Epilogue

Epilogue 3.17

---Em---

     The woods are dead quiet save for the crunching of teeth as they grind down bone bark. I approach with caution, stalking through the bone trees, which in these parts of the woods have been growing little patches of what I first assumed was moss but later realized was flesh.

     I lean against the trunk of a tree and peek around it. The sunlight glints off of a patch of golden-brown fur. A hairy boulder with a larger jaw than the ones I've seen up until now takes a bite out of one of the trees. The sound it makes as it crunches on the brittle bone is like teeth scraping against a chalkboard.

     And as I watch the boulder enjoying a calcium-rich meal, I get it in my head that this is the perfect opportunity for a bit of revenge. I mean, this isn't the same boulder that tried to bite my hand off, but a rock is a rock, right? I reach for one of the low hanging branches and tug on it a little to see if there's any give. The bone is just as brittle as I imagined it to be—with a couple of swift movements, I'm able to snap it right off.

     "There's a joke in there somewhere about tugging bones."

     I spin around, armed with the chalky branch. And there's Gail, alive and in one piece. For a moment, I forget all about my desire for petty vengeance. Before I know what I'm doing, I've pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tight to make sure she's real. When I'm convinced on the matter, I back away, because, you know, awkward...

     "Is everyone else...?" we both blurt out at the exact same time.

     Gail glances back over her shoulder. "I'm with Topher, Liluye, Ace, Martha, Jewel, and Eloise. You?"

     "Everyone else, minus Edgar, Rex, and Comma." And Jun, but I feel it's best not to bring that one up.

     Gail stumbles over her words. "They're..."

     "Edgar's dead," I say. "But Comma isn't. She's just..." I sigh and shake my head. "We think she and Rex might've ripped through." The thought that I might never see her again hits me hard, and I have to lean against the tree for support.

     "Maybe they're off fighting zombies like we were," says Gail, taking my hand.

     I raise an eyebrow. "You do realize what you're implying, right?"

     "Thanks for puttin' that image in my head."

     For a moment, we just stare off into the distance, the forest silent around us save for the boulder's obnoxious crunching. Sometimes it helps to just let it all go. Get lost in the moment. But sooner or later, you've got to come back down to reality. And reality isn't a very nice place to be right about now.

     "She'll find her way back," says Gail, squeezing my hand.

     A gentle breeze blows past, carrying with it the scent of the sea. "How do you know?"

     She turns her head to look at me. "We did."

     I can't help but smile at that. "Speaking of finding our way back, I've got good news."

     "Great. I'm going to be letting go of your hand now, if ya don't mind."

     "Oh, right." I blush a little. "Anyway, I think I've found us our ticket out of here." I tell her about my dream—about the pancakes and sea salt. And of course, being Gail, she finds all of this perfectly natural. We agree to rendezvous on the beach, and a few hours later, the whole gang—or at least what's left of it—is back together again. Splitting up never worked out well for us.