We're the Last

by G Sasaki

  The class erupted with joy. Going outside! Hailey leapt out of her chair, “Yay!” she screamed with the rest of the class.

  Outside, Hailey’s class stood in the middle of a grassy field. The sun painted them in rich colors and the air smelled like fresh flowers. Ms. Samsa stood in front of the students with the butterfly mini-houses on the ground at her feet. Ms. Samsa asked, “Who from table two is going to free their home of butterflies?”

  Hailey’s eyes lit up at the prospect of being the chosen one. She jumped up and down, begging to be picked. Ms. Samsa suggested, “Grace, why don’t you come over here?” Hailey’s eyes dimmed and her jumping subsided. Her head dropped. Darn.

  Panic pulsed through Grace. She wanted nothing to do with those flying freaks. “Hailey can do it.”

  Hailey’s head shot back up. “Really!?” Hailey wrapped her arms around Grace and nearly knocked her over. “Thank you!”

  Grace shifted her weight and brushed Hailey away. “It’s fine. Just go do it.”

  “Okay!” Hailey hopped to Ms. Samsa and picked up the box. She lifted it to her eyes and peered inside. The butterflies danced around, amazingly not running into each other. So pretty. Boy, would they be excited to be let out of their little space and free into the world!

  Ms. Samsa picked two box-openers from the other tables and they each stood with their box in their hands. “Okay,” she said, “On the count of three, open your boxes and watch them fly away! One… Two… Three!”

  Hailey plopped off the roof of the house and exposed the butterflies to their new world. She thrust the box high above her head and watched as the butterflies bounced around the blue sky. “Go!” Hailey yelled. “You’re free!”

  Hailey tossed the box onto the grass. One particular butterfly flew in front of her face, delighting her. “Hello butterfly,” Hailey said, “I wish I could have wings like yours.” She giggled as the butterfly danced in the direction of her classmates.

  It took a particular interest in Grace, heading directly her way. Grace uncomfortably watched as the orange and black wings flapped closer and closer. Hailey ran toward her, “It likes you!”

  Grace didn’t feel the same way. She froze her body and prayed it would leave her alone. But when the butterfly brushed against her face, she freaked out. “Oh my gosh!” Grace’s high-pitch scream filled the air and she turned and sprinted toward the school. “Grace, wait! The butterflies are nice!” Hailey’s tiny legs sprang into action and she chased after her.

  The two girls soared across the grass field away from the rest of the students. “Girls!” Ms. Samsa shouted, “Get back here!” Predictably, neither listened as their little bodies waddled on. Great, Ms. Samsa thought, she couldn’t leave all the students behind in a big field to chase after those two. “Everyone gather around, we have to go get Hailey and Grace. We’ll come back.”

  Grace ran all the way to the entrance of the school when her foot clipped the curb, sending her flying forward. Her body rocketed down, but luckily, she was able to use her hands to break her fall. Her hands skidded and slid across the hard cement, cutting them. Grace yelped as she fell and instantly started to cry, especially after she observed blood leaking from her fingers.

  Hailey towered above her, out of breath. “Why are you running?”

  “The butterfly reminded me of something. It scared me.”

  Hailey cheerfully asked, “Are you okay? It looks like you’re bleeding.”

  Grace sniffled away her tears and rolled onto her back. As she sat up, Hailey knelt beside her and said, “I have an idea!”

  Uh-oh. That worried Grace.

  Hailey continued, “I always wanted to do this. Give me your finger.”

  Grace looked at her fingers. Blood trailed down to her palm. What did Hailey want with it? Grace hesitated and extended her hand. Hailey grabbed it and examined the dark red blood. Without much more thought, she stuck one of the bloody fingers in her mouth.

  Disgusted, Grace said, “Yuck! What are you doing!?”

  Hailey sucked the blood off Grace’s finger like a lollipop. She swished it around her mouth and gulped it down. Hailey’s face scrunched like she had just eaten something sour. The taste wasn’t so great. Amid Grace’s horror, Hailey laughed. “Now we’re blood sisters!”

  “Sisters?”

  “Yes!” Hailey responded, “Since I drank your blood, now we have the same blood! That makes us sisters!”

