The Land After Tomorrow (Completed)

Epilogue

It has been ten years since the war, since all the destruction and chaos. Out of the three hundred and sixty-five, only about a hundred remained. Majority of them children. Ten years later, there are over six thousand of them. Most of them refugees. Drew was the head of the clan, Embers, as they called it for the embers that gave light through the darkness of battle. He was now twenty-four and the best fighter and leader they had within the clan, but also the most humble besides his sister Blair.

Looking out towards the sun, he could see it all. Kids were riding bikes to the school, soldiers were walking towards their posts or to their assigned team practice, and parents smiled waving at one another and kissing their children goodbye. Everything felt like it was falling slowly back in place like it would be close to peace. That's what everyone here thought or maybe believed. Drew knew the reality, for that was his job. He knew what lied behind the boundaries of their small town. Evil lurked behind it wandering about. The safety within their small town was what kept peace. Keeping the evil out was what needed to be done, and that meant fighting it. For those who kept inside the boundaries of the safe heaven, they did not need to know. Only those who fought needed to.

Staring at the sun once again, a small hand slid into his. Drew looked down towards a small boy about the age of three. He had the same brown eyes as his father as they both stared into each other's eyes.

"I don want to go to skool," the boy cried.

Drew smiled down at him, "Your Auntie Blair will be there."

The boy ripped his hand out of his father's crossing them over his chest. He tightened his face and eyes, "She mean."

"Is it because you don't listen to your Auntie?" Drew tilted his head staring into his son's eyes.

"No," he answered back.

"Are you lying to me?" Drew pressured.

"No!" he yelled stopping his feet onto the ground.

"Are you sure?" Drew questioned again.

"No!" stopping louder with cries screaming out the door.

Emily, now twenty-six walked towards the crying boy, "Matthew, you need to listen to your Auntie or you won't be able to go to school with your friends."

"Good!" he screamed.

Drew shook his head at his wife and rolled his eyes. He kneeled in front of his son. "Matthew, if you want to be like daddy, you need to go to school," the boy's face loosened, and he unbuckled his arms listening intently to his dad, "You can't become a soldier if you don't go to school."

Matthew wiped tears from his eyes, "Ok."

Drew stood holding out his hands for his son to take. "Say bye to your mom, Matthew," he spoke in a small childish voice.

"Bye mommy," Matthew waved. Emily waved back.

Drew started walking out the door, trying to tug Matthew from his standing point, "Okay Matthew let's go."

Matthew walked next to him holding his father's battered hands. He walked silently staring at all the kids riding bikes by him towards the school. Drew shielded the sun from his son's body so that Matthew walked in the shadow of that of his father.

A couple blocks down is the orphan homes, kids that have no parents that are rescued off the boundary territory or whose parent's die from combat, which doesn't happen much anymore. They are mainly refugees and rescues. There are six homes dedicated to about sixty orphaned children. Blair managed all six of these homes with Jacob at her side. They were just recently married and handled all the kids together as foster parents. Volunteers came everyday to help bathe, feed, and play with some of the younger children. The older kids were usually helping Jacob tend the garden, at school, or practicing laser tag. Combat training for kids was an initial start by using laser tag as a means of practice. This turned into team competitions between kids. Most of the kids between ten and fifteen spent their afternoons training with a high ranked soldier as their captain. This included combat drills, shooting drills, and fitness exercises. At the age of fifteen, they could sign up to become part of the patrol team to guard the territory and boundaries. Under special circumstances, some may become a Scavenger. Majority of people didn't know what that includes, even soldiers. They take direct orders from Drew himself with Ryder at the lead of the team.