Vagabonds

Epilogue

Chapter Song: Vagabonds by Grizfolk

ALEX'S POV

The light had never been brighter until the day my family found solace. Ten twenty-somethings were greeted with blinding brightness as we arrived at Camp Fenix. It took us six months to get here and now it's been a year since then. Three and a half years in the apocalypse...

The first few months were chaotic. It seemed like everybody was leaving the holes they were hiding in and scrambling to get to base. Nobody expected this to cause a surge in zombie presence as well. Well, I did. But I wasn't there to warn them. And frankly, I would've broadcasted the message as far out as I could either. I would've taken some precautions though.

Which leads me to the position I found myself in. Despite the military being... the military, they were still lacking in imagination. By that I mean being insane enough to think that piling up corpses to create a great wall as an effective method of zombie repellent.

When we arrived, we found no rest. We were quickly shoved into action, voicing out ways to keep humanity safe. We couldn't rest when we knew we held the key to an effective post apocalyptic living.

Luckily enough, they were more than willing to accept our guidance. We each contributed our expertise. Lisa and Greg gave tips on spotting zombies, kinda like how birdwatchers can spot the tiniest movement in trees. Beth and Matteo finally got formal training in their respective fields and even got to teach their own improvisational methods. Sarah connected with herbologists and nutritionists and is now basically figuring out how to make food sustainable. John and Connor proved to be effective in planning and leading out teams. Aly has become the best and craziest fighter, coming up with all sorts of ideas for weapons. And Riley...

Riley got to reconnect with her younger brother.

It turns out that her family survived the first wave. They tried looking for her but couldn't get too far because of the swarm of zombies and their ill equipness. They decided to head home in hopes that Riley would do the same but ended up meeting a man who was heading to Camp Fenix. That man convinced them that they could find better help there so they went with him. Unfortunately, only her brother made the trip.

That man turned out to be a retired officer now forced out of retirement to head this whole operation. General Corpuz.

Or Corpz as I like to call him.

Our meeting was... interesting.

We had just arrived at the camp and were beginning to settle in when another group of people arrived trailing around ten zombies behind them. Being the trigger happy dudes that they were, soldiers started raising their guns ready to shoot. So I quickly shouted, "What are you, idiots? You're going to attract even more zombies with your orgasms!" Then proceeded to run straight into the swarm, axe at the ready, shouting at my team to guard the survivors.

Corpz was there and saw everything. Either he became afraid of my thirst for zombie blood or saw some skill in me but he's kept me by his side since then, never letting me have a moment's rest.

Until now.

Two and a half years of wandering.

One year of playing military consultant.

A total of three and a half years with my family and finally finding our place in this world.

Everything was going well.

Until I lost it all.

Riley.

My Riley.

Her death was just like any other. An unfortunate zombie attack. But this time it was expected. She wouldn't let me take one for the team... said I was still needed. I told her I needed her. But we both knew we both had lost.

It's been a month since then.

I can't take it anymore.

We had built a life in this camp. Not having her here yet feeling her presence everywhere...

I love her. And I will always honour her memory and be always grateful to her. I wouldn't be the person I am today without her.

So I'm leaving. Not because it's painful to stay but because I know it's what she'd expect me to do. Channel my pain into something beautiful.

"What are you planning to do, kid?" Corpz asks me.

"I dunno. Maybe stay in the shadows and jump scare a few people." I say, staring off into the distant darkness. "Don't be surprised if you get a bunch of people complaining about some crazy crackhead."

Corpz grumbles out a deep laugh. "I wouldn't expect anything less." Then he stares at me deeply and asks, "Are you sure you don't want to say goodbye to the others?"

I shake my head. "Goodbyes are just opportunities for Hellos and we both know I'm not that great at them."

Corpz grunts. "You and me both, kid."

I start walking forward. "Now I know what it feels like when I call them 'kid'." I pretend to shiver and Corpz chuckles at me.

"See you around, Corpz." I wave my hand, not looking back.

"You're not a vagabond. Come home when you're ready."

-END-