Menewsha Avatar Community - Zero-Percent Chance of Survival (Critique please?)

This is a story I wrote for my uncle. He always wanted to turn it into a movie so I did the next best thing and put it into a book. The spacing from Word kinda went a little screwy so I apologize.

Zero-Percent Chance Of Survival

35221: Is anyone out there...?
The words showed plainly enough on the otherwise blank terminal screen. Elizabeth Black stared at those words for twenty straight minutes, but there was no reply. Would it really end this way? Would she die here, alone, locked up in a tiny room? Who could say? But the fear of it swelled in her chest as she continued to hope for a response.

***
The day had started like any other normal day in New York City in the year 2112. Elizabeth had woken up, and then decided to hit the snooze button. Fifteen minutes later, she realized that she had to get up so she drug herself to the bathroom, fixed her hair, did her make-up, had a quick cup of coffee and rushed to work because she became late
Elizabeth’s parents had landed her a good government job in a high-security facility. It wasn’t that Elizabeth hadn’t worked hard to get it, but having parents in high positions did help. However, Elizabeth knew that her parents had helped her get this job because they feared something catastrophic and wanted their “baby” to work somewhere safe.
Her job was not particularly interesting and she had never really wanted it. Elizabeth disliked technology and found it a bother, but she worked well with it. Still, she couldn’t complain. The pay was good, so she had plenty of money for hobbies and shopping and whatever else she really wanted.
Elizabeth had rushed into her office, barely having time to say hello to her co-workers. She had made it in time, but just barely. Her heart was still pounding from the adrenaline as she sat down to work. She settled into her office and everything seemed right in the world… Then it happened.
A thunderous BOOM shook the building. Even in the basement level where she worked she could feel it. Many people rushed out into the street, or at least into the hallways before the building began to lock down. Elizabeth was busy trying to recover from the shock. Her nerves were not particularly strong. She looked at the door and rushed over, trying to open it. It was locked. There was no way out and even if there was… what lay outside might be even more terrible. The electricity flickered. What had happened? She rushed to her terminal and began to search for some kind of news on what had just occurred. Her eyes widened at what she saw: “NUCLEAR WAR” in big bold print at the top of the screen. How had this happened? There had been no warning no inkling or sign of an attack… The screen went blank. Quickly, Elizabeth tried the telephone, but it was no good. All of the lines were dead. She tried to contact her family and friends through her terminal, which seemed to be the only thing that was semi-functional. It was all in vain.
***
It was now day three as she continued to stare at those words on her terminal. Every twenty to thirty minutes she would type again.
35221: Is anyone there…?
Her cursor would blink. She tried different channels but to no avail. She was living off of the emergency kit under her desk. There was enough food and water for meager rations for about a month. If she couldn’t find anyone in that amount of time, what would she do? She would starve, alone in this room.
Elizabeth tried to hold back the tears that were coming, but then again, what was the point? She was alone. No one would see or care if she cried herself into dehydration. Just then, she heard a small “ping” on her screen. She looked up.
10482: Hello?
Elizabeth’s heart jumped. Was she imagining this? She quickly typed a response.
35221: Hello?! Is someone there?
She waited, barely breathing until again a message came across her screen.
10482: Yes.
Elizabeth practically jumped out of her seat. Someone was there.
35221: Where are you? Who are you? Are you ok? Do you have any news?
10482: Umm… I’m in New York, my name is David. Other than a bang on the head and being rather hungry I’m ok and no, I don’t have any news.
35221: I’m glad you’re ok David. My name is Elizabeth. I’m also in New York. I know you need to be careful about who you give your information to, but given our situation I think a more exact location might be necessary. I’m sadly in an undisclosed location, but it’s near the main city, on the Western side.
10482: I’m on the Eastern side, also in an undisclosed location. You’re the first person I’ve made contact with since the incident.
35221: You mean since the attack? I would hardly call it an “incident.”
10482: Yes, well, either way, the point is, I’m very glad to have made contact with someone.
35221: As am I. You said you were hungry, how much food do you have with you?
10482: Not much. I only had emergency rations in my office. You?
35221: Same. That means we’ve only got about 3-4 weeks before our food and water is gone.
10482: Yes, I estimated that as well.
35221: What should we do?
10482: I suggest for the time being we stay put and hope that the authorities handle the situation. Hopefully, it was nothing all too serious and we can be out of here in a matter of days.
35221: While I admire your optimism, I highly doubt that will be the case. However, I agree with your plan. At least now we won’t go insane from being alone.
10482: I suppose that is true. So Elizabeth… Does a last name come with that?
35221: Black. Elizabeth Black.
10482: How funny. I’m David Brown.
35221: Well Mr. Brown, since it is likely that we will be stuck here for at least several days, why don’t you tell me something about yourself?
10482: I suppose. What do you want to know?
35221: … What do you look like?
10482: Seriously?
35221: Yeah! Why wouldn’t I be?
10482: Fine. I’m moderate height with black hair and black eyes.
35221: I’m moderate height with blond hair and blue eyes.
10482: I never asked.
35221: You’re being rather rude.
10482: You’re the one who was longing for company, not me.

