First my computer had a virus, tomorrow I'm leaving to go on a trip where I may or may not have internet instead of updating my multichapters, what do I do?
I write a oneshot. It's really different from anything I've written, so I'm not sure how good it is. Please review and I might try another story like this if you like it.
And I really need to update my multichapters, but I honestly have pretty much no inspiration for either of them anymore. So I'll try to finish writing them on the trip and post them when I get back, but no promises.
It had been a year.
A year since the epidemic.
A year since Kendall lost some of those closest to him, lost his job, and lost all sense of confidence he had ever had.
In other words, it had been a year without Kendall.
The epidemic had hit everywhere. Governments crumbled as leaders died. No one was safe. Those in entertainment suddenly lost their jobs as people stopped focusing on music to focus on survival. Medical treatment became rare as doctors fell ill. And of the 60% of the human population to survive, half had had the virus themselves and were weakened.
The situation was dire. Everyone was still at the Palmwoods – Bitters had died, so no one needed to pay, which was good since only those who had withdrawn their savings early had money. And while the boys had remembered to, thanks to Logan, it didn't matter. There was no place to spend money anyway.
Apartment 2J had gained new residents as others moved in to create more space in the Palmwoods – Kendall and James shared a room, Katie and Stephanie shared a room, Kelly had Mrs. Knight's old room and Camille had her own room – the one she had once shared with Logan. They had gotten married on her 18th birthday, when it was clear that the epidemic was getting worse and worse. He had almost made it…
Logan slid out from under Camille's arm and walked out into the kitchen. He was surprised to see Kendall already sitting at the counter, drinking a cup of coffee.
"Hey, Kendall. Didn't know you were up."
Kendall smiled sarcastically. "Well, here I am. Up and already worrying. Do you have to go to the hospital today? You're getting fewer patients – they're predicting the end of the epidemic in a week. Surely they can lose one doctor. It would save us all some sleep."
Logan sighed. "You know that there aren't a lot of senior doctors left. They need us med students to help so that they can get some rest."
Kendall resigned himself to Logan's departure and stood and hugged him. "Be safe, bro." He whispered in Logan's ear.
Logan took a step back and looked up in Kendall's eyes. "I'll do my best."
That night, they had gotten a call – he had caught the virus.
He was gone by morning.
It had been the hardest of all the deaths, really. Carlos and Mrs. Knight in the same week, Jo a month later, Gustavo after that, almost losing Katie the same day Bitters had died, not even knowing if Kendall's father had made it. But they had thought it was over – thought that the three straight months of torture had ended. They never expected Logan to be one of the last casualties.
Kendall sat on the roof of the Palmwoods. In the streets below him, fireworks were going off and people were celebrating. He, however, wasn't. It had been a year since Logan's death – a year full of responsibility and uncertainty.
He thought back on the anniversary of his mother's death.
He slowly made his way out to the couch at two AM, having given up on sleep hours previously. He was shocked to see Katie sitting on the couch, bundled up in blankets, a nightlight on and her bible open on her lap.
He picked up his sister, who was insanely light – they had the epidemic to thank for that – and hugged her close as he cried into her hair.
"I miss her, Katie."
She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Me too, big brother, me too."
As he gazed down at the pool below him, another memory entered his mind – this one on this rooftop, before the virus.
"Seriously, Carlos, don't do it." Kendall pleaded.
Logan sighed, but resigned himself to Carlos's idiocy. "If you jump here, you may not maim or kill yourself." He pointed to a spot on the roof.
James grabbed Carlos by the shoulders. "Are you trying to break your face? Cause that would be seriously bad!"
Carlos shook out of James's grip and ran off the side of the roof. A few seconds later, a huge wave came up and splashed Kendall, James, and Logan. Kendall peered over the edge.
"Well, he's alive."
James looked at Logan. "Shall we?"
The three boys ran off the roof side by side.
He laughed at the memory but sighed as he saw the empty pool below. Carlos would never again jump off into the pool, or attempt to propel himself with rocket skates.
He was gone.
Even Gustavo was gone. Kendall remembered how he had taken the end of the entertainment industry.
Kelly sighed as she looked up at her boss as the boys practiced harmonies one last time. "You know, Gustavo, there's really no point in doing this. It'll be years until anyone cares about music again.
The boys gasped as Gustavo flipped the switch on the soundboard off. "You guys haven't been doing your best anyway, with losing Carlos and everything. Go home. Stay safe. For all we know, we may not make it anyway."
It was almost as if he had known.
A few weeks later, as they were mourning Jo's death, Kelly showed up at their door, sobbing. And they just knew.
A tear slipped down Kendall's cheek as he remembered the day they had almost lost Katie.
Camille stood at the door, a tear making its way slowly down her cheek. She motioned to Logan and he met her in the hall.
"Bitters died." She whispered, and Logan wrapped his arms around her.
"We can't tell Katie."
Camille nodded, and Logan slipped back into the room where Kendall and James sat helplessly by Katie's bedside. They would have done anything to heal her, but at the moment all they could do was hold her hands and watch as she struggled for each breath. She was getting progressively weaker; though Logan did not want to tell the others, the chance that she might make it through the day was slim at best.
Kendall watched as Katie slipped into a troubled sleep and lifted his hand out of hers as he made his way to the bathroom, the only time he had left her side in hours, saying a prayer as he went. When he returned, Logan was bending over her, stethoscope in hand, and Kendall bounded to her side, fearing the worst.
James looked at him, realizing what he must be thinking, and smiled. "She's fine Kendall. Her fever broke."
And though such a rapid turnaround was normal in survivors of the epidemic, it felt like Kendall's personal miracle.
He heard a noise behind him and turned around, startled to see James on the rooftop. "Hey buddy." He said softly, and memories of Logan and Carlos flooded through his head in such rapid succession that it hurt.
"Kelly wanted me to let you know that she got a call from your dad in Minnesota – they've finally got phone lines back up – he's talking to Katie and wants to talk to you."
Kendall smiled, thinking of how great it would be to hear his dad's voice. "That'd be great."
As he reached 2J, Katie ran into his arms, shoving a phone into his hand. He picked it up, hands shaking, and raised it to his head.
"Hey, Dad."
There had been ups and downs in the last year, but they would make it – that was the one thing Kendall knew.
Like I said, this is really different from most of the stuff I've written, so let me know if you like it or if I should stay closer to canon from now on.