Apocalypse [Pentatonix AU | Kavi / Scomiche]

Chapter 19 - Reunited

Avi simply could not believe that it was her.

He had truly believed that she was dead. That they were all dead. Not only did he believe it, but he had forced himself to come to terms with it. He had come to the terms with the fact that he was living in a world in which his best friend was dead.

But now, for the first time in over a year, he was staring at his best friend's wife.

Avi rushed over, past a completely bewildered Scott, collapsing next to her and taking her face in his large palms, checking as if to see if he was dreaming.

"Alyssa," he finally breathed, wrapping his arms around her frail frame and pulling her shaking body against his chest. He was too stunned to cry. This was a woman he never expected to lay eyes on again.

All too soon he felt Alyssa pulling away, grabbing his arms and holding on to him.

"You... need... to... help... them," she said between sobs.

"What?" he asked, brushing the hair out of her face.

"Avi, please." She was in hysterics.

"Kevin? Are you talking about Kevin? Was he with you? Where is he? Is Sariah with him? Alyssa please, talk to me!"

Alyssa could barely breath, let alone speak. So instead, she raised a thin, shaking finger and pointed outward toward the prison yard behind her. Avi finally tore his gaze off of her, and it was only then he noticed the crouching figure about a hundred yards away from him.

Immediately he broke into a sprint.

Avi practically crashed into Kevin Olusola, now finally sobbing. Unlike Alyssa, who'd taken the hug, Kevin pushed him away to look at his face. He was in as much disbelief as Avi, if not more. Avi studied his best friends features, noticing newly formed lines that creased his brow and spots of grey that dotted his hair. Yet otherwise Kevin had barely changed at all.

"Are you really here?" Kevin whispered.

Avi laughed through the tears. "Oh my god, Kev." They hugged once more, but Kevin still seemed tense, and almost instantly pushed Avi away again.

"I need you to help me."

"What?"

"I can't even process that you're really here right now, and I don't have time to. Right now I need to pretend that you're not Avi Kaplan. I need you to help me."

"Kevin what's wrong?"

Without another word, Kevin grabbed Avi's arm, taking him toward a body that was lying about ten yards away. Avi had actually seen the body while he was running toward Kevin, but only now did he realize that it wasn't a fallen walker. It was a young girl.

Kevin collapsed next to the girl, scooping her up into his arms. She was eerily still.

"Sariah," Avi breathed, recognizing her familiar features. She was the perfect combination of her mother and father, with gorgeous dark skin and the purest eyes.

But now her skin was drained of color and her eyes were lifeless.

"Is she..." Avi asked quietly, voice quivering.

Kevin shook his head, his eyes never leaving his daughters face. "No. No, but she was bit. She was bit Avi," Kevin's voice cracked and he broke down, collapsing with Sariah in his arms. "I don't know what to do, I can't do it. I don't know what to do."

Avi felt numb. The amount of emotions that he was experiencing was beyond overwhelming. It felt as if he was drowning. "Kevin, give her to me."

"Avi," Kevin sobbed.

"Kevin. You know I need to do it. I won't make you do it. Let me do it."

Kevin sucked in sharp breaths, stroking his daughters face. "Let me say goodbye first."

Avi turned, running his fingers through his hair. 

Kevin began whispering his goodbye between shaking breaths. "I love you, little angel. You are my world, you are my everything. That will never change, Sariah. I love you with all my heart and all my being. I love you. I love you. You are so bright and beautiful, I do not understand how God could have put you in such a dark and horrible world. But now God has amazing plans for you in a place just as gorgeous as you are. I love you. I love you."

Kevin planted a kiss on his daughter's forehead before laying her down in the grass and turning away. He crossed to Avi, handing him his gun without even looking at him, then began making his way toward the prison.

Avi turned the gun over in his shaking hands, eyes fixed on the young girl he once knew so well. He took a long breath before aiming the 9mm between her eyes.

"Goodnight, Sariah."