Guidestar Combatants

The Containment and The Four Days After

Before the blackout, Clay Sapp was a brilliant minded young man who always enjoyed the finer things in life. He was born in a hospital in Maryland to Mandy Leann Sapp and Harold Thomas Dillman, but at the time of his birth, Harold was nowhere to be found. He had fallen into a bottle of Calvert and never managed to climb back out. Clay's mother, Mandy, was a strong-willed woman who believed in the beauty of everyone, including herself. However, her husband's absence and alcoholism weighed heavily on her, causing her to struggle with her self-worth.

Despite his mother's positivity, Clay couldn't help but feel the weight of his absent father's actions. He grew up watching his mother work tirelessly to provide for him, while his father continued to spiral into his addiction. As he got older, Clay's resentment towards his father grew, and he vowed to never become like him.

However, as he reached adulthood, Clay found himself facing a tough decision. He had the opportunity to follow his dream of becoming a successful businessman, but it meant compromising his morals and working for a company that he knew was unethical. The thought of giving up his values and becoming like his father haunted him, but he also couldn't deny the allure of success and financial stability.

As the blackout approached, Clay's inner turmoil reached its peak. He knew that he had to make a decision, and he struggled with the weight of it. In the end, he chose to take the job, believing that he could make a difference from the inside. But as time went on, he found himself getting caught up in the corrupt culture of the company, and he began to question if he had made the right choice.

In the midst of all this, Clay's relationship with his mother also suffered. She couldn't understand why he would choose to work for a company that went against everything she had taught him. Their once close bond began to fracture, and Clay couldn't help but regret his decision.

The blackout only intensified Clay's inner conflict. As he sat alone in the darkness, he couldn't escape the guilt and regret that consumed him. He realized that he had become the person he never wanted to be, just like his father. And as the lights came back on, he knew that he had to make a change and find a way to redeem himself.

The doctor's words echoed in Mandy's mind, "It's just postpartum sweating, she'll be fine." But as the room calmed and the medical staff left, Mandy couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. A part of her wanted to believe the doctor, to trust that everything was okay. But another part of her, a nagging voice in her head, kept telling her that something was wrong.

As she lay in the hospital bed, holding her newborn son Clay, Mandy couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. She had always wanted to be a mother, but now that she was, she felt lost and unsure. She couldn't even explain it to herself, let alone anyone else.

The days that followed were a blur. Mandy struggled to bond with her baby, feeling a distance between them that she couldn't explain. She wanted to love him, to cherish every moment, but instead she found herself growing frustrated and resentful. She couldn't understand why she felt this way, and it only made her feel worse.

It wasn't until Clay turned three months old that Mandy finally decided to seek help. But even as she drove to the doctor's office, she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She was failing as a mother, she thought, and she didn't know how to fix it.

As she weaved through traffic, Clay's baby noises behind her only added to her frustration. She wanted to just turn the car around and go home, to escape the pressure of being a new mother. But she knew she couldn't, and that realization only made her more upset.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she parked the car and stepped out, Clay in tow. She couldn't understand why she was feeling this way, and it scared her. And then, in a split second, her sadness turned to anger.