Decimation (Ianthony Apocalypse AU)

day fifty-eight

chompers seen: i'd say about a thousand

chompers killed: 7

near-death experiences: 7

human deaths witnessed: 5

friends left behind: 6

camps infiltrated: 2

dead friends and family: 3   

Isn't it strange how as soon as we start growing accustomed to a new lifestyle, life takes it away?

Not that I was complaining; having electricity and being in my home city was definitely a major bonus. But as I woke up in some stranger's bed next to Anthony, with the TV still on, I still expected to be out in a tent somewhere with no electricity or water. 

We'd heated up bagged rice for breakfast, and, I must say, microwaves were one thing I'd definitely missed. Now, we walked along, surrounded by more people out and about than usual. The electricity definitely sent a jolt (literally) through the city, and I think with it came an immense amount of hope. If electricity, of all things, could make a comeback, who was to say government couldn't? Transportation? Life?

My surroundings were so familiar now. I knew the house was so close, and we'd for sure make it by the end of the day. I'd lost count of how many days we'd been away, but a good few months. Home felt like a world away. Honestly, I was almost certain I'd never see it again. At least in the state I'd known.

Despite my happiness upon the world returning to normal, it still didn't overpower the weight of my dad's death. And my mom's disappearance. And where was everyone else, too? My friends? Aunts, uncles, cousins? Neighbors? I just wanted to see everyone I'd ever met and make sure they were okay.

Eventually, after walking for a few hours, we passed a man on a cell phone, and Aaron's curiosity sparked. 

"Excuse me, sir, do you have access to the Internet?" he asked, smiling at the man.

He nodded. "Yes. I've been trying to find information all day."

"If you don't mind me asking, what have you found so far?"

"Not much." The man shrugged, tucking his phone away. "It looks like we were the first city down and one of the first ones back up."

~

I stared at the house for a good two minutes before realizing we were really home.

It just all seemed like a dream. Going into the apocalypse, I was sure it'd be like, well, an apocalypse. The end of human life. I never expected the world to regain life. Even just a few weeks ago, if you would've told me I would be back home with electricity and running water, I would have laughed in your face.

"We made it," Anthony whispered, the smile on his face stretching to the moon.

I looked up at him, shaking my head. "This is really happening, right?"

He laughed. "I'm not even so sure anymore."

It was completely trashed inside. Those few chompers that had gotten in surely hadn't spared the place. Pictures were broken, chairs were flipped, and it smelled like a dump, but it was home. 

I felt a pair of arms wrap around me as I stood in the living room, and I turned around, burying my face into his chest. He smelled so clean, and I felt so secure in his arms, and for a moment, everything disappeared: the pain, the worry, the confusion. It was just Anthony and I in our home at last.