  Disgust transformed to intrigue. Grace always wanted a sister. She only ever had brothers. And they tended to exclude her from everything. “So we’re related now?”

  “Yeah!” Hailey stuck Grace’s other finger in her mouth, just to be sure she sucked enough of her blood. Hailey turned and saw Ms. Samsa marching toward them with the class behind her. They would definitely be in trouble. Quick! Hailey looked around the curb and found a small piece of broken glass. Without hesitation, she dug it into her finger and slit it open. A flash of pain pulsed. “Ouch!” she exclaimed. “That hurt more than I thought!” Sure enough, blood rushed out, even more than Grace’s finger. Hailey squeezed the tip, allowing an ample amount to flow. She extended her finger toward Grace’s mouth.

  Grace looked at it. The thick blood looked syrup-y… and gross. She nervously asked, “Are you sure this is okay?”

  “Yes. I know for sure.”

  “Alright.” Grace opened her mouth and accepted Hailey’s bloody finger. The taste of blood was sweet, not as bad as she thought. Her face tightened as she forcibly swallowed Hailey’s blood.

  Hailey pulled her finger back. A bright smile erupted on her face. “We’re sisters!” Hailey bounced forward and hugged Grace. Grace laughed and returned her hug. “Hello sister.”

  Hailey felt like she was in a different place as she remembered that day. Not here, in a dark world on the unforgiving floor of her high school. That day was the start of her unlikely friendship with Grace. Believing they were sisters forced them to become friends. They had believed it for years and even after finding out their twisted ritual didn’t make their blood actually merge, there was no question to the them that they were, in fact, sisters. It was why, even though they went years without being friends, Hailey would do anything for Grace. She couldn’t help but wonder if Grace still cared for her. Or if her hurtful words over the last two years reflected her true feelings. She tried to push away these unwanted thoughts.

  Hailey relaxed and took a deep breath. Her spine shivered. If only she could get rid of that sharp cold air. Unexpectedly, a warmth came from behind and snuggled along her back. An arm flopped around and squeezed her chest. “You look cold,” Grace’s voice whispered from behind.

  Hailey rolled over to see Grace’s pretty face staring back. Maybe she does care. Hailey couldn’t help but smile. “You cut your hand again.”

  Grace whispered, “I’m surprised you didn’t find some glass and cut your own finger.”

  Hailey wrapped her arm around Grace and closed her eyes. Their foreheads rested together with their breath gently puffing into one another. Hailey let out a single closed-mouth chuckle. With their bodies cuddled together, she didn’t feel so cold anymore.

  Grace’s heavy eyes fell closed. As the two embraced, they fell asleep. Mike leaned against the lockers and flopped to the floor. The frames of his wings rested upwards. He took a deep breath looked at Hailey and Grace, who were now sound asleep. He was surprised to see that on both of their faces, sat a rested smile.

  Grace’s eyes slowly opened on her return trip from dreamland to the hellish real world. The dull white tile of the hard floor stared back. Groggy, she muttered, “Hailey.” As her head lifted, she saw the sun throwing its rays through the windows. A new day.

  Mike leaned against a locker, sound asleep. His chest had become covered with fur overnight. The process really was overtaking him. But it seemed to be the only difference, as his face remained unchanged. Grace smiled, happy to see her new friend, no matter how he looked.

  Her happiness vanished howeve
r, when she failed to spot Hailey. All she could see were the endless aisles of lockers standing over her. “Hailey?” They fell asleep in each other’s arms. Grace never felt her leave. What happened to her? Grace leapt to her feet and peered down the hallways. “Hailey!!”

  Mike’s eyes flew open, instantly confused at the sight of a nearly out of breath, panicked Grace. Mike asked, “What’s wrong?”

  Grace panted, “Hailey’s gone!”

  As she spoke, Mike noticed a white folded piece of paper resting in his lap. Uh-oh. He snatched the paper and read the scribbly words.

  Grace spotted Mike’s eyes dashing along the lines of the note. “What is it?”

  “It’s from Hailey.”

  Grace’s eyes grew wide. Struggling for air, she nervously demanded, “Read it.”