Elizabeth frowned at the computer screen. She was glad to have someone to talk to, but this guy was kind of… mean. She wondered what he would be like in person.

35221: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to annoy you. I’m just trying to make conversation.
10482: I apologize as well. It’s not really your fault. I’m just angry at this situation and worried. I try to be optimistic but it’s difficult.

The blond girl’s lips turned up in a slight smile. She understood that.

35221: I’m frustrated too.
10482: I think they should add a gun to that emergency kit.
35221: That’s not really a bad idea, but a bit impractical.
10482: I know…
35221: So, since our world is crashing down, what were you working on before the bomb went off?
10482: I was experimenting with rockets. We’re working on a space craft that will be able to reach the surface of Venus.
35221: Wow! That’s pretty incredible! I hope that when this blows over you’ll be able to finish that.
10482: What were you working on?
35221: Oh, I design super-computers.
10482: You must have gone through a lot of schooling for that.
35221: Oh yeah. Although, to be honest, I don’t really enjoy it that much.
10482: Then why do you do it?
35221: It’s what my parents wanted.
10482: How old are you anyway?
35221: 30
10482: Don’t you think you’re old enough to make your own decisions then?
35221: You do realize I’ve only had this job for like 2 years.
10482: Yes. However, I don’t think you should be doing something you don’t enjoy. What did you want to do?
35221: I wanted to be an artist.
10482: …
35221: What?
10482: Nothing… that’s just a little odd.
35221: What’s so odd about it?
10482: I just mean that you wanted to be an artist and you became a designer of super-computers. It’s a big jump.
35221: I know. But I worked so hard to do this for my parents I don’t really want to quit now. What about you, have you always wanted to work with rockets?
10482: Yes. I was a pyromaniac when I was younger so I’ve always enjoyed rockets.
35221: Good for you.
10482: You seem aggravated.
35221: No, not really. I guess I’m just tired. Promise you’ll be here tomorrow?
10482: What if I’m really a dream? You can really only prove your own existence. I might be a dream, or a figment of your imagination.
35221: Quit joking around.
10482: I’m not joking. In fact, how do I know that you aren’t a dream.
35221: I’m going to sleep. Please be here tomorrow.

***

Elizabeth woke in the morning and the first thing she thought of was David. Was he a dream, or was he real? She clamored to her feet and sat down at her desk, quickly typing a message.
35221: Are you there?
She waited, but there was no response. She frowned and began to worry that maybe he had been a dream, or a figment of her imagination.
35221: Hello? Are you there?
10482: I am now. I was trying to sleep.
35221: I’m sorry…
10482: Don’t worry about it. You now either officially exist or are a permanent part of my brain.
35221: Uh… thank you? I guess I can say the same about you.
10482: Precisely. Now that I know that you are at least a permanent part of my brain… kind of like an imaginary friend I guess, I can have better conversation with you. And I will try not to be as rude, since you seem to think that I am.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. This guy was so weird. She had never met anyone quite like him before. She didn’t dislike him or anything though. He actually rather intrigued her.

