The Aftermath

S4E10: State Of Normalcy

The sanctuary grows weary as all the residents wait with anticipation. You could here a pin drop in the hospital as the silence ensues. Members of the group remain scattered, knowing very well that despite what happens, they will all meet up together in the lobby.
Although there's been this awkward atmosphere around the group lately, it still doesn't erase their history together. Maybe they need something like this to force them together once again.
Back in the cramped meeting room, chaos unfolds as Ms. Sullivan breaks down from the immense pressure. Tara desperately tries to be the mediator, staying calm while havoc unleashes in the background.
Debbie and Rosie look around nervously as they contemplate on leaving the sanctuary, taking their group with them. Laura is trying to keep Ms. Sullivan levelheaded as she rambles about their scarcity issue.
"Mattie! Please calm down. We can fix this problem!" Laura says optimistically.
Ms. Sullivan shoves her away, practically gaining even more wrinkles from the overwhelming stress. Her hands are fidgeting as tears start to roll down her cheeks. She looks like a deer in headlights.
"We don't have enough resources for them. They're out for blood now! We need to leave!" Ms. Sullivan exclaims frantically.
Tara isn't focused on this problem. She has to maintain her composure otherwise the sanctuary will be in shambles. Although she's absolutely petrified, it's a necessity to inform the residents. It's time they knew about this deceptive secret.
She presses the button to the loudspeaker, causing the others to stop their bickering. Tara motions for Debbie and Rosie to exit the meeting area. They don't need to get themselves into this mess. They have a loving family to worry about, unlike her.
Rosie and Debbie dash out of the room, spiraling down the stairs to the main entrance. The rest of the group members made a promise a while back. It was their first week at this luxurious compound.
If a case of emergency were to arise in the hospital, they all thought ahead, thinking about the safety of their group. Although this place has served them well for a decent period of time, the safety of the group will always be the priority.
Debbie spirals out of control as she contemplates the whereabouts of the rest of her family. Where should I go first? Are they doing alright? Will they remember the plan that we placed years ago? Debbie thinks to herself frantically while practically flying down the stairs, Rosie shortly behind.
       "I'm going to go pick up Lily then we'll leave!" Rosie calls out, showcasing a glimmer of terror in her eyes.
       "Ok, but please be careful! I'll meet you in the lobby," Debbie says quickly as she walks towards the isolated hallways.
Although Debbie is filled to the brim with fear and anxiety, she has to put trust in her children. They've practically been through the gates of hell in this terrorized world. She has to trust that Chris and Jeannie will find a way out of this situation; they always do.
Laura and Ms. Sullivan exit the meeting area, leaving Tara to her own devices. She takes a couple of deep breaths before speaking in the loud speaker. She knew this day would come; it was inevitable in her eyes.
"Hello everyone, please reside in your dormitories while we handle a manner outside. This is not a drill. We are in a lockdown," Tara says rather calmly, leaving it rather open-ended and confusing for the residents.
She finally leaves the cold, demeaning atmosphere of that office. She's aware of the consequences that are to come. The only aspect that she regrets is not telling Ryan and his allies the danger of residing in a deceptive place like this one.
She doesn't believe that there's a way out of this. They're now apart of this twisted situation. Tara prays for any positive notion as she knows the level of a threat that we're dealing with.
       Meanwhile, Simon is already at the main entrance, awaiting for his group's arrival. He saw an emergency like this coming for awhile now. Although he feels secluded and betrayed by his own group, he still can't help but act impatiently for their collective arrival.
       Simon flings the doors open, stunned by what he's witnessing. There's over one hundred people crowding the lobby, desperately trying to escape through the front doors. The guards are holding the residents back, Matthew trying the hardest.
       He makes himself known as he waves at Simon, even he seems bewildered. Simon looks around anxiously, not recognizing a single member from his group. Amongst this massive horde of petrified residents, his allies haven't shown up yet, making him feel uneasy.
       Several minutes have passed, the whereabouts of the group still unknown. Simon paces back and forth between his limited space impatiently, longing for the sight of Chris and the others.
       Suddenly, the residents huddle over towards the far end of the lobby in an uproar, like the press following an idol. After Simon acquires a satisfactory angle. He notices Laura and Ms. Sullivan who are dodging questions as if they were bullets.
       They're clearly unstable. Maintaining a well-functioning sanctuary has proven to be way too challenging for them. Tara slips by the crowd, clearly trying to formulate some type of solution to this seemingly never-ending problem.
       Finally, Simon catches a glimpse of the entire group at the far end of the lobby, just where Ms. Sullivan and Laura walked away from. It looks like they all waited to meet up. Simon's eyes lit up, filled with joy and relief as he locks eyes with Chris.
