The caravan of vehicles made its way down an abandoned road. The vehicles' tires dusted up the dirt that had settled down. Inside one of the cars Jacob sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window at the passing scenery as Tim drove. He sat there in silence, mesmerized by the passing foliage. Jarrod sat behind Jacob lost in thought as well. Ethan sat staring out the window on the opposite side in the back. Karen sat in the middle. She looked over to Jarrod for a second and without saying a word looked back down. The passengers sat there silently for the remainder of the car ride. In another car, Mark sat there staring at his hand. His hand was trembling and still cover in blood. Allen silently passed Mark a rag. Mark used the rag to wipe the remaining blood off of his hand. The convoy traveled down the road towards the school as the sun began to set.
In the school, Michael sat in the cafeteria playing cards with James. He looked up for a second and noticed the approaching vehicles through the window.
"They're back! They're back! Let's go!" Michael shouted as he stood up and rushed outside.
"Wait for me!" James shouted out from behind him. The rest of the group followed the boys outside to meet the convoy.
Outside, the vehicles stopped in front of the school. The group unloaded themselves out of the cars. The people from inside opened the doors and stepped out to greet the returning members. Amelia spotted Mark and ran over to embrace him. Hannah and James looked around for Andrew as Ethan walked by them. He stared at the pair for a few seconds before pushing his way through the crowd and into the school. Jacob and Tim moved to the back of the truck and opened the bed. They slid a body wrapped in cloth off the bed and began to carry it towards the crowd. The voices in the crowd became silent. Hannah burst out into hysterical tears, finally realizing what had happened at the office park. James simply stared at the two men and the body in cloth trying to grasp what had happened.
The sky was now engulfed in darkness. The light of a low-burning fire reflected against Ethan's face. Ethan sat on the roof of the school building staring into the fire he had built. The sound of a door opening startled Ethan. He whipped around and faced the direction of the door. Alexis emerged from the dark doorway and joined Ethan on the roof.
"Mind if I join?" Alexis asked as she walked over to Ethan and sat down next to him. Ethan continued to stare silently at the fire.
"You ok? I heard what happened." Alexis continued. Ethan still didn't answer. Alexis placed her hand on Ethan's leg, attempting to reassure him. "It's not your fault, you've got to know that."
At the touch of her hand, Ethan quickly stood up and walked over to the edge of the roof.
"It ain't that simple." Ethan finally responded as he looked down to the dark abyss off the side of the building. "Nobody died since I came here. This was the first. I felt like I finally escaped death."
"I hate to break it to you, but death is everywhere in this world." Alexis replied.
"Want to know what happened before I got here?" Ethan asked. "I was at another camp with my brother and his family. I never had my own family, but he had a wife and two girls. I was always close to them. Well, we were shacked up in a couple of town houses with some fences surrounding the area. One day I went out on a supply run. We were only gone for a couple of hours, but when we got back, that place was overrun. There were walkers everywhere. No survivors, but I couldn't find any traces of them being dead. I tried to track them, maybe they were still alive, but I found no leads. It's like they disappeared. If I hadn't left, maybe I could've done something. Hell, maybe if they made it out I'd still be with them. Let them down, just like I let down Andrew…"
"You did not let Andrew down, Ethan. You did all that you could to help."
"I just…" Ethan turned around to face Alexis before continuing. "I just can't get over that look in Hannah's eyes. Her world didn't disappear from her, her world is just gone."
Janice opened the door to the cafeteria quietly. As she walked into the room she noticed Jacob sitting at one of the tables. He had his head down on the table and appeared to be sleeping. Janice walked over and nudged Jacob as she sat down. Jacob snapped awake.
"Nobody knew where you went off to. I didn't think I would find you in here sleeping." Janice laughed.
"It's been a long day and I'm worn out. I just passed out the second I sat down." Jacob said as he rubbed his eyes.
"Go get some rest in your own bed. Tomorrow is a fresh start." Janice advised as she patted Jacob on the back.
"Yeah, I will." Jacob replied as he stood up. "I'm going to go check on Hannah and James on my way there."
Tim opened up the doors to a cabinet inside his office. He reached in and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He poured the contents of the bottle into a glass sitting on his desk and returned the bottle to the inside of his cabinet and shut the doors. Tim sat down at his desk. He picked up the glass of whiskey and started at it for a moment. Tim raised the glass to his mouth and tipped it back. He finished the contents of his glass without a pause and placed the glass back on the table.
