AM13 Outbreak Shorts

One Year On - Four (Rhys)

Rhys

"Buck up, mate, it isn't all bad."

I turn to give my friend, Alex, a bright smile, but somehow, I can't seem to make it happen. There's not a scrap of joy in me today.

"Don't forget, there have been worse days."

"Oh right, and please remind me which one you're talking about exactly." The sarcasm drips off my tongue. "The day Jordan went psycho and tried to steal all the supplies from one of the camps we lived in, the day he got shot through the head because he was being a freak?

"I..."

"Or maybe you mean the moment I took my eyes off Eden for a second and a zombie tore her to shreds, killing her right in front of mean."

"I didn't..."

"Or, perhaps you mean the day Laura put a gun up to her head and she pulled the trigger because she 'couldn't handle this world anymore'."

"Rhys..."

"Could it be when Becky and Michael vanished..."

"Okay, okay, I get your point." Finally, I let his interruption stop me. "It hasn't been the greatest of times."

"No, it really hasn't. It was only last week Jim turned, and no one even knew he'd been bitten. How long can we keep pretending that we have a chance at surviving this? Don't you think it might be wise to accept soon we don't?"

"You think we're all gunna end up dead?"

I shake my head, dismayed at Alex's wide, shocked eyes.

"You must think it too. You can't honestly believe we'll just keep going and going forever. This infection is winning out. Humanity is dying."

Alex huffs and hangs his head low. "Were you always this depressing, Rhys?"

I half shrug my reply. "I don't know. I can't really remember what I was like before, to be honest. I only know what it is now. Bare survival. Until we die."

"We'll find somewhere else soon. We can trust Oliver, he's done us well this far. I think it's going to be fine."

"Yeah, until that all falls apart, we lose more people, and we have to keep on going."

"Well, maybe that's what this life is now. Moving, all the time, just trying to keep safe."

"It's no kinda life though, is it?"

Alex's eyes sharpen up on me. "Don't you dare start talking like that, Rhys, I won't have it. That's absolutely unacceptable. We all need to remain strong now, for each other. Maybe it isn't the life you envisioned you'd have before, but that doesn't mean it won't all work out. Humanity has overcome stuff before, we can do it again. For now, we just need to suffer. To suffer and move until we find somewhere else safe. Once we do, all will look so much better."

But as I scan my eyes around the mess that has become the world, I can't say I'm convinced. It doesn't feel like anything will ever be okay again.

"I might need you to keep reminding me of that, Alex. Just to keep me going."