RudyGasparrini

People fear death for many reasons. For some, the fear of what comes after. The fear of being forgotten. A threat to the meaningfulness of life. Being forced to stop life projects.
This was what the world feared before. Now, what we fear is what we become 
After Death.

A suspenseful story told by different characters over the years of the zombie apocalypse. The group consists of high school kids and deals with troubling events in which not everyone survives. 

TW: This story contains graphic descriptive content, strong language, and disturbing descriptive images and is intended only for mature audiences.

AFtER DEAtH

Chapter 18: Talk Like God is Listening

"What do you want, Lucas?" I asked, slowly standing up from the bed.

"Don't move any further," he threatened, pointing the gun at my skull. "I don't want to have to kill you, but I will if it comes to that. Now, put the knife down." I gave him a blank expression. I knew he wouldn't kill me; he didn't have the guts. Besides, he knows he's outnumbered. "Now!" I set the knife on the bedside table, but I kept my hand close by. I could feel the tension in the room as Lucas continued to hold me at gunpoint. It was clear that he was desperate and willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. However, I wasn't about to let him have the upper hand so easily.

"This place belongs to me now; you and your friends have got to leave, and you're going to take Olivia with you. That bitch only gets in the way. And if you don't, I'll kill every last one of you." We kind of just stood there for a few seconds. I needed to take time to process his words very carefully, and when I finally did, I began to laugh. My laughter echoed through the room, causing him to scowl in confusion.

"What's so funny?" He asked, and his voice was filled with so much anger that I knew he was really starting to regret every one of his words.

"Do you really think you can kill us all? Even if you kill me, there are eight more. And tell me, Luke, how loyal is Camila? Olivia? They both don't necessarily look at you with much respect. What happens when they rally against you? You've got nothing; you're lost. You don't deserve a roof over your head." I picked my knife up off the table, and without another word, I walked right past him. I didn't feel like listening to any more of his bullshit.

I made myself comfortable in the living room as I waited for Lucas to leave. I knew he wouldn't stay long, but I didn't have the energy to push him out.

He left a little later than I would have liked. I couldn't sleep now, but I was content knowing everyone else could. I sat in the darkness, my mind consumed with thoughts of how I ended up in this situation. The weight of his words still lingered, but I refused to let them define me.

I knew we didn't have much here, but we had enough. We had what a lot of other people dreamed of having. Food, water, sanctuary, and, most importantly, we had people who were willing to risk their lives for each other. There will be worse people out there than Lucas; I knew that, and I'll never pretend that I don't. We wouldn't be able to stay here forever. Sooner or later, we'd run out of food, the winters would get too cold, and bad people would come. The monsters would come.

Chapter 18 (Talk Like God is Listening)