The Aftermath

S2E5: Snapped

The air is cold as it rushes up against Chris's face as he continues to run away from the previous scene he had just witnessed. The sharp pain of the wind instantly hits his eyes as tears streak down his face.
A cramp begins to formulate on the right side of his body as he outpaces his group members. He isn't just running from the crawlers. He's running from the negative thoughts that make its way to his brain. He's running from the voice
       You shouldn't be alive! It's all your fault! He died because of you! The voice rang in Chris's mind as his strides increase. Sweat begins to drip down his forehead as the sun begins to set. Cicadas can be heard in the trees as the unforgiving voice harmonizes with them.
       "Stop it. Please, just stop it," Chris mumbles to himself in between his ragged breathing.
       "Chris?" Sarah says as she looks at him with concern.
       Sarah looks back at the rest of the group as they all share similar looks of confusion as to what Chris was mumbling to himself. She looks back to see Ryan distancing himself from all confrontation with the group.
       "Come on guys we have to focus right now," Jeannie says in between breaths.
       Jeannie looks back to see her brother with a full wide eyed expression upon his face as he begins mumbling the same words over and over again. While this is happening, he keeps running faster. And faster. And faster. Jeannie struggles to keep up with her brother as the exhaustion begins to finally set in.
       "Chris slow down!" Jeannie yells as her legs begin to wobble.
       She grunts and pushes through the pain as she desperately tries to catch up to Chris. Suddenly, an array of crawlers can be seen in the distance as they slowly inch their ways closer to the road that Chris is sprinting towards.
       Chris notices the three crawlers rendezvousing at the road that he's on as he pulls out a knife and stops in his tracks. The group notices Chris's sudden motions as they try to catch up with him.
       "Chris what are you doing," Ryan calls out from several feet away as he sprints with all the energy he has left.
       Chris stands in the middle of the street with a rather focused glare as he points the knife outward. He's covered in sweat and the remnants of Hayden's dried up blood on his clothes and skin. He has a fearless and determined glint in his eyes as he watches the mutants.
Jeannie inches closer and closer to her brother as the group gets further and further behind her. They all keep a relatively safe distance as they try to match Jeannie's speed.
"Ryan try and meet up with Jeannie and Chris. We have to carry Matthew and Skyy," Jess says as she struggles to carry the flimsy stretcher.
Ryan takes off running as Sarah takes his place on carrying the stretcher. Ryan sees the first crawler step onto the road as it lunges towards Chris. Chris quickly handles the situation as he elbows it's cranium before plunging the knife deep into its dilapidated skull.
"Chris be careful!" Ryan yells as he gets to Jeannie who stops in her tracks and grabs a gun out of her holster.
Ryan looks at Jeannie in shock as she holds him back. She has an intimidating look in her eye as she scans her surroundings of a possible target. Ryan has a bewildered expression on his face as Jeannie raises the gun and pulls the trigger.
Chris looks behind him and sees two dead crawlers that barely sunk their sharp and deadly claws into the back of his head. The crawlers lay lifeless on the street with their blood splattered on the pavement.
Two more crawlers lunge at Chris as he dodges the attack and kills both of them in the blink of an eye. He turns around to see Jeannie holding a gun as the rest of group is seen walking behind her.
Jeannie walks forward with the same blank expression as before. No response. Not even a blink is noticeable from that distance. They both walk towards each other without sharing words.
Chris walks to her slowly while looking down at his feet. He can see his shadow following him almost like it's the voice's presence walking among him.
He stops short and suddenly feels a strike upon his face. It has a slight sting. Chris stabilizes and looks up to see his sister in tears with an angry look in her eye.
He just got slapped. He looks back down onto the floor and thinks about the voice that still lingers in his thoughts. Jeannie's arm goes limp as she drops her gun on the floor.
       "How could you do something so stupid," Jeannie says as her voice cracks from all the sudden emotions that just fell upon her.
       The group's drawn into this argument between these two siblings as they watch the awkward tension build almost like their watching a dramatic television series. Chris who used to be happy and optimistic has now become more unhinged and irrational.
       "Aren't you going to answer me?" Jeannie yells as she continues to sob.
       Silence falls among the two. Chris clenches his fists and grunts as anger begins to fill his whole body. His eye begins to twitch as he gives a menacing glare. His entire body exudes confidence as he replicates a powerful stance.
       "So you had a gun this entire time?" Chris asks with his menacing glare as his eyes glint in the sunlight.
       "Why is that important right now? We should be focusing on your recklessness. If Rosie was here, she'd be disappointed in you," Jeannie says while slowly getting quieter.
       "Don't you dare say that to me! You couldn't have pulled the gun out when Hayden was about to die? Or at least just give it to me? Don't you dare bring up Rosie right now. I'm more disappointed in myself then anyone else," Chris says as he continues to walk forward.
       The group remains silent as they begin to follow Chris and Jeannie on this alienated road. There's an unspoken task that the group has yet to achieve as they continue their walk back to their camp.
