May 20, 2018

It had been foolish to hope, but Veronica had prayed for the answers to the universe. In her heart, she should have known.

There were no doctors here, no true scientists. Though she knew that intelligent people stood in that room - her father a master at business, Jaoquin quite adept in street smarts, her mother clever and calculating, and Dilton undoubtedly the smartest kid at Riverdale High - she tried to prepare herself that there was not much they could possibly glean.

The excavation into the dead Cannibal had not unraveled the mystery with one sharp 'Eureka' moment that made everything make sense. Instead, the answers were painfully dragged and theorized and argued to high heaven.

Veronica also knew she was being harsh. There was no one of scientific renown. It would have been unheard of for them to figure everything out. And it hadn't been a total failure. Their understanding of the body left in the garage after their disemboweling had been very illuminating, along with Dilton's reports of stalking one.

"They seem to respond to noise," Dilton said, rubbing his chin, having been offered a glass of bourbon, the nice stuff, to sit with Hiram and theorize. It was quite the honor and she wondered if Dilton knew.

"So guns would be unwise," Hiram gave a tired sigh, "This means close-range weapons."

"Or arrows," Archie threw in, quick to be useful. For once, her father did not seem angry with him.

"Or arrows," He agreed thoughtfully.

The other thing that they discussed was the smell. Veronica had only smelled death once. A mouse had crawled into her laundry basket and it was in between washes, so she hadn't noticed until it had been decaying for three days, the scent alerting her to its tiny body. She was unsure if she could ever shake that smell, honestly.

But these things? It was 100 times worse.

"It smelled bad when I went to kill it, close up," Dilton said, "It wasn't decaying only after I killed it. Rather, I think…" His next words were chosen with utmost carefulness, "I think it would be more apt to say after I killed it the second time."

There was a silence from everyone; not just the boys discussing in the living room, but from everyone listening in with one ear cocked.

"Like…walking undead?" Joaquin said quietly, "The devil is here." He added in a fearful whisper.

"It would make sense," Dilton said, "The way they move, the sort of lifelessness behind their eyes, how their blood isn't liquid, but congealed…" He gave a long sigh, "I think we might truly be dealing with the undead."

There had been jokes, movies, the such, made about the undead for ages. However, believing it was as loony as believing in Bigfoot. Or, at least, it had been.

"How do they die the first time? Or, well, how is it decided who 'comes back'?" Josie asked with air quotes.

"Maybe it's an illness," Dilton said, swirling his glass, under Hiram's watchful eye.

"You mean a curse," Joaquin muttered sourly.

"I think it stands that we stay the hell away from them," Malachai said. Hiram laughed, genuinely amused.

"I believe that's been clear from day one." He nodded, "I wouldn't want these things near me either."

Dilton sighed, "No more Cannibal hunting?"

"Not without cause," Hiram agreed, "We'll watch the body decompose that we have, and if we're lucky for another to wander by…but you said it yourself, you had to go far to find him. And it seemed it was an unfortunate accident."

"Did you figure out how he died?" Josie asked.

Dilton shrugged, "Very hard to say. Could have been starvation, dehydration, or a fall off a cliff…his body was pretty mangled, so well, your guess is as good as mine. I also don't know how long he was walking around like that. We know when Riverdale fell, and I have to think it as similar by a few days to other places, but if he died before we got here or after, that's also washed away." He pushed his glasses up his nose, "Really makes me wish I had another specimen."

Something churned in Veronica's stomach, though she couldn't place it. All she knew was she could not be here.

She pushed her chair back, the legs scraping across the floor, and went to curl under the covers in her room.

May 22, 2018

It had started slowly. But, like a slow poison, it had crept on Veronica and taken hold of her, and once it was choking her, it was impossible to shake. It was a nihilistic belief deep within her, one that had planted and taken root. It was a voice, a whisper, that absolutely terrified her. The poison was fear; and it whispered in her ear, never allowing her a moment to rest; This is just how life is now.

