Before It Fades (The Eva Series #3)

Interview with Eva.

Hey Wattpadders!

Firstly, I want to give each and every one of you a big bear hug. Thank you so much for all your kind words about the final chapter! I'm so over-the-moon happy to know you loved the ending. I worked really hard on it and hoped everyone would be happy with it, and I'm so glad you are!

As promised, here is the interview with Eva, answering many of the questions you asked at the end of Chapter Fifteen. I've tagged the readers who asked the questions. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into Eva's life after the outbreak :)

@Toollian: Eva, do you think you would ever speak to the public about your journey? Or at least about the ones who died as heroes trying to save you? Like Joel?

Yes, I’ve been talking to the media a lot since arriving in the UK. In every interview, I make it clear that my friends and I wouldn’t be here today without the help of incredible people who didn’t make it.

Everyone in the whole world knows who Joel is, but not entirely for the right reason. A photograph that was taken of me reaching out to Joel when he was being killed on the ship has gone viral and was plastered on the front pages of newspapers and magazines all over the world. But, Joel has also been honored for his courage, receiving multiple medals that have since been given to his family.

@Ilikejellybeans104: How would u have coped if your parents were still alive? Would u go and try to rescue them? What would u do if your parents ended up like ben's parents?

My experience in the outbreak would have been very different had my parents still been alive. I would have gone to save them instead of going to Cairns. If they had met the same fate as Ben’s parents, I don’t know if I would have wanted to go on. I imagine my friends would have to drag me through the apocalypse if that had have happened.

@ItllBeRainingUrBlood: How can you withstand so much cuts and bruises?

It’s funny, but at the time, I didn’t really feel it. I think my body and mind was in constant shock throughout the whole journey, making me numb to the pain.

@ClaraCarrasco9 If you had time to prepare, what would you have done to protect you and others?

I would have fled the country somehow. I would have taken a boat and sailed far, far away.

@lil-angle: If Priya is still alive and sends you some kind of message to save her, what would you do?

I’ve wondered this myself. I think I would go back. I’ve felt a lot of guilt about leaving her behind, and I feel like I would owe it to her to go back for her. But, I wouldn’t go alone. I would take an army with me.

@ChristopherHaught: Do you have hope for her country ever recovering?

I always have hope. But from what I’ve been told, Australia will be off-limits for at least five to ten years, while the zombies die off. Unfortunately, with the many valuable resources of Australia cut-off, such as oil, the rest of the world faces new challenges.

@ZombieSlayerGirl: Are you heart broken to see your home like this, in a zombie wasteland?

I’m absolutely shattered. I didn’t know how lucky I was to live in such a beautiful country until it was taken away from me.

@Alanahb246 How have you kept your sanity?

I’m not sure I have kept my sanity. Since arriving in London, it’s become painfully clear to me that I have some intense anxiety issues, and post-traumatic stress. Mentally and emotionally, I’m barely coping. But I have a good support network around me and I’m getting help. I think the hardest part is that everyone in the world knows me as the girl who survived. The girl from that confronting photograph of Joel, trying to save him and failing. Some see me as the girl who left Joel behind, who left him to die. Sometimes, that’s how I see myself, too. It’s hard.

@ThornArrow: Would you kill the terrorist organization that did this?

No. After everything I’ve seen, it’s clear to me that more violence is not the answer. And I’m so glad to see the rest of the world feels the same way. This horrible outbreak has at least shocked people into the realization that fighting each other is pointless.

@Dexterilee: After seeing so many zombies eat human meat, do you want to be a vegan?

I’m not entirely vegan, I still eat eggs and cheese, but I am vegetarian. After what I saw, I could never eat meat again.

@Randompuzzle: Is your life more exciting than it was before? Would you be able to adjust to normal life again?

I wouldn’t say my life is more exciting than before, but it’s safer, and that’s still all I care about. I hoped I would be able to adjust to normal life, but it’s proving harder than I thought.

@Chazt21: If you could take back one thing that you did in the Australian apocalypse, what would it be?

I would go back and save everyone that I couldn’t.

@AbbieWriter: If Jo, Wyatt or Ben were infected and you could only choose one, who would it be and why?

Oh God, that’s so hard to answer. I love Wyatt, of course I do, but I would save Jo. I know he would understand this, too, because he knows Jo and I are like sisters. She has been there through everything, we grew up together, she held me together when my parents died, and we made it out of Australia together. She’s my sister.

@Jasmin_J_V: If there is one thing that you could have that you could not get during the apocalypse, what would it be?

Safety. Whether that came in the form of a boat to escape the country, or a fortress to survive the outbreak, I’d take it. Safety was all I ever wanted.

@Pastelbae: When was the last time you had milk?

What an odd question! I’m not much of a milk drinker, so I don’t know.

@NishkaNayak: Don't you think it was a bad idea to bring those zombies on medic ships?

Worst. Idea. Ever. But, I understand that they thought they were doing the right thing. They thought they were in control, but now they know that when it comes to that virus, no-one is in control.

@1Thing2do3words4UIly: If you saw Wyatt, Ben, and Jo as a zombie would you able to kill your own best friend and boyfriend?

I honestly don’t know. If they were an immediate threat to myself or someone else, then I would have to. But it would break my heart.

@Stripy_Zebra: If you ever had the chance, would you go back to Australia to live again?

I’ve thought about this, and I still don’t know. If I was guaranteed that it was safe, then maybe I would. I think I will go back there one day, but I don’t know if I could live there again, not with all the terrible memories.

@ADreamerCalledRosie: What one thing has kept you going the most during this disaster?

Hope. And my friends.

