Back in the present…
Ellis, Rochelle, and Coach stood over Nick's body. They were able to recover it from the generator room.
He didn't look like himself when he was alive. As a matter of fact, he didn't look real at all. He looked more like a wax sculpture or a dummy. But despite what he looked like, he was still Nick.
The other three so badly wished he wasn't.
Ellis and Rochelle cried into each other's arms as Coach presided.
"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." said Coach, reciting a verse from the Bible, 2 Corinthians 4:18.
"Dear Lord, please accept Nick into Your loving arms. Forgive him for his sins. May he find peace and eternal happiness with You. Amen."
"Amen." said Ellis and Rochelle.
Coach went over to Nick's body and covered it in a sheet. He and Ellis then proceeded to lower the body into the freshly dug hole. Then, they covered it with dirt.
It was raining hard that day. It seemed to fit the mood perfectly. The three survivors hugged and shared their grief.
"Goodbye, Nick." said Rochelle, sniffing. "We'll miss you."
Ellis collapsed on the grave and sobbed over it. He had been hit absolutely hard by his friend's fate. Coach and Rochelle crouched down and hugged him.
He had never been more depressed.
Later that night, on the boat going to the Keys, Ellis lay wide awake. He couldn't sleep. His depression was very deep.
All he could do was stare at the night sky, devoid of anything beautiful.
He slowly began to cry again. He turned on his side and sobbed quietly.
"I kn-know. I-I'll j-just sh-shoot m-myself." he said. "Th-that way, I can see N-Nick again."
But suddenly, the air turned cold. Ellis felt goosebumps rise all over his body. The hair at the back of his neck stood up. He felt that he was not alone.
And then, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey, Overalls."
He quickly turned around. He could not believe his eyes.
Nick was sitting beside him, smiling. His white suit was no longer stained with blood.
"N-Nick?" said Ellis, stammering.
"Yeah. It's me. Good ol' Nick." said Nick.
Ellis chuckled.
"That your new nickname now?" he asked.
"Nah. I just wanted to say that." replied the con man.
Ellis laughed.
"Why are you here, anyway?" he asked.
"I just wanted to keep you company for a little while."
Ellis was about to smile, but he tried to suppress it. There were so many questions he wanted to ask Nick. But the one question he wanted to know was why Nick did what he did.
"Nick. Why did you do what you did?" he asked.
Nick frowned.
"What're you talking about, Overalls?" he asked.
"Why did you give up your life? You could've just climbed back up the bridge." Ellis asked once more.
Nick sighed.
"Kid, I gave up my life because I wanted to redeem myself." he said. "I've done many things that were really unforgivable. I gambled a lot, stole. I even killed for money."
"R-really?" asked Ellis. "Why did you do all that?"
"My childhood was screwed up." said Nick. "My dad verbally abused me, he beat my mom."
He stopped for a while.
"Then one day, he just left us. Eventually, he killed himself."
Ellis stared at him. For the first time ever, he paid attention to Nick. He had never listened to Nick when the latter tried to teach him how cruel the world was. But now, here he was, listening to him closely.
"Things went downhill after that. My mom and I lost our house. We were forced to move to Arizona. I didn't do well at school. I got bullied. Mostly, by this asshole named Francis. He loved to wear vests. He hated everything."
Ellis was shocked. He immediately knew what Nick was talking about.
"You mean the big guy with tattoos all over? The one wearin' a vest?" he asked.
Nick stared at him, openmouthed.
"Oh my God. You know him? Even his physical description?"
"I met him last week, not long after you died. He rode in Jimmy Gibbs Junior's stock car." said Ellis.
"Did he?" asked Nick.
"Uh huh." said Ellis. "Came in with three other people, an old soldier man, a nerdy guy and a pretty girl."
"Well, say fuck him for me will ya?" said Nick.
"Alright." said Ellis.
Then, Ellis stopped smiling and his face fell into a solemn expression once again..
"I wish I could join ya." he said. "I'm weak without you. Maybe I'll just kill myself."
At this point, Nick got angry.
"Kill yourself? Kill yourself!? And you say you're weak without me!? Kid, I gave up my life just to save your ass! If you kill yourself, my death would've been for nothing!" he said.
"I-it's just tha'…" said Ellis, tearing up again. "I just don't know what I'm gonna do without you. I won't be able to see you anymore. You won't be there when I need you again. I need you, Nick. I need you."
Nick sighed. He put his hand on Ellis' shoulder.
"Kid, you're strong. I've seen you do things that I've never seen anyone else do." he said. "You've shown me that you're capable of surviving this world."
He paused for a while and soon continued talking.
"You'll be alright. Rochelle and Coach will look after you."
Then, he gripped Ellis' shoulder.
"I'm proud of you, kid." he said, smiling.
Ellis stopped crying and smiled.
"Th-tha' makes me happy, Nick." he said.
"Always remember, Overalls. I'm a part of you. And I'll always be with you. Always." said Nick.
"I will. I will remember that." said Ellis, wiping his eyes. "And I'll never stop telling Keith stories."
"Goddamn you, Overalls." said Nick.
He and Ellis chuckled a bit.
Nick stood up.
"I guess it's time for me to go. God's calling me home." he said.
He slowly began to walk away.
"Will we meet again one day?" asked Ellis.
Nick turned to him and smiled.
"I'm sure we will." he said.
Ellis smiled even wider.
"Take care, Overalls." said Nick.
And just like that, Nick disappeared.
Ellis stared in awe for a while, thinking of what had just happened. Then, he realized, Nick had come to say goodbye to him. He lay quietly for a while before falling asleep.
This time, he had a big smile on his face.
The next morning, the survivors finally arrived at the Keys. They took out all the Infected on the island and cleaned the place up. The burned the bodies of the zombie corpses and finally got to enjoy their freedom. They also found stocks of food, which would be able to last for months.
Later that night after dinner, they all sat around a bonfire on the beach. They were laughing and talking.
"Finally. Freedom." said Rochelle.
"Damn right!" said Coach.
"Man, look at all the stars." said Ellis.
Stars covered the night sky. It was a sight that would make you want to shed a tear.
"That's so beautiful." said Rochelle.
"Even in the apocalypse, it's amazing how things can still be beautiful." said Coach.
"Agreed." said the other two.
Ellis looked at one certain star. It twinkled at him. He smiled. He knew exactly who it was.
"Goodbye, Nick." he said. "Until we meet again."
I hope you guys enjoyed this story. Honestly, I felt sad just writing this.