The Apocalypse: Life After Death

The Finale Part Two

Ashely's POV

"No one's here." Angel says unnecessarily. I give her a look to that affect and she apologizes with her eyes as we look around the empty room. A small carpentry shop a little over twenty miles outside of the city... we used this place in the beginning to make tools until we got that wall built up around the city.

"They were here." I walk over to a corner and bend down. "This was Spencer's." I say picking up a small charm from the floor. I know because I remember the conversation we'd had a couple of months ago about it. A kid in her class who had a crush on her made it for her and I found it incredibly adorable how she was nervous to explain that little part to me; like I would be jealous of a five year old. I squeeze the charm in my hand tightly and stand up. "We probably just missed them." I sigh and drop my head.

"We're getting closer Ashely." Angel speaks up after a moment. "We were closer than we were a half hour ago. They can't be far."

"Angel the city of Las Vegas alone is over a hundred and thirty square miles. He can just keep moving and we'd never find them. He could have already--"

"Don't." Angel shakes her head, cutting me off. "They're fine. "She says in a way that tells me she's not only trying to convince me but herself as well.

"Eric has always been one step ahead of me." I clench my jaw and fight the urge to punch the wall.

"He's not smarter than you Ash." Angel comes over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I look up at her as I try to tell myself what she's saying is true. "He's not." She shakes her head. "He was just more prepared. He's been planning this for years and you've figured it out in weeks. You're smarter than him and you can beat him. You can do this Ashley. Figure this out." She bends down so that our faces are equal. "If you were Eric, where would you go?" She asks and I rack my brain for an answer. I don't know how Eric thinks... he's a freaking psycho for goodness sake.

Not too far from what I'm becoming...

I stand up and my eyes go wide. I think I know. "If he knows that we are on to him that would explain why he moved them. He knows that I would be the one to come and find them... he's going back to the city." I tell her and don't wait for her to respond before running out the door.

"Why would he go back to the city, that doesn't make any sense? "Angel asks and I drive over a hundred miles an hour back to the city.

"Nothing Eric has done to this point makes any sense, Angel. His vengeance is fueled by pain and he's not seeing things clearly."

"Ash, what are you going to do when you find him?" Angel grows quiet as she awaits my answer; an answer that I just don't have. Honestly, I'm afraid of what I'm capable of when it comes to protecting the three people I care most about in this world.

"I don't know." I tell her simply and from the corner of my eye I see her nod.

--

"How dare you leave without telling us? They are our people too Ashley, you don't just get to--"

"They're here in the city somewhere." I tell Glen, cutting off his little rant.

"What?" He scrunches his brows in confusion.

"Why on earth would he bring them back here, that doesn't make any sense?"

"Eric's an idiot." Angel speaks up. I roll my eyes and brush past Glen. He's smarter than they both think. He was smart enough to put this whole plan together, to know when and where to strike.

"What are you gonna do?" Glen asks jogging to catch up to me.

"Find them." I tell him simply as I walk into the White House.