       They wander onto a highway that leads back to their camp. The highway is covered in broken down rusted cars. Some cars have flat tires, no gas, and broken windows.
       The sunlight begins to fade as the moon arises almost as quickly as Chris's negative thoughts formulating in his mind. Chris looks up and then back at the group as he looks at the most secure cars on the highway.
       "We should take refuge in the cars. Decide which car you want," Chris says before walking off and forcing a car door open.
       Meanwhile, the rest of the group begins to take refuge in their cars in pairs of two as they share looks. Chris can be seen in the distance fidgeting with the radio as he sulks to himself. He rests his arms behind his head as he lays on the top of the car.
       "Hey Chris are you ok?" Ryan asks as he jumps onto the car that he's sitting on.
       Chris takes a moment before answering as he admires the night sky. He's relaxing. For the first time in the past couple of days. He has a slight smile that makes its way upon his face.
       "I'll get by. Just gotta focus on whatever positives remain in this god awful world," Chris says as he begins to shut his eyes.
       "What's God? I've never heard of it," Ryan says jokingly with a slight smirk upon his face.
       "Honestly this statement is valid at this point," Chris chuckles to himself, feeling at peace for the first time in awhile.
       The two friends admire the night sky and the refreshing breeze that washes over them. The voice in Chris's mind temporarily fades as he finally lets his guard down for the first time in this new apocalyptic world.
       "You should talk to your sister. She obviously cares about you a lot. You shouldn't be fighting at a time like this," Ryan says in a serious tone as he breaks the peaceful silence.
       "Yeah you're probably right. I'll talk to her in a little while," Chris says with a deep and overemphasized sigh.
       The two lay there in silence as they admire one of the only positive aspects left in the world. They take this rare moment of happiness as they finally are able to enjoy each other's company like old times.
       Back with the rest of the group, they prepare for nighttime, itching to end this emotional day. Ricky opens one of the jammed car door handles as it opens slightly. He pulls it open, and it makes a screeching sound.
       "Will Chris ever be the same as before?" Ricky asks while avoiding eye contact.
       The group looks at Ricky with a bewildering expression upon all of their faces. They ponder at the thought process for a moment as they recall Chris's previous actions.
       "What do you mean?" Simon asks as he opens up another car to take refuge in.
       "You know what I mean. He's really mourning Hayden's death, and he's been really reckless," Ricky says as he angrily pops open another car handle.
       Ricky gets lost in thought as temporary silence falls among them for a moment. Will Chris get over this? Will he ever get back to his usual joking and fun loving self? Is he going to stay isolated from us? Ricky thinks to himself as a gloomy expression forms upon his face.
       "It makes sense that Chris is mourning Hayden's death. He's known him almost as long as Ryan. Plus he probably thinks it's his fault," Simon says as he sits down on the cold pavement besides a car.
       "It's not his fault though! If he keeps thinking that, then he's going to get himself killed," Ricky yells as tears drops slowly begin to fall.
       "We know Ricky. We'll be here for him to make sure he doesn't do anything reckless," Jill says with a reassuringly smile as she rests her hand gently on Ricky's back.
       "Jill's right. We'll be here for him if he happens to breakdown. His one goal is to protect us, so we can manage to keep him happy," Jess says as she prepares a car for Matthew and Skyy to rest in.
       The group stays in silence as they disperse into their temporary homemade campsite for the night. They all enter their cars with a stronger bond than before. They'll protect each other. They'll be there for each other even in this cruel world.
       Meanwhile with Jeannie, she's resting in the backseat of a rusty SUV as she sets down her backpack that's filled to the brim with supplies. She sighs to herself and pulls out the radio. She hesitates on calling Rosie in fear of the possibility of her not answering the transmission call.
       Jeannie thinks to herself as she rests her head on the cold window. Is Rosie going to answer? Is she even alive? Should I just stop trying while I'm already ahead?
       Jeannie ponders for a moment before getting forced out of her thoughts by the sound of the door screeching open. She jumps up and rests her hand on the gun.
       Jeannie's eyes shoot open at the realization that it's Chris. She exhales a sigh of relief as she relaxes fully once more.
       "Don't worry it's just me," Chris says as he gets in the backseat next to her.
       "Oh my god Chris you scared me," Jeannie exhales softly as she relaxes her shoulders.
       The two sit in silence for a moment next to each other as Chris taps on the armrest impatiently. He twiddles his fingers as he tries to open up to his sister.
       "I'm sorry Jeannie. I shouldn't have lashed out at you," Chris says with empty eyes.
       Jeannie looks at Chris who's looking out the window of the broken down car. He looks visibly broken. His eyes are empty and, he looks exhausted from all the mental pain he's endured.
       "I'm sorry too. I understand how you feel, but you should know that this wasn't your fault. You have to stop being hard on yourself," Jeannie says as she rests her head in the palm of her hand.
       Chris breaks his attention off of the isolated road and quickly looks back at Jeannie. The voice in his head slowly begins to return as he violently grasps his head.
       "Chris?" Jeannie says as she reaches out her arm to comfort him.
