The Last Kids on Earth and the Nightmare King

“I hear a swirling, deafening thunderclap, followed by the sound of walloping wings and crumbling brick.”

Brallier uses sensory detail in this case sound, to create tension. He uses the word “swirling” to describe a sound, even though it would typically evoke a visual element. This creates a sense of disjointedness.

“The King Wretch gives me a final look—a once-over—and then shoots into the sky with a burst of beating wings. His tail snaps the pavement as he rockets away, winging, curving, and slicing into the distance.”

Here, four different verbs describe the King Wretch as it flies away—"rockets,” “winging,” “curving,” and “slicing.” This shows the beast’s agility and power. The language suggests that the King Wretch is the key antagonist in the story.

“Home is a tree house—and the tree house is mind-clobberingly cool.”

Brallier invents adverbs by taking unconventional terms and turning them into descriptors—“mind-clobberingly.” This emphasizes that Jack is creative, witty, and unique in the way he sees the world.

“And suddenly, I’m imagining myself as a tough guy post-apocalyptic truck driver—possibly the most macho job ever.”

Jack is optimistic about Surviving and Thriving in a Post-Apocalyptic World, and finds reasons to enjoy the unique circumstances that he and his friends find themselves in. Jack also sees himself as a hero and a protector, and likes to imagine himself in various strong roles.

“I am a king and I rule over something good, something secure, something vital. Something that will never be taken from me.”

In the first vision that Jack is given, he sees an ideal future in which all of his dreams and goals are manifested. Because Jack fears being alone, it is extremely enticing to see himself as having eternal bonds of friendship. What Jack fails to see is that these friends will not be taken from him, no matter what happens or who they find. The repetition of “something” emphasizes the intensity of Jack’s emotion.

“I watch my friends: happy, enjoying the party—and for a moment, it seems to make sense. It’s up to me to keep my buddies here and keep them safe and create that beautiful, kick-butt, zombie-free world the King Wretch showed me. I mean, I wouldn’t have seen the vision if it wasn’t the way the world was supposed to go!”

Jack believes he is Putting Friends First by trying to make them happy in their present life. In truth, he is acting out of a selfish desire to prevent change and because he fears being alone. Jack’s flawed thinking is presented clearly; he tells himself that the vision was a future meant to unfold and fails to question the true intentions behind the King Wretch’s actions.

“I’m itchy. Anxious. Straight-up squirrelly. See, the first thing I learned after the Monster Apocalypse began is that you need to keep busy. Otherwise, you go crazy-pants.”

Jack describes the anxiousness that creeps up while living in a post-apocalyptic world. Although the kids do what they can to enjoy life and have fun, there is always an undercurrent of danger, dread, and the possible reality of being left alone on earth. The short sentences and fragments emphasize Jack’s anxiety. The phrases “straight-up squirrelly” and “crazy-pants” underscore his unique voice.

“It is a fantastically fun afternoon. But it’s not fun enough to cheer up June entirely. It’s not fun enough to keep June from thinking about her family. I start to wonder—is anything?”

Jack’s efforts to distract the others and keep them from wanting to leave Wakefield backfire on him. He realizes that their need to find people far outweighs any desire to have fun. Jack is particularly concerned about how June feels because he has feelings for her, although he has yet to voice them aloud.

“I don’t get it! What did I do?! Is it because I am the one intended to be the king in this vision of the future? If that is the reason, well, I don’t know how to feel about that!”

Jack finally starts to question the true nature of the visions and what they mean. He begins to see that the seemingly ideal reality with which he was presented is actually one which puts him in a position he is not ready to take. Jack is a fierce leader and a protective friend, but he is still young; this helps Jack realize he should not trust the visions.

“The highway is a post-apocalyptic zombie nightmare straight out of every post-apocalyptic zombie nightmare movie, TV show, comic, video game, everything.”

Jack draws on a collective knowledge of post-apocalyptic horror in pop culture to describe the dangers associated with traveling on the highway. This aims to add familiarity and relatability.

“For a kid who spent his whole life wanting friends and then finally got them—monsters aren’t nearly as scary as the idea of your friends going away.”

Jack wrestles with The Fear of Being Alone, which motivates his actions in the story. After growing up in foster care and without a stable family, his four friends are the first sense of stability and family he has ever known. For Jack, nothing is more terrifying than the idea of losing what he has finally found.

“I smell something like gym socks slathered with buffalo wing sauce.”

Brallier uses the sense of smell, combining the mundane—“gym socks”—with the unusual—“buffalo wing sauce.” This adds a classic “gross factor” typical of both of monster/zombie horror and of children’s literature.