       Simon plows through the crowd along with Chris, desperately trying to meet up in the middle of this mayhem. Sudden ticking and banging sounds can be heard at the front door, but the two are running on complete adrenaline.
       They aren't shedding any attention on meaningless ticking. They just want to be together during this time of uncertainty. All they want is to be by each other's side once again.
       Matthew grows weary as he hears the ticking sound more distinctly at the front door. The forceful entry attempts made by the unknown group have suddenly come to a halt, causing even more suspicion.
      His fellow guards have also taken notice, all assuming the worst possible outcome. The neighboring camp has just placed C4 on the front entrance. The watchmen all go frantic at the realization, immediately sprinting away.
       "Everyone clear the room! Now!" Matthew says while ducking for cover.
       The residents move aside, leaving Simon and Chris in the middle. They both look at the doors in unison until they're deafened by an explosion. Bang! Debris flies all across the room, injuring some residents.
       Jeannie witnesses the event as she watches the large, sharp piece of metal fly towards Simon and Chris. They're practical frozen in shock. Unable to move from the immense fear and exhaustion written all over the faces
       Finally, Chris reacts, pushing Simon away from the debris, intervening with the flying hazard. It slashed his face, the blood starting to ooze out. He falls to his knees while covering the gash, his vision starting to fade, unaware of any other possible injuries.
       "Chris!" Simon yells as he motions over to his group.
       They quickly race over towards Chris, Matthew joining up as they witness Simon's petrified expression. It looks like he's seen death for the first time. It appears to be different than with Sarah's death. It's almost like he feels guilty.
       Debbie brushes her son's silky hair as he struggles to regain his strength, trying to calm him down. She's clearly trying to hold back tears, they all are. Ryan hasn't even said a word along with Jeannie. Rosie remains at the edge of the lobby, protecting Lily from this painful sight. They're all just watching their loving, bold ally get swept away by the immense pain.
       Myracle finally makes her way to the lobby, noticing Chris's limp, struggling body on the floor of the lobby. Jess frantically ravages her medical kit as the rest of the group stands there in shock.
       "Oh my god," Myracle mutters to herself as she dashes over towards Chris.
       Tears instantly start falling down as she gazes at his abused body. This is the first time in a long time where she's actually felt empty, alone. If she loses Chris, there's no state of normalcy to return to.
       Chris looks up at the blank, white ceiling, wondering how this even happened. He knows that he can fight this, but he's done fighting. His whole life has been a battle; he's grown sick of the cruel world. It's like he's contemplated the thought of giving up.
       As Jess starts to patch him up, the other group finally infiltrates the sanctuary in a very odd manner. Knights with outdated armor hold guns while they reel in a horse carriage. It looks like a clash between the Medieval Era and the Modern Era, a very peculiar sight.
      "Leave the body, or someone dies," a woman's voice calls out from inside the carriage.
       This sets a fire in everyone's soul as they cover a vulnerable Chris, staying by his side. The wound is much worse than originally anticipated. Pieces of debris are also lodged in his shoulder and stomach. He's clearly in pain.
       "Ain't no way in hell am I leaving my best friend unattended with you," Ryan says proudly.
       "We're all in this together. If you want to take out my brother, you have to go through me first!" Jeannie yells with a vengeance.
       "Scratch that, you have to go through all of us," Myracle says with a menacing glare.
      Silence. A familiar occurrence when it comes to this group. However, this time it's different. The silence was caused by the unity of the group. They've finally come together as one entity once again. At least they still have each other.
       The knights open the carriage, taking a knee for their absolute monarch of a leader. A woman in full knight gear walks out, her ego flying high with ever stride she takes. She has an ancient sword while also holding on to a pistol.
       She looks around, ignoring the large human wall in front of her. Finally, she lays her eyes on Tara and Mattie in the back. She gives off a sinister, muffled chuckle that reminds the group of Admiral Johnson.
       "Well if it isn't terrific Tara and melancholy Mattie! Tell me, where's loudmouth Laura at as well? Also, please tell these peons to move,"
       Tara looks around nervously, not knowing what action to take. Before she can answer, Matthew cuts her off. He's sick of these times of war. We should be fighting the mutants not each other!
       "Don't bother answering Tara. We're not leaving our friend alone," Matthew states confidently.
       Chris mumbles incoherently, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Jess pleads for him to stop moving. She can't have another death on her conscience; it'll absolutely destroy her.
       "Alright then. Just to be clear, I didn't say I'll kill someone from your group, I just said someone in general," the woman says wickedly.
