They Walk

Epilogue

I stare out into the horde of all the people waiting in line before us and I try not to be afraid. Gabe is standing beside me. He seems to think this part will be a breeze, I beg to differ, not that I’d admit that to him. It took a lot of convincing on my part to even get here as it is, I can’t blow it on doubt. Then he glances at me, a small confident smile playing across his beautiful lips. My body eases into relaxation.

He gives me courage. Or comfort. Take your pick, I like both.

The line moves up a body or two, bringing us closer to the heavily armed security at the border. Anticipation rushes through me. A bouncing starts at the soles of my feet and gets swept away by my entire body. I wouldn’t be surprised if I shot off like a rocket at this point, but a firm hand on my shoulder stills me. It’s my brother Dan, who’s standing right behind me. Clearly my eager bouncing is hindering his view. I stop and bite my lip instead.

It’s been almost a year since I woke up in that pitiful excuse of a hospital room. Even before I was “released” Gabe and I talked about leaving to go back home, wherever that might be now. Surprisingly, we weren’t the only ones. Obviously Dan wanted to go. He’s do just about anything to get back together with our parents. Being here now with me, proves that. Peeking over the hand still on my shoulder, I search out his for his eyes. Oddly enough he’s not watching the way too long line. No, he’s watching me. Surprising us both, I reach up my smaller hand and cover his still on my shoulder. I hang on to him. We both squeeze as if our lives depended on it.

In a way…they still kind of do.

Things are more different these days than anyone ever thought possible a year ago. Half of the once thriving United States is now either dead and obliterated or alive and trying to start over. Luckily we qualify in the latter. It took a long time for the survivors to gain some semblance of a life again, I know because I’m one of them. I wish I could say that all of the walking dead were destroyed in the bombs last year, but that would be a lie. Sure, most of them were flayed into ash and dust, but most of them are still walking about searching for something living to munch on.

That alone makes going back kind of tricky, not to mention uber difficult and dangerous.

On a plus though, our remade joint government is kind of kickass. They know all the dead can’t be destroyed in one swoop, heck they kind of know the dead might not be able to be destroyed at all. This is why they came up with this super system. It’s like a lottery and a death sentence at the same time. Anyone who wants to stay in the clear zones can and anyone who wants to leave also can, but it comes with a price. Once you choose, it’s final. No going back, no do-overs, no game changing.

Scary yes, but needed. It’s even recorded, so no tricky is allowed.

I even understand the reasoning. We, the people that survived, need to feel that we are still a free nation. So it makes sense for this first law, so to speak, to be passed and ordered. I even understand the reason behind the simple logistics of it. If someone were to leave and come back the virus could spread into the safe zone. It would be a disaster all over again. I don’t want that, they don’t want that, no one wants that. Surprisingly though, I’m not the only one hoping to find survivors among the ashes back home. Makes since for the long line huh? Oh yeah, people are just crazy and I’m one of them.

Besides Gabe and Dan, a few others are accompanying us on this semi-suicidal thrill ride. Okay, I should really just say two others are coming with us and its Maria and Michael. Personally I’m just shocked that they wanted to go with us, especially after all the close calls we had last year. But then again, maybe it should be such a surprise. I mean Maria loves Dan, she always has. It’s clear she would walk to the end of the earth for him. I know for a fact that he would’ve stayed for her if she asked, but she didn’t. That’s why she rocks basically. The same can be said for her brother Michael. Since he goes where she goes, he is coming too.

He can be jumpy at times, but when it counts he comes through in the end. This I know for a fact and only because he very nearly saved my life once upon a time. I still can’t believe that I thought Gabe was the one carrying me so long ago. I feel like I should know the difference between the arms of my boyfriend and those of a goofball. The mistake won’t be happening anytime soon. The arms of Gabe is something I’ve come intimately involved in and would recognize them if they were my own.

Speaking of which, there are two someone’s that have the same kind of closeness, Claire and Noah. Weird right? I thought so too when we ran into them a couple of months ago. It would seem that they have been pretty much involved with one another since they meant, even though they tried to deny it. The reason on her going with him instead of with me makes sense now in a way that it didn’t before. It also makes sense that they decided to stay in the safe zone, even if I wish they could come with us. I’d like to think that this won’t be the last time we see one another, but I know the truth, and it sucks.

