After Death (Season 4)

Chapter 17 (But what did it cost?)

Chapter 17: But what did it cost?

Ethan Warren

Estimated, August 2025

About 39 months after outbreak

California, Home

Season 4

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I looked away, I couldn't bring myself to watch. I tried to find Leah again but I couldn't see her anymore. I felt bad for Thomas but I couldn't hide the fact that I felt sympathy for Tim just as much. I can't admit that he didn't deserve to do what he did because he had every right. I'm just not so sure if murder was the only option that he had. But unfortunately, it was the only option I had. I had to make a statement, show the people that shit like this isn't tolerated by doing the exact same thing I was trying to prove was wrong. Leah would have done the same thing even if I did just lock him away or let him leave. More people might have gotten hurt that way so just getting rid of the problem all together felt like the lesser evil.

The person who held me let go after Thomas had died. I stared at Timothy as he held his dead body in his arm. It wasn't fully out of guilt, he finally felt relief and he wanted to hold onto that feeling. I will never know what their story together really meant but I could tell it meant more than anything, especially to Tim. This was his friend, it may have been the man who betrayed him, but it was still his friend nonetheless.

I wanted to know the whole story, I wanted to know what got the two of them here in the first place. Before the wife's death, before the anger, when they were brothers because I could tell that connection was there, it was faint but it was there at some point. I knew I'd never have a chance to know though. In the long run, it's really not important.

No eyes were on me now, they were on Tim and Thomas. I also felt guilty for what I was about to do as I stumbled around on the ground, looking for my gun that I had dropped earlier but I tried not to think about it too much. Finally I found it, I expected someone to stop me, I wanted someone to stop me, I didn't want to do this but it had to be done.

I stood up quickly and without giving it another thought, I shot a bullet through the back of Timothy's head. His body twitched as he fell backwards. I let out a heavy breath and closed my eyes, preparing for his people to do the same to me but they didn't. They didn't do anything, they knew that this is how it would end. They picked up his body, Thomas' too, they honored them both but I can't honor either of them, I'm the reason they're dead. None of these people wanted a fight, they were just loyal, it's how most people are now with a little hope. Timothy's promise to me lived throughout the rest of them. We weren't the problem and we didn't need to be.