       She pulls out her sword, killing a young woman to the left of her. Her head was cut clean off. No struggle at all; the brute strength killed her instantaneously. Chris quickly jolts up, catching even the unknown warrior's attention.
        He has a dangerous look in his eyes. Ryan knows what he's about to do. He doesn't want to go through with it. If he leaves Chris alone with this stranger, there's no way of knowing what could happen to him.
       "Chris, I'm not leaving you. You're like my brother. We're family Chris!" Ryan sobs uncontrollably, a sight so rare to endure.
       Ryan was never one to show his emotions. He never found it to be necessary, rather, he would focus on his other friends. He would tell jokes and share laughs to numb the pain. However, this apocalypse has changed him.
       "R-Ryan, Please. Just leave I can handle this," Chris says while sitting up, trying not to groan from the immeasurable pain.
       They hesitate at first, desperately craving to stick around for a little while longer. Simon starts to walk away, motioning everyone over. He knows how Chris operates. He's one who doesn't die. He'll pull through one way or another.
       "Better! Now, Tara, Debbie, Laura and Mattie, please come to the center.
       They walk slowly towards the center, all eyes peering at them as the barrels of the machine guns point right at them. One wrong action and they're all dead. They have to be extremely careful here.
       "Let me formally introduce myself of course! My names Eleanor, and I want the shipment that I was promised," Eleanor says cheerfully, looking completely unhinged.
       "W-Well, we're running low and can barely survive ourselves," Mattie says timidly while gazing at her own two feet.
       This scene looks like a child getting punished by their mother. It's demeaning to see a grown adult get controlled by another individual. It's pitiful to watch.
       "You know what happens when you disobey me right?" Eleanor says behind her armor, surprisingly not removing her helmet.
       Chris forces himself to stand, Debbie helping him maintain balance. Ryan and the others watch as Chris's complexion grows even paler from afar. He's still pushing through the pain.
       "Chris are you alright?" Debbie asks with a broken smile
       Watching her own child get tortured like that absolutely destroys hers She couldn't do anything to help. If he doesn't get fully treated soon, then this would classify as a severe medical emergency.
       "Wait! Chris? Ryan? All of these names sound so familiar. My prisoners have talked so much about you two. However, there is one person that rings a bell more than the rest," Eleanor says menacingly.
       Chris looks over at the rest of the group. They all look confused yet afraid at the same time. However, one glance at Simon tells it all. His mind seems to be running wild with skeptical thoughts. A face of worry and fear that they've all shared at one point.
       Eleanor reaches for her empowering helmet, taking it off ever-so-slowly. She's purposefully adding suspense like this situation is a game.
       She takes off her helmet, revealing her short blond hair with a large scar on her face. Ironically, this scar seems to be similar to the cut Chris just earned on his face.
       Eleanor looks directly at Simon with a sinister smile, inching closer and closer towards him. His expression remains motionless as tears rapidly fall down his eyes. It looks like he's seen a ghost.
       "Well hello there, Paige," Eleanor spits.
       His past has just caught up to him. His attempts of starting over in a new word has now been thrown out the window. There's no more hope to give for his pitiful life.
       "M-Mom?" Simon stutters in disbelief.
       After an elongated awkward silence, Eleanor snaps her fingers, causing the knights to disperse. They pull out two prisoners, both in handcuffs while covered by burlap sacks, hindering their vision.
       "That's right! I'm the Eleanor Hall! I'll take autographs later; first, I have to deal with these rejects," Eleanor says triumphantly while pulling off the burlap sacks.
       Chris's vision has been rather hazy throughout the entirety of this conversation. He didn't know how long he'd even last standing. However, as that burlap sack was removed. He locked eyes with a familiar face.
       He looks around, noticing the shocked expressions on his family's face. They're absolutely flabbergasted as to what they're seeing. Am I just hallucinating? Is this actually happening? How should I be reacting right now? Chris thinks to himself intently.
       Before Chris can think for himself, Ryan starts bursting into tears. Now, Chris could be incorrect due to the constant ringing in his eardrum, but he could've sworn he heard Ryan utter the word "mom".
       He analyzes the hostages more clearly. Finally, he sees the line in the sand. The outlines and voices match the individuals perfectly. Ryan's mother Stephanie along with Chris's father Jimmy are both still alive.
       However, something tells Chris that if he doesn't act now, this horrid world will take yet another aspect of his life away. He takes a step forward, glancing at his best friend's mother along with his father, assumed to be dead years ago.
       He wishes that he could hear what his father is saying to him, but he's morally and physically defeated. His senses are practically gone. There's no point in even trying.