Jacob stood against the frame of the open classroom door. He looked up from the object he was holding in his hand and into the classroom. His eyes came to rest on the people sleeping on the cot in the corner of the room. Hannah was lying on the cot, holding James, as the two slept soundly. After a moment Jacob looked back down to the object in his hands. He held a silver watch. The watch was broken and had a crack running along the front of the watch. The watch had also stopped ticking and the hands were frozen in place. Jacob placed the watch back in his pocket and walked out of the classroom, closing the door behind him. As Jacob walked down the hall, he passed Jarrod.
"You coming from Hannah's room?" Jarrod asked.
"Yeah, was checking up on them." Jacob replied.
"How they doing?"
"They're sleeping soundly. It's gonna be a rough few days for them though." Jacob paused for a second before continuing. "I never got a chance to ask. What the hell happened back there?"
"We were leaving through the lobby. Don't know where they came from, but the lobby was filled with walkers. We started fighting through them, but there were so many of them we couldn't control the situation. They started getting in between us. Soon they were surrounding Andrew. I heard his plea for help, hell I even pointed my gun in his direction, but there were too many. I knew even if I killed a few walkers, I was not going to be able to save him. In the moment I made a decision to save my ammo, I was going to need it to get out of there myself. Clearly Ethan didn't feel the same way. Don't think we'll be able to look each other in the eye, at least not for a while."
"You're right. He might not, but you're gonna have to make it work."
"Tell that to him." Jarrod replied.
"Too bad things couldn't have been different." Jacob sighed. "Now James will have to grow up without a father. No one should ever have to go through that."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Hannah woke up abruptly, wide-eyed and sweat visible along her forehead. The sun now crashed in through the window. James looked up at Hannah with terror in his eyes.
"I'm sorry James. It was just a nightmare. Come here." Hannah said to the boy. She opened up her arms and James crawled into her embrace. A few seconds later there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Hannah shouted towards the door.
"I heard a shout while I was in the next room over." Alexis said as she opened the door and stepped into the room. "I just wanted to come and check to make sure that you and James were alright."
"Sorry about that." Hannah replied. "It was just a nightmare."
"Nothing to be sorry about." Alexis assured her. "Everyone gets a nightmare once in a while."
"Except this time, I woke up and my reality is worse than my nightmare."
"If there's anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask."
"Only if it can bring back Andrew." Hannah said solemnly before turning to James and running her hand through his hair. "At least we still have each other, bud."
Ethan stood by himself looking at the football field. Various holes had been dug over the field. The holes were still waiting for a seed to be placed within and to be filled back in with dirt.
"Hey." A voice called out to Ethan. Ethan turned to see Emma approaching him. At the sight of her, Ethan turned back around.
"What are you doing out here?" Emma asked as she took her place standing next to Ethan. Ethan ignored her questioned. He continued to stare off into the field.
"I wonder who will take over this project, it still needs to be finished. It's going to make a huge difference." Emma continued. Ethan still continued to ignore her.
"Hellooooo…?" Emma asked. Ethan did not even turn to look at her. "Listen, I know you're upset, but you don't have to act like this. Shutting people out isn't the solution to getting over your grief."
"So you telling me I'm the problem?" Ethan asked, finally turning to look at Emma.
"I never said that." Emma replied defensively.
"What do you want me to do? Tell you something so you can go scurry back to your boyfriend and tell him all about it. Is that what you want?"
"You're not even making sense right now, Ethan."
"Listen, I only got you that book because I thought you'd like it. We're a community here, we do things for each other. I didn't get you that book so your douchebag boyfriend could come after me and threaten me."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. What exactly did Cameron say to you?"
"I think it'd be best if you and Cameron just leave me be from here on. Got that?" Ethan instructed Emma as he walked away from her. Emma frustratingly threw her hands up in the air as she stood alone on the football field.
"You wanted to see me?" Jacob asked as he entered Tim's office.
"Yes, sit down." Tim ushered, pointing to a chair. Jacob walked over and sat in the chair. Tim opened the doors to a cabinet and took out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. "Drink?"
"Sure." Jacob replied. Tim set the glasses down on his desk and poured the contents of the bottle into each glass. He sat down across from Jacob and pushed a glass across the desk. Jacob lifted the glass up and took a sip. Tim did the same.
"I feel lost." Tim told Jacob. "We lost almost all of the leadership at the camp. Communication with the rest of the world was already lost. We're stranded in this school. We can't just pull out and hit the road. We won't make it out there."
