An Era Of Zombies

Part 23: The Aftermath

Sonnet's arm was stuck under a piece of rubble. The whole room had burst into flames. The zombies were all dead, but they'd come back alive soon anyways, Lucien looked dead too, no doubt she'd come back alive within the hour.

Sonnet had seen Wade holding the bomb and had ducked right before it went off. She tried to move her arm but it was truly wedged under the piece of stone that had once been part of the wall. "Here, let me help you," it was Ford's voice. He lifted the stone off Sonnet's arm. There were a few scars on his face, his golden hair a wild mess.

"Thank you," Sonnet mumbled. They were silent for a moment, neither of them speaking.

Then, "I cannot go with you Ford."

"Why?" He looked so confused.

"Because I just can't! I'll try to make sure that my mother leaves Camp Resilient alone for now but I advise you come up with a plan soon. The Tempest has been destroyed but she won't stop. You need to go now Ford."

"Your arm," he whispered, his fingers feeling the scarred skin. Sonnet winced with pain.

"I'll be okay, just go Ford, I want you be safe." It hurt her so much to say that, to let Ford go.

"Sonnet, I love you like nothing I've ever loved before, and I would be a fool if I let you go before telling you that, that I would give up everything for you. I would kill myself a thousand times before letting a single drop of blood splinter your skin." He was looking at her like she was his world, he was definitely hers. He kissed her then, she let herself relax in his strong arms. His blue eyes were beautiful, reminding her of the sky. Blue had always been her favorite color.

Sonnet wanted to go with Ford more than anything she'd ever wanted to do, but she needed to stay with Lucien and do what she could to stop her mother from growing stronger. Sonnet was her own weapon now.

Sonnet finally moved her lips off, "I shouldn't have fallen in love with you. But I did, and I am glad of it. Now please leave Ford, and don't return, let me protect you now."

"I will come back for you Sonnet, I will never give up on you, not ever." He kissed her one more time on the forehead and left the room.

Sonnet had stayed strong for him but now that he was gone Sonnet felt as if he'd taken a part of her with her. She felt empty inside and so alone, her friends would be gone and it'd just be Sonnet. She hadn't cried while talking with Ford but she was sobbing now, at everything she'd lost and all the  "what could have been" futures that were now impossible.

I would kill myself a thousand times before letting a single drop of blood splinter your skin. Ford had said that, to her. She'd known that Ford had lost both his younger sisters to the zombies and yet, he still loved Sonnet who'd been part of Lucien's plan. She wanted to die right now, curl into a ball and never awaken. But then she'd be not only dooming herself, but all of the people depending on her. She would not do that. She would survive.

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"You okay Ford?" Darcy was worried about her brother. He'd been so silent ever since they'd left the zombie headquarters. She'd known that he'd sneaked back to say goodbye to Sonnet.

"No, I'm not Darcy," he said. She leaned on her older brother's shoulder.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

He smiled, "Yes, you can be here for me."

"I'll always be here for you Ford, you've always been there for me." Darcy and Ford had grown up as best friends. Though many siblings fought and liked to mess with each other, Ford and Darcy had always been close. He had been there to bandage Darcy's scrapes and tell her stories to help her fall asleep.

They were walking back to Fort Resilient now, Will and Asia up front. None of them had gotten too badly hurt in the explosion. They all had a couple of scratches and a few that would permanently scar but they'd be okay. Asia had sprained an ankle though, Will helping her walk.

"I'm gonna talk to Wade, don't die on me," Darcy said to Ford. She soon fell into step with Wade.

"Where'd you get the bomb from?" She asked him.

"It was tucked in one of the zombies pockets. I pretended to fall and grab for him and took the bomb out then," he answered.

"Thank you for saving our lives."

"No problem, how's Ford?"

"He's heartbroken. I need to be there for him now, I'm scared for him Wade," Darcy admitted.

"He's going to try to save him you know," Wade said.

"Of course he is, we McKays are romantics." She smiled at him. He smiled back at her and pulled her closer to him.

"Good thing I'm dating one," he said.

"I like you a lot Wade," she sighed, "You make me happy."

"Same," he whispered.
   «»«»«»
"We did it Will," Asia said. She was using him as a sort of crutch. She could barely walk, the explosion had knocked her off her feet and she's hit a wall. Sonnet had stayed behind, Asia knew that despite her cold words, she'd miss Ford. Asia guessed that she'd been trying to protect him.

"We did didn't we," he mused, "what do you want to do when we get back to the camp."

"I just want to sleep and be with you Will," she answered.

"Okay, let's do that then," he said. He smelled like cinnamon, huh. She probably smelled like poo.

"I'm so tired right now, I think I might fall asleep Will."

"We're here," and they were. It was dawn and the sun was rising.

"We're home," Asia murmured.

Janelle came and hugged each of them. "You really shouldn't have gone alone, but I'm glad you succeeded." She was beaming.

"Thank you for coming to our aid Janelle, I don't know how to thank you," Asia said.

"Well, it was your blood samples. So thank you Asia."

She left them then and went back to the others.
"Let's go to my cave," Will said and he led them out to the cave where Will lived. The sun was shining now on the water and it sparkled.

Will sat down on the mattress and pulled Asia down too. She rested her head on his shoulder, "Let's go to sleep."

He laid down and she laid beside him. She buried her face in his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered. But Asia was already asleep.