THE LONG ROAD AHEAD Season 2

S2 EP2 "Cautious"

Season 2

"Cautious"

Jacob woke up the next day surrounded by his family.

"Dad, you survived a gunshot! That's so cool!"

"Damn you, Jacob. You scared the hell out of me."

Jacob repeatedly apologized to his wife. Saying if he could've avoided being shot, he would've.

"It's gonna be okay, Angela. The Doctor really fixed me."

The Doctor put down a beaker and walked towards Jacob and Angela.

"Yeah, well, he healed extremely well. It wasn't all me."

"Yes, but...you saved him," said Angela as she hugged The Doctor.

As soon as she did, his eyes widened and he pushed her off of him.

"Hurry, please. Jacob and I have work to do," The Doctor said as he went back to some stacks of papers.

Angela looked at Jacob for an explanation but he just shrugged.

She walked closer to Jacob and slipped his hand into hers.

"Sean, go ahead and go outside. I'll meet you there in a bit."

"Sure thing, mom. See ya later, Dad!"

Jacob smiled, but then Angela turned his head so their eyes were locked; Jacob's smile vanished.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Listen to me, you need- no, you must be careful. Things have been different since the incident between you and Frank.  He's locked himself up in his office and won't come out. The rest of General Upkeep and I have been trying to maintain things as much as possible.  We have no leadership. I don't know Frank's mindset, but do not, and I mean do not, find yourself alone with him. Whatever the fuck you do. You hear me? We need you. Frank even needs you. We have no time for petty grudges."

"A grudge?" retorted Jacob. "You think this is what it is? Angela, he shot me. I could've died. I don't have a grudge, neither does he. What I have is a higher guard. What he has is simply blood lust! That son of a bitch is scary!"

Jacob's voice was rising.

"I don't mean to interrupt your...stimulating conversation, but Jacob and I have work to do," interjected The Doctor.

"Right," Angela said, as she left the lab.

Once she was gone, neither the Doctor nor Jacob said anything for awhile. Instead, Jacob just looked down, with anger boiling inside of him.

"Don't get too emotionally out of balance, it makes things harder," The Doctor said, finally.

"What're you talking about?" replied Jacob.

"In this new world, we don't get the affirmation of tomorrow. Much like how it was before. The difference is, life was fair before. Even if we didn't think it was. We lost jobs, we lost opportunities, we even lost loved ones. And at those times, we thought, 'Damn it all, life isn't fair.' But see it was, because we could name what it was that made life unfair. Being laid-off, laziness, or even death. All those things had labels.  Now, things are different.

     If we wake up the next morning and someone we love or know is dead, we can't say why exactly. We would never want to name it. These new horrors that plague our world...they're indescribable. So being unprepared mentally costs us. Stay calm, remember who you are, and know what you're doing. In this new world, we can't lose hope."