After The End

by Jamie Campbell

  I stand beside Garlind as he pulls on the door. My eyes are fixed on the center as I pray it’s not worse than what we’ve already seen today. It would need to be truly wretched to be any worse and I’m not sure if I’m brave enough for that.

  The room reveals itself to us and the first thing I notice are the bright lights. They hang all the way down from the high ceilings in strip lighting, making the whole room as bright as the sun itself.

  It takes a few moments of blinking before I can focus on anything else.

  There are people here. Those that have enough strength to move their heads, turn toward us. Their eyes tell the story of how miserable and despondent they are.

  Perhaps they don’t even believe we’re real.

  There has to be at least fifty people here. They are all chained to the walls or floor with shackles on their wrists or ankles. Their emaciated bodies are shrunken and dirty. What few clothes they wear has long been mostly worn away and caked in filth.

  The smell here is fresher, but just as potent as in the death room. These people reek of filth and excrement, definitely the stench of barely-living bodies.

  My heart breaks for them all. I have no idea how long they’ve been here or what they’ve had done to them, but I am certain it has been a living nightmare. Every second in this room would feel like a year.

  We walk through them, trying to work out how best to free them from the shackles. They barely look at us, they are barely conscious that we’re here.

  “The aliens are gone,” I declare as loudly as I can without wanting to startle them. “We’ll get you free as soon as we find out how to take off these restraints.”

  It’s eerie the way nobody says anything. They don’t ask questions or comment about what I just said. It’s like they’re already dead in their minds and their bodies haven’t quite caught up yet.

  I think this is actually worse than seeing all the corpses in the death room. At least those people are no longer suffering. The ones here…they may never recover from their ordeal.

  Garlind begins working on an ankle shackle, kneeling on the concrete floor. The chain rattles as he moves in. The women it’s attached to is just standing there, staring ahead.

  I kneel down to help him.

  “We’re going to need some bolt cutters or something to get these off,” Garlind says “It’s some kind of alien steel. I’ve never seen it before and can’t find any kind of keyhole.”

  “We’ll find something to cut it,” I reply.

  We hurry from the room to explore further. I consider telling the room where we’re going and why but I don’t think they’ll hear me anyway. It’s going to be a long journey for them to come back to life again.

  Garlind leads the way as we weave through more corridors. There are no tools and equipment in this warehouse that we can use to break the steel.

  “I think I saw something that might work in one of the other warehouses we visited,” Garlind says.

  He quickly bolts for the other warehouse while I try to keep up. There is nothing as fast as Garlind on a mission. He’s already inside and rummaging through a pile of junk when I catch up with him.

  He is elbow-deep in rusty implements before emerging with a tool that looks like a very oversized pair of scissors. “Got it.”

  We run back to the aliens’ warehouse and retrace our path back to the people. I give the death room a wide berth on the way past—just to avoid copping a big whiff of the stench. It’s bad enough as it is just getting around the corridors.

  Garlind returns to the same woman and tries to cut through the alien steel. At first, it doesn’t bend until he puts all his weight into the effort. A snap is heard before it falls away.

  The woman is free.

  “You can go now,” I tell her. “There is nothing holding you here. You can be free. We have some food and water back at our camp. We can take you there if you like.”

  She stares at me like I’m speaking a foreign language. It’s possible she doesn’t understand English, I guess. But I suspect it’s more because of her trauma than a language barrier.

  Her eyes are so…dead.

  “Nobody is going to hurt you anymore,” I assure her.

  She looks at me and then at Garlind before her gaze wanders to the open door. She takes a tentative step toward it and we stay in place so we don’t spook her.

  Her steps are so light and slow, like she’s forgotten how to walk. When nobody stops her, she keeps going, picking up pace until she’s out the door completely.

  We move onto the next person.

  And the next.

  We continue working our way backwards. Some people remain standing in place, no matter how many times we tell them they are free. Whatever the aliens did to them, they are severely injured in both body and soul.

