The Horde

Epilogue

*listen to radioactive in the background because that song is amazing and it kind of goes well with this. Don't question it, just do it*

-FOUR MONTHS LATER-

Hannah laughed, nudging Matt carefully as she ran into the apartment and sprinted up a flight of stairs into the small, two storey apartment they had found off the highway.

An abandoned gas station was down the road, although most of the supplies had already been taken near the beginning.

"Okay, I won the race, so hand them over!" Hannah gasped out of breath, leaning against the doorway.

"But Lays Original chips are my favourite," Matt protested, handing them over slowly.

He seemed to be happier, although sometimes she could hear him screaming and thrashing in his sleep, but she never told him. Every time it rained, he had developed a sixth sense as he referred to it as, he would gain a throbbing headache and Hannah couldn't help but think it was linked to what had happened.

She usually had nightmares as well, and as childish as it was, she would run into the living room to the pull out couch, where Matt would be sleeping. Her bed consisted of the wooden floor, a blanket, and her pillow. But whenever she woke up, she always discovered a second blanket draped over her and Matt would be curled up in the fetal position, his blanket missing.

"How about we go inside and we can just share them, yeah?" She smiled, popping open the bag and salivating over the smell of them.

"You're the best!"

"I know, I know," She smiled sarcastically, putting her bow and arrows back on the kitchen table.

.

"Matt? Are you awake?" Hannah whispered, her voice cut through the silence.

"I always am. What's up?" He pushed himself up into a sitting position and she got up off the floor beside him to sit on the bed. His hair was puffed up on one side, while the other was matted down.

"Tomorrow we should go to the graves. I mean, it's been over a month," Her voice became quieter and he had to lean in to hear her.

"You miss them, don't you?" His eyes were kind and his eyes filled with tears as the memories resurfaced.

Hannahs voice cracked and she cleared it, "Only every day."

"Me too," Matt agreed, nodding.

"You should bring your gun. The shufflers are getting pretty close and the fall temperatures are attracting them."

"Yes, mother," Matt smirked, pushing Hannah gently. "Okay, why don't you go to bed? I need my beauty sleep, after all."

She laughed, jumping off the bed and making her way back to the floor.

A few minutes of silence passed and she had just started to fall asleep when she heard the pull out couch creak when Matt stood up. He made his way towards her, his bare feet sticking to the floor. The knitted blanket that he had been using was now over her, the material making her nose itch, but the warmth made the itchiness bearable.

.

The walk only took half an hour, and before they knew it, they had made it to the small stream. The leaves had started falling once again and the forest was filled with colours.

Matt parted a few branches and allowed Hannah to walk in front of him towards the clearing where several crosses were evenly spaced across the grass. In the front row, Alex and Thomas each had a cross with their names engraved into them, side by side. Matt had made the crosses by hand, and they looked pretty terrible but they held together against the harsh weather, which would be convenient when the snow fell.

"Everything looks so beautiful," Hannah sighed, a mixture of happiness and an overwhelming sadness consumed her as she looked at Matt, who was staring at Thomas' grave.

"Yeah, if only Alex and Thomas could be here to see it," Matt added, walking through the rows.

Every close relative they knew had a cross with their names engraved into it. Obviously, there hadn't been bodies to place under the moist soil, but their names were there and that had been enough.

"Jack would have loved the stream," Hannah laughed quietly, shaking her head at the thought of him splashing around in the freezing water and screaming in surprise whenever the waves slapped against his stomach.

"I swear, my mom would have loved your brother. She used to run a daycare," He smiled sadly, but the sadness was quickly replaced by a smirk. "I hate kids."

"Oh, shut up," Hannah stuck her tongue out at him and turned, watching as a shuffler passed by them slowly.

"The horde is coming closer, we should probably go back to the apartment," Matt grabbed her hand, pulling out his knife while they walked.

"Have you noticed there aren't as many anymore?" Hannah asked once they had reached the main road.

"Yeah, I have. Since there aren't as many people left to kill, I guess they're just dying off."

"That's good news for us, then," She smiled, pulling out her bow when she heard a small rustle in the trees.

"Come on, we're almost there," Matt interrupted, quickening his pace.

.

Hannah couldn't understand why she was smiling. It was now dark and without any light, it was pitch black and she couldn't see anything. Shufflers had taken over and she wouldn't live to see an organized civilization again. Her family was dead, and almost everyone she had ever known had been gone for quite a while.

But she still smiled, because she was alive. Matt was alive. Someday, hopefully soon, there would come a day when the last shuffler fell and she may be able to live to see that day.

She was never alone. Matt was the only one left, but he was someone and out there, she could only assume how terrible it would be to have to go through the apocalypse alone, as her uncle had.

Now, all she could do was wait and keep fighting for her place on this Earth. Fighting for herself, Matt and everyone else who hadn't gotten the chance to live as long as she had.

Even though she was surrounded by death, she was alive. The horde would be coming, but then again, she had gone through hell and worse. She was ready for them.