Stay...Alive

Epilogue

Victorine waited in front of her block-shaped, wooden (at least it looked like wood) home in the October sun, the letter in her hand. Her legs were slightly tired from the latest adventure with Asha and Anita, swerving around past a weak spot in the fence right into the fields, seeing if any spare fragments of bullets were left underneath the saplings. They were the perfect things to drop from the second floor of their house on unsuspecting pedestrians. However, she knew that if she conserved her energy, she'd have for the little acro-dance club with Cherie and Primus.

She rocked back and forth on her heels, leaning against the wall. Where the tents had once been rows and rows and blocky houses getting expanded by the day. Her sweat fogged up the window behind her, glancing down at the letter. It showed up taped to their door, the grey logo of the compound in the corners bent from being taped. Victorine hadn't read the whole thing herself, but Yolanda summarized it as "an allied compound got too crowded. We were stated to have connections to a woman and toddler. They are being transferred here, to live in your dwelling until further information arrives about their families."

The woman and child were listed as:

Hadley Daniels and Beau Ruzzo

Victorine waited with anticipation, watching the others in the compound pass by. Jacey and Parker were at group therapy, Yolanda had a job, Gina and Frankie had a date (perfect timing), and they wanted someone from the mansion the greets them, so Victorine was chosen to stand guard and wait for them. She tried to recall what they looked like. She tried to bring up memories. She glanced down at the letter once more and spotted a word Yolanda neglected to say.

"Orphaned."

It was an orphaned toddler.

She took it in as footsteps approached. She inhaled sharply, knowing it could only mean one thing. She heard someone call her name, and looked up to see the only other surviving person who was in that car with her so many years ago.

She zoned out in shock for a second, staring at the child. He was about three and gripped someone's hand over his head. She saw Melissa's eyes and jaw. She saw Melissa's hooked nose that didn't distract from the kindness in her smile. She was about to analyze more, but she heard a warm, familiar voice say, "Look how much you've grown."

Victorine snapped back to reality to see Mrs.Daniels smiling down at her.

"Where is everyone?" she asked, Beau grasping Mrs.Daniels hand for dear life.

"Uh, elsewhere," Victorine answered. "Some of us have jobs and such. We get by. Lane's inside, though."

"Who's Lane?" Mrs.Daniels asked.

"We met him along the way," Victorine explained. "Not that long after we left. You'll like him. He's kinda a twat."

She opened the door into the first-floor room, which had the cots for Gina, Frankie, and Horace in the corner. The room was lit solely by sunlight pouring in from the windows.

"So...I heard what happened to Timothy," Mrs.Daniels muttered. "I don't want to go too into detail...but who else? Where's Opal?"

"Left us, the little bi-" Victorine stopped herself mid-sentence. "And Lee...didn't make it either. But everyone else is here. Plus a few."

"Is Horace's old help here!?" Anita yelled from upstairs. "I'm gettin' tired of waiting!"

Victorine turned back to Mrs.Daniels, bent down to little Beau, and whispered as footsteps loudly pattered down the stairs, "I can't for you meet your new family."