Epilogue

Epilogue



3 months later



   Rex Barnes sighed as he unloaded another crate from the latest truck filled with supplies from a nearby town. He no longer considered himself a Sergeant, merely just another civilian pulling his own. That didn’t prevent him from wearing the dog tags though, no. He’d been National Guard for the last decade, and he was damn proud of that. They remained tucked away underneath his soft black T-shirt. No matter how big a size he got, they all seemed to fit snug against his massive frame, and they people in charge here had made damn sure to put his brute strength to good use.

He’d been offered a position on the Grimm Reapers. Rex chuckled at that as he grabbed a crate of tinned goods and set them down on a pallet. Another man smiled as he reeled in a cart and took the pallet away. The Grimm Reapers were apparently some elite team of former soldiers, police officers, army rangers, or anyone looking for an adventure. The job was dangerous, they were just about the only people to leave the heavily fortified community. Anyone else was free to leave at any given time, but nobody did. Why leave the safety?

“Here ya go big guy.” The warehouse manager said as he lightly patted him on the back and reeled over another crate of goods. Upon looking inside, he saw it was filled with various articles of clothing. He arms flexed, the veins popping out as his teeth grit and he lifted the entire crate with a grunt and a heave.

“Urgh!” The crate slammed down on the pallet. Barnes was the only worker in the warehouse that could actually lift an entire crate, usually it took two sometimes three other workers to get just one. The manager loved him, considering Barnes to be his “golden boy”. Heh, keep thinking that buddy.

Back in the “old” world, what Barnes now considered things before the outbreak, a warehouse job had been frowned down upon. Minimum wage, shitty hours, no benefits. Here, every one of the numerous jobs had the same pay, and the same hours. (With the exception of guard duty, that was around the clock) They were paid in credits, a type of system the founder of this place had come up with. There had been a license plate factory before the outbreak nearby, it had been converted into a sort of currency system. Barnes hadn’t met the founder yet, but apparently he’d saved countless people and had played a major role in the construction of this community.

A shudder ran down his spine as he slammed another crate down on a pallet, watching as another worked reeled it away. Rex couldn’t even begin to fathom the horror the people felt during the construction of the walls and electric fencing. Tunica wasn’t necessarily a small place, the eight foot concrete walls and ten foot electric fencing covered about two miles of land. He’d spoken with a few of the other workers on the matter, there had been a few hardwore stores in the area, which supplied the legendary builders. There had been a long and bloody battle, but in the end over four hundred people had secured the area, and now lived within the safety of the walls. Neighborhoods, businesses, hell even a few buildings were in the area. Props to them, props to them…

“Ready for another?” The manager asked as he rolled the last crate from the back of the truck over. Barnes sighed as he pulled his tog tags out from underneath his shirt, glancing down at them.

Sergeant 1st Class Rex Barnes

With a smile, he let them dangle freely outside his shirt, and removed the apron he was wearing, tossing it aside.

“Nah, I quit.” The manager’s eyes lit up with shock as Barnes walked out of the warehouse.

“Wait!  Where are you going?” Barnes turned around with a grin, his white teeth glinting in the morning sun.

“Becoming a soldier again, sir.”





*********************************





Adrian LaRouge blew air through his nose as warm water splashed against his face, removing the remnants of the shaving cream. He turned the faucets off, grabbing a plush towel and wiping his face dry before standing upright and grinning at himself in the mirror, now cleanly shaven.

“Lookin’ good LaRouge, lookin’ damn good.” He said with a cheer. He’d decided to take Reese’s advice and shave the moustache. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, she was right. He did look a lot better, and even a few years younger. He placed the towel on a hook and quickly rinsed his razor in the sink. A sink… something he had taken for granted maybe a month ago. Running water seemed like a luxury to him now. Tunica ran on well water, and with the constant raining and nearby river there was never a shortage. With the flick of the wrist, he shook free the remaining droplets of water on the razor and gently placed it on the edge of the sink.

Holding the towel wrapped around his waist, he walked into his bedroom, stopping in front of the mirror as he pulled the towel free and struck a pose.

