Life After Death

Chapter 35

Third Person POV:

In the days after Axel had died, there was a noticeable split and shift in morale. A new, fresh grave in the memory garden. Another name to scratch of their list of friends and family.

Whitney had rid herself of whatever cold or brief illness she had a few days ago, without anyone else appearing to catch it, not that anything else had gotten better for her. Most of her time since had been spent angry. Angry at no one in particular. Just circumstance. The fact she should've been there, yet she wasn't. Hung up in bed because of a headache, whilst the three of them went out and almost died. One of them being a teenager, who volunteered trying to help them. God forbid Vivian hadn't gone, and only Axel and Javon had.

But Javon too was also just as annoyed. Not for the same reasons, although it all came down to the same fact that Axel was dead. Javon just couldn't seem to believe that after all this time, almost from the beginning, they had spent with one another and all the troubles they had been through, he died to a singular Lurker bite.

As for Vivian, Jade, Nathaniel and Jace, emotions were varied. Jade couldn't wrap her head around it being true, even though she had seen and heard it with her own eyes and ears. Her acceptance had become denial. Like it was all some nightmarish dream she'd wake up from any second. Or he would walk in the house one night and yell surprise. Vivian blamed herself, despite Javon and Whitney reassuring her that they didn't blame her. Always listing a trail of "what if's", and "If I knew-". No matter how many of these she filled in, or came up with, none of them made her feel any better. If anything, worse. Replaying scenarios on how she could have saved him, but now, it was too late and none of it mattered.

Nathaniel and Jace were much calmer than the rest - of course, frustrated and saddened - but they had accepted it for what it was. A freak accident. A death. The sun still rose in the east and set in the west every day, all the same. They could mourn him, but not change anything.

. . .

The day was hot, the sun beamed down onto Serenity like singular rays of hope and light. Jade was with Austin, Jace was with Javon - who was helping him patch up some tyre - and Nathaniel was with Leesa, who Vivian figured had also been helping Nathaniel the last few days just by her presence.

Vivian was cutting up some logs, something they were in constant demand for given the campfires around the place. Finding something therapeutic in smashing logs apart, with a metal axe, and it even being beneficial to everyone else too. Most of the others found it a chore, put off until they absolutely needed some, but now they had supply it seemed whenever they wanted.

"Hey Vivian," Jace's voice came from behind her, startling her.

"Oh, hey," She laughed, placing a hand on her chest, "Next time you sneak up behind someone, make it someone who isn't wielding an axe."

"Noted," He grinned, before speaking again, "You need any help with your pile?"

Obviously, the answer was no. Hours could've gone by before she asked for any help. But it was also obvious that he wasn't asking because he wanted to help, but because he wanted to talk.

"Sure."

"You've been chopping a lot of wood, you're gonna need another axe soon enough."

"Yeah, well, when you imagine the wood as anyone you don't like, it's quite easy," she teased sarcastically, "It's easy to find a muse. Lurker, Reaper - particularly Margot and Lila."

"I can imagine. How are you holding up?"

"I don't know, I mean, I just keep thinking, what if it had been someone else who volunteered? I wish I could've heard them sooner, ran there sooner. If I had just been stood anywhere else when that roof broke again-"