“This tentacle-covered horror defies description: it’s monstracious, gigantesque, terrifiable. The monster writhes, its tentacles toss aside trash, and we see the full, terrifying, bloodcurdling breadth of the beast.”

The Scrapken defies description. Here, Jack uses invented words to characterize how it is larger than life. Instead of “monstrous,” the Scrapken is “monstracious.” Instead of terrifying, it’s “terrifiable.” This emphasizes Jack’s unique voice, as well as the monster’s horror. The passage also uses alliteration, or the repetition of consonant sounds—"bloodcurdling breadth of the beast.”

“By give this guy the business, I mean teach him all about my professional occupation—aka business—which is MONSTER-STOMPING POST-APOCALYPTIC HERO!”

This passage also shows Jack’s wit and how he plays with words. The all-caps and exclamation emphasize his childlike enthusiasm: “MONSTER-STOMPING POST-APOCALYPTIC HERO!”

This moment showcases Jack’s undying courage and relentless spirit. He is a fighter and never hesitates to charge into battle.

“I’ve been saved—but only for a moment.”

Each time Jack and his friends are saved from danger, it is only temporary. Part of surviving and thriving in a dying world is living with the knowledge that at any moment, a new threat may arise.

“What I actually need to do is NOT GIVE UP. If I show my buddies the MOST FUN EVER, then maybe—maybe, maybe, maybe—there’s still a chance they won’t want to leave. It just needs to be fun ENOUGH.”

Jack’s inner thoughts turn desperate, as indicated by the use of capital letters and repetition of “maybe.” Jack has already observed that his friends cannot be distracted from their ultimate goal—that of finding other people— yet he still tries because he fears their loss.

“It’s important I learn to do things alone, since once that radio starts doing radio things, who knows what the future holds? I might be doing a lot of things by myself.”

Jack has already convinced himself that once the others find new people or their families, they won’t want him around anymore. Jack experiences bouts of low self-esteem, though he doesn’t label it as such. He does not seem to realize that his friends will continue to care about him, even if everything else changes.

“This is the pinnacle of all nightmares. It is the type of terror that breaks you.”

When Jack is shown the second vision, he sees a world in which everything and everyone he loves is destroyed. For most people, that world has already come to be, but for Jack, it remains an imminent threat. In Jack’s view, nothing is worse than having failed to do what he has tasked himself with, which is to keep his friends from harm. In this way, the passage shows how he is a protector and leader.

“The King Wretch shrieks and dives. His howl is high-pitched horror—the sound of evil itself.”

Sound emphasizes the King Wretch’s evil nature. The Wretch’s cries are horror and evil incarnate, as though the beast is made from a dark, supernatural force.

“The King Wretch’s head jerks upward and I see pain rack his body. His tail slithers, snakes, and snaps as Ŗeżżőcħ growls, ‘NOW, JACK SULLIVAN, I WILL WATCH AS YOU PERISH, ALONE.’”

After days of being terrorized by the King Wretch, there comes a moment when the narrative invites reader empathy. It is clear that the King Wretch is just a servant of Ŗeżżőcħ, and that it suffers at Ŗeżżőcħ’s hand. When Ŗeżżőcħ speaks, the font changes and converts into all-caps, signifying Ŗeżżőcħ’s power and rage. The passage uses alliteration for emphasis—"slithers, snakes, and snaps.”

“I pretend the King Wretch is Conan the Barbarian and—PWAP! PWAP! PWAP! A stream of tennis balls pounds the King Wretch’s hide.”

In the above passage, Jack refers to a previous part of the story, in which Dirk dressed up as Conan the Barbarian and had tennis balls shot toward him. The text uses onomatopoeia, where words sound like what they mean—“PWAP! PWAP! PWAP!” This adds levity and a childlike element to the story’s horrific landscape.

“I must have faith in my buddy now, because that’s what buddies are for: having faith in!”

Jack has always seen Quint as someone who is highly nervous and folds under pressure. This expectation has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Jack consciously changes his attitude and decides to believe in Quint. In doing so, Jack helps Quint find the confidence to take an accurate shot at the King Wretch.

“The monster’s mouth opens to devour us.

I see fangs, flashing.

I see goo, dripping.

I see darkness, waiting.

But I don’t pull back. I lean forward.”

The narrative falls into line poetry as the story reaches its climax and tension reaches its maximum height. The phrase “I see” is repeated, with each of the three middle lines ending in present participles. The build-up of each line leads to the drama of Jack facing the King Wretch for the last time.