The Aftermath ≫ after TDC

01

The air reeks of something inhumanly, leaving a bile taste in my mouth. I'm in some sort of underground tunnel.

No, this doesn't feel right. There is a sticky substance under my feet holding me in place. I try to jump out of it, or get it off but it won't budge.

The space around me is murky, & dark, I can't see a thing.

I make out a figure walking toward me.. No, multiple figures. Newt, Minho, Chuck, Teresa, Brenda, Alby, all of my friends, or the people who were my friends..

This isn't possible, half of them are dead ! This feels all too real to be a dream though..

More figures appear, but I don't recognize any of them. They look sick, on the verge of death even.

Cranks ! They're cranks !

"Guys ! Guys watch out ! They're cranks ! Newt, Minho ! Hello ?"

My friends make a circle around me as I yell to them, but they have blank expressions on their faces as if they hadn't heard a word of what I said. I try again to move, but I'm stuck.

The cranks walk behind them with demonic looks on their faces. Their eyes showing the amount of hunger haunting their odious bodies. Everything is still for a minute, & then all hell breaks lose.

The cranks begin to attack each of them. Biting, scratching, punching, & kicking the life out of my friends as I helplessly watch. I try to get to them, to save them, but my feet are sealed to the gloppy substance under them.

"Tommy help us ! PLEEASE TOMMY !?" Newt cries, & pleads as a crank gnaws on his chest.

"You shuckface ! Save us you ugly shank ! Save us !?!" Minho yells as he tries to fight off the insane human, if you can even call it a human anymore.

"Thomas ?! Thomas help me ! HELP ME THOMAS PLEASE ?!" Brenda wails. One of the cranks are feasting on the raw flesh inside of her stomach.

"Tom ! Help us tom !! I thought we were bestfriends ?! TOM !" A crank rips Teresa's throat & begins to eat it.

"Thomas help me ! You promised Thomas. You promised me.." Tears fall out of chucks depressed eyes as a crank tears at his legs.

My friends are dying right in front of me & there's nothing I can do. My hands cover my ear as I sink to my knees. Their pleads are mixed with the lunatic laughter of the cranks, & splashes of blood hitting the floor.

"NOOOO ! STOP ! PLEEEEASE STOP ?! NOOOO !" I cry out, hoping all of it will just disappear. Tears spill down my burning cheeks as I hear my friends being torn to pieces.

Suddenly it all stops. The room is filled with a thick silence that sends chills tingling down my spine.

This isn't right, none of this makes any sense ! What happened to them ? I'm too afraid of what I'll see to open my eyes, so I keep them scrunched shut.

Then I feel a drop fall onto my arm. It felt like it might've been a raindrop. Then more pours down until it feels like I'm under a water fall. It isn't water falling though, it's too thick to be water. The liquid fills my nostrils & I begin to choke & gurgle on the thick amount of it in my mouth. I'm struggling for air as I gag on the blotchy liquid.

The substance tastes strongly of some sort of metal.. Instantly I realize the liquid is blood. Who's blood ? I don't know..

Right before I feel like I'm going to pass out the rain stops. It all just disappears confusing me even more than what i already am. There isn't a drop of my blood on me. I gasp for air as I look around for the source of the blood rain. As soon as I find it I wish I hadn't looked. Hanging above me are all of my friends' dead & severed bodies, their eyes wide open & staring directly at me.

I grab my face hiding from their gruesome faces. I'm no longer glued to the ground, so I begin to walk backward away from all of it, when I bump into someone.

It's another crank ! This time I recognize him though, it's the noseless crank that tried to take me & Brenda's noses.

"HELLO NOSE !" The revolting man screeches. "I WANT YOUR NOSE LITTLE BOY !" he leaps in my face, & I back up into another person.

When I look around there are about twelve of the same noseless man surrounding me, all of them in sync with each others movements.

"LITTLE BOOOOOY !" They all shout as they tackle me.

"NO LEAVE ME ALONE ! PLEASE ??!" I beg for mercy as I feel them biting & scratching my body.

I punch, & kick as hard as I possibly can trying to escape the madness that seems to never really end.

When we escaped wicked I was positive things could be normal again, but I guess normal just isn't an option anymore.

As I come back to reality I Suddenly feel a sharp pain on my face & hear a sickening crunch.

"I GOT IT I GOT THE PRETTY NOSE !" One of them yells holding up my bloody nose.

My hands touch the spot where my nose once was, but now there is a gloppy moist texture.

They begin to attack each other for it even though they're all the same man.

None of this makes any sense. None of it. I just want to get out of here, where ever here is.

One of the men leap in front of me & grab both of my shoulders as they shake me back & forth.

"Thomas what's wrong ? Thomas wake up ! THOMAS ?!" The voice that escapes the mans mouth isn't his own, it's Brenda's voice which confuses me even more.

"What the shuck.." I whisper under my breath.

"Thomas ! Thomas ! Thomas please ?!" As I jump up about to lunge at the noseless man I feel hands grab me, not the cranks hands though, delicate hands.

It doesn't matter at this point, I'm scared out of my mind & I'm not letting my guard down for a second.

"NOOOOO-OO-O" I scream & kick trying to escape the womanly grip.

"Thomas ! Thomas, stop it's only me it's okay ! It's Brenda, it's Brenda ! Please Thomas !!" Her usually soft voice shouts.

"The cranks ! The cranks !" I yell expecting them to attack at any second.

"Shhh, Thomas ! Thomas it was only a nightmare. It was only a nightmare. It's okay." Brenda picks me up off of the ground where she was struggling to awaken me.

"But you were all dead they got you, & they were eating you ! You were dying & I couldn't save you ! I'm so sorry ! I'm so sorry.." I cry out to Brenda & Minho, who is staring at me with a drowsy look on his face.

"It's okay Thomas, it's okay. It was just a nightmare. We're here it's alright." She smiles, but a tear silently flows down her rosy cheek.

My body is drenched with sweat, & there are salty tears covering my face. "I'm sorry.." Even though it was only a dream the guilt of not being able to save them feels all too real.

She pulls me into a hug & softly rubs the back of my neck as she whispers soothing words to calm me down.

"Shhh. It's okay Thomas, it's okay." She repeats.

But it isn't okay, none of it is.