  There are two other rooms exactly the same.

  Our muscles are aching by the time we get to the last room. The bolt cutters are not easy to use in their rusted state and the alien steel is thick and hardwearing.

  We’re exhausted when we reach the last section. The people have all blurred together. We give them directions to the camp and let them know to wait outside if they want us to lead them there. I don’t know how many have taken us up on the offer. I suspect most start running as soon as they are outside and we’ll never see them again.

  I know I would.

  In the last room, my gaze sweeps the number of people standing before us. At first, I don’t recognize anyone but my gaze keeps lingering on one face in particular.

  Then it clicks.

  I know her.

  Chapter 23

  I run to the little girl as fast as my feet will take me. Crouching down in front of her, I’m absolutely certain it’s her. She may be much thinner than when I last saw her, but nobody could break the courage from her eyes.

  “Sarah,” I breathe the word more than say it. I can’t believe it’s her and I’ve found her. I thought she was dead. “Sarah, it’s me, Maisy. Remember me?”

  Our eyes meet and I get no response at first. After a few seconds that are measured by my heartbeats, her expression changes. The life returns to her gaze.

  She licks her dry and cracked lips before she can speak. “Maisy?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. And Garlind. Everything is okay now. The aliens have gone. You can burn all their dead if you want to. We can be free now.”

  A single tear falls from her eye and draws a track down her cheek. “I knew you could do it.”

  I pull her against me and envelop her in a hug. Her tiny body is so much smaller than it was before. She was skinny when I met her but this is even worse. She’s nothing more than skin and bones.

  I never want to let her go. I lost her once and I’m never going to let that happen again. I’ve been given a second chance to protect her and I’m going to honor that chance for the rest of my life.

  “You’re safe now,” I whisper.

  “Rhys is here too,” she says softly. I can barely hear her voice but I know every word is costing her something.

  I let her go so I can see her little face. She’s still the bravest person I will ever know. She raises her hand to the right, just enough so I can see where she is trying to point.

  Rhys is here and he’s alive too. Only a few people stand between him and Garlind. He’ll be free soon too. They all will and then we can get out of this slice of hell.

  I’m both ecstatic and heartbroken by finding them here. I wish they didn’t have to go through whatever nightmare they were subjected to. But I am truly glad they are alive. They are survivors, they will get through this.

  “Garlind, over here,” I call out, again trying not to be too loud. “It’s Sarah and Rhys.”

  He looks up but he doesn’t believe me. I can see the confusion written in the wrinkles of his brow. He looks between Sarah and Rhys as I point him out.

  Another two seconds and Garlind is on his feet and hugging them both in turn. He takes off their shackles quickly. “We
’re almost done here. Stay with Maisy and we’ll take you back to our camp where there is food and water.”

  Sarah nods but Rhys is still staring ahead. He’s going to need some more time before he can come to terms with being free. We’ll be there for him, giving him whatever support he needs. We’ll do the same for all survivors.

  Garlind and I work through the rest of the room and clear the whole building to make sure there are no others. I want to burn the warehouse to the ground, but maybe that will have to wait for another day.

  We return to camp with the handful of people who stuck around. I hold Sarah’s hand the whole way. She’s not getting away again. I won’t let anyone hurt her ever again.

  She insists on setting fire to the first alien body she comes across. I have a lot of hope for her future. Nothing will stop this little girl.

  Epilogue

  I never thought I would be able to see the beach without thinking of the war we waged on the ground in Charleston. I thought every time I saw the golden sand I would remember it covered in blood and bodies lying everywhere.

  That’s what I thought.

  It’s been three years now and I have finally made peace with what happened that terrible day. It cost many lives but the aliens never returned. I still expect to see them every time I look upwards. The blue skies have been clear every day since.

  I wiggle my toes in the sand and let the warmth of the sun soak through my skin. If I have to be honest, I will admit that it’s a beautiful day. This beach is far from Charleston. Right across the country, in fact.

