Chapter 5 (Settle into the Suburbs)
Chapter 5: Settle into the Suburbs
Ethan Warren
Estimated, April 2024
About 23 months after outbreak
California
Season 3
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We decided to get out of the city last month. Staying there wasn't worth the risk. All it would take is one wrong move, and we'd be having another funeral.
It feels like we're living in a constant loop now. We scavenged around for a few canned food items and some bottles of beer, bathed in dirty lakes (and drank the water from there too), and went to sleep in shitty living environments. We all knew we were procrastinating, but we knew that if we started building now, there'd be a new community just two miles away.
Sometimes I'm reminded of what we've done. We practically walked all the way from Minnesota to California. We've managed to stay alive longer than we should have. And we haven't killed each other yet. But still, what we've accomplished doesn't balance out what we've lost.
I hate when I think about my old family because I know they're all dead. I had new responsibilities now; I was still the backbone, still the "big brother", and still the one to make the right decisions, but it was different now. It didn't feel forced; it was finally starting to feel normal.
I didn't hate the role I played anymore; I finally felt the reality of it. They didn't need me for everything; they chose to need me for everything. They trusted me not because of what I'd done but because of what I was going to do. I was going to find somewhere for us, no matter what it took. I would happily die if it meant they could be safe, away from the hordes.
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Khai Reaver
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We had drinks last night. Aiden and I had a bad obsession with doing that. Ever since we lost Loveland. We tried to keep it under wraps because we didn't see it as a problem. I was in my room in one of the small houses we stayed in for the night when I noticed it. Aiden had found the beverages, and because of that, what happened would haunt him for the rest of his life. At first, I had no idea what was happening; I thought it was just because it was early in the morning. But it wouldn't go away, no matter how hard I tried. I was freaking out; my vision was becoming blurry.
I already wore prescription glasses, but they weren't that high. I knew it didn't have to do with regular eyesight, though. I had a very bad feeling that I knew what this was.
Ethan? I asked. He wasn't in the room with me when I started to notice the symptoms, but I was terrified; I didn't know who to ask for help from. "Ethan!"
"Khai? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" I heard Rudi ask. He rushed to my side. I couldn't see his face clearly, but I knew he was petrified. He breathed heavily; I think he would have had a panic attack if I hadn't said something quick enough.
"Rudolph, I can't see."
"What the hell do you mean? What happened?" I don't think that helped relieve the anxiety.
"Aiden and I drank moonshine last night; there must have been methanol," I said. I think I even began to cry. How was I supposed to be of any help to us if I couldn't even see?
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Aiden Palton
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Rudi told me what happened to Khai. I was lucky enough not to have experienced the same side effects. I didn't experience any at all.
I don't really remember that night; I just know it was stupid of us, and we never did anything like that ever again. It wasn't that I didn't want what happened to her to happen to me; it was that I could never shake the feeling that the whole thing was my fault.
We're all worried out of our minds about Khai. She's completely lost now. She told me she felt like a liability, and I admit I agreed with her. We can't have anything slowing us down; Khai would just get in the way.
I wanted to have hope for us; I really did, but it always seemed like the universe would rather work against us, and there was nothing we could do about that. I wanted to help Ethan be a leader, and I wanted to feel like I belonged here. I've done nothing to earn my place. I'm as much of a liability as Khai.