However lame the rules might be, it definitely makes room for possibilities. Like maybe seeing my mom and dad again, if they are still alive. The last time I saw them, they were in the ground with my mom healing from a gunshot wound. The odd aren’t really in their favor, but I’m hopeful and so are the others. They keep me going. I really don’t know what I’d do without them, die probably. In fact I nearly did huh? Well, there is still time for that. The dead love to play with our waning strengths and weaknesses so I’m sure there will come a time when I’m in a pickle that won’t have a solution. I prefer not, but we’ll see.

It’s a good thing we’re allowed to take some precautions with us. Among the obvious choice of weapons we also get food, water, clothes and even some form of transportation. All of these are earned on a sliding scale though. So for someone who is an unemployed homeless orphan such, as me and mine, the options are severely limited. All we were allotted was a simple change of clothes and a single weapon each.

Together we were able to scrounge up some food and water to take, thankfully. And at the last minute we even came up with enough points to afford public transport as far as Vermont. Or I should say Noah did. Gabe won’t admit that we had some help with transportation, but how else could we afford it? I can accept help and there is no problem admitting that. Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter now, at least we have it.

The line we are in takes forever to bring us to the front of it. It’s positively sweltering in this late June heat. For once I’m grateful for it though. Walking back to Maine in the snow is not my idea of a good time. It might be an issue when we reach the state as it is. Who knows how long it’ll take to walk there and fight off any surviving dead? It’s a gamble for sure. Soon enough it’s our turn to go through the check point. This is a series of lists to be sure we have what we afforded ourselves and that we know for a fact that there is no coming back after crossing the border.

The wall that I once imagined has been built to a fault all around the north, south, west, and eastern points on the United States. Each checkpoint is set up in four different layers of locked cages within the wall. This makes for a long struggle of passage, but it keeps the clear zone safe from contamination. By the time we make it to the last step, I’m close to passing out from equal amounts of excitement and terror. And so is everyone else.

Standing at the last thing separating us from safety and the possible walking dead, I know we’re going to need all the luck we can get. I grip the ax in my right hand, and shifting the pack of clothes over my shoulder, I try to be brave. Beside me, Maria has a bow in her arms, with a pack of arrows over her shoulders. We both have pretty awesome leg sheaths with knives in them (secretly of course – only one weapon per person and all that). Michael has a new handgun in his belt, his hands twitch with the need to take it out. This took a lot of reminders for him to keep the safety on. He’s also holding a pack of food for us over his shoulder.

Next to me Gabe has the freshly loaded rifle over his shoulder. In his other hand he’s holding two gallons of water. Beside him is Dan, who has another handgun. He too has a gallon of fuel in his other hand. We are all just staring out the gate at what waits us when we step through, and wondering how the hell we’re going to get the many busses that are sitting out there in time.

Dan steps toward the armed guards at the gate then, and reaches for the handle before anyone else. He stops just shy of having it completely open. He pauses and glances over his shoulder at us.

“You guys ready for this?” He asks.

My mouth goes dry, but I swallow and try to be calm.

Maria gives my hand a squeeze, and I let her anchor me. I glance away from the door and find Gabe watching me. He offers me a small smile. Not taking my eyes off his, I take a deep breath. I can see Michael’s hand tightening on his handgun on the other side of Maria and I know we’re as ready as we’re ever going to be.

Dan pushes past the open gate then, and the summer heat washes over us.

The dead in the distance turn at the sound and begin to make their way over to us.

“Here we go.” I say, as I raise the ax in my arms and follow outside.

***

My name is Maggie Cooper. I used to be your average seventeen year old girl with a whole bright future ahead of me. When I was little, I loved running in the rain. There was something almost freeing about it. The exhilaration of your blood pumping, the quick shallow breaths, and the way the wind brushes past your body. Want to know my most favorite part?

That unstoppable feeling from pushing myself to the breaking point gets me every time.

Now though? Well…it’s complicated.

Get back to me later maybe?

The End