A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to say a few things before you begin to read.
First and foremost, thank you for reading this fic! I am very thankful that you chose to read this and I hope that you enjoys it.
As for updates, the time in between them will vary. This story is more of a side project at the moment so don't expect new chapters to pop up everywhere.
Thirdly, This story currently doesn't have any shipping planned in it but I may end up pairing some of the characters (most likely USUK) if people want me to.
One last thing: this story is not in cannonverse. It is in a post apocalyptic world. That means no nation personifications. The story takes place in the near future, maybe the 2020s of 2030s, so technology is pretty similar to what we have now.
Okay, I'm almost done now. Thank you for bearing with me.
Disclaimer: Cari-Chan does not own Hetalia or any of its characters (though I wish I did). Cari-Chan makes no profit off of this story. However, I do own the plot and content.
Warnings: Some swearing, twisted thoughts, and many mentions of death.
Enjoy~
Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice.
I say that's complete bullshit because I know how the world will really end. Or, if I were to get technical, I know how it had ended.
Ah, where are my manners? My name is Arthur Kirkland. I am twenty-three years old and was born in Liverpool, England. I am currently in the United States of America with my cat, Crumpet.
Most people would probably wonder, "Arthur, why are you in the United States?" or, "Don't you have anyone else to be with besides your cat?"
The second one is easier to answer, so I'll address that one first. The answer is no, I do not have anyone else to be around besides my dear Crumpet.
Now before some tosser goes off thinking that I'm unsociable, I can assure you that I'm not. Rather, there is no one for me to interact with. As for the reason… well, I'll get back to that in a moment.
Concerning my location, I am not in America due to my own free will. I would have preferred staying in England, but alas, it was not my choice. I am in this bloody country because I was sent to a quarantine camp.
No, I'm not some half-human hybrid or the carrier of a deadly disease. It had more to do with what was happening around me.
Back to my original point, I'm alone because most of the human population is dead.
I kid you not, I have not seen one living person (though corpses are a different matter) since everyone at the quarantine camp… passed on. And no, there is no giant monster slaying humans, no nuclear warfare, and no zombies. Instead, the apocalypse began with the common cold.
Yes, the common cold. Apparently some poor lad caught the bug and due to one reason or another it morphed into some new strand of virus, impossible to cure and far more deadly. I'll admit, I'm not much of a biologist or a virologist or whatever other fancy term you can find describing someone who studies life and disease, so I don't quite know the science behind it all. All I know is that because of this disease, most of the people on this planet are dead.
I'm not sure why I'm alive. Hell, I don't know if I'll stay alive for much longer. It's been a while since I left the quarantine camp. When I left, every person on the outside was nothing but a lifeless carcass.
I am alone save my cat and the occasional animal that I can spot. Strangely enough, the disease only affected people, leaving all other forms of life happy and healthy. For that, I am thankful. I would have gone mad if not for Crumpet. He's been my companion ever since I found him in the quarantine camp. It was quite difficult to hide him away from everyone else but I managed to feed him scraps of my meals and—
I must apologize, I've been rambling on and you probably aren't interested in knowing how I took care of my cat. I will return to the bigger subject at hand: my current situation.
It's almost been three months (or, I believe that is how much time has passed) since I've left the quarantine camp. It wasn't all that hard to get out but stepping around dead bodies had not been enjoyable, to say the least.
In any event, I left with Crumpet by my side. We walked for two hours until we came upon a nearby town. At the time, I had been relieved. There must be other people there that had survived, at least one of them had to have made it through General Winter, as the virus was referred to.
I was wrong. So very, devastatingly wrong. Not one soul could be seen, not one body upright. I won't go over my reaction for two reasons. One of them being that I would rather not relive the experience. The second one is that I don't need to describe myself at a weak point in vivid details to some person that I don't even know. Maybe another time.
After I had recovered from the shocking and mind-numbing realization, I started preparing. I raided a few stores to find food, water, spare clothes, and a backpack to carry everything in. I can't say that I felt guilty about it, seeing as that everyone had been dead and they probably would not have been able to give a shit if they were alive due to the circumstances. Once I had the bare necessities, Crumpet and I left.
It's been going like that ever since. I would jump from town to town in hope to find anyone who was alive. The bloke could be a perverted Frenchman for all I cared; I just needed to know that one other person had survived.
That's really all that I can think of at the moment. If there is any other information that I feel you should be aware of, I will gladly tell you. For now, I've just reached town after a long trek and I need to rest.
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My eyes fluttered open as sunlight filtered through the window of the abandoned house. Groggily, I sat up with a yawn and stretched.
It had been nice to sleep in a bed again after camping out in the wilderness for a week. I had reached town late last night, which would explain the fact that I had slept in. Once I had gotten the sleep out of my eyes, I rolled out of bed and stepped onto the wooden floor.
"Crumpet!" I called. Usually, my faithful companion never left my side but he would occasionally wander off to explore if I was otherwise occupied. That never stopped him from running back when I called, though.
Sure enough, my white and ginger cat was visible within thirty seconds.
"There you are," I said, scooping him up into my arms. "Just where did you run off to, hm?"
Obviously, I received no response.
"Never mind though," I continued, "we're burning daylight. Let's go check the town."
Crumpet mewled as I placed him back down. I gathered up the few supplies that I had, ready to explore. It was practically routine by now for me and Crumpet to search the town or city that we were taking shelter in. This was in order to find new supplies, clean up, and, hopefully, find another human being. The likelihood of the last one seemed nearly impossible by this point but I wasn't ready to give up on it. Not yet.