  Mike knew she meant those words but felt afraid to comply. With his eyes, he asked, “Are you sure?”

  Grace stared and her eyebrows bounced nervously. Mike knew he had no choice. “Ok, here it goes.... Grace- I’m sorry. You mean so much to me and I know you want to help…”

  Grace lost feeling in her legs and her knees crashed to the ground. She knew exactly where this was going. She buried her face in her hands. Mike continued, “… but this is something I have to do myself. It’s selfish of me to allow you or anyone to come with. I’m taking the car and going to the hospital. This is my battle. I’ll fight it alone. Just know that I’m doing this because I want you to live.”

  Grace clenched her hair and threw her head toward the sky. She screamed, “Is she crazy?!”

  Mike didn’t have to ask for her next course of action. He simply said, “Are you ready?”

  Grace replied, “Let’s get the others.”

  Mike folded the letter, careful to keep it hidden from Grace’s curious eyes. The last line was something she shouldn’t ever know: “This is what I have to do and I’m going to try my best so please don’t be sad for me when I die.”

  23

  The swirling cloud above the hospital grew in detail as Hailey approached. The black blurs of the spinning tornado were the Unstables; their extended wings carried around hundreds of their massive bodies. It was as if all of them had purposely gathered at this particular place; it couldn’t be anywhere else but the one spot she needed to get to.

  Hailey’s pulse throbbed through her fingers as she gripped the steering wheel with both hands. She tried not to think about the horrific description of pain Dave had provided. Instead, she focused on the thought of seeing Alex again and putting her fingers in the spaces between his. She smiled knowing how close she was to the spot she saw him last.

  She tilted up her neck and looked through the windshield at the Unstables above. Storms of rage reflected in their eyes and she could hear the chorus of grunts they exhaled. Her foot crushed the gas pedal and she raced ahead at 80 MPH. She dodged rested cars on the road and veered away from debris. The hole in the roof punched by Mike tossed wind around and was a constant reminder of what these creatures were capable of. And if he, not even a fully formed bat, could do that, there was no telling what just one of these bloodthirsty Unstables could do. The car flew forward and rumbled with power.

  The hospital came closer at about a hundred yards away. The massive building grew larger with every second she moved closer. All she had to do was drive into the entrance; it was a big glass pane and if she got through quick enough, she could avoid attackers. But just as she dreamt up that plan, it vanished. Several bats branched from the tornado and flew toward her from behind. Hailey’s heart erupted in angst as she saw the bats close in like pursuing cars in the rearview mirror. All she could do was keep going.

  Three Unstables caught up and flew to the left of the car and three to the right, easily keeping pace. They didn’t even have to flap their wings; they just glided next to her. Hailey looked out the window to her left and locked eyes with one of them. Though its face maintained that frozen bat look, its eyes widened and appeared eerily overjoyed to see her.

  The bat slammed the side of its body into the car, nearly knocking it off the driver-side tires. Hailey screamed as the car zigzagged before gaining traction and trekking forward. The engine blared and the hospital kept getting closer. Just a little bit more. An Unstable on the left and the right nudged at the car, sending the frame rocking back and forth. If they kept this up, the car would spiral out of control. So she did what her mind demanded her not to: she slammed on the brake. The tires wailed, leaving black marks on the pavement, and the car slid to a stop.

  The six bats that flew next to her kept going and rejoined the swarm above. Hailey unbuckled her seat belt. I can run for it. The entrance felt so close, she could practically smell the hospital again. She turned around and glanced through the back windshield. And froze. A giant tidal wave of bats barreled down on her, seconds from engulfing the car. “Shit!” Hailey slammed back into the seat and pushed her foot on the gas. But at that exact moment, the car rocked forward from the impact of the Unstables plowing into it. Despite the wheels furiously spinning and the sound of the engine howling into the air, the car went nowhere. The Unstables kept the wheels off the ground.

  The car rocked back and forth and she could feel the metal falling apart underneath her. Glass exploded and shiny bits grazed against her cheeks. The tiny hole in the roof was joined by new holes that sprouted with fists flying through. POP POP POP. Furry fingers crawled around, trying to reach her. The Unstables hissed and screeched. All Hailey could do was center herself in the car and keep a distance. She couldn’t see anything but the massive bodies of the bats surrounding and attacking the car. As they brushed against her, she rested her hand on her gun and waited.