“Yer gettin’ there sexy.” He told himself, pleased with the small biceps that were beginning to form and the flat abs that were becoming visible. He’d been hitting up the gym with Barnes four days a week. A local gym had been inside the walls of the community, and a lot of the members of the community made good use of it. Especially Barnes, man, that guy was a fucking beast. He could be seen there at all hours of the day, every day. LaRouge found it odd though that the Sergeant preferred to go during the night, when hardly anybody went.

“If I had a body like that, I’d be there when everybody could see.” Adrian mumbled as he performed a final flex before getting dressed. He walked into his own personal office, where a small laptop remained closed on a glass U-shaped desk. Before the outbreak, he guessed a businessman lived here.

Despite everything going on, the internet was still up and running. LaRouge found it amusing reading up on old news before the outbreak, or watching episodes of reality shows.

“Ah what was that one show called…” He mumbled to himself. “Ah, that’s right. Survivor.” The show had been filming during the outbreak on some island in the Caribbean. Well, they were all stranded there now, including the host and his crew. Despite this, they still filmed the show, minus the eliminations. They still kept up the silly games and challenges though, providing entertainment for whoever was still alive to enjoy it.

His gaze drifted down to the M9 Beretta resting on the desk beside his laptop. The polished gun gleamed, the metal of the gun casting reflections from the sun seeping in through the curtains. Normally, he’d have taken it everywhere he went. Now, it barely left the house. There just wasn’t a need anymore except on scavenging missions or survivor pickups.

“Heh heh, life is good…” LaRouge trailed off as he began walking out the room and towards the stairs. Being one of the only trained pilots in the community, he’d certainly been given his benefits. He only worked a few days a week, and the rest of the time was spent maintaining the small fleet of helicopters. In fact, LaRouge hadn’t been in immediate danger for about six weeks now, and even then he had a team of soldiers with him. They’d all driven over to the news station, where a Sikorsky 76 had been abandoned on the roof. Ah, that had been fun.

His shoes were muffled by the stairway’s carpeting as he trotted down the stairs and into the morning sun. He closed the front door behind him, taking a few steps forward and marveling at his house. That’s right, his house. All his life, he’d dreamed of owning a house. Being only twenty-six, he’d been limited to apartments from his paycheck he’d never saved.

It had taken the end of the world, but he finally had his dream home, and LaRouge was damn proud of it. It had been funny, actually. Once they’d arrived in Tunica, they were given the chance to each pick out their own homes, because there sure wasn’t a shortage of them. Entire neighborhoods still remained empty, waiting for another saved survivor to arrive and join the community. Despite this, the entire group had decided to  stay together, and each of their houses were within walking distance. Hell, LaRouge lived next to Barnes and Reese, with Nick and Jake across the street (They decided to live together) and Katharina beside Nick. They all had the choice of a roommate or living along. Most people choose to live alone, but others liked the company of another person. Everyone in their group lived alone with the exception of Jake and Nick, as well as Reese.

“In fact, might as well pay her a visit.” LaRouge jogged across the lawns and up to her front door, knocking on it a few times. They had actually become good friends since arriving, spending many nights watching movies together or having a discussion. Yet, despite his best attempts, he still couldn’t get in her pants. He’d break her… eventually.

“Open up, sweet cheeks!” He yelled, knocking a few more times before she answered. Usually dressed up, she only wore a cami and a pair of shorts.

“I told you to stop calling me that.” She sighed as she sipped on a mug of steaming coffee.

“Just seeing if you wanted to head out and get some breakfast.” Reese shook her head.

“Nah, I’m waiting for my roommate to arrive… don’t want to make a bad impression.” LaRouge smiled, knowing that Reese had been feeling lonely lately. She’d put in for a roomy a few days ago, and someone else in the town had taken up the offer. “But… I’ll do lunch if you’d like.” Reese added at the end. He smiled, nodding as he began to walk down the sidewalk and into the driveway.

“Alright, well I’ll catch ya later then. Let me know how much of a pain in the ass your roomy is. Remember, my place is still open!”

