would not be dying. He also knew he was lost.

He placed Ann in a nearby field. Ann was smiling… she wasn’t breathing. Damien leaned over her dead body and cried like the little boy he used to be. He sobbed and murmured some things to Ann that he would never ever say. Hope, dreams, company were all long gone now. He might be the last human.

In the days after, Damien digged a grave for Ann right there in that very field. Every time he dug a hole, he said something good about Ann. For days, He had checked all the transmissions he and Ann had sent. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Ann was right about one thing. He was the last man standing.


                      Word count: 1638