35221: Well… thank you I suppose. So what should we talk about?
10482: What do you want to do when we get out of here?
35221: I want to make sure my parents are ok.
10482: I know my parents aren’t ok.
35221: How do you know?
10482: I was on the phone with them when the bomb hit. I heard them die before the lines went out.
35221: I’m so sorry.
10482: Hey, at least they died quickly.

Elizabeth wasn’t really sure what to say to that. She felt terrible for him. She didn’t want to say something insensitive. Luckily she didn’t have to.

10482: So what else do you want to do? I mean other than the obvious. Do you want to keep working with super-computers?
35221: I can work with super-computers and art.
10482: Improbable.
35221: What do you mean?
10482: I mean that it is highly improbable that you can have a demanding job like the one you now have… or had, depending on how this is all going to pan out, and still have time for your art. Art is equally demanding and takes, in some cases, more time than computers if you want it to be good.
35221: Gee, thanks Mr. Braniac.
10482: I’m only stating the facts. I’m sorry if they hurt you.
35221: I guess you’re right.
10482: So do you think you’ll stick with computers, or will you go into art?
35221: I’m 30 years old. I can’t really go back to school for art now can I?
10482: You can go back to school any time you want. It’s a matter of whether or not you’re comfortable with it.
35221: Yeah… so what do you want to do when we get out of here?
10482: Continue my work, naturally. However, that may difficult if the world has been destroyed.
35221: What do you mean?
10482: I mean precisely that. There’s about a 33% chance that this was a worldwide nuclear disaster. If that’s the case the world has been destroyed and there’s a chance we may be the only human beings left. Also, if that’s the case, we won’t survive long.
35221: What happened to that optimism?
10482: What do you mean? I chose to stay here because if you’ll notice I chose the most reasonable course of action. Thirty-three percent may be a lot, but it’s less than 50% so I chose to stay put for the time being. With each day the chance increases. When it reaches 51% I will attempt a new course of action.
35221: Wow… you really thought this through. So when will it reach 51%
10482: In 7 days.
35221: What will you do then?
10482: You mean what will we do.

Elizabeth was a little bit surprised. He did seem to be attempting to be a little kinder to her. He wanted to include her in his plan. At least he wasn’t abandoning her.

35221: Yes, what will we do?
10482: We’ll find a way to escape. Hopefully it won’t have to come to that. However, if it does make sure you bring all your supplies from your emergency kit. A mask should be included in there, make sure you wear it, and bring anything that may be useful that you can find in your office like blunt objects… it may be very treacherous out there and we’re on opposite sides of the city.
35221: I get the feeling that you think we’re going to have to escape.
10482: Yes, I do. However, I believe thoroughly in statistics. We won’t make an escape until necessary.
35221: Do you really think that we’re the only people left on earth?
10482: I’m not sure what to think. I told you, I’m a realist and I believe in statistics. According to my calculations there is a 33% chance that we are the only people left in the world. However, that means that there is a 66% chance that that is not the case.
35221: I guess those are good chances. I’d bet on it.
10482: I don’t like to gamble.
35221: I wouldn’t have thought you did. You don’t seem the gambling type.
10482: I shall take that as a compliment. If I may ask, what kind of “type” do I seem like?
35221: The intelligent type.
10482: I thank you. If I would have to say, that is how I would label myself.
35221: I know I’ve said this before, but I’m very glad that I found you.
10482: I’m glad as well. You were right, company is nice.
35221: Tell me more about yourself.
10482: What do you want to know?
35221: What did you like to do as a kid?
10482: I already answered that.
35221: When?
10482: You should pay more attention. I told you I was a bit of a pyromaniac yesterday; when you asked if I always liked rockets.
35221: I meant other than that.
10482: Hmm… I don’t know. I wouldn’t say that my childhood was very normal.
35221: What do you mean?
10482: I was on the phone with my parents when the bomb hit, but I never see them. I haven’t seen them since I was 9 years old.
35221: Why not?!
10482: A personal choice.
35221: That’s really sad.
10482: I guess. But it’s what I wanted.
35221: I see my parents almost every day.
10482: I had already deduced that.
35221: Sometimes you remind me of Sherlock Holmes.
10482: Really? That is quite the compliment.
35221: If you want to take it that way.
10482: You are definitely an amusing person.
35221: Is that a compliment.
10482: From me, yes.
35221: Ok.
10482: So why don’t you tell me about you.
35221: Well, compared to you my life seems pretty normal. I lived with my parents. I don’t anymore, but I did until I got out of college. My parents are loving and protective. That’s why they wanted me to go into such a stable major.
10482: So they’re controlling.
35221: A little, yes.
10482: Were they always that way?
35221: Yes.
10482: Out of curiosity, did you show promise as an artist as a little girl?
35221: I guess so. Everyone told me I was pretty good.
10482: You could have been a video game designer, or something like that. There was no need to jump from something you love into something completely different.
35221: You really won’t let this go will you?
10482: If you don’t want to talk about it anymore we won’t.
35221: I don’t want to talk about it right now maybe later.
10482: Very well. What shall we talk about?
35221: Let’s talk about…food?
10482: Impractical. It will only make us hungry.
35221: I guess so. How about… friends?
10482:… To be honest… I don’t have many friends. I work alone. I usually do my work at home but I was supposed to have a chat with someone on the day the bomb hit. I don’t often go out into public. I’m very… private. I wouldn’t have really given you my name if the situation wasn’t what it is.
35221: Is your name really David Brown?
10482:… No.
35221: Will you tell me your real name then?
10482:… No.
35221: Why not??
10482: Because. I don’t know who you really are. If we escape and meet I might tell you.
35221: You’re so weird!
10482: And you freak out too easily. I’m surprised you didn’t have a stroke from the explosion.
35221: I’m done talking for now. I’m hungry.
10482: Very well.

