Chapter 5 (You Need a Break)

Chapter 5: You Need a Break

Arwen Swanter

May 2023

About 12 months after outbreak

Florida

Season 2

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"Arwen, what is this?" Abby slowly handed me something she had found on the ground. I took it from her; it was almost too hard to make out because her fingers left bloodstains from the dead. Aspen peeked over my shoulder, but I think the blood made him back off. I examined the paper closely, trying to ignore the chilling reminder of the horrors we had witnessed. It was a tattered photograph, faded and worn with time. The image depicted a group of smiling faces, a stark contrast to the bleak reality we were living in. On the back, there was a message, almost like an advertisement.

Safety

Family

A Home

Meet us on the East Coast of Florida

Be a part of our family

Atlantis

"We can't trust it; you know that." Maverick stated, snatching the paper from out of my hands.

"We don't have many other options. We're as close to dying as we could possibly be; we haven't eaten in days, and our clothes are soaked from yesterday's rain. We need something like this. This place is exactly what we have been looking for."

"It could have been made months ago; we don't know if the place is still standing."

"What else are we doing, Skylar? Crying ourselves to sleep? Forcing ourselves to walk even though we're in miserable pain. This, if it's real, is the best we're going to get." Skylar hesitated for a moment, her eyes scanning the worn-out paper. "I'm not dying for you, though, Arwen. First sign of danger, and I'm done."

"We need a break."

"We do, Val. This could be our break."

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We knew Atlantis could be something we would regret getting our hopes up for, but we couldn't just miss the chance of finally having a real home. I could see the others; I wasn't blind. I noticed what they were going through and what it was doing to them, especially Valentine. To be honest, it was doing a lot to me as well, but I had to hide it for the others.

Valentine was the worst of all of us. Aspen wasn't even nearly as bad as him when they lost Nic. It was like Valentine wasn't even here. It was someone else, someone lifeless. He was so tired; I knew he hadn't slept, and I hadn't slept much either. I knew, for some reason, that I was mildly responsible for all of us, but I felt this overwhelming desire to be there for Valentine more. I knew he could never forgive himself. I knew he could probably never move on. That kind of shit doesn't go away from you, but it makes him human. At least he can still feel the pain.

I didn't let the others decide. I took initiative, and we were going to go to Atlantis. We were going to find a home. For me, for my friends, and for Valentine. He needed to rest.