Cyrus' POV
This is the day. Weeks of waiting and surviving have finally led up to this moment. The government has finally finished their survival shelters, and as long as we make it to the rendezvous point in time, we'll be able to escape the city.
I'm mostly glad that things are looking up for once. Ever since the zombie apocalypse came, we've lost so many people. Andi, Walker, Buffy, Marty... TJ. Jonah and I are the only ones left. We haven't seen anyone else in Shadyside for a long time, so we're each other's only source of human interaction.
I grab all of my supplies and meet Jonah by the entrance of our hideout. "You ready?" I ask him.
He takes one last look at the shelter. Then he turns back and nods. "Yeah, I'm ready to leave."
The two of us slide open the drapes and sneak out into the ruins we once called our home. The buildings were still intact, after all of these years. Unlike the movies, zombies aren't capable of destroying concrete structures.
Throughout the walk over, we've encountered a couple of zombies here and there, which we were able to take down. The two of us were lucky to not have come across a hoard. When you find one, you either need really good weapons, or really good running skills.
The rendezvous point is a sturdy barn on the outskirts of the town. Jonah and I make sure to barricade all of the entrances for extra precaution. Jonah wipes some sweat off his forehead. "Hopefully it'll hold until we get out of here."
I sit against the wall of the barn, and Jonah sits next to me. "It's hard to believe we're actually getting a break. We've never really had one since it all began."
"You ever think about all of them?"
"I do. Everyday. Aside from you, they're the only people who still keep me sane. Especially Andi and Buffy. We made a promise to always keep surviving and live on for each other if we ever get caught."
Jonah's tone took a very depressed tone. "What about TJ? You ever think about him?"
I nod. "I try not to. It hurts way too much. Especially because it was my fault when he died."
"Hey, he let himself get bitten so that all of us could escape that day. If you believe it's your fault, that means it's mine too."
"No, I didn't mean it like that, I just..." There really wasn't any point in continuing that statement. "I'm the type of person who always feels guilty for surviving. It always felt like the others died for me, and I'm barely doing anything worthy."
Jonah puts his arm around me. "Living is worthy. You're trying your best to survive in this horrifying world. You've learned how to fight and collect supplies. And when we get to the government shelter, I know you'll be great over there."
"Thanks, Jonah." As I say that, a helicopter flies over the barn. We make our way to the roof and find the carrier hovering over us. A ladder drops down, and we begin to climb up.
Maybe we should've closed the hatch we entered from. Both of us forgot that zombies were able to climb. A horde of them swarmed the roof of the building and began climbing the ladder. A couple of them grabbed Jonah's legs, holding him down. Jonah took out his switchblade and started cutting the ladder above him.
I was already in the helicopter when it happened. "Jonah! What are you doing?!" He didn't answer. He kept cutting, until it finally snapped. I had to watch as he fell back onto the roof, only to getting attack by 50 zombies. "No! Jonah! Jonah!"
I was about to jump out when the girl supervising the aircraft grabbed my arm. "What the heck, man? Are you crazy?!"
My breathing was getting uncontrollable now. I was panicking. I wanted to end it all right there. She looks at me and holds me still. "Hey, hey. It's going to be okay."
"No, it's not," I whisper. "I lost everyone now. My friends, my boyfriend, and now him. I'm all alone."
"If it's any consolation, I'll be here for you. I was the last one in my group of friends as well. We don't need to be alone now. There's other people you'll meet at the shelter."
I look back one more time, just to see Jonah once more. With the amount of zombies there, that virus got him by now. In the crowd of the dead, I see his zombified-self walking among them. Somehow, seeing him actually gone makes me calmer. Knowing that he can't be saved, and I'm just crying over another lost soul. I wipe off my tears, and my panic starts to fade. "Alright. I think I'm ready to leave now."
———————
Cyrus lived, but is this really a happy ending for him? Also, I'll leave it up to you as to who that girl was. Maybe it was Iris, Amber, maybe even Natalie. Maybe someone we don't know.
The theme for today was, "Apocalypse."