2 Months Later
In Fairhope, Alabama Kelly and Ashley were on their own. Gallo caught something and lost weight. Kelly found a relatively safe place to hold up. A small bait shop by a dock. During the day Kelly would barricade Gallo inside and take Ashley to the dock where he'd work on a boat. The residents of Fairhope were evacuated. Infected were practically non-existent there. Kelly watched a woman walk down the dock. He was wiping oil off his hands. Ashley was in the cockpit with her rifle. The woman walked halfway down the dock. "Severide!?" Kelly held his hand up signaling Ashley to cease fire. He hopped off the boat and slowly approached her. "Kylie?" She ran to him and jumped in his arms. "I thought everyone was dead." Kylie whispered into his chest.
"Chief signed off on VTO I requested a couple days prior to everything. I was visiting family in Birmingham, and everything just blew up. More and more people were getting infected. My family and I drove here. We heard there was a chance of getting on some lifesaving ship. We survived for a couple months and… and my family... I found them in a bar a block from here, they overdosed. I thought everyone was dead… Stella?" Severide shook his head. Kylie frowned and offered Gallo medication. "I have a med kit and antibiotics." Kylie had Gallo sitting up on his makeshift bed. He thought he was hallucinating. She was alive, there was a possibility others were alive. There was hope.
3 Weeks Later
Everything they've been through; everyone they've lost was guiding them. Kelly felt them in the woodwork and in Gallo's mysterious recovery. Kelly fixed the boat while Gallo and Kylie looted buildings and cars in the area. Gallo carried another jug of gas on board. Kylie was right behind him, bag over her shoulder. "Ashley, can I do your hair?" Kylie asked. Ashley glared when Kelly said 'yes'. Kylie and Ashley sat on the deck in silence. Ashley begrudgingly allowed Kylie to do her hair. Gallo was in the captain's quarters sleeping when he unanchored, and they drifted off.
2 Weeks Later
Traveling by sea was a healing experience. Out there in the open water piles of bodies and destruction were only bad memories. Waves lurked the seas, no infected dragging themselves out of the shadows. In the cockpit Kelly was eating a can of rations. Ashley was laying in there, curled up on the ground wrapped in blankets. "What if I die?" She asked, he looked down briefly and continued eating. Watching the sun rise and set without looking over his shoulder was surreal. Maybe because eventually, they'd go back to cutting people's heads off.
What if Ashley died? Kelly never thought about that. He thought about how he'd prevent her from dying but what if she died? What if she was bitten? What if someone killed her? He couldn't picture life sans her. Her uncalled-for comments, how she'd hide candy and begged for coloring books and makeup. "Remember the night we met? I boarded up the cabin windows, read you a book till you fell asleep on the couch? I stayed up the whole night asking myself how I'm going to protect you. You saved my life, you gave me a reason to live. There's a million ways I'd die for you. I'll tell you every single one before I tell you what I'd do without you."
Kelly broke Ashley's box of crayons. She stormed off the deck and into the captain's quarters. She cursed men and their freakishly big hands. Inside the captain's quarters Kylie was sitting on the bed fiddling with a bottle of pills. Jugs of purified water they've collected were also on the bed. 'We survived for a couple months and… and my family... I found them in a bar a block from here, they overdosed.' Ashley threw her neck knife into Kylie's arm. Kylie cried out bloody murder, Kelly snatched Ashley out of the room. "SHE POISONED OUR WATER SUPPLY! SHE KILLED HER FAMILY!" Kelly locked Ashley in the cockpit. Ashley watched Kelly drag Kylie out of the room kicking and screaming. What happened next was shocking. Gallo kicked Kylie in the head. Ashley covered her mouth and Kelly had a similar reaction as Kylie's lifeless body collapsed onto the floor.
A Couple Hours Later
Long story short Kylie murdered her entire family. Gallo dumped their water supply. Kelly planned on traveling further down south Florida. "Are you mad?" Ashley asked Kelly in the cockpit that evening. Ashley was laying in her makeshift bed coloring. Truth is Kelly wanted to blame someone; he cared about Kylie. Kylie was someone he knew before everything. He remembers the day Stella introduced her to Chief and him. "You assessed the situation like I taught you. Kylie could've taken all of us out because we trusted her. I should've asked more questions about her family, poked, prodded. My judgment was clouded, Kylie was very important to my wife… Stella. I married Stella after working together for 7 years. She started a Girls on fire program for young women who see a future in the CFD. She recently became a lieutenant and Kylie was her first recruit. Stella influenced me in the right ways. I loved Stella and I liked Kylie but Ashley you're my little girl I love you more. Ashley whispered. "I love you too."
Later That Night
The weather took a turn for the worse. The wind picked up and Kelly was watching the sails concerned. He moved Ashley to the captain's quarters and switched from sails to the motor. The rain was coming down hard enough to bruise Kelly's skin, Gallo was hanging in the cockpit's doorway as Kelly attempted to fight the waves and stay on course. "THIS IS MY FAULT! I SHOULDN'T HAVE KILLED HER! SHE NEEDED OUR HELP! WHO HAVE I BECOME!? KYLIE WAS JUST A KID!" Kelly heard Gallo over the thunder. Karma was just a saying; nobody did anything worthy of living among the dead. Sometimes bad things happen to the best of us. Kelly and Gallo dedicated their lives to saving people and here they were. Fighting for their lives, sleepless nights, dehydrated, starving.
"YOU'RE JUST A KID! YOU SHOULD BE SOMEWHERE RIGHT NOW ON A CALL WITH 81. YOU'RE JUST A KID!" Kelly repeated. "YOU'RE MY BROTHER GALLO, YOU DID WHAT YOU FELT NEEDED TO BE DONE AND I STAND BY YOU! YOU AND ASHLEY!" Kelly knew the boat was tipping. He led them to their death. Everything they've been through was for nothing. They should've stayed at the cabin. Kelly lost control over the boat, everything on the deck slid to one side and everything went black.