After Death

Chapter 20 (Is it better where you are?)

Chapter 20: Is it better where you are?

Ethan Warren

November 2023

18 months after outbreak

Nevada

Season 2

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We've been in Nevada for longer than I would have liked. We were all just tired and hungry and had very little motivation. I'm not sure if I was ready to get to California either. What if it was just another disappointment?

Why was everything so out of my control? Why did the world do this to me? I wish I had a guide, someone to teach me what I'm doing wrong so that I could keep the people I love alive until their bodies gave out.

But there is no guide, there's no one alive in this world who has any idea what the hell they're doing. We are forced to make decisions out of complete fear and vulnerability.

We built a camp for the night. It's all we ever do anymore. We keep moving for a few hours and then we start setting up camp before it gets too late and dark. And making a camp for eleven people takes a while.

Khai and Aiden caught a few fish for dinner tonight. It wasn't enough for us all to be able to go to sleep satisfied though. Some people went to sleep early and I didn't blame them. Sometimes sleep was a bigger priority than food.

"I wonder if the fish will taste better from the ocean?" Khai asked as she ate the meat straight off the bone.

"We should know soon enough. We're almost to California, right Ethan?" Ashton asked, Rudi slept in his lap, holding Juna in his arms and Airi curled up beside them. She was still awake but she didn't say anything.

"I think so," I lied. I wanted to say I knew where I was going but truthfully if it wasn't for the road signs we'd be completely lost. Probably somewhere in Maine by now.

The only reason I know this is Nevada is because I've been here before. There's less here than there was in Nebraska but so much more of the dead.

I heard the sound of something rustling in the shrubs. I immediately hushed everyone to quiet down, only the sound of the fire burning came from us. I hoped it was an animal, even one of the dead, I didn't care anymore as long as it wasn't a person.

But then we heard a gunshot and Edin screamed.

Bandits were attacking us. They had come to steal our supplies, anything they could get their hands on. I had no idea where the bullet went until I snapped out of my own fear.

The bullet hit Ashton, right in the head.

He bled on Rudi, he was too shocked to move. Airi pulled him by the arm. She knew we had to get out of here.

I could see the bandits now. Their stupid evil grins and their old ragged clothes. I put out the fire quickly and did what I thought I had to do. I stayed behind and I was ready to kill every last one of them.

The others had ran, I didn't know where to. At that moment I honestly didn't care. The only emotion that ran through my head was anger. They were gonna pay for what they had done.