Jack's Last Walk

"Hey. Hey? HOW ARE YOU DOING?" "He hasn't been talking much." "Oh." "Thanks for coming over. I can't get him into the wheelchair on my own." "Yeah. OK. Hey, we're gonna put you in your chair now. OK?" [[I can feel myself being picked up.]]

"OK, he's in! Hey. Are you OK? Hey. Hey?" "He was talking last night." "Huh." "Hopefully the doctor helps him." "Yeah." "Let's get him to the door." "OK. We're gonna push your chair forward now, OK?" [[I can feel myself floating forward.]]

"OK, here's good. I'm gonna stop now, OK? Hey, can you hear me?" "The bus will be here soon." "Hey, hey. DO YOU KNOW YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT? Hey?" [[I can feel something waving near my face.]]

Jack's Last Walk by SnakeWinter [[Start]] snakewinter.itch.io 2026

"Hey? Hey? Can you see my hand? He's not responding to anything." "Yeah, I know. He's not looking good." "What do you mean?" "I don't know how else to say it. I'm not a doctor. Let's get him to his appointment and they can help him. There's the bus. I'll get the door." [[I can feel myself floating forward again.]]

[[I feel heat. Is it sunlight?]]

"Hey, hey. Thank you. He has an appointment." "Is he awake?" "Yeah, yeah. He's just not talking." "We can't take him if he's unconscious." "Well, he's going to a doctor though?" "Sorry, we can't take him." [[I feel cold.]]

[[How can I feel cold in the sunlight?]]

[[Ohhh I feel so cold. I wish someone would turn the heat up.]]

[[I feel myself floating backwards.]]

[[Why am I going backwards?]]

"The bus didn't help at all! Why couldn't they take him?" "Stay with him. I'll call the ambulance." "Hey, hey. You gotta wake up? OK?" [[I can feel my arm being picked up. It's like it's rising on its own.]]

[[Why can't I move my arm?]]

[[What kind of crazy thing is happening that I can't move my own arm?]]

"Hey. Hey. Can you hear me?" [[I nod my head.]]

"Oh, hey, he's awake!" "Did he say anything?" "No, his head just kinda wobbled a little bit." "OK, keep talking to him. I'm gonna get his medical papers ready. The ambulance is coming." [[Who needs an ambulance?]]

[[I feel so cold.]]

[[I'm so tired.]]

"Hey, hey! You gotta stay awake now." [[I nod and say "OK, yeah sure."]]

"He talked!" "Really?" "Well kind of. He just kinda moaned." "Oh." [[I think I'm feeling better.]]

[[Uhhhhh...]]

"Hey! Hey! He's really yellow!" "Oh!" "Hey! Come on, you were doing better a second ago." "The ambulance is here!" "OK, hey, hey, wake up!" [[I stand up.]]

[[I just gotta get up...]]

[[Then I'm gonna turn the heat up...]]

[[And then...]]

[[Then...->Hmmmmm...]]

I leave the cold room. I go to turn the heat up. I look at the dial. [[How is it 75 in here, but feels so cold?]]

Did you hear me? Ambulance guy? AMBULANCE GUY! [[Hello? Hello?]]

[[I said no resuscitate.]]

[[I SAID NO RESUSCITATE!]]

Did you hear me? Did you hear me? I said no! [[I SAID NO!]]

I'M NOT PAYING FOR THAT, YOU PR [[i feel thumping.]]

[[i feel agitated.]]

[[i feel pain everywhere.]]

[[i can't move.]]

[[i can't tell him to stop.]]

[[i think i'm gonna die.]]

[[it hurts so much.]]

(live: 5s)[ (go-to: "Menu")]

"Well no, Jack, you can't drive." [[Why?]]

"It's true. You've been in bad shape for a while now." [[You're in bad shape!]]

"Calm down, Jack. I don't think you wanna go out angry." [[I don't wanna go at all!]]

[[What if I just stay here with the cat?]]

"No." [[Why not?]]

"Because you're at the end of the track. There's no more rail left. Now, come on. Just follow me and we can get you out of here before it gets worse." [[I'm not gonna follow you anywhere! I hate you! I HATE YOU!]]

"It's OK to hate me. Especially now. But you can't keep the cat." [[I'm all she's got.]]

"Your pacemaker just fired." What? Like a gun? Why would it shoot me? "No, not like a gun. Like, it restarted your heart." Ohhhhhhhhh. "Look, I tried to help you, but there was nothing I could do. I'm sorry. I really am. Bye." [[I start floating away faster. So fast, I can't see my cat anymore. All I see is fog. But then...]]

"Because you're dying." [[WHATTTTT]]

"You're not going to be able to keep yourself for very much longer, so how could you keep a cat!" [[CALM DOWN! DON'T GET ALL ANGRY ON ME!]]

I reach out to turn the heat up. [[But my finger goes right through the dial.]]

I don't understand. I try again. My finger goes through the dial again. [[What's happening?]]

I try pushing the dial again and again and again. Every time, my finger just goes straight through it. [[I'm getting really agitated with this thing!]]

//Mewwwwww// I look down and see my cat. She's in my bedroom, looking back up at me. I go into my bedroom. [[I reach down to pet my cat...]]

My hand goes right through her. //Mewwwwww// She tries to nuzzle her head against my hand, but the same thing happens again. She knows I'm trying to pet her. But I can't pet her. Poor little kitty. [[How far gone am I that I can't even pet my poor little cat?]]

