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

I followed Thomas outside the walls; he knew I did, and he never turned around to stop me. We walked up a small hill not too far from the circus. Inside a graveyard, he led me to a small headstone; it was the grave of Philip King. Thomas stood silently by the grave, his gaze fixed on the headstone. The wind whispered through the trees, adding an eerie atmosphere to the solemn moment.

"My son," he explained. I didn't say anything; I just stared at the grave and the old, torn ribbons that hung from the trees nearby.

"He died before any of this even started. He was such a good kid, and a part of me is glad he was taken so young. He was too sweet to exist in this world."

"He sounds great," I said, smiling at Thomas.

"He was." He smiled too, but he didn't face me. I saw a small tear trickle down his face, and for the first time in a while, I felt devastated yet again. I reached out and gently touched Thomas's arm, offering him a silent gesture of comfort. In that moment, I realized the depth of his pain and understood that the loss of his loved one still haunted him deeply.

I know I probably should have been investigating Aiden's case more than I was, mainly considering what I knew from what I overheard Thomas and Piper talking about. Unfortunately, I was not very worried about what was happening. If Thomas wanted a fight, that was something he would deal with, and we'd only get involved if we had to. Little did I know that Aiden's case would soon intertwine with our lives in ways I never anticipated.

A part of me wanted to leave, but I knew that would be the worst decision I could possibly ever make. Everyone would hate me for it, and if more of us died out there, I'd be blamed because it would be my fault.

I knew I was being dramatic; we had something good here. It really isn't that bad; we have homes, food, and protection; what more could we need?

I had been so set on finding the perfect place for us after Loveland that I became unrealistic. This place is great; it's not perfect, but it's something.

We could've built a place for ourselves. We had the supplies, we had what we needed, and we had help. A place for our own, our own way of getting shit done. It would be good for us, but the what-ifs made it practically impossible.

I wanted us to be able to be happy here, to be able to work with others, and to help people like us who showed up on The Circus' doorstep. We all needed a break, and this was a break for us if we could find some sort of system.

I wanted a break from being the leader, and I wanted Thomas to take over for me. This was his home; most of the people here were his, and he was one of the most reasonable people I've met in my entire life. The only problem was that he too turned to me for advice on what we should do to handle problems in this town. That was supposed to be his job, but it turned into mine.

I think he was in the same mindset as me. He needed a break too from keeping everyone alive, and he saw me as an opportunity, but I wasn't one. I was going to end up being simply a disappointment.

I wanted to be too much. I wanted to be someone to my people; I wanted to be someone to The Circus; but I also wanted to get away from it all. If there was a war coming or something along those lines, I didn't want to be a part of it, but I knew if I wasn't, it would get everyone I love killed.

Chapter 12 (Grave)