Elizabeth scowled at the computer screen. Just when she was starting to like this guy he went back to being a jerk, and on top of that a liar. She began to wonder what his real name was. Her stomach growled. She took her portion of food for the day and broke off a third of it to eat. She tried to separate her food into thirds so she could eat three times a day like she normally did. That way she wouldn’t be as hungry. She ate slowly and took a swallow of water. One week. One week and their chances of survival would be reduced to 49%, at least according to David. She wondered how sound his calculations were. He seemed quite intelligent, but she couldn’t be sure.\

***

Days passed uneventfully. The power would flicker on and off from time to time. The two friends couldn’t get any real news, although they did try. David told Elizabeth it would be wise to see if they could get a hold of other people, so they tried on a regular basis, but it was all in vain. There wasn’t anyone out there, at least no one that they could reach.

35221: David, it’s been a week.
10482: I know.
35221: Does that mean we’re going to try to escape?
10482: Yes.
35221: You act so calmly about it. You said our chance of survival is only 49%!!
10482: That is not what I said. I said that out chances of being the only people left on earth is now 51%. Our chance of survival in these rooms, is an inevitable 0%. Our chances of survival outside… cannot be calculated because we haven’t had news from outside in over a week. We have no idea what’s out there.
35221: Ok.. ok.. you’re right. I’m sorry. What’s our plan?
10482: Do you have a fire extinguisher in your room?
35221: Yes.
10482: Good. First, pack up your things and put the mask on. Then, when you’re ready, use the fire extinguisher to bash to doorknob loose.
35221: Ok. Where are we meeting?
10482: We’ll meet at the 9/11 Twin Towers Memorial. It’s roughly in about the center of the city. If you can get your hands on a car, use it.
35221: Ok, I’ll see you soon.
10482: Stay safe. I greatly want to meet you in person Miss Black.
35221: I want to meet you too.
10482: I fear you’ll be… a little disappointed when you meet me.
35221: I don’t care. I’ve grown to like you a lot. Even though you are a bit rude.
10482: That is a very kind thing to say. Thank you.
35221: I’ll see you as soon as I can.
10482: Without a transport it will be hours before we meet. Not to mention we have no idea if it is light or dark outside. Please make sure you have some kind of weapon… just in case.
35221: Ok.