“You wish.” Reese smiled as she closed the door behind her. LaRouge whistled as he walked down the street, heading to one of the only restaurants in the community, a diner of all places. He stopped in the middle of the street momentarily, glancing over at Katharina’s house. It seemed dark and empty, all the drapes had been pulled. With a sigh, he looked away and continued to whistle- and screamed as the horn of a car caught his attention. He jumped out of the way as a small Prius swerved out of the way.

“Watch it, jackass!” A woman yelled as she pulled into Reese’s driveway.

“Oh, they’ll get along just fine.” He chuckled.





******************************





Reese Withers sipped on her coffee and walked across the hardwood floor, plopping herself down on the plush couch and kicking her feet up on the coffee table, anticipating the arrival of her roommate. All her life, she’d been one to like her privacy. Seclusion, she had taken comfort in that. Yet… after almost three months of living alone in this post apocalyptic world, she was craving someone else… human contact. She’d become great friends with Adrian, but he had always hit on her, or tried getting laid.

“Learn how to flirt, idiot.” She muttered, smiling at his last attempt. They’d been watching a movie the other night, and he’d walked into the other room stating he was going for drinks. He’d returned moments later. He had drinks alright, but he had also been nude. She’d gotten right up and left, shaking her head as she did so. He’d tried that twice before, and had received the same reaction from her.

“Gotta admit, he is one persistent dude.” She couldn’t even count how many times she turned him down or simply ignored the flirts. Yet, despite this he had actually been a good friend. But that was just it, he was her only friend. She interacted with people daily in her new line of work, one of the town’s nurses. But that really wasn’t what she was looking for. She wasn’t particularly close with the others. LaRouge was the only person she’d somewhat known during the first outbreaks, having been stationed with him. She still couldn’t believe they bought her whole act of being a medic. It saved her ass though, and that was all that mattered.

She’d been stationed with Rex as well, but he was just… different now. He didn’t speak as much, and just seemed overall quiet whenever the original group went out for drinks or simply got together. He rarely laughed, and had actually been babying Katharina ever since they’d arrived. He always brought her first dips of items from the warehouse, and could be seen on occasion visiting her. He probably liked her, but he had never so much as looked at her the wrong way. And Reese respected that.

Reese had originally thought Barnes had been an arrogant asshole when she’d first met him. But now… now he was changed, for the better. A different man, a kinder man.

The horn of a car outside caused her to jump, spilling a bit of the steaming coffee on her bare foot.

“Shit.” She hissed, quickly wiping it away and placing the mug down on the coffee table. Reese quickly made her way to the front door and looked outside. A woman with short black hair tied up in a ponytail slung a duffel bag over her shoulder as she slammed the car door shut. An assault rifle was strapped to her back, and a handgun was on her leg. A pair of black combats clung tightly to her curves, and a black tank top showed off numerous tattoos that lined her arms. A naval piercing could be seen on her pale belly button, visible from the cut off shirt. A nose ring and ear piercings fit perfectly well with the woman, and a pair of dog tags that bounced off her chest with each step she took only completed the look.

“Great, I’m stuck with G.I. Jane.” Reese put on a smile as she opened the door and held it, letting her new roommate pass through.

“Thanks.” The woman said as she dropped her bag on the floor. She held out a pale hand, a few of her fingers lined with rings. “Name’s Kim, you’re… Reese, is it?” Well, least she was polite.

“Yep, that’s me. Nice to meet you Kim.” She took her hand, shaking it with a smile. “Do you… want some coffee?” Kim unstrapped her assault rifle and rested it against the side of the couch.

“Heck yeah, girl. That’d be great!” Reese trotted off the kitchen with a smile. When she returned, they both sat down and began conversing with one another. Reese learned that Kim had been in the army before the outbreak, and had been visiting friends in California when the first reports of infection came in. She grew up all her life there, and had been a surf instructor before deciding to join the military. Things really kicked off then, Reese herself being an avid fan of surfing as well.

Yeah, this was definitely going to work out just fine.


*********************************



Dusk
J‘s Bar



Nick Barron rustled Jake’s hair as they sat at the bar and waited for their drinks. Nick had ordered a beer, and Jake a soda. Jake had wanted a beer as well, hell he begged him for one. Things were different now, and some of the old laws just didn’t apply now. Yet, Nick had refused to give in.

