Decimation (Ianthony Apocalypse AU)

day fifty-two

chompers seen: maybe around like seven hundred and seventy-five

chompers killed: 6

near-death experiences: 7

human deaths witnessed: 5

friends left behind: 6

camps infiltrated: 2

dead friends: 2

"It's over, Ian. Itt's all over."

I kiss him, hard, tears streaming down my cheeks. I've never ever felt that happy in my life.

"We made it through. Together." He pulls me against him, and I cuddle up to his chest, my smile bigger than it's ever been.

We're alone in the house. Our house. And the apocalypse is over.

"I love you," he says, pulling me away so I can look into his eyes.

And it's the first time he says it, and I can't help but sob out of happiness. "I love you too, Anthony."

I jolted awake, audibly swearing after remembering my surroundings.

It was a dream. Just a dream. He was gone, and that was that.

How had I fallen asleep? Just hours ago, I was sure I'd never sleep again. I was too scared. But, somehow, I'd managed to get a few hours in. And I was still alive.

But the dream made me wish I would've just suffered through the sleep deprivation. Because I cried for a good twenty minutes after I woke up from it. Because I truly couldn't do this without him. It'd only been eight hours, and I already felt myself deteriorating from loneliness, pain, and instability.

The sun was bright overhead, and I knew I had to get up. I wanted to get back to the field where the camp had been. If nothing else, maybe some supplies got left behind. Something to help me.

As I stood up, throwing the backpack I'd used as a pillow around my shoulders and gripping my knife, I tried to plan out what the hell my next move was. I'd walk the perimeter of the camp a few times, maybe spend one more night, and then move on, I guess. As much as I wanted to give up, I knew I couldn't yet. That wasn't who I was. I didn't come all this way just for someone else to end up with my dream man and for me to die alone in the woods. My fight wasn't over yet.

The woods seemed fairly empty, however. As I trekked through the brush, toward the clearing, I kept checking over my back and to the sides, but there wasn't a single chomper in sight. It was like they came to the area, cleared it out, then-

My thoughts stopped as the clearing came into view. I instantly dove behind a tree, praying I hadn't been spotted, then poked my head back around.

That was why there were no chompers in the woods.

They were all in the camp.

Hundreds of them. All milling about, circling around the field like race cars around a track. Slow, awkward, monstrous race cars.

I swore to myself, slowly backing up and toward where I'd came from. As soon as I was sure I was out of earshot, I ran, my feet gliding over roots and branches.

Retreating back to the stream, I couldn't help but think that was some sort of sign from the universe. Telling me to get out; that everyone had left me and I was just wasting time. But it was damn near impossible. I had this feeling that as soon as I left, Anthony would come to my exact current location, and I'd be minutes away from being reunited with him.