Virus - A Zombie Novel

Epilogue. October 21st 2024

10 years later.
"Happy anniversary." I say to Willow as she sits across from me.

"Toughest day of the year." She mumbled smiling at me. We sit in the comfort in our new home's backyard in Chicago. About 7 years back we heard from some neighbouring survivors that there was a a whole city barricaded from Lurkers. Apparently Chicago had been working on a large metal wall surrounding the city and keeping everyone inside safe. Of course when you hear that you have to check it out, and we've been here ever since. We were kind of desperate seeing as Willow and Beau's first child turned out to be first children, her giving birth to twin boys, Noah Beau and Max Parker. They turned 10 a few weeks ago. Noah kind of looks like Willow with dark hair and dark eyes but Max is all Beau with strawberry blonde hair and green eyes. Which is weird because they both look the same.

I've had my own kids. 7 years ago I had a beautiful baby boy which I named Luis Dean, after my brother. He looks identical to Grey with my big brown eyes. I fell pregnant with him a few weeks after getting to Chicago. I also have a baby girl called Amelia Espen, Espen being Grey's sister. She has blondish - brown hair and Grey's murky blue eyes with long eyelashes. She's due to turn 4 in a few days. My tummy is currently swollen with my third baby on the way - which is meant to be another girl according to the doctor. We think we are going to call her Rosie Josephine.

Lincoln has well and truly moved on from me, having 4 kids with a pretty brunette named Ruby, after accidentally getting her pregnant with triplets 6 years ago. 2 girls and 1 boy - Margo Spencer, Harper Olive and Dylan Thomas. They have a baby boy who is only 4 months old named Samuel Xavier, after his wife's father.

"Beau would've been so proud." I said to her. She smiled slightly at me.

"Noah and Max, come put sunscreen on!" She called.

"Yeah, Luis get your sister out of the sun." I yelled. Our kids were playing with the house, pretending to pee and sticking it between their legs. They run to us all wet, Amelia's hair dripping. Just as I handed a towel to her my very handsome husband came through the gate. I stood and walked over to him, opening my arms to indicate I wanted a hug.

"Any day now." He said enclosing his arms around me. I nodded and breathed in his scent. All the men had a 3 hour watch everyday where they sit on the wall, guarding it from the remaining Lurkers. There's not many, anyone who's alive is basically in Chicago, so the Lurkers have nothing to eat anymore. The less they eat, the weaker become and they eventually starve to death. The population in Chicago is probably around 3,000, so there's not many people outside left.

"As long as I don't have this baby on the street, I'm fine." I say pulling away.

"How is she?" He said looking past me at Willow, who was slopping sun screen on Luis and Amelia.

"She gets better each year." I whisper.

"Good." He said looking at me and smiling, "oh, I saw Lincoln, he said if he doesn't see you before the baby is born then good luck, oh and he wants you to call it Rosie Lincoln." He said laughing.

"That will never happen." I said laughing. "Anyway, we agreed on Josephine."

"Yeah I know - I love Josephine." He says.

"I love you." I mumbled going on my tippy toes to plant a kiss on his lips. We walk hand in hand back to Willow, who has let the kids go back out in the water.

"How you doing?" Grey said patting her shoulder.

"I'm great." She said convincingly. "Hey - I'm finally coming to terms with the whole Chicago thing now - I think we could live here forever."

"Me too." I said smiling at her. I do think we could live here forever. There's no place I'd rather be with anyone else.