       "It is my fault! It's all my fault! I couldn't even save him!" Chris snaps as he punches the window.
       Chris hyperventilates as his eyes begin to twitch. His knuckles are numb and bloody from the impact of the punch. The window is slightly cracked and a droplet of blood is seen running slowly down the window.
       "Chris! Calm down! You shouldn't feel this way. You did all the you could," Jeannie says reassuringly as she pulls Chris in for a hug.
        Chris rests his head on Jeannie's shoulder as he lightly sobs. Exhaustion begins to set in as he relaxes and lets his guard down. He notices Jeannie pulling out the radio and puts her hand on the knob. She pauses for a moment and looks back at her brother.
       "We'll do it together," Chris says with a soft smile as he sits up.
       Jeannie turns to radio on and static can be heard on the first few stations. She begins to turn the knob to the usual station of channel 34  to contact Rosie. She holds her breath, and finally speaks into the radio.
       "Rosie? Can you hear me? It's Jeannie. We've been trying to get a hold of you for awhile now," Jeannie says as she waits with anticipation.
       There's a long pause. You could hear a pin drop as Chris and Jeannie eagerly wait to hear a response from their sister. This will confirm Rosie's whereabouts if they get a response. They wait a little while longer. Finally, someone answers.
       "Jeannie? Is Chris there with you?" Rosie says through the radio in a serious tone.
       "Uh yeah why? Do you wanna talk to him?" Jeannie asks curiously as she questions Rosie's current attitude.
       Rosie sounds serious and anxious rather than her usual uplifting self in previous radio calls. There's a hint of caution in the way Rosie is speaking since she's not revealing much about her current situation. Jeannie hands the radio over to Chris as he gives her a bewildered look.
       "Rosie? How ya doing sis? I'm so happy to hear from you. Where are you located so we can find you and Zach?" Chris says with a wide smile on his face as he awaits for her response.
       Suddenly, Rosie can be heard crying in the background as she laughs to herself. There's a moment of silence until Chris hears a muffled whisper in the distance. It's not Rosie. Rosie comes back on the radio as she tries desperately to hold her tears back.
       "I'm so happy to hear from you guys! I'm located a town over from a huge supermarket. The town is practically a dead zone, but the crawlers are still there so make sure you take weapons," Rosie says before the radio cuts off suddenly.
       Jeannie and Chris share bewildered expressions as they look at the battery percentage. Still working. The call was cut off on Rosie's end.
       Chris grips the radio tighter as a million scenarios formulate in his head. Is Rosie in trouble? Was there someone else there with her? Is this supermarket the same one where we were just at with Hayden?
       Chris's menacing look returns as he plots the rescue plan for his sister. His fists clench up as his arm twitches from the anger flooding throughout his body.
       "We'll find her Chris. I'll always be on your side," Jeannie says with determination.
       Chris nods in agreement as he rests his head on her shoulder. His eyes begin to flutter from exhaustion. The tension finally leaves his body as all the trauma temporarily drifts away.
       Several hours pass before dawn is upon the group. They all awake in a groggy state as they make their ways back to camp in the humid weather. The group slowly trudges towards their destination while half of them are still carrying the motionless bodies of Matthew and Skyy.
       They travel cross country into the woods as they evade any uncharted areas and keep to themselves. No one has spoken. It's the quietest walk they've ever taken.
       The grogginess mixed in with the humid weather has made everyone miserable even further on this death inducing scavenge. Sarah looks around like a rabbit in the fox's den and nearly vomits from the sudden smell that floats towards her nose.
       "What the hell is that smell?" Sarah asks in a rather husky voice.
       "Just try your best to ignore it," Jess says as she keeps moving forward over the hill.
       The group is getting closer and closer towards their campsite. It's the final stretch over this steep hill almost like it's the last lap of a track race. They climb up this hill desperately as they long for the safety behind the gates. They want this terrible scavenge to end.
       The smell becomes more and more pungent each step they get closer to their camp. The smell can only be defined as finding an array of corpses underneath the floorboards that have been rotting for a few months.
       They clench their nose as they continue to climb this final hump on the mountain. Chris and Jeannie have reached the top while holding Matthew as they gently set him down. They quickly catch their breath and sit just on the edge of the hill.
       Oddly enough, Tamara isn't there to greet them, but they didn't care. They were just happy for arriving safely without losing anymore lives. Chris finally decides to look over his shoulder at the campsite. His eyes widen in disbelief.
       The gates are wide open. Tamara isn't anywhere to be seen. The front gate is drenched in black blood, and the lock has fallen completely off. Jeannie turns and notices as well just before the rest of the group nearly stumbles over the final hump of the hill.
       "What the hell!" Jeannie nearly shouts as she pulls out the pistol in her holster.
       "Tamara!" Chris shouts as he runs into the old safe haven.
       The rest of the group soon catches on as they see Chris tenaciously pull out is knives in search for anymore predators to unleash his anger on. In the outside world, the group has to fear the mutants, but in their camp, the mutants have to fear their supposed prey.