Elizabeth left the screen on. She packed up whatever might be useful into her backpack. She wasn’t so impractical as to carry a purse with all the stuff she lugged around for work. She packed the food and water that was left. There was enough for two more weeks, maybe a little more. She had some gum and a granola bar as well. She had been saving the granola bar, and the gum might help with dehydration. She put on her mask and picked up the fire extinguisher. With all of her might she bashed it against the doorknob. It flew from its spot in the door and the door swung open.
Elizabeth cautiously made her way down the hall. She just realized… How was she going to get out of the building? She went back and took the fire extinguisher with her. She might need it. She walked up the flight of stairs to the main floor. Everything was deserted. She frowned a little. This was definitely not a good sign. She checked around for her co-workers but found none. That was either very good or very bad and somehow she really didn’t think it was good.
Elizabeth took the extinguisher and threw it at the window in the lobby. It crashed through, the glass splintering and scattering everywhere. Carefully she climbed through, but ended up cutting her leg on the broken glass. She hissed in pain and swore quietly.
As cautiously as before, she looked around the street. There was no one about, but there were obvious signs of panic; crashed cars and such. She walked down the street towards the memorial where she was supposed to meet David. The only things she could find for “weapons” were a broom, an umbrella, and several pairs of scissors. She brandished the broom at the moment, having stashed the rest of it in her backpack. She heard scuffling across the street and jumped, shakily holding the broom in front of her. She didn’t want to fight… whatever it was, so she began to walk more quickly. As David had told her, she searched for an undamaged car that would run, but thus far she was unsuccessful. The scuffling sounds were getting louder. Her heart was beginning to race. She screamed as a hideous creature jumped out at her. It was humanoid, pale, hairless, and ran with a hunch. It’s teeth did not seem like human-teeth but rather like fangs which it gnashed at her, trying to sink them into her soft flesh. It made hideous noises, like the sickening sound of an overly sloppy eater.
Elizabeth freaked out. She hit it with the broom as many times as she could and to her fortune and surprise, she scared it off, but now she was terrified. Were there more of them out there? She began to run, as fast as her high-heel clad feet would carry her.
New York City is a huge place, and to make matters worse there was a dense fog that had settled in. Elizabeth could not see if those monsters were just around the corner or not. She just kept running. She knew the way to the Memorial. She forgot about a vehicle, she just wanted to get there and get to David who might know what was going on.
David may have predicted many hours of travel, but that is because he had feared the worst. It was pretty bad, but not the worst. Elizabeth was panting heavily as she reached her destination late that evening. In the fog, standing near the building, she thought she saw one of the monsters. She gripped her broom and raised it up to strike it, but when she brought it down a pale, firm hand caught it. She almost screamed but then blinked. A young, dark-haired man stood in front of her. He looked as though he could still be in high school.
“You must be Elizabeth Black,” he said, “Glad to see you didn’t die.”
“…David?” she asked hesitantly.
“That is correct. I told you that you might be disappointed,” he said a bit awkwardly, “I am David Brown… or at least that is what you know me as.”
“Are you serious??” Elizabeth was shocked. She had suspected David to be a good bit older than her, or at least the same age, “How old are you?!”
“I am 19 years of age. You never asked me how old I was, so I never gave an answer to you. If you don’t ask you won’t know,” he replied, “I suppose you don’t really like me very much anymore do you?”
“I… I still like you David,” Elizabeth said softly, “I’m just… surprised more than anything.”
“Now is not the time for chitchat. New York City has never been so deserted. We need to get out of here and search for news,” David said.
“David… you’ve met me now… will you tell me you’re actual name?” Elizabeth asked.
“Miss Black, it’s really not the time for that,” he said with an exasperated sigh.
“I’m not moving until you tell me,” she said stubbornly.
“I’m Elyon,” he said, “Now let’s go.”
“Elyon is not a name… it’s…” Elizabeth fell silent. Elyon… that wasn’t possible. Elyon was one of the modern world’s greatest men. He was practically immortalized. He was a man way ahead of his time and was said to have been sent by God himself.
“You’re not Elyon…” Elizabeth said.
“You don’t believe me?” the boy asked, raising an eyebrow, “Why do you think I live alone away from my parents? Why do you think I haven’t seen them in ten years? Why is a 19-year-old boy working in a high-tech facility?”
“I want a real name or I’m not moving,” Elizabeth insisted, still in disbelief.
“I cannot reveal my real name to anyone. Even knowing that I am Elyon has decreased your survival chance by nearly 20%,” he said firmly.
“Tell me now or I’ll scream,” Elizabeth said, being very stubborn, but he shook his head. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth.
“It’s Elliot!” he said, “Elliot Wysing…”
The blond woman let the breath go and smiled.
“Elliot suits you better than David,” she said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her inside the building all the while muttering angrily to himself.
“I’m sure you’ve undoubtedly had a run-in with your new neighbors,” he said, “They’re easily frightened when they’re alone, but from what I’ve seen if they get into a pack they could be deadly. We’ll try to avoid them as much as possible.”
“Right.”
“The goal is to reach the harbor as quickly as possible.”
“Ok.”
“I wasn’t able to find a vehicle and obviously you weren’t either. It’s almost dark. We’ll stay inside the Memorial for the night. It would be suicide to try to travel in the dark with those things out there.”
“Agreed.”
“How much food do you have?” Elliot asked.
“Enough for two weeks,” she replied, “You?”
“Enough for two days,” he muttered.
“How could you have rationed so poorly?” she asked in amazement.
“I’m hypoglycemic,” he said, “I eat more than normal people.”
“Fine. I’ll share my food with you. We’ll have to reach the harbor even more quickly now,” She grumbled, taking off the annoying mask, she had noticed that he wasn’t wearing one, so obviously it was safe. She blinked when she felt the young man’s lips against her own.
“You’re the first person I’ve cared about in 10 years,” he whispered, “Do you care about me too?”
“You know I do,” she said, “If I didn’t I wouldn’t be helping you.”
“I’m glad,” he whispered. He wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and held him close. This was nice. Even though New York was in ruins, she was comfortable right there. That was how they drifted off.