“Not til you’re twenty-one, kiddo.” He told him.

“Aw, come on dad.” Jake had begged. This always brought a smile to Nick’s face. Jake had been calling him “dad” for a good part of the last month now. He did not mind this at all, not one bit. He’d always wanted a kid, him and Carrie had always wanted one… Jake was the son he never had, and he was going to raise him right, apocalypse or not.

“Here ya go, fellas.” The bartender said with a grin. Good ol’ Jack, the owner before the outbreak. Jack had survived with his signature Mossberg shotgun with a pistol grip and wooden pump that hung proudly on display above the various bottles of alcohol. He’d lived on bar food and beer for a week until construction on the town began. Legend had it, he tied up a former buddy of his turned zombie and had a final drink with him before blowing his brains out. Badass.

“Thanks Jack.” Nick said with a grin. He lightly nudged Jake’s shoulder.

“Thank you!” Jake said with a grin.

“No prob.” Jack turned around and went to wait on the other patrons in the bar.

“Good boy.” Nick laughed as he nudged Jake’s shoulder again. Jake sipped on his soda before lightly punching Nick in the shoulder.

“You work tomorrow?” He asked. Nick shook his head.

“Nah, I went out this morning, it’s the other teams turn tomorrow.” Nick was a part of the Grimm Reapers, and the best shot on the team. Gus had taken a liking to him immediately for his ability to accurately fire a rifle from a helicopter. “We’ll head to the park tomorrow and toss around the pigskin for a bit if you’re up for it.”

“Yeah, that’d be fun. When can I join the Reapers?” He asked with a sparkle in his eyes. Gotta love the spirit the kid had. Jake worked as a delivery boy of sorts for the town.

“Not til you’re seventeen, I told you this. You still need more training with a gun. In fact, how about we go to the range tomorrow? We’ll fire off a few rounds.” Jake’s head hung low.

“Man, that’s still five months from now! Come on…” Nick shook his head as he ran his index finger around the rim of his glass, the beer still untouched. Jake wanted to do what he did so bad, but Nick knew he just wasn’t ready yet. He lacked much actual experience with the undead, and he didn’t want to risk him getting hurt… or infected.

“Seventeen Jake.” Nick said as he grasped the glass of cold beer. Jake shrugged as he looked around the bar.

“Well, I’m going to play a game of pool, fool!” Jake said, imitating his new hero Mr. T. Apparently, the kid had never seen an episode of the A-Team before the outbreak. Nick had found the box set while raiding a Best Buy, and had taken it with him. Grimm Reapers did have its benefits, they got first dibs at the loot.

“No gambling.” Nick reminded him, remembering how he had to talk some punk down that took Jake’s music player the other week.

‘Yeah, yeah…” Jake’s voice faded as he made his way through the bar and to the pool tables. Nick smiled as he took a sip of the cold beer. Ah, damn! That was good. It was his first beer in a month, hell his first cold beer. It was damn good too. His smile faded to a thin line as he thought of his fallen friend.

“This one’s for you, Tom.” He took another sip and let out a sigh, debating whether or not to have a smoke. He’d really cut back since they’d arrived, for his health. He was down to two a day, and he’d only had one today. Nick’s wedding band clanged as it connected with his glass, reminding him of Carrie. The beer was placed down on the bar as he gently twirled the wedding band on his finger.

“Missing someone?” Nick looked up as a woman took a seat beside him. He’d noticed her at the other end of the bar when they arrived, sitting alone. She was actually pretty, which made Nick wonder why she’d been alone. Long wavy brown hair came down past her neck, slightly draping over her blatantly noticeable chest. She was a black business skirt and a white blouse, a small name tag on it revealed she was a part of the medical staff. Her bright blue eyes lit up the room, sparkling in an essence. Nick smiled.

“Yeah, you could say that.” He noticed a wedding band on her hand as well.

“I know the feeling…” She trailed off. Nick looked over at her again, their eyes meeting. They both didn’t need to say what had happened, the thoughts of despair and sorrow were mutual. She knew Nick had lost his wife, and he knew she had lost her husband. The details weren’t said, because that would only bring up bad news that people liked to forget.

