After Death

Chapter 16 (Little Sneaky Bastard)

Chapter 16: Little Sneaky Bastard

Ethan Warren

Estimated, July 2024

About 26 months after outbreak

California, The Circus

Season 3

---------------------------------------------------

Then the worst of our fears began to happen. It was no longer just supplies that were going missing, it was people too. Women and children were being taken from their homes late after nightfall. Their loved ones would go running to Thomas for answers but he was just as scared and confused as they were. I was extremely worried for my own family now, I figured it was only a matter of time before they were missing too.

Body parts of humans and animals showed up around the community unexpectedly. The citizens became restless, looking for answers as to where their families were. We had no answers to give them and I knew that made Thomas even worse. Whoever these people were, they were monsters, living monsters most likely and they wanted blood.

---

Airianna had snuck out of her house a little after 9. I had helped her do it and it made me feel a tremendous amount of guilt. How mad would Rudolph be if he found out? Would this ruin our entire friendship and would we be able to fix it? She told me what she said and it made me more worried than I already was.

"Weird crawling people came in from the roof. They talked funny too."

"Thank you Airi, go back home and go to sleep. You've done more than enough." She ran away back to her house and I didn't see her for a few days after that. I hoped she didn't get in trouble with Rudi but I think he would have talked to me if she did. He'd get mad at me before he got mad at her, he was a good father like that.

I went into the supply room from the back door, doing my best to avoid Emilio at all costs. I didn't know what Thomas would do if he caught me out here this late. I had a knife on me, I always did even though we weren't really supposed to. I knew most of my people did the same, we couldn't take any chances, especially now. I heard cracks in the floorboards and whispers from the darkness, I was terrified but I went in anyways. When I met the gaze of one of those creatures, I thought I was dying. They looked insane but they were human. It walked on all fours towards me but before it could get close I ran back out the door, slamming it in their face. I thought I was going to pass out, my body wouldn't more but I had to get away from there, I should have gone back in there and killed whatever that thing was but I was stupid and wasn't thinking.

---

I waited for Emilio to tell Thomas about the people, I knew he had seen them too by the way he acted now. I waited for Thomas to tell me but it never happened. I didn't know if Emilio didn't tell him or if he had and Thomas just chose to keep it to himself. I decided to confront Thomas myself rather than just letting myself get more angry about this than I needed to be, and this problem needed to be solved sooner rather than later. I didn't want to hear about anymore people going missing or more people being found in blood spots on the streets.

"Something broke into the supply room a few nights ago," I said as I casually stepped into his office. I hadn't been called in so he wasn't expecting me, he shifted his body as I startled him.

"No shit," he said, looking up from his book and giving me an annoyed look.

"I mean I know who." That seemed to peak his curiosity. He waited for me to tell more but I was unsure if I should. I already started so I had to finish. I think he just thought it would have been someone from inside the community that decided to break the rules, I don't think he would have ever imagined the truth. "They weren't people from the community, they broke in. They were practically monsters, they acted inhuman. They almost killed me."

"And how'd you find this out?"

"That's not important, we just have to find these people before they kill the rest of us."

"I'll send a search party. We'll find them, Ethan. Just stop worrying, take a break." I hated that Thomas told me to relax, after what I've seen the past two years and now there was no way I'd ever be able to relax, not even when I'm dead. Relaxing was something Thomas struggled to do, the man had more anxiety than he could handle, I should be the one telling him to take a break.