Chapter 2 (Shared Vulnerability)
Chapter 2: Shared Vulnerability
Aiden Palton
Estimated, January, 2024
About 20 months after outbreak
California
Season 3
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We met up with Leah, Dallen, and Airianna a few weeks ago. Rudi was ecstatic to see Airi again, but I know it bothered him that Juna was still missing. Marcus has been acting weird ever since we met him. I can't exactly explain why, but he just doesn't seem to have the best of intentions. He had supplies that we needed, and because of that, I haven't made him leave yet. However, I can't shake the feeling that there's something off about him. It's like he's hiding something, and it's making me uneasy. Despite this, we're still relying on him for now until we find another source of supplies.
We were still waiting for the others. Khai, Ethan, Steve, Juna, and Edin were still nowhere to be seen. Dallen thought that it might be a good idea to give them a few clues as to where we are, so that's what we did. We ripped off small pieces of fabric from our clothes, left behind some useless objects that they were sure to recognize, and even wrote in big red letters with paint on a billboard: "Coast''.
I had a weird feeling now that Ethan wasn't here. I felt like it was my job to keep these people together and keep us safe. I was nowhere near qualified for such a position, but I guess Ethan really wasn't either.
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Rudolph Alinsky
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I loved being back with Airianna; it gave me a sense of control. I was losing a lot of sleep thinking about what could have happened to Juna. I made a promise to Olivia, and I really wanted to keep that promise. After what happened to Aaron, it made me realize how important it was to protect those I cared about. Airianna and Juna matter more to me than anything.
We seemed a little scrambled without Ethan. Aiden's trying, kind of unknowingly, to take up being the leader, but so has Leah. She saw Ethan's departure as an opportunity to change who we are. I don't think there's that much wrong with us. We're broken, but I think we're better than most people out here.
I think Leah was trying to do the right thing. I want to say I was on her side in this, but I was kind of sick of all of the bullshit. Everyone yelled at each other while trying to figure out a plan. The sound drew more of the dead, so then we had that to deal with too. When we weren't fighting, the silence was the worst part. It reminded me that we really had no idea what we were doing.
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Leah Souixer
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I appreciated Aiden trying to grow a pair and take charge when that's what we needed most, but we needed to start being realistic now. We needed to start thinking about what we were going to do if the others never showed up. We've been searching around for weeks; there are no boats anywhere. The island idea was out of the question. We were either going to have to build something here or keep searching out there. I feel like we would have better luck building our own community than trying to join an existing one.
I really didn't want to leave Khai behind. I cared about her; she was there with us in the cafeteria. She had gotten Amy to safety even before we met Ethan. I don't like how she typically takes Ethan's side when it comes to important shit but I could never bring myself to hate her. I know she just wants what's best for us all.
I know Rudi would be completely devastated if we went anywhere new without Juna. I couldn't take her away from him either, not after everything he's already lost. He was her daughter, and I know what it's like to lose someone who means that much to you. It's not a fun feeling.
I made the painful decision that if the others weren't here in a month and there were no signs that they were close, we'd either start building or continue our search. No one agreed with me, but I firmly believed that we couldn't keep waiting like this forever.