She felt like Cassandra of the Greek tragedies because whoever she tried to tell laughed her off. But she knew. She knew deep down inside of her that ten days in was showing them the truth of what their reality was. If it was meant to come to pass, it would have. Her mother told her she was being dramatic; nothing was set in stone after ten measly days. Her father didn't have any interest in listening. Joaquin seemed almost like he might agree with her, but shook his head, muttering that he knew someone would fix things soon, to have faith in that.

The rest were similar.

Veronica tried to tell everyone about the ball of tar that seemed to cling to the bottom of her stomach, telling her she'd never go back to whatever life was before this.

Faced with the frustrating optimism of her friends and family and the unrelenting fear that grasped her, Veronica found it hard to do more than a ghost in and out of bed, making motions to eat or go to the bathroom, but do very little else besides that.

What was the point? Why should she do anything if this is just how things were going to be? If they'd always be closed off in this cabin, searching for answers, but never finding any? If they were destined to be stumbling through the graveyard of truths with no flashlight, these things chasing them and grasping with deathly intent, but everyone else tripping into answers and never able to pin down anything more concrete?

It felt like they were in a bad episode of Scooby-Doo, except the stupidity and clumsiness weren't done for laughs, it was just how mismatched they were against whatever these Cannibals were.

"Hey, Veronica," Josie said, speaking quietly as she entered, as though worried she'd spook her roommate, "It's been a while since we've seen you in the living room. You want to play another round of Scrabble?" Because her parents went full-tilt to the 'retro-cabin' feel, it meant that the cabin was stocked with all the classic board games; Scrabble, Risk, and Monopoly, just to name a few. With no power, meaning no TV or movies (not that anyone had DVDs anymore anyway), everyone - Hiram and Hermione included - had relented to some light board game dabbling to stay sane and occupied.

"No," Veronica murmured, rolling over and pulling the comforter further up her shoulder, "But you guys have fun."

She knew that Josie was hovering in the doorway, worried, and she could almost feel the frustration and unsureness radiating off the former Pussycat. Veronica almost hoped she'd push; she hoped that she'd try to crack her, get into an argument, something. Instead, Josie just sighed and padded away.

Veronica pushed her face into the pillow, reaching underneath it for the Pop Tate tee-shirt, the scent now completely covered in the scent of the forest. Still, running her fingers over the polyester-cotton blend that she had seen so many of her classmates wear gave her a momentary twinge of happy nostalgia.

The door opened again.

"I said I'm not in the mood, Josie," Veronica groaned, "I'm not in the right mind to play and don't really want to get beaten by Dilton." She was very smart, no denying, but she knew her thoughts would be a few hours away, in Riverdale, and she'd miss easy words.

"You, ah, planning on staying there forever?"

She turned to see Archie leaning on the threshold.

"Oh, of course, they sent you, my 'boyfriend'," She rolled her eyes.

"Ronnie, I still care about you," Archie's eyebrows pulled together, "I care a lot, actually. But-,"

"But my family is out to kill you. I get it," Veronica said, fully comprehending why he felt the need to break up, but she still felt she could be properly bitter about it, "You know, though, Father has had every chance to just throw you outside and say you wandered off, and he hasn't?"

"Do you want a gold star for your dad for not killing her teenage boyfriend?" Archie asked, the point she was trying to make not landing right, and causing him anger instead of reflection.

"Well, no," Veronica frowned, "That's not…" She trailed off at his face. She shook her head, "You wouldn't understand. Just go back and play Scrabble with everyone else."

"It's a four-person game, and you know who they kicked out immediately. They chose Malachai over me. He's apparently not bad at spelling. Who knew?" Archie said, "And, Josie is really worried about you. You're sort of…having a depressive episode, Ronnie."

"Why shouldn't I?" Veronica asked, staring at the ceiling.

"You just get up and wander and then get back in bed again," Archie continued, "Even your dad is worried, but he won't say it."

"Archie, the world as we know it is…gone," Her voice cracked, "And you want me to go downstairs and grin and smile and play Scrabble as though we're just taking a little sojourn up here, along with a handful of the weirdest choices in companions?"

"If that's true, then what's the point?" Archie asked, and she thought he was just being dumb, until he continued with anger, "If you think the world is just like this, what are you laying around going to do? You want to spend the rest of your life just a vegetable in your room?"