I walked through silent, deserted streets as I conducted my investigation. There were still bodies lingering the streets, but I had grown a tolerance to this long ago. I almost didn't notice them by now. Almost.
I stopped in front of what used to be a bustling supermarket, my target located. It didn't take long before I had pushed the formerly automatic doors out of the way and was rummaging through the food.
Fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meats that used to be refrigerated were completely spoiled by this point. I had learned the hard way (read: food poisoning) that those items were not to be consumed. That meant I stuck to nonperishables like canned food, boxed juices, and several soups. Despite my diet not consisting of a "well balanced meal," it wasn't completely terrible. Besides, it was better than whatever they had given us at the quarantine camp. There can be nothing worse as bad as the food there.
I collected what I could and stuffed it into my backpack. I stopped by the tea collection, humoring the idea that I could prepare myself a cup. However, I knew that this was not possible. I had nowhere to make it and I didn't want to risk a fire. And I had a horrible feeling that I wouldn't be able to get of the nostalgic taste anytime soon after.
So I passed by the tea, knowing that I had made the right choice. Now, where could the cat food be…?
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With a full stomach and replenished supplies, I continued my search of the town. Well, I suppose that it was not so much of a town as a small suburban area with a few stores. No matter, though. No one would have really cared anyway.
I passed a small shop with precious gems imbedded into jewelry. My feet stopped moving and I stared t the display. It looked like the store was just about to open, jewels flickering from the light and silver polished to shine.
Then I started to chuckle.
If I hadn't known better, I would have said that Crumpet spared me a confused glance as I chortled. Regardless, I decided to humor his non-existent question.
"It's nothing," I assured. "It's just… how much do you think that these necklaces and bracelets and rings would have cost? I know that they would fetch a pretty penny. Far more than that, actually. But now…" I paused, laughter ceasing as I gazed emptily at the display, "now, they are worth nothing."
It was true. I couldn't eat the jewelry, couldn't drink it, and use it as a weapon or a tool. The only thing that it would do was waste space and add weight to my burden.
"Times have changed, Crumpet," I whispered. "And they aren't entirely for the better."
I stood there a second more before I shook my head, sending the thoughts flying. These deep, soul-searching thoughts had started ever since General Winter had started taking lives. I could only recall it happening two other times since I set out on my own but that wasn't good enough for me. I wanted these feelings gone.
I sighed. "Sorry, Crumpet. I'm not quite sure what came over me. Let's keep looking."
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By the time I was satisfied with my investigation, it was near sunset. I contemplated staying in the town for the night but I dismissed the idea. There was no reason to stay here any longer than necessary and I wanted to distance myself from the jewelry shop as much as possible. Anything that triggered thoughts like the ones I was having earlier was not anything I desired to be close to.
So, I set out while the sun was nearing the horizon. A cool breeze reminded me that it would soon get colder. I had set out in… the beginning of May? Or was it the end of April? Either way, based on the amount of time that had passed I knew that autumn was going to approach and, following close behind, winter.
I turned my eyes towards the sky. It was a lovely shade of pink, the clouds staining it with bright oranges that bled into white. The sun was a marvelous shade scarlet, sinking ever lower as time went by. It was such a beautiful sight, something straight out of a romance novel. Alas, I had no fair maiden to spend it with, only a cat.
My feet fell onto paved roads as I continued walking, several plants growing onto the road. What, were you expecting me to be trekking through forests and hacking down vines? Bloody hell, you must not know me well. Then again, I wouldn't expect you to. In any event, it was much safer to walk on the highway or other roads. I could easily find my way from town to town, from city to city. Not following the roads would have been stupid and foolish.
It wasn't long before the sun had sunk, the dark of the night sky taking its rein over the day. Stars twinkled above and I couldn't help but smile at them. It had m. always been hard to see them, with the light pollution and all, but now they were clearly visible. Thank the lord for small mercies.
About an hour after night had fallen, I decided that it would be a good idea to get rest. Despite my will to stay on the roads, I didn't feel comfortable sleeping on them. Not only were they rocky and hard, but I also couldn't shake the feeling that I was going to get run over. As they say, old habits die hard.
"Let's rest for the night," I announced to Crumpet. "I don't want to fall asleep on my feet."
A soft mewl was my only response as I swung over the small, metal gate on the side. Crumpet simply ducked under, being a cat and all. I marched up the small incline until I was on flat ground, trees surrounding me.
I quickly set to work, removing the blanket from my bag and laying it on the ground. I hadn't even bothered to try to carry around a pillow. Sure, they didn't weigh much but it would have consumed most of the space in my backpack. Therefore, I didn't have one. Besides, I had already grown used to not having one.
I curled up onto the green blanket and Crumpet nuzzled into my side. I couldn't imagine what sleeping would be like when snow hit the ground nor did I want to. Hopefully, I would find some place to stay or another person before that happened.
I gave a sigh through my nose, letting my eyes slip shut. I needed sleep right now, not an overactive imagination. Resolving to hold true to that statement, I felt darkness pulling me in as I gave into unconsciousness.
A/N: The first chapter is completed! I hope that you liked it.
So a few quick things about the story so far. Alfred isn't in it. Yet. Don't worry, you'll see plenty of him later.
And about the time Arthur spends walking; I did the math so that the times and location would match up. Generally speaking, Arthur started near San Francisco, California and is around Denver, Colorado. If you have questions about how I figured it out, PM me and I would be more than happy to explain it to you :3
Fun fact: I thought of this story while listening to Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. I'll explain how it relates later on.
Thank you all for reading this story. I appreciate follows and favorites. Reviews are like my life force.
