Decimation (Ianthony Apocalypse AU)

day fifty-five

chompers seen: i'd say about a thousand

chompers killed: 6

near-death experiences: 7

human deaths witnessed: 5

friends left behind: 6

camps infiltrated: 2

dead friends: 2

Jonah was dead silent the whole morning. He'd always been a pretty reserved guy, but especially lately. I knew it was because of Michaela, his fiancee. Whether she was alive or not - or if she was, if he'd ever see her again. 

We walked along in a group, passing people frequently. Nearly everyone stopped to smile at us, or make small talk, or ask where we were headed. It was so strange. I still couldn't wrap my head around it. 

We'd stopped at the grocery store after leaving the YMCA. It was close to being empty, and was insanely rationed. "Guards" lurked around every corner, making sure you took just enough to keep you alive a few days. I'd asked one of them how they were able to operate, and he said it was based solely on donations. If you found an abandoned house with a lot of food, take it here and contribute to the greater good. There was still no sort of money/currency system revoked - the guard said they were waiting until jobs reappeared - they just asked politely that if you took something, you'd try your absolute hardest to replace it when possible.

I walked next to Jonah. Everyone else was a little farther behind; Anthony and I had come to some sort of silent agreement that we needed to stop spending so much time together. As hard as it was, we had eternity to spend together after the end of this shit. As for everyone else, however, we had no idea if we'd ever even see them again. We needed time to build relationships.

"You doing okay?" I asked softly, glancing at him. He stared at the ground as he walked, constantly fidgeting.

"Yeah, just... yeah." He took a deep breath.

"Hey, look, man. I just wanna say... whatever happens, if you need a place to stay, you're always welcome at our place. Seriously."

He smiled, just a little. "Thanks, Ian. Oh, and, by the way," He chuckled a little, "I've been meaning to tell you for a long time: I'm sorry for acting like a dick the first night. Like, in the truck, when we got off on the wrong foot. I was just so freaked out, and scared, and I guess I thought being someone I wasn't would help take my mind off things." He paused, and I was about to speak when he lowered his voice. "And for leaving you behind when we went down the river. God, I can't believe I didn't help more. I should've done something to get you out. I was just-"

"Are you serious?" I shook my head. "There was nothing you could've done, man. I was stuck. I still have no idea how the hell I made it out of there, but I was begging for you to go. Don't even try to apologize."

He smiled a little, clapping me on the back. "You're not half bad, for a gay guy who makes videos for a living."

I laughed, shaking my head. "I'll take it."

He stopped suddenly, biting his lip.

"That's it," he said, pointing to a house down the street. "That blue one. It's her parents'."

I looked at him, smiling sympathetically. "Ready?"

"Not at all."

I shrugged, glancing behind to see the rest of the group just a few feet behind. "Come on. I have a good feeling."

We walked down the street, his breathing staggered and his palms visibly shaking. We stopped in front of it.

"You want us to come with you, or do you want to go alone?"