  The driver’s side door vanished. It ripped from its place and was thrown aside like scrap metal. Hailey screamed and yanked her gun from its holster. There was no better time than now. The bats pushed each other, each wanting to be the first to reach her. The Unstables spilled into the car.

  Dozens of furry hands reached for her. Hailey pointed her gun and fired at the face of the nearest bat. BAM. Dead. It was enough to stop that one. The group hesitated, startled but not deterred. They furiously clawed their way closer. BAM BAM. Each shot halted another bat.

  Behind her, the passenger door disappeared with a thunderous crash. Hailey darted around and fired. But it was no use. Sprawling fingers engulfed her.

  A tight grip snared her foot and yanked her out of the car. Her hands pounded against the cement and stopped her face from banging downwards. Just as quick, her body flailed into the air. The bats jumped out of her path as she soared, twirling around. Everything in her vision flipped in crazy directions until she landed and slammed onto her back. She gasped for oxygen but it seemed to escape her lungs. From this spot on the cement, she could see the glass walls of the hospital entrance. It was right there; just a dozen yards away. She was so close.

  Hailey turned over and, with every fiber of strength, began to lift herself up. Her weary arms pushed against the surface. She had to stand up. But a foot crushed her back and slammed her to the ground. Furry legs and feet stepped in front of her view of the hospital doors. The sound of hissing and roaring of what must’ve been hundreds of bats deafened her.

  Hailey felt a force pull on her shirt and the fabric shredded right off her body. Someone pulled on her bra, crushing her breasts until the strap snapped and slapped into her back. Despite her strongest attempts to resist, she couldn’t move. Her back was now exposed to the barbaric bats.

  A sharp pain sliced across her back. She couldn’t see what was happening but could imagine it based on the excruciating agony. A bat carved her open at the top of her back, from one shoulder blade to the other. Blood trickled out of the deep cut and she felt a throbbing underneath. The sting that shot into her next was unlike any she had ever experienced. A tiny streak of skin slowly peeled from her back, from top to bottom. About the size of a thick noodle, Hailey could feel the skin unpeeling from her. It felt like pulling hanging
skin from a fingernail, but lifetimes worse. She couldn’t help but scream. Her shrill voice was barely audible over the delightful shrieks of the Unstables that stood around, eager for a piece of her humanity. As Hailey desperately yelled, she nearly passed out. She clenched her fists. The stinging lowered along her back as the bats ripped her back like paper. She closed her eyes. “Alex,” she whimpered.

  How much of her believed Alex was still alive? That he could even be found? Sometimes she thought death might be easier. It might even be preferable. So maybe that’s the real reason she came here. To die. But now that death was imminent, she couldn’t help but think how much she wanted to live. Coming here alone was a huge mistake. As the pain intensified, Alex was all she could think of; his face, his smile, the sound of his voice, and perhaps the only thing that still remained the same- his eyes. She had stared into those brown eyes the night before everything went wrong. She had rested in his arms in the hospital bed, cherishing the feel of his body against hers. Tears fell from Hailey’s eyes and dove toward the ground. She would never have the chance to have that feeling again. The bats kept on tearing her skin from her back, in what was likely the first step of a long dissection process. I’m sorry, Hailey thought, though she didn’t know to whom she was apologizing.

  BAM

  Hailey’s eyes shot open. The feet that blocked her view of the hospital doors scattered. Some ran along the cement while others soared in the sky. What happened? BAM BAM BAM. The sound of gunshots filled the air like the finale of a fireworks show.

  Several bats stayed at her side. The pull of skin from her body quickened; the bat yanked on it like a zipper. The mysterious gunshots startled these creatures and they moved away as swiftly as they could. Hailey continued to scream as the pain neared the bottom of her back. Then abruptly, it stopped. A distinct and furious roar filled the air as Hailey heard the clear sound of a struggle. Hits. Fists against bodies. Some kind of fight had broken out. She lifted her head and peered upwards. A particularly large and muscular bat pummeled on the remaining bats surrounding Hailey.