"Almost entirely gone, Jack." I look back up and see someone I don't know. I don't know how to say it, but it feels like looking at fog when I try to stare at this person. The problem is, my memory doesn't work good anymore. It hasn't worked good for a while. Do I know this person? What's its name? "No, you don't know me. And I don't have a name. But none of that matters. I'm not your friend or your enemy. I'm just here for you." [[GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!]]

It laughs at me. "Oh, Jack. You can't even pet a cat. How could you possess a house, you silly man!" It floats towards me and stares me straight in the eyes. Then, it leans down and pets my cat on the head. [[Why does this thing get to pet my cat, but I can't?]]

"I don't know, Jack. Why do you think I can pet your cat, but you can't?" I stare at it like I'm back in school. It's like I'm the dumb kid again. "You're not dumb. You were smart. Now you're dimming. But not in a dumb way. More like a lightbulb nearing its end. You're getting a little bit more light, but pretty soon you're gonna pop. Then? Lights out." [[I look up at the ceiling light. It looks dim. But wait, why's it on if no one else is in here. Who left the light on when they left this room?!]]

I anxiously try to flick the lightswitch off, but my finger goes right through. How much money is this gonna waste?! "Never mind the lightbulb. I shouldn't have mentioned it. You've got a mechanical mind. You see a problem and you want to fix it. But you can't fix this." Why not? "Because you can't. But I can help you through this. Just listen to me." [[I bend down to pet the cat again and she jumps up through my hand.]]

//Mew!// Hey! She made her funny little noise. Do you think she felt that? "Maybe? I really don't know, Jack. Cats are weird." I must be getting stronger! I walked for the first time in...I don't know how long! And now I can pet the cat without even feeling it. Hey, you think maybe I got frostbite? It's so cold in here! It's awful! [[I try to cross my arms for warmth, but my arms go right through me. Aren't I supposed to have blood and bones and muscles?]]

"Yeah, those kind of things are usually there. Why do you think you're missing them?" Well, I don't know! Maybe I've got some kinda X-Ray vision, like a superhero! "Hmmm. Well, that's a creative guess at least." [[I suddenly wondered if I could fly.]]

"No, you can't fly. You're lucky you can stand and walk." Huh. Well, can I drive again? You know, I don't wanna brag, but I am kinda the best driver in the world. "Are you?" Yeah! I can see out every window all at once. I notice things other people don't. I should be like a road safety man! Yeah. I think I'll do that. "I'm sorry, Jack, but you can't drive." [[Why?]]

It sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. But you have to trust me, it's in your best interest if you go right now. Don't want, don't wait. Just go." Go where? "Away." [[YOU GO AWAY! THIS IS MY HOUSE! AND THAT'S MY CAT! AND I'M NOT GOING! YOU'RE GOING! YOU'RE CRAZY!]]

It sighed again. What is with this thing? Why does it have to breathe so much that it has to sigh so much? It's so annoying! "Maybe I went about this the wrong way." Yeah you did! Cuz you're a jerk! "It's too late to change anything. Why worry you with a choice when really, you don't have any options here? Please, play with your cat as much as you can. I'll shut up now." [[I stare at it as it fades away. Good. I'm glad it's gone. Whatever it was.]]

//Mewwwwww// Awwwww! [[I pet the cat]]

My hand went through her again. Oh wait. She has to jump to me? I think that's how it works now. [[I hold my hand above my cat's head.]]

She jumps up and goes through my hand. //Mew!// Awww! She made her funny little noise again! She jumps up through my hand again. //Mew!// Awww! [[I looked around the room for people-food, but there's none in here. She likes people-food a lot.]]

She jumps through my hand again. //Mew!// OK, OK. Just wait here a second. I'm gonna go to the kitchen and get us some cookies. I'll bring you some milk too, but don't tell anyone you're drinking milk. They don't like it when you drink milk! They're bad! Oh, but not you! You're not bad! You're good, right? She jumps through my hand again. //Mew!// [[Awww!]]

I leave my bedroom, but then I feel a jolt like I'm being electrocuted. What is this? Why do I feel pain now? It makes me feel warmer, which is good. But it hurts so bad, which is bad. I'm about ready to remember some bad words, but then I see that person again. It shakes its foggy head. [[Hey! Why am I floating away!]]

I'm back in the cold room. Staring down at my body. It's in a wheelchair. It looks so weak. It looks like I'm dead. My head falls over. [[I feel myself dimming like some kinda lightbulb, or a dumb kid. Hey, didn't that fog-jerk call me a dumb kid? That fog-jerk. What a jerk.]]

I feel like I'm almost nothing now. Like I'm being recyled into the world cuz I'm good to the environment. I think I did a lotta stuff. I walked a lot. I drove a lot. I lived longer than a lotta other people did. And everybody knows, I was a saint. I guess I got a good deal, I guess. I feel bad for the poor little cat though. I'm all she's got. [[I fade away.]]

Wait. Where am I? I look down and see my body on a stretcher. It's in an ambulance. Its being worked on by an ambulance guy. He's doing all kinds of stuff to my dead body with his tools. What is he doing?! This isn't right. This is a waste of time, resources, and money. MY MONEY! I don't remember a lot, but I know for sure I said no resuscitate. [[Hey, I said no resuscitate!]]

[[so long.]]