***

When morning came the two friends were still cuddled close together. Elliot yawned. And stretched, waking Elizabeth in the process. The blond computer-designer stretched as well. She smiled a little bit.
“Hey…” she whispered.
“Morning,” he mumbled back, “Breakfast….”
She chuckled a little bit and reached into her back giving him his ration. He sighed. It wasn’t much, which was a little disappointing, but it was food.
“Thank you,” he said softly.
“Of course,” she said. She couldn’t resist the urge to ruffle his messy black hair.
“If life is ever normal again, we should go out for coffee some time,” Elliot said.
“I’d like that,” Elizabeth said softly, a slight blush tinting her cheeks.
“It would be my pleasure Miss Black,” he said.
“Call me Liz,” she corrected him.
“Ok... Liz.”
“Well… we really shouldn’t sit around all day,” Elizabeth said, “We’ll want to cover as much ground as possible during the day and find a safe place to stay the night if necessary.”
“You’re right,” Elliot agreed and stood up. He looked at Elizabeth’s impractical shoes. “If we can get into a store… we should get you better shoes.”
“Yeah… well I didn’t wear these with the intention that I’d have to run for my life in them,” she said, “Let’s go.”
They exited the Memorial building. It wasn’t as foggy as it had been the previous evening.
“How can we even be sure that there’ll be a boat at the harbor?” Elizabeth asked.
“There is a 78% chance that there will be a boat in the harbor,” Elliot replied, “A 46% chance that there will be a boat that we can actually use.”
“Only 46?” Elizabeth asked worriedly.
“There is also a 12% chance that there may be a boat waiting for survivors,” Elliot said.
Elizabeth sighed, but nodded her head, continued their trudge towards the harbor.
“Try not to worry Miss… Liz,” Elliot said, “I feel fairly confident our salvation is at the harbor.”
“You’re definitely the intelligent type,” she said with a slight smile.
“And once again, I thank you,” Elliot replied.
Elizabeth breathed in the air. She got the feeling this was different from Nuclear War. If it had really been Nuclear destruction the air would be toxic. Elliot would be wearing a mask and would have yelled at her for taking off hers.
“Elliot… why aren’t you wearing a mask?” Elizabeth asked slowly. The boy blinked then frowned.
“The air is safe. The initial damage is done and has spread to its maximum capacity by now…” he said.
“If it’s nuclear poisoning that isn’t possible…” Elizabeth said.
“That’s because it isn’t nuclear poisoning…” Elliot said, “I don’t want to go into the details. I’ll tell you some day.”
“Elliot… tell me now…” the blond woman said softly.
“I am Elyon,” Elliot said, “It’s my job to protect the information that is ahead of its time from falling into the wrong hands… and I failed. The explosion happened because of my failure. It isn’t nuclear… it’s something entirely different; something that I do not want to discuss.”
“But I..”
“No! This discussion is over. Your survival chance is lowering with every sentence of information I give you!”
Elizabeth sighed. She didn’t see the point in secrets in a world that might have been destroyed.
***

