Epilogue

Epilogue

Arwen Swanter

Unknown, 2030

About 8 years after outbreak

Georgia

Epilogue

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We never made it to Texas. We never got to the car. I decided that Texas wasn't worth the risk, and if we've survived this long without it, maybe it's a sign we'd do okay without it. We lived in a cabin filled with old booze and magazine catalogs. Kingsley hadn't spoken in months, but I knew what had happened. Blake would have been here with her if he wasn't dead. I liked the peace of the cabin; it reminded me of the beach. The dead stayed away, and the people too. It was quiet. The isolation provided a sense of safety, shielding us from the chaos and danger that lurked beyond the cabin's walls. The serene atmosphere allowed me to find solace in my thoughts and reflect on the events that led us here.

I know I'm not dead, and Andie isn't either. I know the cabin is safe and has everything we need, but I'll never forgive myself for leaving that beach. We could have lived there forever.

I wish we could have had a happy ending here too, but now I see the missiles in the sky. It's only a matter of time until everything's gone. Our home, our family, our lives—I don't know whose missiles they are, and I don't think I want to know. I think about how many lives they will end, but for those who survive, maybe they'll finally have a chance to rebuild and create a better world, free from the conflicts that led to this destruction. It's a bittersweet thought.

I don't want the kids to die, but there's nothing I can do to stop it now; this world was never made for children. Maybe it was always meant to be this way. Maybe it's better this way. I've always been okay with the idea of death, even before the only thing that made me want to live left, and for the first time in his life, Maverick is too.

As the warhead gets closer to the earth, he pulls his son onto his lap as we sit together on the floor of our messy living room. Kingsley wraps a blanket around herself slowly as a single tear falls from her eye. In that moment, a sense of resignation washed over us, as if we had accepted our fate. The impending destruction feels like a twisted mercy, sparing us from the pain and suffering that have filled our lives.

"You'll be with him again," he whispers to me before giving Andie a final kiss on the top of his head. I knew exactly who he meant, and my heart ached, but despite it all, I was happy. It's over now. As we huddled together, the room fell silent, and for the first time in a long while, there was a glimmer of hope in our hearts. We had endured so much, but now we could finally embrace the peace that awaited us. I smiled. I never thought death could feel like this.

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End of Season/End of Novel