Whatever It Takes: Mutations

Chapter Eleven

Back to the Future (Part 1/2) 

September 30th, 11:48 am 

Current Location: Memphis, TN

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Around five months passed since Bryan and Amelia officially met. During those times, they've bonded enough to the point where Bryan would consider themselves to be best friends, besides Jeremy, and his feelings have only increased for her. Although, since the bombs, the number of people that lived here has dramatically decreased, only around eight hundred people. It may still seem like a lot, but when you take that number and compare it to the population of the U.S., you'd see the difference. The Response Team that contained Joshua and Bethany tried their best to travel the southeastern United States, but came up drastically short during that time frame, only coming back with three people. Two of them being adults from Alabama and Tennessee, and just a few days ago another young teenage girl from Mississippi that Bryan had yet to meet. All that Bryan knew was that she had close to life-threatening injuries, but she should make it out alive. 

Even during the four months of peace, as people called it, Bryan still continued to struggle on the inside. He constantly had that feeling that his brother was still out there somewhere. Another part of him told him that he was long gone now, and not to worry about it. Either way, Bryan knew that even if he was alive or dead, he was gone. 

But that was days before Joshua and Bethany showed up. By now, he's either gotten torn to pieces by Regulars or shot to death by Raiders. Bryan suddenly squinted his eyes, trying to get the terrifying image of his grandfather-

"Hey, Bryan?" 

Amelia's voice shook him out of his thoughts. He found himself back where he was before, in the dining hall with the three people he knew most, plus a few other people nearby as well. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Yeah?" 

"Are you okay?" the girl asked. 

"Yeah, I'm okay. Why?" 

"You were spaced out again," Bethany told him. "I've noticed this for a while now. Is there something that you would like to talk about? You should know that we're here for you."

"She's right, sweetie," Amelia said with a concerned tone. "We really are." 

Bryan shrugged. "It's the same thing that's been bothering me since I arrived here. I just miss my best friend and my brother is all." 

Amelia scooted a little closer and rubbed him back. "We'll get a hold of him soon, I promise. After we finish eating, you and I will go do something fun, okay?" 

Bryan smiled a little. "Like what?" 

Amelia thought it over. "You like baseball, right?" 

He nodded. "Yeah, why?" 

"I used to play softball back in high school. I'll throw you a few pitches while you bat. Sound good?" 

Joshua chuckled. "That sounds like fun, actually." 

Bryan nodded with a small smirk growing on his face. "Of course. We can go there once we get done eating if you'd like." 

Amelia smiled widely, which made Bryan smile in return. "Yay!"

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Once Bryan and the group finished eating, Joshua and Bethany picked up the teenagers in a golf cart and drove them to the baseball field. When they arrived, the four of them noticed that nobody was even there. Bryan glanced at his watch, and it told him that it was just half past twelve. He turned to Joshua in the front seat and asked, "Where is everyone?"