"We can make it in here though, with everyone's help." Jacob replied. "There are plenty of people left who have gone out and faced the world."
"If that's what is going to happen, people need to be ready to lead. I need you, Jacob. I need you to step up, help me run things around here. Are you willing to take on that role?"
"I'd be honored too. We can get through this, all of us. We still have a good thing going." Jacob assured Tim.
Mark sat with his kids eating food at a table in the cafeteria. Mark lowered his fork and smiled as he looked towards his daughter.
"What?" Emily questioned him.
"It's nothing." Mark smiled as he stabbed a slice of a peach with his fork and raised it to his mouth. "I just have two wonderful kids."
"Are you trying to get us to clean our rooms or something? Last time I checked, the world ended. Nobody cares about chores." Emily joked.
"No, it's nothing like that. Just after yesterday, I'm a little more thankful for everything I have. Despite everything that has happened, we're all still together. I can't ask for anything more."
"I can't either." Mike interrupted. "I'm glad you made it back, Dad."
"Me too." Mark replied. "I have an idea."
"What is it?"
"Why don't you go and grab the baseball gloves and we'll play some catch."
"Ok!" Mike smiled as he slid off his seat. He rushed out of the cafeteria to find the baseball gloves. Mark turned to Emily who was still sitting next to him.
"How are you doing?" Mark asked his daughter.
"I don't know, fine I guess." Emily responded. "It's just… I can't even fathom the amount of pain Hannah is feeling right now. Like you said, we're lucky that we still have each other. All the pieces of our family are still together. Here I was the other day, crying over the fact I never got to go to my prom. I feel childish."
"Don't dwell on it, Emily." Mark assured her. "Everyone is at different stages in their life. You were in your biggest year of high school, weeks away from a night you were probably going to remember for the rest of your life. That's a huge disappointment."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"I'm always right." Mark laughed.
"Thanks." Emily smiled.
"Any time." Mark smiled back.
"You know, you're still a great dad. Even after everything that's happened with the world falling around us. Love you." Emily said as she hugged her father.
"I love you too, Emily." Mark replied as he returned her embrace. "Want to join us for some baseball?"
"I think I'll have to pass." Emily laughed as she stood up. She took the bowls from the table and began walking towards the kitchen. Mark smiled as he watched her walk away.
Allen and Karen emerged from the school building. They were both wearing bags and Allen held a long pole in his hand. The pair walked across the parking lot towards the access road by the side of the school.
"On the bright side, at least we're having some nice weather." Allen joked, breaking the silence.
"Not like we can go to the beach or anything. We can't even get ice cream." Karen replied.
"Thinking about everything so negatively isn't what we should be doing."
"Oh really? What should we be doing then? Dance around and sing campfire songs?"
"That's not really what I meant, but you know what, maybe we should." Allen and Karen arrive at the access road. The road was blocked off by the barricade that Allen and Jacob had previously fix.
"Looks like it's holding up nicely." Allen said as he examined the wall. A sudden bang on the wall caught Allen by surprise. "I wonder how many are on the other side, I can hear a ton of groaning."
"What are we waiting for? Let's take a look." Karen ordered. She climbed on to the platform set next to the wall and peered over. On the other side of the wall walkers were piling up against each other. They were grabbing aimlessly towards the barrier.
"There's too many. We have to take care of this." Karen said as she pulled out her pistol. She cocked the gun back, loading a bullet into the chamber, and readied to shoot.
"Wait!" Allen exclaimed.
"What?" Karen replied in frustration.
"Here." Allen said as he handed the long pole up to Karen. "This is how we take care of them. It doesn't make a noise."
Karen took the pole from Allen and leaned over the edge of the wall. With both hands gripping the pole tight, Karen thrust the pole's sharpened end into the head of the closest walker. With force, she pulled the pole out of the walker and it fell limp onto the ground. Karen repeated this process a few more times. The remaining walkers were becoming farther and farther away.
"Almost done?" Allen asked.
"Just a few more." Karen called back. She braced herself against the wall one more time. She reach out to stab a walker. The pole connected with the walker's head. The walker was farther away and Karen had to extend her arms to reach the walker. As the walker fell, Karen couldn't pull the pole from the walker's head and it slipped from her hands.
"Shit…" Karen whispered under her breath.
"I'm still not used to death." Brady told Cassandra. The two were standing in a classroom talking. "You would think after all this time I would be used to it."
"Well you better get used to it. That's how this world is. Not everyone is going to survive." Cassandra replied.
