The Last Human: Surviving Grim Court

By Vivienne Sack

My friends and I were surviving the end of the world as monsters attacked. Just as I'm about to be killed by a Smasher, I see a man on the horizon before squeezing my eyes shut and screaming as death comes for me. My scream suddenly echoed before someone told me, "Enough." Turning to face him, I see a man with eight glowing eyes but otherwise lo

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vivienne Sack
• Release date: Jul 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088229644

Book preview

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Chapter 1

It had been a week since everyone who wasn’t in their twenties died. Seven days ago, the living developed powers, like breathing underwater and super strength. The list of powers seemed to be endless, but many people shared them– from what I could tell anyway.

If that wasn’t bad enough, there were monsters roaming the surface of the planet. Lucky underwater breathers just had to deal with sharks and whatever lurked in the unknown. Okay, maybe that wasn’t so lucky either, but at least they avoided the terrifying vampires and creatures that resembled the Hulk.

Why the twenty-somethings? That was the question we were all dying to know. While we were glad to have avoided the plague that wiped out the world’s population in a day, the living had horrors to face daily now. It started with a cough, then you were coughing up blood. Then you dropped dead. Except for us lucky twenty-somethings. We lived to witness our families die, the world collapse, and bodies lying everywhere. We got to witness the arrival of the monsters and the start of their destruction.

Every day was about survival.

There was no manual about the end of the world–none that applied to this unique doomsday anyway. There were those who were going solo, those who were forming communities, and everything in between.

Me? I was with my boyfriend Sam and our closest couple friend, Lizzie, and Maribel. We had known each other for years, and there was no one I’d rather face doomsday with.

The city no longer resembled one after a week. You would’ve thought we were in year twenty of the zombie apocalypse with how it looked. The monsters really wreaked havoc in those seven days. Buildings crumbled and burned, and roads cracked with plants starting to grow in them.

I brushed my waist-long blonde hair out of my face, looking back at Sam. He was watching out for us as we looked for food. Smasher, he whispered, pointing to my left. We all ducked down behind the car at the gas station. A rotting body was in the driver’s seat.

We all fell silent, holding our breath as it meandered by, taking its sweet time to get to its unknown destination. A can fell from Maribel’s pocket, crashing to the ground before loudly rolling under the car. It hit a rock with a clank before stilling. I dropped a little lower behind the car. My heart was pounding, and my palms were sweaty.

The Smasher turned its attention to us, its large eyes squinting at the red car separating us. My heart stopped as it stood still. There were distant screams, but they didn’t draw the creature’s attention away. The smasher stepped forward, black eyes glued on us. It had seen us.

Panic flooded me, fear freezing me in my crouched position. Maribel bolted first, followed by the rest of us. We ran to the road on foot since all cars and electronics had stopped working. I was the slowest runner, despite training to run for years. Sam looked over his shoulder. Pick it up, he yelled. I could hear it behind us, catching up to me. Sam looked back at me again, begging me to run faster. Terror was in his wide eyes, and the color drained from his face. My feet were pounding into the cracked asphalt as the smasher gained on me. Harper, run, Sam exclaimed, looking behind him.

My legs were carrying me as fast as I could with the lack of food. It wasn’t fast enough. Doom washed over me. I was going to die.

A distant figure stood on the horizon, watching as I ran for my life. It looked human but walked freely among the monsters instead of fleeing for their life.

I looked behind me and saw the Smasher’s giant blue claw swinging down to smash me. I screamed as loud as my voice would carry, squeezing my eyes shut so I didn’t see my death coming while covering my face as it came down.

My scream rang out, echoing suddenly. I didn’t dare open my eyes; sure, the claw was going to kill me at any second.

That’s enough, a man growled in a thick, unknown accent.

Building up the courage, I stopped screaming and flicked my eyes open. My jaw dropped, and my stomach sank. I was in a dark room that was dimly lit. The walls were a deep purple and lit up with flickering candles. It smelled pleasantly like flowers. What the hell? I asked, my heart still pounding. My head was spinning–one moment, I was seconds from death, and the next, I was in a gothic-style room.

What’s your power, Harper? a deep, commanding voice asked behind me, and I spun to see a tanned man sitting on an oversized chair. Like a spider, he had eight red eyes, all trained on me. He wore a dark suit with a deep red undershirt, and his polished shoes reflected the candlelight.

What are you? I gasped, taking two steps back. I hit a wall and froze. I was unsure of what to do or say to get out of my situation. His eyes were gentle–all eight of them. Two eyes were trained on something besides me, but I didn’t dare look. He had auburn hair that was slicked back. He offered a smile, showing off his pointed sharp teeth.

