New Years Explosions

Well that was a nice start to the day don’t ya think? Attacked by some mutant creature for a tin of peaches, almost killed by some zombie thing only to be saved by a girl with a sword and almost killed by a giant mutant bird that could talk, normal right? Yeah, well it is now.
“So,” I said to my companions as we walked away from the rotting bird, “Let’s recap, our world ended on New Year’s Eve, we have these creepy creatures and we don’t know if anyone else survived?”
“Pretty much,” Charlie replied with a casual shrug of her shoulders. How can she be so calm?

“This is some deep shit we’ve gotten into,” I turned to Kayne, “OK, what’s your story? You a trainee biologist or somethin’?” I asked him, but turned to Charlie before I could get the reply, “and you, where did you get that katana?”
“I was around a hospital a lot,” Kayne said his voice a low murmur. “You learn things.” I nod in reply, Kayne sure seems secretive. Wonder how useful his knowledge will be, what else could he know? I shrug my shoulders and focus on Charlies answer.
“-ojo.” She shrugs and leans her head against her hand.
“Sorry what? I wasn’t listening”
“I said,” she started scowling at me, “I got the Katana from my local dojo. Anyway, what are we gonna do now?”
I nodded my head, so we’ve got a fighter and a Brainiac. What the hell did that make me? No way was I the leader guy.
I looked to Kayne for some help but he just shrugged and looked away, wiping his blood covered hands against his jeans.

Sighing I collapse onto the concrete and hug one knee, stretching my other leg out. “Well, I guess we should continue doing what I was already doing.” I puff out before lying on my back.
Kayne raises his eyebrow slightly “And what would that be?” I hear a smile in his voice as he joins me on the ground and breaths in deeply.
“Search for survivors, food and try to find out what the hell has happened to Earth.”
He nods in agreement, “I’m in.” I yawn and cover my eyes from the dust and burning sun. Relaxing bit by bit.
I hear a sigh and a thump as Charlie sits between us, I uncover one of my eyes and raise a brow at her a faint smile on my lips. “There’s nothing better to do,” she says with a shrug and then grins, “besides we might find Ben and my ‘rents.”
Frowning I risk a glance at Kayne and I can tell his thoughts were mine. We didn’t think we’d be finding anyone’s family any time soon, they were probably dead. I manage to keep the thought to myself and Kayne didn’t look like he would be mentioning it either.
Silence settles over us, a kind of tired sort of silence. The fight must have really taken it out of us.

A little bit later I stood and dusted myself off; wordlessly I picked up the Katana and stabbed the peach tin open. We ate in silence.

***
It had been hours since the fight with the mutant bird and since we ate, the sun was now setting causing the dust to look as if it was glowing.
We were battered, bruised and starving so I steered us to a house that looked sturdy and the houses around it weren’t crumbling much. “It’ll do.” I shrugged and Charlie entered first followed by me then Kayne. What, she had the best weapon!
It was clear and we crashed on the couch, I dealt out the rest of the peaches and threw the tin into the corner of the room.
“Tomorrow we’ll have to search for more food, if we’re to keep going.” I sighed and rubbed my eyes, I was god damn tired but I couldn’t sleep now. I covered my face in my hands, “what do you guys think caused this?” I rubbed my face, sneezed and stifled a yawn. The building was an apartment complex and very tacky and dusty-old too.
“Well....” Charlie started, sitting up from her collapsed position. “What else could of caused it but aliens?”
“Aliens?” I scoffed, honestly? “ok why would Aliens attack us? And why are we still alive?” I asked knowing I was about to start an argument.
“Because....” she started slowly, “Aliens see us as an inferior race needing to be eradicated from the face of the universe, or a threat” she started speaking faster and a little quieter, “Or some unknown life has decided to take over the planet, mutating the species of this planet to do its bidding slowly destroying us.” Charlie gave a casual shrug, “Or something like that.”
“...Um, wow. Uhh okay I can’t match that, like at all. What do you think Kayne?” I quickly changed the topic, she sure knew aliens. I hoped Kayne wasn’t about to mention God or Aliens.
I don’t believe in either, I just like using god as bad language. I didn’t really think about why things were, I just cruse along with whatever life throws at me. Well I did anyway, I’m not too sure now.
Kayne shrugs. "It could be any number of things. My theory is that it wasn't an extra-terrestrial force -if they had the power to do this much to our world, they'd have done it long ago. I think..." He pauses, clearing his throat. "Given the state of the buildings and the land, the mutated creatures, the toxins in the air... It could be the work of a military misfire, or a 'ten-second war'. It would make more sense than aliens, no offense."
I nod in response and shoot Charlie a raised eyebrow and smug smile, “at least someone’s thinking. Anyway, you guys get some sleep I’ll take watch in case one of those...Broken things come or anything else.