"It gets me wondering sometimes."
"About what?"
"It's just hard to imagine what it would be like for life to end."
"You don't have to know what it would be like. All you have to know is that it could come at any second. That's why you have to make the most of every day."
"Is that what you've been doing? Making the most out of every day?" Brady questioned Cassandra.
"Of course." Cassandra answered. She looked at Brady and noticed a look of disapproval in his eyes. "And who are you to judge."
"You know, it might get you in trouble one day." Brady told her.
"Oh yeah? How so?" Cassandra asked.
"You never know, you might shack up with the wrong person one day."
"Brady, you're not my father. You're not my brother. Quit acting like it."
"Cassandra, I care. That's why I'm telling you."
"Well I don't need to hear it. I'm an adult, I can do what I want without you trying to reprimand me."
"Why can't you just hear me out?"
"Because I don't want to." Cassandra said as she made her way to the door. She looked out the door and noticed Alexis walking by. "Alexis! Wait for me!"
"Cassandra…" Brady called to her.
"Bye." Cassandra said as she walked out the door. Brady exited the room and watched the pair walk down the hallway. As he watched them walk away, Brady exhaled deeply.
Hannah sat alone in the cafeteria, eating. She stared down into her bowl of canned peaches.
"Hey." A voice interrupted her trance. She turned around to find Amelia facing her with a bowl of her own. "I figured you might like some company. Mind if I sit?"
"Yeah, sure. Of course." Hannah replied.
"How's everything?" Amelia asked as she sat down.
"My husband just died. I'll never sleep next to him again. Before this, death seemed so much different. Of course, I've had older relatives who passed away. My mom died, but we knew it was going to happen. She was sick, in and out of the hospital, but at least we could plan for it. It hurt, and it hurt a lot, but at least I was able to brace myself for it. This… this came out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting to never see Andrew again."
"If there's ever anything you need, just let me know." Amelia assured Hannah.
"Time." Hannah replied. "Time is what I need."
"Don't tell anyone about this!" Karen argued with Allen on their way back across the parking lot.
"It's kinda important. We need to clear the walkers." Allen replied.
"I don't want them knowing that I messed up my first time out there. They'll never let me back out here." Karen continued.
"I doubt that." Allen reassured her.
"Well I don't want to take the chance. We can just make another pole. It's as easy as that."
"Do you even know how to make the pole?"
"Of course. You just have to sharpen it."
"Are you going to even remember to make the pole?"
"Yes, Allen. I'm not going to forget."
"Ok, ok. I won't say anything, but you have to make a new pole. We can't let them build up much more, we barely cleared any today."
"Can't do it." Ethan told Tim and Jacob. Tim stood by his desk while Ethan and Jacob stood opposite of him.
"We need you, Ethan." Tim said trying to convince Ethan. "You know the outside world so well. You've been out there, you know how runs work."
"And I'll keep going out there, but I ain't putting myself in charge." Ethan replied.
"Ethan, hear him out." Jacob interjected.
"I ain't asking people to look towards me. I already step up, put my life on the life for these people. Ain't that enough?" Ethan asked.
"We need someone to take charge of the supply runs and coordinate them. You're the best person for the job Ethan. I need you." Tim pleaded. Ethan took a deep breath and stood silently.
"What do you say?" Jacob asked him.
"Fine…" Ethan replied. "But no Jarrod, I ain't bringing him."
"You're the boss." Tim told him.
Emily sat in the bleachers watching over the kids as they played on the basketball court. She watched as James sat away from the kids as they played basketball.
"Mind if I join?" Janice asked Emily.
"Yeah, come sit." Emily replied. Janice sat down on the bleacher next to her.
"Kid duty, my favorite." Janice laughed sarcastically. "I guess it could be worse. I could be patching somebody up."
"At least that's something. I feel useless sometimes."
"How about I teach you a few things about being a nurse? That way you can help me next time. Sound good?"
"I would love that." Emily smiled. Emily looked over to James again and her smile faded. "I'm worried for him."
"Who?" Janice asked.
"James, he seems to be in shock or something." Emily told her.
"I'll go see how he's doing." Janice said as she stood up. She walked over to James, who was coloring a picture on the floor.
"Hey James! What are you up to?" Janice asked with a smile. James didn't bother to look up. Janice kneeled down to see what he was coloring. The picture was the drawing of his family that he was going to give Andrew Janice watched in shock as James drew over Andrew's figure with a mess of red colors.