"Mop-Up" is a post-apocalyptic Science Fantasy Short Story. It was written by Arthur Porges and debuted in the July 1953 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Although the story itself, in which humans, monsters, and animals alike play a role, at times risks being silly, its bleak commentary on the human condition in light of mankind's capacity to bring about planetwide destruction makes "Mop-Up" unambiguously a product of the Cold War.
Two years after a two-part apocalypse brought about by hydrogen bombs first and a plethora of manmade diseases second, the last human on Earth stumbles upon a gathering of a witch, a vampire, and a ghoul, each of them the last of their kind too. Elated, the witch claims the handsome man as her lover and has him sit next to her. It is from this trio that the human learns that he is the last, to which he enquires what happened and how the trio can be sure. They bring him up to speed and inform him that witches and vampires can fly across the world in mere hours and they've made many trips to be sure. Curiously, at first there were plenty of other monsters that had survived too, but the three haven't met another monster in weeks now. As plans for the future come up, a rabbit and several more animals unassumingly walk up to the gathering. It is the vampire who first recognizes the threat when he notices a beaver armed with a stake and raccoons armed with torches. The rabbit points at the ghoul, who tries to escape, but gets his face bitten off by a grizzly bear before a mountain lion finishes the kill. The vampire tries to flee by taking to the sky, but birds pummel him back to the ground. He's held in place by several critters while a bull moose stomps a stake through his heart. Thereafter, the witch is driven into a corner by all gathered animals and burned to death. In the meantime, the human forewent escape, believing that the age-old bond between animals and humans means they've come to rescue him. It is when the rabbit sics four wolves on him that he knows he miscalculated.
The particular monster rally present in "Mop-Up" hails from the pre-code era of comics and has rarely been used outside of that medium. One of the few other examples, "Fresh Guy", was inspired by "Mop-Up" and also features a human apocalypse that monsters got through just fine.
"Mop-Up" provides examples of the following tropes:
- Abhorrent Admirer: The witch Mother Digby is older than any human could ever be and looks the part of a wrinkled, white-haired, unkempt, veiny, and leathery woman. She knows she's not a desirable partner, but she doesn't give the last human any choice. She is convinced that after a few thousand years, time she can grant him with her magic, he'll learn to love her.
- Adam and Eve Plot: As the group ponders the extinction of humanity and what it means for them, the witch lays her head on the human's shoulder and mutters "Adam and Eve". The human is absolutely horrified at the thought of having to be the witch's lover, but she's the one in control.
- After the End: Humanity has come to an end because of both nuclear and biological warfare. Animals and monsters suffered the catastrophes too, but they got through with far more than humanity's single survivor. For two years, the last remaining human looks for other survivors. In those two years, the monsters use their various abilities to keep in touch and reorganize, but their numbers are dwindling. This is because the animals have been thinking and they're done with everything. They've been slowly chipping away at the surviving monsters and now only one witch, one vampire, one ghoul, and the human are all they've yet to deal with. A final strike is made convenient when the four of them gather in the same place.
- Asshole Victim: Neither the ghoul nor the vampire nor the witch nor the human are sympathetic and they are executed in descending order. The ghoul, simple-minded and only a bother to corpses, dies first. The vampire, a drinker of blood but otherwise pleasant company, dies second. The witch, debaucherous and mean, dies third. And the arrogant human, who forgives himself a past of sadistic hunting trips and fancies himself a leader in the new world, dies fourth.
- The Aloner: The last human survived the hydrogen bombs by luck and the diseases thanks to an experimental serum. He's been looking for other humans since, finding no one until he meets the witch, the vampire, and the ghoul. It is from them that he learns that he is the last surviving human and thereafter he doesn't know whether he should try to escape the monstrous trio or accept them as the only company left for him.
- Burn the Witch!: Witches have either no water in their body at all or a much lower percentage than other lifeforms. This makes fire one of the most effective weapons against them, which the animals know. Two raccoons come bearing torches while the other animals bring all manner of wood to keep the fire going. The witch is cornered against a church wall and burned there.
- Darkness Equals Death: It is at dusk that the xenocide of monsterkind is completed and the last human faces execution.
- Dirty Old Woman: It's implied that being lecherous is a trait all witches have in common and that Mother Digby is nothing out of the ordinary. Mention is made of witch orgies and Mother Digby claiming the last human as her lover is presented as the equivalent of a vampire draining a victim or a ghoul eating a corpse. Whether witches are always old-looking or if Mother Digby is just truly old even by witch standards is left unclear. What is clear is that she's very content with the looks of the last human and immediately gets touchy with him, despite his protests. When she starts talking about how she'll teach him the "435 ways", he quickly has the subject changed.
