After the End
I my eyes grazed the calm waters of the lake, drinking in the peace of the one place untouched by the Return. I hear the creak of the haphazardly formed fence encircling it, offering us protecting from the beings that have been the source and plaque of my nightmares for over a year now. The glint of the bleak sunlight off the green tarps around the house catches my eye, the deformed shapes concealing the gasoline soaked logs that they cover. This barrier is to be used as a last resort, a protective ring of fire surrounding our sanctuary.
The skeletal branches of the trees outside scrape at my window, plucking me from my deep contemplation. I sigh, taking one last second to enjoy the view, noticing my haughty expression reflected in the glass. I lean in closer, shocked as I observe my appearance; my tangled strawberry hair, sunken in cheeks, and most disturbing of all, my eyes. The once lighthearted shine I used to know so well has been replaced with a hardened and almost ominous substitute. I narrow my eyes, pondering over this new face of mine and have to agree that it's very fitting after what I've been through. I am no longer the carefree child I once was. The deaths of my parents and this new hellish world of the Undead has changed me in a way that is forever irreversible.
I shake my head, as if trying to free my thoughts of the truth of this altered world, but know that it is of no use dwelling on the past. The only thing I can change now is the future. Then perhaps one day, I can find true peace. Not just an illusion conjured from my childhood memories at this lake.
"Jessica!" called Caitlin, disturbing my thoughts. "Jen needs you in the infirmary. Jamie injured himself with a bow...Again."
"Coming!" I shouted to my sister, my green eyes scanning my room for the first aid kit. A glimpse of a red cross catches my eye and I leap off my window seat, dashing for the case. I hurriedly tossed aside the clothing obscuring what I thought to be a first aid kit, but winced as I instead uncovered a photo, flooding my mind with memories as I stare down at my old self. The sun was glaring off my snowy white skin as I had sat in that tree, peaking out between the autumn-red leaves. That was back in the days where the worst injuries I saw were of scraped knees and bloody noses. Now, it's much worse. Arrow wounds, crushed limbs, and knife gashes are what I see on a regular basis. However, it's not unexpected considering the demographics of this village. We're all children. Children in a so called 'Safe Bubble'. Children with nowhere else to go, their families dead or Turned, the latter being the most common. It is up to us to create a functional society, appointing leaders, healers, farmers, and other members of a community, along with fighting off the Undead.
We've only been here a few months, but things have been moving along swiftly. We can learn out trades through online courses, but the electricity can only last for so long. Soon enough, we will lose touch with the other villages with the exception of the paths, although those are only to be used for an irreparable breach.
In this short time of power, we have been assigned the tasks of insulating our houses against the harsh Maine winters, starting up farms, and working to accommodate our lives to the oncoming lack of energy. Whether we'll be ready for the day when our lights wont turn on and our heaters stop running, I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. I don't know if tomorrow will be the day the fences are breached, or if that's the day the first member of our village dies. All we can do is try our best to preserve New Hope and it's future generations. That is, if there are any. It is the end of the world, after all. Remember?
A/N: Hello all! As you probably realised, 'The Beginning of the End' is a revised edition of the Fic 'After the End'. With the help of my beta, XAprilX, I have made some serious changes to the story and plotline. We'll be posting a new chapter soon, please review!