Aftermath Season 2: Wasteland

Episode 7: The Phantom in the Trees

"So, where do we start?" Ella asked. Tyson pulled out a giant map of the area, it should a radius of about 100 kilometers. "I think maybe she would've gone south from LA." Tyson told Ella. "But where even are we on the map?" Asked Ella. Tyson searched through the map with his finger. 'California Underground Shelter' read one of the locations on the map. "So, that was the vault?" Ella assumed. "Yeah, and it wasn't far from LA either." Said Tyson. Tyson kept looking through the surrounding areas on the map, eventually finding what looked to be the layout of the abandoned town they're staying refuge in. It was apparently named 'Bodie' "And we're here." Tyson pointed to the top right of the map. "We're only like, six kilometers east of the vault." Ella told him. "Alright, let's go." He said, as both him and Ella left their house, and the town unannounced.

Kennedy, Jack, Kiefer, and Luce were all hanging out around a table in Kennedy's living room. "So, guys, they didn't find the people who shot at our houses. But, they found their camp." Kiefer told Jack and Kennedy. Both of them whimpered in terror as they both held eachother close. "Are they gonna come back to kill us?" Kennedy asked, shakily. "Honestly, I don't wanna bullshit you. They probably will be back." Kiefer explained "And they probably do aim to kill us." He added. Kennedy and Jack held eachother even tighter. "But, there's also one more thing that we told the rest of the group, but think you two should know." Said Kiefer. "What?" Kennedy braced for impact. "Joey's still out there." Kiefer told her. That small sentence echoed through her head back and forth. "You have to be lying. You have to be lying!" Kennedy exclaimed. Kiefer looked disappointed to tell her. "When Devon found their camp, they found the overseers steel toed boots that Joey most likely stole." Kiefer explained. "But, but he was shot though wasn't he?!" Kennedy asked, confused. "He must've stayed alive some way." Devon told her as he entered the room. Kennedy's mins drifted off for a moment...

It was a nice day in the vault, the hallways were less dim and depressing. So, it definitely worked for Kennedy because Kennedy was excited to have Kennedy's first birthday underground. Kennedy was turning twenty-two today. KENNNEDY headed over to the party room, and saw the lights were off, not like usual though. "I know you're all waiting to throw me a surprise birthday!" She exclaimed, after opening the door. There was complete silence. "Oh, c'mon just throw the surprise party already, I'm waiting!!" Kennedy exclaimed. She snapped over to the nearest table and looked underneath, to find just gum left overs on the bottom of the table. "Well, shit." She said as she peaked back up from the table. "HELLO?!" She yelled. "What's up?" Joey asked, from the entrance of the party room. "Where is everybody for my surprise birthday?" She asked him. "Probably doing other thing, this room is under maintenance, explains why the lights are off." Joey explained. The two sat on the stools at the bar. "So, happy birthday then, huh?" Joey said to Kennedy. "Twenty-Two." She replied, fake happily. Joey immediately started having weird thoughts about her. "So, did you think of what you wanted to do for your birthday?" Joey started. Kennedy thought if a response. "I mean there probably isn't much you can do all the way down here." He added. "I'll probably celebrate by myself, now that I think of it." Kennedy said, depressingly. "You don't have to spend it alone." Joey flirted. Kennedy looked at him and smiled, then looked away. "Sorry, I was really looking forward to being a loner today actually, thanks for asking." She rejected him. Joey couldn't let this happen. "Oh.. yeah.. sure.. okay.." He said, trying not to sound offended and in a complete rage. "See you later." She waved, clearly trying to bate him into losing it. Just as she was gonna exit the room, Joey grabbed her from behind and moved her out of sight. "You're not gonna say no to me." He told her....

"So he's a creepy rapist too? Great!" Luce exclaimed, pretending to sound excited about this information. Kiefer was shocked, and confused. "Why did you never tell us this?" He asked Kennedy. "Because I didn't think it was relevant, but once we thought he was dead I assumed there was no need to tell anyone, and when you told me he made it, I just couldn't help but think about it. I'm sorry." Kennedy explained. "No, don't be sorry." Kiefer comforted her. "Also, he told me if I told anyone he did that to me, he'd have me hanged in his office with no one knowing." She added. "Okay, I definitely wanna kill this little weasel now." Jack piped up. "Same." Kiefer said. "Him and his new friends better hope they don't come back here." Jack said, confidently.

Jason was sitting in the bar, drinking away the fact that him and his group were under imminent attack. "Fuckin' pussies." He said. Jason got up from his stool and smashed the glass of alcohol on the table. The remainder of the rum splashed all over the table and Jason. "I'll make sure I stab you with this broken bottle until every single one of you bleeds out." He said, quietly to himself. He let go of the smashed glass and recollected himself. 'Time for another search.' Thought Jason.

Joey, Ashton, Jasmine, and Ryan all sat around their camp, by their empty fire. "Remember those people who searched our camp earlier?.." Joey started. Everyone turned their attention onto him. "I used to be The overlooker of a vault, my vault. And they attacked me for no reason and escaped. Leaving me behind with nothing but this." Explained Joey, pointing down to his bullet wound. They all looked shocked. "So you're tellin' us, that those motherfuckers shot you?!" Ryan exclaimed. "Yes." Joey replied "And I want them dead by our hands. Give them a taste of what they force fed me!" Joey exclaimed triumphantly. "We'll hunt them in the morning once we've got a good night's sleep, how's that sound, eh?" Ashton told the group. They all in unison said "Yeah."

Tyson and Ella woke up in the forest, they had spent their first official night out in the wild. "Well, we didn't find her yet. My aswell keep on going." Ella told Tyson, getting up from their separate trees. Once they'd started walking Ella thought about something. "Don't you think there's probably a very low chance we'll even find Jasmine out here?" Ella asked "Like, how do you even know where to go to find her?" She asked. "I cant answer that question." Tyson said, looking over to her. "But, I do know I'll find her." Replied Tyson, confidently. Just then, there were multiple footsteps coming from the woods. "Shit, what do we do?" Ella whisper asked Tyson. "Hide, let's hide." He responded. They could hear them getting closer and closer as every second passed. But, as they were about to crouch behind a big rock, they were already surrounded at gunpoint. "Jasmine?" Tyson asked, star struck.