- Face Death with Dignity: The vampire is prepared to take death with all the finesse of a nobleman, but the witch challenges him to take the form of a bat and escape by flight. The vampire may very well realize this won't work, but he follows her instructions. He gets beaten down by birds, breaks his back upon landing, and gets staked.
- Final Solution: Mankind has almost fully wiped itself out and taken a good chunk of the animals and monsters with it. The surviving animals are done with it all and track down surviving human and surviving monster alike to finally be rid of the whole destructive lot.
- Gaia's Vengeance: After bringing about the end of humanity with hydrogen bombs and a plethora of diseases, mankind is down to one last specimen. Monsterkind has been hit too, but not nearly as badly. So the animals are faced with two possible paths: either they'll let the two groups be, at the risk of history repeating itself, or they put a stop to it now by destroying them now that their numbers are down. They choose the latter path with a successful outcome.
- Hiroshima as a Unit of Measure: The ancient witch has been witness to her fair share of disasters. She says that the big Mississippi Quakes of 1815, Krakatoa, and Hiroshima were nothing compared to the hydrogen bombs from two years ago.
- Last of His Kind: The human, the witch, the vampire, and the ghoul are each the last of their kind, although the monsters don't realize it yet. The four of them survived hydrogen bombs by luck and the human survived a legion of diseases due to an experimental panacea he happened to be on the researching team for. Monsters fared a lot better than humans did, but the animals, sick and tired of the old hierarchy, have been whittling down their numbers. It all comes to a head when the last four have gathered and the animals can mop up in one last attack.
- Mage Species: Witches are explicitly part of monsterkind and not human. They can, however, crossbreed with humans as brought up when the witch mutters "Adam and Eve" in regards to her claiming the last human as her mate.
- Our Ghouls Are Creepier: The ghoul is the least human-looking of the monsters, having a beastlike physique, a doglike snout, and sharp and sturdy nails. He can talk, but with a growl and he keeps to short sentences. His bond with the witch resembles that of a pet and its master and the witch at one point call him "my pet" but isn't necessarily kind to him.
- Our Vampires Are Different: The vampire is a baron and only ever referred by his title. He is old nobility and proud of it. Although a classic vampire with a cape and the ability to turn into a fast-flying bat, sunlight does not adversely affect him. Years ago, he picked up the habit of visiting hospitals for blood bags because hunting was becoming more and more difficult. With all humans dead now, blood bags and the occasional animal blood have become his diet.
- Panacea: The last human survived the many, many diseases humanity unleashed en masse on itself because he worked at a lab where an untested serum was stored. With nothing to lose, he drank it and didn't catch any illness.
- Pride Before a Fall: The human honestly believes that the animals have come to rescue him, despite having been a hunter for sport before the apocalypse. He doesn't recognize that in their eyes he's no different than the monsters and perhaps even worse considering that the monsters weren't the ones to bring about the apocalypse and considering that the monsters mainly targeted humans before humans went extinct. In his arrogant relief, he doesn't flee while the animals are preoccupied killing the monsters and realizes his error no sooner than when they turn on him.
- Rebel Leader: The animals of the world have banded together to ensure the destruction of all humans and monsters. For the last act, the execution of the last human, the last witch, the last vampire, and the last ghoul, a rabbit takes the lead. None of the animals act until the rabbit gives the order or the go-ahead.
- Science Is Bad: Humanity caused its own extinction first with hydrogen bombs then with diseases. Just like every country had bombs, every country had stashes of old and new plagues. It's not clear if the diseases got out as a result of the chaos caused by the bombs or if they were purposely released in retaliation. In either scenario, with the exception of one scientist, all of humanity perished and sizeable portions of the animal and monster populations were destroyed too.
- Smoke Out: For his transformation into a bat, the vampire produces a smoky flash at the moment his human form gives way to his bat form.
- Tear Off Your Face: When the ghoul tries to escape, he gets his face bitten off by a grizzly bear.
- Witch Classic: The witch is named Mother Digby and she is at least 150 years of age, but implied to be much older, possibly in the quadruple digits. She looks like an old woman and one who hasn't aged well at that. She can fly and seemingly needs no broom for that. Before the apocalypse, she enjoyed orgies and using her magic to inconvenience and torment humans. Although she treats him terribly, the ghoul has accepted the witch as his master and fulfills the role of her familiar.
- Wooden Stake: The animals end the vampire with a stake made by a beaver from a young sapling. A number of small animals pin the vampire to the ground so that four chipmunks can hold the stake up for a bull moose to stomp on.
