The Apocalypse: Shelter

Chapter 9

Nick's POV

The car ride is mostly silent. After introducing ourselves, Brice told us about the camp and what to expect. He didn't say anything about Morgan and her group, but I don't want to ask out of fear of what the answer might be. We drive up the mountain. I recognize the drive and everything around us. Of course, I recognize everything. I have lived here my whole life. The only thing that seems out of place is those things. The monsters. At some point, if I make it that far, those things will become the norm. And I don't know if I want that time to come.

"We'll be there soon," Toby says.

All three of them seem pretty similar. Toby has been the most welcoming though. He has explained what the camp is like and how safe we'll be. Brice explained the rules which are pretty basic: No staying out after sunset and no harming any other survivors unless they harm you. I don't think I would do those things anyway, but better safe than sorry I guess.

I feel a mixture of things right now, but hope overpowers all of them. Hope for finding Morgan and her group. Hope for being a part of a community. Hope for finally being safe. Hope is the most important thing you need right now. The car starts slowing and a smile spreads across my face. Lauren and Riely's eyes are wide with excitement. If only Mickey were here with us. Hopefully we won't have to experience any more painful deaths. Painful not just for them, but for the people around them. But who am I kidding? It wouldn't be an apocalypse without tragedy. I can't think about that right now as we pull into our new home. It's a beautiful ski resort. It seems oddly silent until I see people walking around. Everyone seems happy, something I haven't actually felt in a while. A young woman meets us at the gate with an even wider smile than all of us.

"Welcome to your new home!" She says.

Luke walks over and kisses her lovingly.

"This is my daughter, Ella," Brice says, "She's gonna show you around."

Toby walks over and smiles at us.

"I didn't get to properly introduce myself," he says as he shakes my hand, "I'm Toby Rosen. My dad is Dr. Rosen. He's the best doctor around, and not just because there're no other doctors. Sorry Ella, I'll let you do your thing now."

I look over at Ella who still has that enthusiastic smile on her face.

"Sorry, we all just like getting new people," she says, "And I love giving tours. You know we got some other kids yesterday. Do you think-"

Her voice seems to fade away as I look around and find what I've been looking for. Morgan and Julia walk by the four of us. They look our way and, once I look at them, they notice me. We stand still for a moment, since we are most likely thinking the same thing. Tears of joy start to well up in my eyes, but the excitement I feel masks them. I can't believe what I am seeing. I never thought I would see them again. Then, I run to them. Riely and Lauren follow behind, but aren't running nearly as fast as I am. I make it to them and all three of us hug. We usually aren't the kind of friends that hug all the time, but this is obviously different. Who would've thought that anybody would see each other again? We all just stand there smiling like idiots. Lauren and Riely make it to us and hug them too.

"Hey," Julia says, laughing. Then, we all join in the laughter. I know it seems weird, but that's just us. I turn around to see Ella smiling.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Morgan says.

We all walk back to Ella, finally together again. She looks as if she's about to cry too.

"Well let's get back to the tour," she says.

She shows us everything. Everybody stays in ski lodges and the main lodge is where we get our food and other supplies. There is a medical building where Dr. Rosen, Toby's father as he explained, treats anybody with an injury, or at least a treatable injury. It appears to be a strong community. Everything is in order and everyone knows what they need to do. We just need to find our place. I don't think that will be hard though.

"I'll show you guys where you're gonna sleep and get you settled in. Then, for now, you could do whatever you want," Ella says.

She brings us to a lodge. It's really nice. I would probably stay here before the apocalypse too. There's a working bathroom too! With plumbing and everything. The toilet seems like an actual throne and the shower looks like paradise. The beds are comfortable and it's so warm with a fireplace surrounded by stone roaring in the middle of the room. Everything is perfect.

"Alright, it looks like you guys are good. Just tell me if you need anything" Ella says before leaving. I guess this is home now.

We unpack our few items. We had put our food in the community pantry so now we have even less. I put my family picture right on the nightstand. They should be here. I should know where they are. I try not to think about it, but they'll always be in the back of my mind.

"This place is nice," Riely says, "And so is that girl who showed us around."

"Yeah," Lauren says, "She needs to calm down a little."

"She's just being friendly," I say, trying to defend someone I just met.

"I know," Lauren says, "She just seems a little too friendly."

"Okay, well that just makes her sound weird," I say.

Just then, I hear something. We all look to the door, which opens to reveal a guy. He stands in the doorframe looking as surprised to see us as we are to see him. He looks like he could've gone to Conlon, but I don't recognize him.

"Um, who are you?" He says.

"Who are you?" I ask, knowing what he'll say, but hoping that he'll answer me first.

"I'm Chris Morello," he answers, "What about you?"

"I'm Nick," I say, "And this is Lauren and Riely."

"Wait I've heard about you," Lauren says with an inquisitive look on her face, "You went to Conlon, didn't you?"

"Yeah," he says with his eyebrows raised.

"Did you know Sydney Hendricks," Lauren asks with hope in her tone.

"Yes," he answers grimly. I know by the sound of his voice something is wrong.

"What happened to her," Lauren asks still hopeful.

"She... um... she was in the section of the school that went down," he answers hesitantly.

"And..." Lauren asks dumbly, with one last trace of hope left. I don't think she has processed what he's trying to say yet.

"I saw her," he answers, "I'm sorry."

And with that the room goes silent. Riely walks over to comfort Lauren, who has tears streaming down her face. She finally understands. A tear rolls down my face and Riely cries with Lauren. Chris walks to the bathroom, leaving the three of us to mourn yet another loss.

I keep trying to tell myself that there are going to be a lot of losses in our world now. We've already experienced plenty. But I can't seem to stop myself from thinking of my family. What will happen to my family. What has happened to my family. If I were in this position, I would be doing the exact same thing. Death will never become the norm. This kind of loss will always affect us the way it has been. And that is the one thing I can accept.