The Two Who Were Alone

Epilogue

I didn't know if I should say it. I mean, I don't know what it's like to have a sibling since I'm an only child, but I couldn't imagine how Derick would react if I told him. Connie saw my distress and decided to muster up the courage. "Derick... I really hate to say this but... Aya passed away six months ago from a Cane." Derick sat still for a while, a blank expression on his face. "She was one of the sweetest and funniest girls we've ever met since the start of the apocalypse. Unfortunately, she got caught with one of the Canes when we were finally able to shut the whole thing down and--"

Derrick stands. "Stop... just stop." He runs his hand through his hair. "So all this time she..." Connie nods. He glances at me and I raise my head. "Derick, I'm so sorry. This was all my fault! I really tried to save her, but by the time I got to her she..." "What's y'all's name?" I look at Derick. His face still looks blank from any emotion. "I-indigo, and that's Connie." He nods slowly. "Can y'all stand for a second?" I hesitate, but I stand when Connie stands first. Derrick faces us and looks at us. I see him forming tears and before I know it... he slaps both of us on the cheek, hard. I try not to fall back from the hit while Connie looks visibly angry. "Dude, what the--"

Derick grabs us and pulls us in for a bear hug. He lets all his frustration out and starts sobbing. "Y-y'all better not be lying. You better tell me that she died peacefully with people she could trust!" He yelled. I couldn't contain myself and starting sobbing with Derick. Connie slipped a few tears as well. "I promise you with my whole being, Derick. She was loved and appreciated." He nods. Connie then looks at Derick with serious eyes. "She was till the very end." I nod furiously as Derick starts to laugh a bit. "I'm glad... I'm really glad."

--

Derick waves us goodbye as we drive off. Connie then exclaims in pain. "Well fuck me, that slap hurt!" He placed his hand on his cheek as he massaged it. I did the same without him knowing. Derick knew how to slap someone... I should get lessons from him. "You feeling a bit better, Indi?" I exhale through my nose and smile a bit. "I guess you could say that. It was almost like a bit of closure." Connie chuckles a bit. "That's good to hear." He pulls up to my place and parks the car. "So..." I look at my house, then back at him. "I guess I'll leave you here for tonight. Are you good with that?" I shrug. "If you want to be alone tonight, then that's fine with me..." I look at my house again, stretching my body. "Unless you want to watch a movie with me." I look back at him, his face close to mine. "I'm in."

Connie sets up blankets and pillows on the couch as I take the popcorn out of the microwave. I sit besides him as he throws the blanket over us. I start munching away as he picks out a movie. "Oh, oh! Let's watch Heathers!" Connie looks at me. "You just wanna watch that for Christian Slater, huh?" I cover my face a bit with the blanket. "Okay, you got me. What do you wanna watch?" "Easy, Scream." I grimince at him. "And YOU only wanna watch that for Courtney Cox, huh?" He shows a face of defeat. "Goddamnit, Indi! Then which one will it be?" Suddenly, the door knocks. I jumped up from the couch. "I'll get it!" Opening the door, Derick has a smile on his face.

"Hey pumpkin. Thanks for inviting me tonight." I smile at him and say that it isn't a problem at all. You might be wondering how I kept in contact with him. Well, after the house fire, we were sent to the hospital to have further check-ups on our bodies. After we were cleared, we were sent to military psychiatrists to help us cope with all that we went through. At first I didn't like the idea, but after a while, it did start to get easier. Around two months after the apocalypse, the troops gave us phones that we could use along with some cash to situate ourselves. Before we left the diner, I decided to get Derick's phone number. He was the closest thing I have of Aya, and I wanted to make sure that he would be okay after what we told him. After all, he is the only one left in his family that's alive.

"Derick? What are you doing here?" He steps into the house. Connie emerges from the couch and is hesitant to give Derick a hug. He notices and laughs. "It's alright Connie, I'm not gonna bite 'cha!" He sighs and they hug each other. We all sit on the couch and discuss further as to what movie to watch. "Well, if I had to suggest something, I think Scarface would be it." Connie and I beamed as we looked at each other. "We absolutely love that movie! I don't think seeing it again would be a problem." Connie nudges me. "She's a bigger fan than I am!" Derick laughs. "That's awesome! Let's get started!"

--

A few hours passed. Derick and Connie are both asleep on the couch while I browse through the T.V a bit more. I yawn, indicating that it's bedtime. I lift myself off the couch and take a look at the boys sleeping. For a slight moment, I imagine what it would be like if everyone Connie and I knew were here enjoying movie night with us. Both our mother's would cook some treats, Richard would be... well Richard. Adam would probably be goofing around with Connie, and Aya and I would laugh as everything became utter chaos. I take a sharp breath and look ahead of me. Climbing up the stairs and reaching my room, I lay my aching body on my bed.

In my head, I think about all that has happened. Shit, maybe I should write all this in a book, become a world famous author, travel the world, and who knows what else. Then again, that's kinda cliche. I mean, people who survived might already have the same idea as me. Also, how many people ended up surviving? I haven't really checked anywhere. The power is working properly again, so maybe I should look it up? Maybe my psychiatrist knows? She is working for the military, and apparently, the military knows everything and--

A soft knock interrupts my thoughts. "Oh, come in!" I see a tall figure entering the door. Judging from the crouched back, it has to be Connie. "Indi, it's Con." Yup, knew it. I prop myself up on my bed. "What's up? Have a bad dream or something?" He sits down next to me. "Actually, yeah. I was wondering if I could sleep with you." I smile, even though he couldn't see it. "That's fine, I would just hate to leave Derick downstairs by himself." Connie chuckles quietly. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He was brave enough to slap two strangers, so I think we shouldn't worry." I shrug my shoulders and agree. We then get comfortable in my bed.

"Hey Connie?" He hums. "You really are super cool. I know I may say mean shit, but just know I don't mean any of it." He hums again. "And what you did six months ago was super badass! Like, the way you handled yourself with the Hellborns, or actually Canes, was amazing! And--" I hear a soft snoring coming from him. I laugh quietly. "Alright, goodnight..." I place a kiss on his forehead and drift to sleep.

"Thank you, Indi. You're also super cool."

THE END