He rose and started toward me, stopping a couple feet in front of me. He smoothed back his hair before saying, I’m the being that saved you. His eyes zeroed in on a loose strand of my hair, and the creature stepped in front of me before he brushed a strand of hair out of my face. You can call me Vorgoz. His fingers lingered on my hair before dropping to my cheek and gently stroking it. He was warm to the touch.

I was trembling where I stood, trapped against the wall. What about the apocalypse? What do you want with me? I asked. He fixed his short, auburn hair again before smiling. His appearance seemed to be important to the demonic-looking creature. Vorgoz’s black suit hugged his muscles, showing off how strong he was. It was clear he was not someone to mess with.

What is your power? Vorgoz asked again, ignoring my questions. He snapped his fingers and produced a sandwich that looked to be ham and cheese. Answer, and then eat Harper.

Shapeshifting, I answered softly, not taking my eyes off him as badly as I wanted to look away. I gingerly took the whole wheat sandwich from him as my stomach growled. I anxiously took a bite, tapping my foot on the dark wooden floors.

Eat it, my flower, Vorgoz instructed.

My stomach knotted from his nickname. I took another bite before quickly scarfing the rest down. He produced half a sandwich by snapping his fingers before handing it to me. I took it. Thank you, I whispered meekly before eating half of the mouth-watering sandwich. He smiled close-mouthed as if realizing his teeth made me incredibly nervous.

Flickering light like a tv caught my attention, and I turned to look. Behind him seemed like a television, with what appeared to be the apocalypse on. I let my eyes drift to it for a second, and I could see Sam, Maribel, and Izzie running from the smasher. My eyes widened, and I pointed to his entertainment. Help them, too, I exclaimed, pointing at the screen. I locked my hands together, turning back to him. Please, help them too.

No, Vorgoz answered flatly, blood-red eyes still locked on me. Just you, he added after a second. I watched my friends flee, hiding from the Smasher in a partially filled dumpster. Relief found me for a split second before remembering they were still trapped there. I was still here–wherever here was.

I turned my attention back to him. Why? I meekly questioned. Please, save them. I’ll do whatever it is you want from me; just save them too.

Why, my flower, he said, stroking my cheek, is because I shouldn’t have risked saving you. I won’t risk myself again for them. Vorgoz smiled, showing his sharp teeth. Welcome to Grim Court. He leaned in and pressed his lips into my cheek as horror washed over me, and my hands began to tremble, thinking about the pointed teeth an inch away from me.

He smelled strongly of smoke, tickling my nose. Why did you save me then? I questioned, easing slightly with the man. His nickname still made my stomach churn. He didn’t seem to want to hurt me, but he had left three innocent people to die without blinking an eye.

Vorgoz smiled again, flashing me his teeth. He tucked my knotted hair behind my ear before caressing my cheek lovingly. We have a ball to prepare for. He turned to an open doorway. Onnin, he called for someone.

A woman with skin as black as midnight stepped into the room, two small horns on her head. She wore a deep purple dress with matching flats. Her white eyes flickered to me before she bowed slightly to Vorgoz. Yes, sir?

Get our guest ready for tonight’s ball, Onnin. Make her breathtaking. Vorgoz ordered before going to sit back in his chair to watch his entertainment, the nightmare of thousands.

But– I tried to argue.

Vorgoz silenced me. No buts, my flower. Go get ready for tonight. He gave me a look that suggested I don’t argue, and I fell silent.

I reluctantly followed Onnin, who took my hand and was hot enough to nearly burn me. She led me out of the room and up two flights of stairs. The blood-red rugs on the stone hallways and stairs led to a black doorway across from another black door which was closed. I gripped the cool metal knob and turned it til it clicked unlocked. This will be your room until further notice, she murmured with a thick accent that I didn’t recognize.

We stepped in, and it was equally as dreary as the rest of the large castle. The walls were deep red, like blood, and lit with flickering candles, casting shadows along the wall. A black comforter rested on the extra large bed, and matching curtains hung from the window.

I raced to it and ripped open the curtain to see nothing but black. My stomach knotted.

Onnin grabbed my shoulder; her hot touch was uncomfortable on my bare shoulder. To the bath, miss, she instructed, leading me to the large, dark red bathroom. Onnin ran the bath water before trying to undress me. I assured her that I could do it.

As the water filled, the tub appeared to be filled with blood. Onnin left to give me privacy before I stripped and sank in. I scrubbed at my dirty skin and hair until the water turned a reddish brown from all the dirt that had been caked on me. I scrubbed