INTERIM · BEN PARISH | ✓

Epilogue, the First + STUFF

"Rena... Rena? RENA!" Zombie screams at her body. He shakes her, slaps her, everything. "Why did she do this?"

He brushes a few strands of hair off her face. He cradles her body and holds it close to him.

"I'm sorry," Scarecrow says to him. He then wipes away a tear that rolled down his cheek. He's been staring at the gun he shot Bramble with for a while. He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have shot her. 

Cassie puts a hand on Ben's shoulder to which he shrugs off.

He looks up, fights the tears that threaten to come and swallows hard. "Ringer, drive."

"But-"

"JUST DRIVE!"

She steps on the gas.

"Zombie..." Dumbo says.

"You know what she wanted to do?"

"No.." Musket says distractedly. He's too caught up in his own memories of the ones he lost.

"She says she wanted to kill the Teds, but she just wanted the human race to survive. Then she was going to plant. Plant. She'd plant all the life saving herbs and vegetables. She had a damn aloe vera so that whenever we got hurt, we could use it to heal our cuts, scrapes, burns. She wanted to heal, not kill. But in the end she decided that killing was the only real way to heal. But it doesn't! It makes everything worse. She should have known that." He sobs over her body. "She should have known that."

"Zombie, man. Listen-"

"Don't talk to me."

"You don't think everyone's felt as much pain as you have? You idiot, we all lost someone we cared for! I lost the one light in my life to those damn infested. I thought everything was hopeless until she joined my squad, then everything changed. I'm struggling as well, but I can retain it!" Musket yells in outrage.

"Well that fucking sucks for you, doesn't it?" Zombie roars. "The one you love is gone, and she can't be saved! But I could have saved her. I was right there."

Musket clenches his fist. "One punch from me and there will be no saving you if you dare speak a word about Wren."

"Cry me a fucking river, Musket!"

Musket is taken back by the fact he knows his name. Maybe Ringer talked about him in her new squad. The theory only makes him more confused.

He looks down at Zombie, who's obviously distraught from the loss.

Scarecrow sits next to him. "You love her?"

"Kinda... but not like in love. But that's not the point! The point is someone I cared about died in my arms and if I'd reacted sooner, I would have stopped her!" He hastily wipes her blood off his hands on Sammy's jacket.

"Calm down," Musket says in a tone drastically different than a minute ago.

"NO I WON'T!"

"Then neither will I!" Musket yells back at him. "Stop whining like a freaking baby! She's gone, you can't do anything about it, as much as you complain about how slow you were! God, you're a damn mess!"

"Take that back right now!"

"Why should I take back something that's true?"

"QUIET!" Dumbo screeches in the Humvee. "LISTEN YOU DEAF ASSHOLES!"

Zombie and Musket turn to him with absolute loathing as he puts a finger to his lips.

"Shh. You guys hear that?"

"What, the truck?"

"No, listen."

A snore. Someone is sleeping.

The three look down at Red. She exhales loudly in response.

"Wait.. what the fuck- is she sleeping?" Musket says incredulously.

"Yeah, you dumbasses. She took a fast-acting sleeping pill. God, you guys are idiots."

Red snores again loudly. She mumbles something in her sleep, rubs her face, then turns the other way in Zombie's arms.

Zombie stares awkwardly, then pushes her off of him. She hits her head on the back of the passenger seat with a loud smack and snores on.

"She'll wake up in a day or so. That stuff is really strong."

"God, do I feel stupid right now," Zombie says.

"You should," Dumbo whispers.

Zombie turns to him very seriously and says, "Say another word and I will rip your throat out."

Dumbo puts his hands up innocently.

•••

"She did me a favor," Vosch whispers to himself. "And for that.. I will spare her. But it doesn't mean I will spare him."

Vosch laughs to himself, obviously pleased with the way things turned out. He glances at the boy in the hospital bed.

He is still asleep. He can hear, but he does not process what he's hearing. Nothing comes through to him.

Vosch chuckles darkly. "Humans. Weak. We've noticed the fight left in some people. The light in their eyes. The heart that still beats. There's something, well, human, that we can't figure out about that.
It's strange and fascinating. But really we need to make some changes here in the food chain, don't we?"

The boy in the bed still sleeps.

"You have such a strong, silent, and strange heart, Lucius. I find that very intriguing. In Wonderland your memories were, however, mediocre. And yet your heart still beats for those that moved on from you.

"I will learn the secret. I am your Frankenstein, and you will be my subject. You will not be a monster, no no. You will be far greater than that, Lucius Donadio."

The doctor pops up in the doorway. "Sir? We're ready."

"Prep him. He's ready for the 12th System."

•••

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And we are done! WOOOOOO

Thanks to the bombass readers for commenting, voting, and (duh) reading. You all deserve more than just my thanks.

Thanks to this one person sourpatchchildren for being the most amazing reader anyone could ask for- she votes on my chapters, no matter how crappy she knows they are. I love you!

Thanks to Rick Yancey for creating this incredible universe I am so happy to have known.

Thanks to Nick Robinson for being the best Ben Parish ever. Like seriously. I couldn't ask for another actor to play him. Please hmu.

And lastly, I'd like to give a shoutout to every Fifth Wave writer on Wattpad and Quotev. You all write so much better than me and interpret this world better than I can ever hope to do. I love every character you all have ever written. I love the takes on Ben Parish, on the camp, on Vosch, Reznik, everyone. Every TFW writer is my idol here. Thank you.

:)

|End of Part One|

I WILL BE POSTING LOST CHAPTER SECTIONS IN THE NEXT PARTS! - THE ONE I'VE BEEN PLANNING ON WRITING IS A DREAM RED HAD, WHICH IS A LOST AND SOMEWHAT IRRELEVANT PART OF CHAPTER 11. DEFINITELY NOT FANON.

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