Strawberry Apocalypse

Strawberry Apocalypse: Chapter 15 (End of Act 2)

 I couldn't tell you how far we walked after that. Or how long. The only thing that broke me out of my trance was a soft swishing sound. It was soft at first, but as we walked further, it became an orchestra. We had reached the ocean.

As soon as we spotted the endless blue-green waves, Kat gave a small gasp and began sprinting towards it. Spurts of sand transformed into jets of water. With a loud "FUCK THAT'S COLD!", she began retreating to shallow ground.

I smiled for the first time that day. Finding a nice patch of sand, I plopped myself on the shore and watched Kat explore the waves. I realized within seconds why this was a mistake. It gave me time to think.

The old man's words, which I worked so hard to suppress, pushed and pulled against my head with a vengeance. The same way the ocean waves were approaching and receding near my feet.

"It's about being somebody," I whispered. But who even am I? What am I even out here for? Is it penance for David? Out of friendship for Kat? Or is it forgiveness for myself? God, the more I think about this, the more confused I get. I just need the answer to slap me across the fa-

Just then, I felt a stream of cold water slap me across the face. In a blind panic, I leaped to my feet too quickly and began tumbling back into the sand.I wiped the water from my face and looked around. A few feet in front of me, Kat had her hands on her knees, barreling over in laughter.

"You should have seen your face," she cackled. Wiping a tear from her eye, she extended out her arm.

"You ok Henry?" she asked, lifting me up. "You seemed pretty gone there."

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about earlier today," I answered. "Whole thing kinda fucked with me."

"Time heals all wounds," Kat said, sounding skeptical of her own words. "Or so I've heard."

"Maybe. You know what definitely heals my wound?"

"Mhmm?"

"A cold serving splash of revenge." With a viscous kick towards the waves, I doused Kat from head to toe before sprinting away."

"You bastard!" I heard from behind. "Come here, you little shit!"

The brilliant evening sun descended beyond the horizon, only to be replaced by a small crescent moon. We splashed around in the water, called in our truces, and began to talk about our lives. Our past, our regrets, our fears. But also our goals, our future, and our flashes of happiness. Then, out of nowhere, one of us would break the truce and the entire ordeal would start again. After many hours had passed, we lay side by side, feeling cold, exhausted, and content as we stared up at the stars.

"And you see that one over there?" Kat asked. "That's Cassiopeia. Whenever the north star is beyond the horizon, Cassiopeia points in its way. "

"Ohh, I think I see it," I said, pointing upwards.

"What? No that's just some random star dumbass."

"Hey, not my fault. The books I read always had lines and labels and shit. Where's the lines and labels man?"

"Here," Kat chuckled, holding my hand and pointing it upwards. "Starting from that star, you go down, straight, down again, and then slightly up. All that gives you Cassiopeia."

"Follow the line," she said, dragging his arm across the starry sky, "and you'll find Polaris."

Sure enough, I could see the brilliant star, floating just above the horizon. If we walked in that direction for half a day, we'd reach Hooper Bay. We'd disassemble the parts we needed. Trek our way back to Matlock. Hopefully, get a chance to explain things before they shoot us to pieces. And then what?

"Kat," I asked, "have you given it any thought what you want to do after all this?"

She propped herself up in the sand, her face washing over with a deep ruminative look. It looked like she already knew the answer. The only contemplation was deciding whether to tell me or not.

"A sailor," she said finally. "If I got hungry, I'd catch fish. If I wanted to go somewhere, I'd just go. And every day, I'd explore new waters and lands. Every night, I'd read underneath the stars. I'd be free, free of walls, free of rules...

"Free of people?" I grinned.

"Especially people," Kat said bitterly. "My whole life, people tried to play me, control me, use me, my family, worst of all. And the worst part? They made me the same. Just another settlement fucker who'll do whatever it takes to survive, and forget to actually live."

"You know," I said softly, "before I could even blow the candles off my eighteenth birthday cake, they shipped me off four thousand miles away from home. Of course, that meant I was the greenest kid on camp, which of course meant I got picked on from day one."

"One day, these three boneheads had me cornered. Two of them were behind me, pinning me down. The other one was using my stomach as a punching bag. I kept running my mouth, letting them know the blows weren't getting to me. But the truth was, I was one, maybe two hits from passing out. And just as the jarhead began winding up, I shut my eyes. But the punch never came."

"I looked in front and saw Jarhead on the floor. And who did I see standing over him? This kid, just as scrawny and green as me. But there was a fire in his eyes, the kind that couldn't be put down or doused out. And that's how I met David."

"And what? You guys managed to turn the tables?" Kat asked.

"Oh no, we got our asses beat. And we got in trouble for fighting. You would think picking gravel off the ground with our bare hands was punishment enough, but no. This kid David would not stop talking about his farm back home. The crops they grew. The type of soil you'd need. The way they'd clear out pests. On and on and on."

"But then he showed me this," I said, pulling out the strawberry seeds packet, "and he said, one day, I'm going to create a farm. A farm free of Zoms and Kleptors. A farm surrounded by the people I love. In a place where I can live and achieve my dreams."

"Even back then, I knew it was a pipe dream. But I don't know. As scared as we are of getting hurt, the human desire to hope is just as strong. And pretty soon, his dream became our dream."

"So what happened to David," Kat asked gingerly.

"I hurt him," I whispered.

I looked away from Kat, listening to the soothing sounds of the waves. Memories of David began washing over me. The jokes, the fears, the dreams we shared. In this empty world full of survival and fear, he gave me a vision to latch on to. And maybe that's what I was doing out here. Helping someone else achieve their vision.

"You're wrong by the way," I said, "you're not just a survivor. I've had everything I've ever needed to go out and achieve my dreams. Vision, knowledge, reason, my life has given me all of that. But I wasted it. I wasted it by by tossing fights every day and drinking myself to sleep every night. But here you are. A lower residential girl with none of that, and yet you're about to achieve your dreams."

"I just survive. You truly live, Kat."

Closing my eyes, I felt the soft sand tickle around my ears. The cool breeze brushed up against my nose while the soft, crashing waves lulled me to sleep. As I felt my consciousness began to drift, I murmured one last thing.

"When you get your boat, take me on a ride at least once, okay?"

For a few seconds Kat said nothing. I could sense her staring at me, even with my eyes closed. Finally, with a rather blank voice, she uttered a word.

"Okay."