It was late when they reached the harbor. There were boats there, but there was one problem. Apparently they were not the first people to try to escape through the harbor. Dead bodies littered the area and a horde of those… creatures awaited them.
“What do we do?” Elizabeth asked.
“I…don’t know…” Elliot said, trying to think, “We could wait until morning, but there’s only about a 21% chance that it would actually make a difference, and there’s an 83% chance they’ll attack us in our sleep.”
“I don’t like those chances…” Elizabeth whispered.
“Neither do I,” Elliot mumbled, “We could try to rush them… but there’s about a 92% chance at least one of us will die in the process.”
“I don’t like those chances either,” Elizabeth said.
“Do you have any ideas?” Elliot asked hopefully.
“I have a lighter… maybe a fire will scare them off?” Elizabeth suggested.
“That… is actually a very good idea. I think it may be our best bet,” Elliot replied, “With enough material we can launch a fire at them then rush through to the docks.”
“What kind of material?” Elizabeth asked.
“See if you can find any sort of old alcohol bottles. And dry materials. The alcohol will keep it burning longer.”
“Right.”
They worked quickly. Elizabeth found a few old beer bottles. It wasn’t much but it would help. Setting up an old board on a rock they prepared to launch their creation.
“I’m heavier than you, so you need to light it,” Elliot said, preparing to jump on one end of the board.
Elizabeth fumbled with her lighter. With a few bad attempts, the mass of trash caught fire. Elliot jumped, causing it to fly through the air. He grabbed Elizabeth’s arm and they began to run.
“Elliot, I can’t run this fast in these heels!” Elizabeth cried out.
“Just run!” Elliot yelled, “Would you rather have a broken ankle or be eaten alive?!”
Elliot leapt into the cold ocean water without even thinking. He just knew that they had to get away from those monsters before the fire died. Elizabeth screamed.
“Hush!” Elliot hissed, “Don’t alert them to our position. I don’t know if they can swim. You brought scissors right? Give them to me.”
Elizabeth did so. She watched as Elliot climbed up onto a ship, with surprising skill for an intellectual. He cut down a life boat and then jumped back into the water.
“Get in!” he barked and Elizabeth clamored inside, “Start rowing with me. We need to get away from here.”
They rowed until their arms grew so tired that they had to rest. Elizabeth stretched out and laid her head on his lap. Elliot just let his eyes rest for a while, making sure they didn’t drift too far, but in time they both fell asleep.

***

“Captain! There’s a lifeboat off the starboard bow!” A voice shouted.
“Well get’em up here!” another voice yelled.
Elliot woke when he heard these voices. He looked up and saw a giant ship.
“Liz… wake up!” Elliot croaked. The blond woman opened her eyes. Elliot began to row closer to the ship.
“Tie ‘er off and we’ll raise ya up!” one of the sailors called. Elliot hurriedly tied the ropes to the lifeboat and they were raised up onto the deck.
“You two came out of New York?” the captain asked, “We thought the whole place had been annihilated. Yer lucky to be alive.”
“Don’t we know it,” Elliot said, “Judging by your appearance I would say you are not the victim of Nuclear War.”
Elizabeth looked as if she wanted to say something but Elliot shot her a look and she decided it best to just let it go.
“Not at all m’boy,” the captain said, “Most of the Eastern half of the US is destroyed, but Europe’s all fine. That’s where we’re heading.”
“I’ve always wanted to see Europe,” Elizabeth spoke up.
“I’d be happy to tour it with you,” Elliot said with a charming smile, “We could get that coffee in Paris.”

To Be Continued…