@Liagiba002: If you could change anything that has happened, what would it be? (Other than the apocalypse itself).

I would save all the people that I lost along the way. I would make Priya leave the field hospital with me.

@Zombie_Beheader: If Wyatt and Jo died, would you relive your experiences if it meant that they would live again?

Yes.

@Nithkumar2002: Why did you choose to become a volunteer on the boat and why risk your life to save others?

After leaving so many people behind, I wanted to save someone, anyone. I wanted to know that even though I couldn’t save everyone, I did save some, I did make a difference.

@Gormazeme: Do you think that the Commander will let you go back to Dr. Desai and save them?

At the moment, no-one is allowed back to Australia until it’s been cleared. We just have to hope that anyone still alive there will be strong enough to get through the next five to ten years, until we can go back for them.

@Electrixflower: If you could have saved one person you've met over the course of this journey, who would you pick?

It’s so hard to pick just one. At first, I thought of Priya, but then I thought of Wyatt’s parents, or Ben’s parents. Ben hasn’t been coping very well. He is still holding on to a lot of anger and rage from it all, and he’s struggling even more than I am. Maybe, if his parents were still alive, he would be healing, but at the moment I’m not sure he wants to heal. I think he wants revenge.

@Khaylob14: How have you stayed so brave and strong through all of this?

Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t know if I was strong, or just stubborn. I definitely didn’t feel brave, I was terrified every day. But I knew I had to keep going, or die.

@Limeridge: How do you see yours and Wyatt’s future?

We’re just taking it day by day. We’re not making any plans for the future yet, as we’re still recovering from our ordeal. But we see each other every day, we are supporting each other through our recovery and helping each other through the media frenzy, and we comfort each other in our weakest moments. Right now, we just love being together and cherish every moment we get to just be a normal couple.

@lovely_me_18: Do you see yourself having a wedding in the near years? Do you think it will always be this way, could you ever forget this past three weeks or so?

I don’t have any desire to get married anytime soon. That doesn’t mean I don’t love Wyatt or don’t see a future with him, I do. But right now, we’re still trying to be a normal couple, without zombies chasing us. We’re both very happy with just being together, being alive. After everything we’ve been through together, a wedding just doesn’t seem important. We’ve been through more than any other couple does, and we made it out together, I think that shows more commitment than anything else ever could.

@Tamoja: Do you think you’re immune now because of the treatment?

At the moment, I’m not sure. A lot of research and testing is still being done, and the long-term effects of the treatment is still unknown. I could be immune, but there’s no real way to test that.

@Lilybug2011: Do you think you will have a life and a family with Wyatt, Ben and Jo?

We are starting our life together, and it’s slowly starting to feel a little normal. I don’t know if Wyatt and I will have a family together, I never really thought about before the outbreak, and now with everything that has happened, it’s just not something I want to think about. Wyatt, Ben and Jo are all the family I need right now.

@Cutie1559: Do you think that one day everything would be normal again?

I don’t know if I’ll ever be completely normal. It’s hard to move on, and it seems like everywhere I go, people know who I am – and that just reminds me of the horrors all over again.

@SkyAngel_: Do you wish you could have another life? Even if your friends and the people you know now aren't in it?

Lately, sometimes I have wished I had a different life. But then I see someone in line at the supermarket, complaining to the cashier about the price of milk, and I just want to scream and tell them how lucky they are, and that little things like the price of milk just isn’t something to get angry about. If I had another life, I wouldn’t appreciate it like I do now. Seeing people die, and almost dying myself, has made me grateful for every moment I have. It’s made me see how lucky we all are just to be breathing, to be able to go about our day without worrying if we’re going to survive.

@Graywolfo: What kept you alive, what was the one thought that kept you from giving up even though you were going through hell?

I just kept imagining myself on that ship, seeing Australia fade away until it couldn’t hurt me anymore. I just kept thinking that if I kept going, I would be free.

@YepImReading: Would you do it all again to save the people you love?

Yes. I would do anything to save the people I love.

@32austin: Why do you fight for survival, and what are you fighting for?

I was fighting for freedom, for safety, for the people I love. I was fighting to live just one more day.

@EpicWalker: What was it that kept you alive in the situation? Was it luck, karma, or something else?

I think luck definitely played a part in it all. But mostly, it was hope. There was a moment, when I was alone in the middle of nowhere, when I almost lost hope. I was very close to giving up. But it was hope that made me get back up and keep going.

@TigerLilly1322: How were you able to even sleep at night knowing there were undead creatures roaming around killing people?

I didn’t sleep much at all, and when I did, it was plagued with nightmares. I think the only time I slept was when I was too exhausted to stay awake.

@DarkLittleLady: How do you deal with all the loss you have suffered? And what's it like to think you'll never live in Melbourne again?

I’m dealing with the loss one minute at a time. I have moments when grief hits me hard, and it feels so painful that I can’t breathe, but if I just wait it out, it passes. It comes back, but I try to focus on those moments when I feel okay. It’s odd to think I’ll never live in Melbourne again. Sometimes, when I wake up, there’s a second where I think I’m in my bed, in my apartment, in Melbourne. And then I remember. I remember everything, and it’s hard. But it’s getting easier. I’m still hopeful that, one day, I’ll wake up and feel okay. It’s funny, it was hope that helped me survive, it was hope that got me out of Australia, and now it’s hope that helps me heal. It’s always been hope.

COMING TOMORROW:

An interview with me (Jen! :)), answering your questions from the comments of Chapter Nineteen.

COMING WEDNESDAY:

A sneak peek of my brand new series – including the first chapter!

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