"I'm processing," Veronica said after a long moment, not wanting to admit that some of Archie's argument was sound. Even if she recognized this, she was in no mood to be admitting such things.

"Okay," Archie sighed after a long second. He gave her a smile, "I don't know what's coming tomorrow or in a week or in a month, but I do know that I've escaped death enough times. I want to live without sadness or guilt, as much as I can. Is it what I want to be doing? No. I want my guitar. I want my video games. I want my old football that's half-deflated and underneath my bed. But I guess that's just wishful thinking now."

"And doesn't that make you depressed too?" Veronica pressured, wanting to not feel so alone in her feelings.

Archie blinked, "No. Because I can't change it. So what does being sad really accomplish?"

He stood, "C'mon, please. I can't predict 24 hours ahead, but if you come down, it'll be fun. You can watch Josie argue words that really aren't words and Dilton have a hernia trying to correct her. She already tried to play 'Yeet' and Dilton looked about ready to explode."

Veronica gave a small, traitorous smile. She was still waffling between finding an excuse to stay up here or just accepting his offer when a sound that no one expected echoed through the house.

A doorbell.

"Okay," Archie's eyes were wide and he laughed nervously, "I didn't expect that."

Veronica was up, her curiosity getting the best of her. Far as she knew, Cannibals didn't have the muscles to ring doorbells anymore.

"Why do I suddenly feel like we're in a horror movie," She muttered, pulling her cardigan around her body, shivering, "I never thought doorbells were as ominous as movies made them out to be, but hell."

Her father intercepted her in the hall landing.

"Veronica, stay upstairs," He commanded sharply. She noticed he had one of his guns loaded and the safety was off.

"It's gotta be someone…as in, a human," Joaquin whispered from just below the staircase. Hiram turned around, his jaw tensing.

"Hide," he said, and for a moment, Veronica realized he was being protective of not just her daughter, but of other teens here too. For as bad of a man as he was, it was moments like this that reminded her that he wasn't all bad. She did suppose that ten days stuck with someone either made you like them or hate them by the end.

Even know Veronica knew the smart thing to do would be to hide, she couldn't help it, and apparently, no one else could either. Everyone was hesitantly peeking around corners as Smithers unlocked the door, pulling it open wide for Hiram to raise his gun to make the first shot.

"I know we should have called, but really Hiram?" A tired man said with a sigh, "The New Yorker would have a field day if they heard about your guest-warming manners."

"If there's any New Yorker left at all," A woman behind him said, "Oh, you have no idea how relieved we are that you're alive. We knew coming here would be a long shot, but…"

Hermione approached with a bright smile on her face, "Xander! Simone! What a…surprise. A welcome one, of course, but-,"

"Oh, you're fucking kidding me," Archie muttered harshly, "Was it too much to hope for that the Cannibals got him?" He said, referring to one of the two figures behind the St. Clair adults. Nick St. Clair, who Veronica had soured on too.

"This really is hell," She muttered back, making a gagging sound.

"Who's the other one?" Archie whispered, squinting.

"Elio Grande. Father's a mob boss. I knew he and Nick are in the same grade at the same school, but I was not under the impression they're…friends. He's kinder, better."

"Oh, really?" Archie's face twisted, "Kinder?" He mimicked. Veronica's expression grew cold.

"Why should you care what I think of Elio? You brok-," Before she could spit out her fury, Archie pushed a hand over her mouth, looking down at everyone, who if they were not so focused on their four newcomers, may have heard.

Veronica shook his hand off, "I thought my parents had cut ties with the St. Clairs, but I suppose all that's wander under the bridge in the apocalypse." She said, motioning to the way her mother was welcoming them, ushering them in.

Like bugs crawling out of the woodwork, drawn by these new people, everyone was pulled to the living room by the strings of unanswered questions they hoped could be answered.

"It is such a relief you're alive. I know we haven't spoken in a while, but Hiram, there's no one left on the Upper East Side." Simone said, fanning herself as Smithers delivered her a glass of water.

