The Unforgiving Starlight: A 21st Century Slasher Story.

"I'm going to go for help, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Why are you talking like that?" The boy asked his father. "You're not going anywhere."

The man sighed, taking a seat on the floor of what was once the great city of Chicago. The world as we knew it no longer existed, and humanity had been reduced to a mere few thousand people. His son would never know the world he'd lived in before this, the one filled with cars and planes and skyscrapers.

"Yes I am. You're sick, and I have medicine that will make you feel better. So I need to go get it." He let out a dry cough into his sleeve. "I should have told you this earlier, but...I'm not your real father."

The boy's face contorted into confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when you were born, your mom and I went to a hospital in another city to have you. We only stayed there for a night or two before we headed back here to Chicago. That's why you don't remember being there."

The boy stared blankly at him for a long time, thinking about what he'd said. It was true that he didn't remember the trip or anywhere outside of their small group of survivors. He did remember hearing stories from grandfathers who'd seen it all though, how cities looked like they'd been burned down by an evil force, how people had died in front of them without warning...but he didn't understand any of it anymore than his son did now.

"Who is my real dad then?"

The man put on a fake smile and stood up before patting the boy on the head. "Don't worry about that," he lied, "let's just focus on getting you better."