       "Hate to break up this heartwarming reunion, but unfortunately, you have to learn your lesson! Starting with this," Eleanor says boldly as she aims her pistol at Chris.
       Bang! She fires the gun, the impact forcing Chris to hit the floor. The pain is unbearable at this point as his shoulder aches from the gunshot. Who knew that one simple decision of walking closer towards Simon would've caused all this torment.
       "Bring em in boys! Finish some of these stragglers as well after we've taken all the supplies," Eleanor says as her voice starts to fade, Chris slowly starting to lose conscience.
       Eleanor looks back once again, wanting to finish Chris off. She aims in between his eyes, snickering at the thought of watching his blood splatter against the white tiled floor. However, Debbie intervenes, giving the group enough time for an escape attempt.
       "Don't even try that you deceptive bitch!" Debbie roars as she smashes Eleanor's head against the wall.
       "Mom! What are you doing?" Rosie asks worriedly, tempted to get involved.
       An arm holds onto her, preventing her from walking a step closer. She's clearly conflicted with her thoughts. She turns around and notices Ricky and Jess.
       "I know how this feels. The same thing happened with Jill, but we need to leave her for now," Ricky says frantically.
       "He's right and you know it. Your mother will adapt, she's built that way. We have to focus on Chris's safety right now," Jess says calmly.
       She looks down at her daughter, hiding away from all the chaos, the innocence protruding out of her body. Lily looks up at Rosie, muttering the words "so loud". She turns back and nods in agreement with Jess and Ricky, clearing the way for their escape.
       Matthew and Jeannie grab both ends of Chris's limp body, gunshots harmonizing with the sound of screaming. Chris fades in and out of consciousness, almost fading to black. He notices trucks being driven in the sanctuary, demonic-like sounds coming from the back of the vehicles.
       One truck turns into three as the knights release the latch while crippling the residents, using them as decoys to avoid the mutants. These vicious creatures start pouring in through the doors like shoppers on Black Friday.
       Debbie fights a little more with Eleanor until the knights use their modern day weapons, pistol whipping the back of her head. She loses consciousness, getting led into the carriage outside the doors.
       Rosie and Jeannie both try their absolute best to ignore the sound of their mothers body hitting the floor. She's just been kidnapped, completely ripped away from their grasps, all because she chose to put her life at risk for Chris and her family.
       Myracle holds back the rest of the threats, holding down the trigger, the recoil not affecting her. Whether they're knights or mutants, she's not holding back when it comes to protecting the one she loves.
       They dash up the stairs, barricading the hallways with a variety of shelves and carts. Matthew takes the lead, Skyy residing towards the middle as she practically wobbles besides a pale, disheartened Chris.
       "Jess," Skyy begins with a melancholy expression, gaining her attention.
       "You have to promise me that you'll do everything you can to save Chris," Skyy says in a serious tone.
       Jess nods in agreement, knowing that this task will be the most important task of her life. She will do whatever it takes to save Chris from this medical issue. They need their friend to get them through this horrid situation.
        Suddenly, Tara comes from around the corner, completely out of breath. She's spiraling out of control, desperately trying to avoid her mother. However, Mattie is with her, creating an awkward atmosphere.
       "I don't think so," Myracle says sternly while pointing her small handgun at Ms. Sullivan.
       "She has a point. How can we trust you?" Matthew asks like he's interrogating a criminal.
       "This is the first time I actually agree with Myracle. We should feed this liar to the mutants," Simon says bluntly.
       Tara and Mattie look at each other. Ryan can't help but hide his emotions. After gaining the knowledge of his mother's survival, he hasn't spoken another word. Everything he thought he knew was a lie, and it may be already getting taken away.
       "I know a relatively safe area around here. We can lock ourselves where the old miniature cafeteria is. It's abandoned now, but it's cluttered in old materials that we can use as barricades," Tara says reassuringly.
       They all exchange looks, Chris just about to fade out of consciousness. Suddenly, he tries to speak, desperately formulating some type of word for them to remotely understand.
       "L-Listen," Chris says while gazing at Tara.
       His eyes start to flutter, representing his time slowly running out. They decide to follow his orders, trusting Tara's word while hanging around the wildcard that is Mattie Sullivan.
       "Let's do this already people! We gotta help Chris right now," Jeannie says boldly, the rest of the group following behind her and Tara.
       Their world has just been turned upside down once again. They've all been through so much together, and now, the battle is continuing. This group must be unified and in sync in order to maintain each other's safety.
       The group is at work again, their job being to save Chris. Once they escape this dreadful hospital, they will search for Debbie. Revenge is on all of their minds, especially Simon's. They won't stop until Eleanor Hall is executed. That's how they'll return to a state of normalcy permanently.