"What do you mean?" Hiram asked, starting to set down their bags, but his back went stiff.

"Exactly that!" Xander gruffed, "It's a wasteland. Those shifty bastards, the ones that are dead but not dead, have decimated everything. Why, we hardly got out at all, and maybe wouldn't have been if not for Elio's parents…" he trailed off, and for the first time, Veronica noticed how weary Elio looked, how raw his expression was and how his eyes were puffy. It was obvious he'd tried to wipe away his tears before arriving, but the redness was still present.

They didn't have to say it out loud. Veronica knew what had happened. The brief of it, at least.

"Elio, I'm so sorry," Veronica said quietly. He looked up, his expression anywhere but here, and gave a curt nod of acknowledgment to her.

"We were all having brunch for the gala; you got that invite, didn't you?" Simone was recounting, but before Hermione could reply, "Dreadful, just dreadful! I was right in the middle of my morning omelet when the screaming began. It was all just a blur; people throwing things, those things attacking, biting, tearing…" She swallowed hard, her voice quivering, and Veronica believed her about the carnage she'd have to have seen, even if Simone was known to embellish stories, "Nick was a quick thinker. He grabbed us and we went through the kitchens. Elio's family was close and saw our plan too. All the phones are down. Nothing, just…" Simone broke off, resorting to shaking her head, unable to think of what else to say.

"What day was that?" Dilton asked. Xander jumped to have the bespeckled teen address him so promptly, but managed to stutter, "May 9th."

"A few days before us," Hiram thought out loud, "Though I suppose with how quickly communication broke down, and no one to report it…" And, of course, Riverdale had been embroiled in their own scandals and dramas and so hardly anyone was watching the national news.

"You just made it up here, though?"

"You're the first vacation house that seems anyone made it to. The Vanderbilts, the Carps, The Hunts, the Goldmans-,"

"Well, we saw Francis Goldman's face torn off right in front of us," Nick said with a bitter tone. His anger was something Veronica understood. A feeling of helplessness, more so than ever before.

"Yes," his mother blinked, perhaps having repressed that until now, "But the point being, everyone else seems to have…succumbed. I would have imagined they could have escaped like us by now, so I have to assume," She swallowed.

"Where were you until you started traveling?" Hiram asked.

"One of the hotel rooms in the hotel we were having brunch," Xander said, "All six of us in a cramped King-size room," He gave a rickety laugh, "And it worked…until it didn't."

"We don't mean to intrude, but…" Simone sniffled, "I don't know where else to go."

Hiram rubbed his chin, then dragged his hand over his hair, sighing hard. Veronica knew that they were out of beds and their food stash, while still doing okay, would certainly take a hit with four more mouths.

"We raided the hotel kitchen. We don't come empty-handed," Nick said.

Even though Veronica was loathed to admit it, she couldn't help but send her father a sly wave of three fingers to remind him of their agreement. If she was still here, they still had their terms. And that meant Archie couldn't be killed.

"Of course, you can stay." Hermione said before Hiram made a decision either way, "We are glad to have you here."

"Speak for yourself," Archie said, and Veronica turned to realize he'd been staring, quite aggressively, at Nick this entire time.

"Veronica," Hermione said, seeing the pair next to each other, "Look, please, Mija," She said as she spoke her words carefully, "Could you…partner up with Archie?"

"What?" Hiram hissed, snapping his head around.

"Best behavior. Josie's also in there." Veronica said. Also, of course, they were broken up, so this was incredibly awkward.

"There are two couches out here for two people to sleep," Hermione said, already re-organizing, "And a blow-up bed in the closet. It may need to be patched, but with Archie's bed freed up, that should fit us all."

Veronica half-expected Nick's parents to throw a fit. A blow-up bed? Couches? This was not the life they were used to.

But, to her shock, they gave the most grateful smiles that Veronica had ever seen anyone give.

"God have mercy," Simone said, seeming to collapse as though she knew she was safe, at least for now, "I don't know if I can ever repay all of you for this."

"You don't have to," Hiram said in a tone that indicated they absolutely would have to pay him back in some way eventually, "These are what times like this are for."