“Nick Barron.” He held out his hand, she took it with a smile.

“Danielle Altavilla.” Her hands were soft, like Carrie’s were. Nick pulled his hand back and took another sip of his beer when it happened. Somebody decided to play a song on the juke box, a very familiar song. The beat filled the bar as tears began forming in Nick’s eyes.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQzyhxIwdVY  (Play this until the end of the  epilogue)

“Oh I, I just died in your arms tonight…” Hot tears flowed down Nick’s faced as he sniffled and buried his face in his hands. This had been him and Carrie’s song, the very song played on their very first date when they kissed.

“It must have been something you said…”

“Hey, hey… are you alright?” Danielle asked as she rubbed his back lightly. Nick lost it, bawling his eyes out at the bar. He received a few glances, but they turned back to drinking or playing pool within a few moments.

“Yeah… it’s just… heh, this was our song. My wife, she…”

”I just died in your arms, tonight!”

“It’s ok.” Danielle said softly as she wiped a tear from his face. Nick looked up at her, and saw she was smiling slightly, tears in her own eyes. As if drawn to each other by some force, their hands slowly met together on the bar, their fingers interlocking with one another.





******************************





Katharina Ziesmann laid in bed, not caring that she hadn’t left the house all day. She’d just woken up, and the digital clock on her end table informed her that it was just past eight. Big deal. She wiped the tears from her eyes, she’d dreamt of Tom again, just like every other night since… since…

Fresh tears formed as she pulled the dog tags from her underneath the covers, draping over her nude form. She missed him, she really did. Katharina would give anything in the world to bring him back, anything.

“Hope you’re doing better than I am, hun.” She whispered as she wiped away tears and turned on the lamp. The bright light lit up a small portion of her room, mainly her end table and bed. The picture of her and Tom framed on the end table caused her too smile slightly, and Tom’s Taurus resting beside the framed photograph was proudly displayed. Her fingers traced against the barrel of the gun, the very gun that had killed her lover, her fiancé.

Her legs swung over the bed and into a pair of soft slippers Barnes had brought her. Her toes wiggled in them as her feet slid in comfortably. Of all the people here, Rex had really been the most help coping with the situation. At first, she had been afraid of the man when he appeared at her house during the first week. It had been past midnight, and storming out. He’d asked to come in, and she’d let him. If he wanted to hurt her, he would have by now.

Since then, they had become close, really close. As friends that was, he had never even tried anything on her… and she was thankful for that. On some nights, Barnes had told her stories of Tom, told her of the missions they went on together back at the air base. He told her how he had saved him in the clothing store, of how Rex had saved him in Cleveland. Some of the stories were better then others, and some were just outlandish. Katharina was sure Rex had made up some of them to make her feel better, but she never protested or said a word of it, instead just listening silently with a smile as he told her about Tom.

Katharina’s eyes drifted across the room to her business attire, causing a scowl to form on her face. Upon arriving, they’d all been put to work immediately, pulling their own around the small fortress. She’d been offered a job at Big Al’s, a sleazy strip club. Katharina had declined that immediately, and wasn’t met with any resistance, instead becoming an inventory secretary for the town’s sheriff.

Walking across the bedroom, she entered the bathroom, feeling the need to throw up again. She’d been sick all week, and-

“Oh shit!” She’d almost forgot! Katharina rushed over to the sink in the bathroom, not caring that she was about to vomit. She snatched up the pee test resting there, forgotten when she decided to sleep after work. It trembled in her hands as she turned it over. Tears formed in her eyes as a large smile began forming on her face.

Katharina was pregnant.





****************************





A lone figure stumbled through long-deserted streets. A moan escaped from his lips as he bumped into a smashed pickup, stopping momentarily before continuing his never ending trek to nowhere. Dirty boots scuffled across broken glass as the man stumbled forward, arms outstretched and moaning in hunger. A crow cawed as it circled the air above, looking down at a potential meal. After a moment, it flew off. It’s wings flapping in the wind, the only sound on the deserted street. The man moaned in agony as he stumbled after it, mindless and dumb. Private Tom Williams was no more, just another doomed soul in a biohazard nation.





THE END