Apocalypse Life/Issue 5

And here's Issue 5. I'm happy I'm finally pouring in numerous issues in a short time. Please read and enjoy. Give feedback if you can.

Issue 5 - Homecoming
"I-it's been so long, and.... well, how are you--what are you--"

Julius was lost for words. How was he supposed to feel right now? Here he was, looking at the first girl he's shared a big part of his life to. The girl where he holds some of the sweetest memories he's had. And here she is, tired, her hair wet, her face bloodied and dirty, sweat dripping from her forehead. It looked like she was in no mood to talk as she was still catching her breath.

During Julius's awkward pause, Mahis and Graham looked at him. "C'mon, kid.... let's continue your happy reunion inside." Graham grabs Julius shoulder, as they all continue toward the inner library.

As they entered, Bowen was looking at them from a short distance. Mathis walks toward her to inform her of their new visitor. Graham walks off to do something else, probably important. All that was left was Julius and Alice, who was done catching her breath. "So... how'd you end up here?" Julius starts, hoping to clear the awkward air around him and his first girlfriend. Alice walks over to the closest table, looking at Julius as if asking him to follow her. Julius walks over to the table, and together they sit, Julius at the bottom right corner of the table and Alice on the right side of it.

"Been a while, Jules." Alice sets her weapon on the table, which was a metal rod with a curved end, similar to a crowbar without the hook part.

"Has it been.... two, three years?" replies Julius, finally hearing his nickname for the first time in this night.

"Three years."

"So... well... how did you end up here?"

Alice brushes the hair over her eyes, colored dark red, an untied medium length.

"I drove a police car from the other side of the town to here. The car lost gas as I was approaching this library. I stopped nearby the Smith building. Attracted a few of those ... walkers along the way since there was too many at that area. Been running ever since. I was hoping to make a quick stop at the library, but I was afraid that it was overrun. But all there was inside were you guys."

Julius recalls the Smith building, a small section of the college. He wonders if Alice attended the same school he attended, because he never sees her around.

"So why did we break up?" replied Julius. Alice, who was looking away at the time, looks at Julius with a blank face. Julius, realizing he had just changed the subject too soon, as well as bring up a serious subject in between them, quickly feels embarassed.

"I---I'm sorry... it's been a question that's always bugging me when I think about you."

Julius recalls that their break-up was short on parting words; all they did was break up, and not speak right after. They both cut contact off each other and have been living the rest of their lives ever since.

"I just ran away for a good hour from a crowd of cannibalistic killers and all you're concerned about is that?" Alice starts to look dissapointed at Julius. "Can't this wait until we've dealt with all of those things over there? I'd really love to have a good conversation with you about this but right now, I'm more in the mood for defending myself so that I can feel safer."

Alice silently stares at Julius as he was looking away, with nothing but the voices of Mathis and Bowen in the and the rummaging of Graham in the background.

"Speaking of which... I think the crowd's headed this way. We need to move." Alice stands up from her seat to finally talk to Mathis, who seemed like he was waiting to talk to Alice all this time.

Julius was stuck at the thought of what he just did. It's not his fault; this question's just been bugging him, and now that he was face to face with Alice, he couldn't wait to tell her. But why did it have to take all this time? Why did it take a pandemic to bring them together to discuss this? Why couldn't it have been a month ago, or three days ago when he still had a chance? Why did they have to fight so much about the goals they had in mind during their Junior year of high school?

So many questions left unanswered. The thought of these questions just made Julius want to talk to her sooner. But unfortunately, there are more pressing matters to worry about.