Even When the World Comes Down (Sequel to Always & Forever)

Prologue

Survival. Specifically, survival at any cost. That's what the world has come to. It was learned that the outbreak was caused due to a test for a cure to cancer gone wrong. The virus spread from a testing facility to the majority of the population. Mutant cordyceps fungus is what infected said population. Those who were infected turned into the very monsters that one needed to fight off on a daily basis just to keep on living. The longer the infection remains in the body, 1 of 4 stages happens. Those who've been infected between 1 to 3 weeks are called runners and or stalkers. Their vision is still fully intact and are quiet fast. They'll get their prey easily if they are careless. Clickers are the next stage and are much more advanced with their infection. Spores begin to form from the body the longer the infection remains in the body. They are completely blinded but have a keen sense of hearing when and if someone is near. Since the infection spreads through the brain, the head is the one feature that is visually mutated. The final stage is the stage in which the one infected had been so for two months or longer. These are called bloaters. The infection that started in the brain has spread all throughout the body which causes a sort of shell that makes it difficult to kill unless multiple Molotovs are used and or one has access to a blow torch. This type of infected is rare due to the fact that the ones still alive, have killed the infected before they are able to escalate any further.

In the beginning, after the chaos and coming to terms with what happened, it was somewhat manageable. A system was quickly put into place to reassure the ones who were still living by the military. Quarantine zones started popping up all over the country. These were created to separate the living from the dead. Ration cards were distributed to everyone in these zones for food and other essentials. It was working swimmingly at first, however, as the food became more and more scarce, it didn't take long for people to lose the humanity they once had. Most turned to violence to get what they wanted and for some it worked. Independent settlements and nomadic groups started to form because of this. One of them being a group that called themselves The Fireflies. They broadcasted their message throughout the country which was basically the promise of returning things to how they were before the outbreak. Since their message was constantly heard, rounding up recruits wasn't hard to do. They were determined to find a vaccine that would result in a cure. As the years have progressed with no success, a lot have given up. But others are still holding on to that light of hope.

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Summer

20 Years Later...

After losing Sarah, Beth and Joel were never the same. How could they be? For years, the both of them went through the motions. Doing all that needed to be done in order to survive. With Tommy at their side, surviving became second nature. But the instant he decided to leave to join The Fireflies, everything changed. Tommy couldn't handle the way the three of them were living. He wanted more and so, he sought out the head of The Fireflies, Marlene, in order to become a part of them. It hurt for both Joel and Beth to see him go. Beth understood his reasons but Joel never would. The two brothers left each other angry and frustrated but Beth wished him well.

Joel never wanted to talk about Sarah. He didn't want to bring back the horrible memory of her dying in his arms. He refused to even utter her name. He quickly became a hard man after he lost his only daughter which was the main reason the three of them were still here. But him completely shutting himself off, never sat right with Beth and because of that, their relationship became strained and even more so as the years went on.

"I can't stand seeing you like this, Joel," she said one day when she had finally had enough.

"So then leave. Just like Tommy did," he muttered angrily.

Beth scoffed.

"Is that what you really want, Joel? You'd be okay with me leaving you? Just like that?" she asked.

"Well, you're clearly unhappy. It finally happened. You've gotten tired of me. I have done everything I could to keep you and Tommy safe. It was either us or them. And I sure as hell wasn't gonna let anything happen to either of you. No matter what. But I guess his way of thanking me was to leave. Looks like your turn has come as well," he said.

"I never took anything you did for us for granted, Joel. Never. I get why Tommy left. What's the point of living in this now fucked up world if you can't find the light in the darkness," she said.

"Great. Now you sound like one of them damn Fireflies. You gonna go and join them next?" he asked rolling his eyes.

"All I'm saying is that Tommy had his reasons to join them. But that's not for me and you know that," she retorted.

He scoffed.

"Look, I never disagreed with how we survived. We did what needed to be done. Simple as that. What I can't stand is that you're clearly suffering silently. I get why but pushing it further and further down is not the way to go about things," she said.

"Don't," he warned.

"Don't what? Bring Sarah up? Our daughter?" she challenged.

"I said don't!" he yelled going up to her and holding her aggressively.

She pushed him away from her.

"I loved her just as much as you did. And it still hurts. There's not a day that goes by when I don't think about her or wish she was still with us," she said.

She took a few breaths and went up to him.

"You shut me out, Joel. And frankly, I don't know if you'll ever let me in again," she sighed softly.

She leaned in closer to kiss him but he moved away.

"Then you should definitely leave, Beth. I'll never be okay with talking about...save yourself from more disappointment and just go," he said.

"So that's it?" she asked.

"I don't know what more you want from me. I don't know what else to do," he retorted.

"I want you to fucking talk to me. You used to be able to tell me anything and everything that was on your mind," she said.

"That was before the world went to shit," he said.

"I feel helpless that I can't do anything for you. It's tearing me apart. Don't you care?" she asked.

He remained silent and she sighed. There was no point in arguing any further. It was finally time for the two of them to go their separate ways. She grabbed her backpack and packed her belongings. Before she walked out the door, she had to make sure he knew.

"I love you, Joel. Please know that I always will. All I ask is that you promise to be safe," she said.

He nodded.

"You too," he said sternly.

"I hope you find the closure I couldn't give you," she said softly.

And with that she walked out the apartment the two had lived in for the past fifteen years with tears in her eyes.

As soon as she closed the door, Joel threw a glass against the wall out of frustration. Running his hands through his hair, he slid down to the floor and let his frustrated tears fall. He wanted to go after her but there was no point. It wasn't fair to have her do this same dance over and over again. It was better this way. She'd find someone else and be content. Whatever that looked like nowadays.

This was 5 years ago.