  I’ve heard Santa Monica beach used to have a big pier with rides and carnival games. There is no evidence of that now but I’ve seen pictures. It would have been fun to come here and hang out with friends like we didn’t have a care in the world.

  Maybe one day we’ll be able to rebuild it. When we’re finished with everything else.

  My time is fleeting here. I’m supposed to be in a council meeting in five minutes. I was on my way there when I took the detour. After working so hard during these past years, I allow myself a small indulgence sometimes.

  This was the beach where my parents got married.

  I’ve long lost the picture I have of them that I held so dearly. I should have left it in the bunker but I took it with me when I first left. It’s in my mind, though. I will never forget how it looked.

  When the breeze whips my hair around my face and the waves lap at the shore, I sometimes think I can hear them. I don’t know exactly which part of the beach they said their vows but it doesn’t really matter. They were here and now I am too. It’s a connection to the past that I don’t have anywhere else.

  Except perhaps the bunker.

  I returned to our little forty by sixteen feet bunker hidden deep in the middle of a forest. I was able to retrieve the items that meant the most to me—especially the books. I have a few little mementos now and they are my prized possessions. Nobody will ever take them from me again.

  Saying goodbye to the bunker was harder than I expected it to be. I’d left it so willingly the first time. I had made the decision to go with Garlind out of a need for supplies. I was tired of worrying about my dwindling food and electricity supplies.

  That’s what I tell myself anyway. I think Garlind had a lot to do with why I agreed to go with him. He was the first person I’d ever met that wasn’t one of my parents and he stirred something within me.

  Maybe my soul recognized him as my mate before my mind did.

  Whatever it was, I’m so glad I did end up leaving the bunker. It seemed so small when I returned to it. It was hard to believe I’d spent the first seventeen years of my life within that small space.

  My world is so, so much bigger now.

  I finally tear myself away from the beach and hurry to put my shoes back on. The road may not have any cars on it, but the tar is hot. I hasten to get to the council building—which used to be a music hall—before anyone can accuse me of being late.

  The council is made up of twenty-four members. We were elected by the community to make the decisions for this area. New councils have popped up all over the world, some small like ours and some massive like the one in Tokyo, Japan. One of the first tasks in the rebuild of the planet was establishing communication. We were probably as surprised as the other countries when we could finally all speak.

  Garlind is waiting for me at the top of the stairs. He wears that same smile which made my knees go weak three years ago. He still has the same effect on me, even after all this time. I think he’s still going to affect me until the day I die.

  “You’re late,” he playfully admonishes me.

  “Only if someone notices,” I reply with a smile on my lips. He gives me a kiss and it’s all I can do not to drag him away so we can spend the afternoon together instead of in meetings.

  He takes my hand as we enter into the massive shining steel building. His mind has strayed from the upcoming meeting too. “I was thinking we could plant some primroses in the garden later on. I saw a wild bush and thought they were really nice. Maybe the prettiest flower I’ve ever seen.”

  “We can definitely do that. I’m sure it will be beautiful.”

  Garlind is in charge of the garden at our house—right on the beachfront. I thought it would be too hard living by the ocean after what happened but I find it soothing. It reminds me that there can be beauty where there once was destruction.

  Not that it wasn’t difficult at first. I think for the first six months I kept the curtains and drapes permanently closed. Garlind started opening them an inch at a time. I think he thought I wouldn’t notice. But day by day, it got easier. Just like with everything else.

  I’m in charge of the interior of the house. I’ve decorated our home so it looks like all the cozy bungalows we stayed in during our travels. The ones where the families in the photographs looked really happy.

  Peach is my favorite color. Every time Garlind comes home with a cushion or rug in that shade, we find the perfect place for it in the house.

  I still have to pinch myself to believe we really have a permanent home now. I think we’ll be there forever. Nothing will make us move now.

  We take our seats at the long oval table as the meeting gets underway. I pay attention to the agenda and then listen to all the ideas my fellow council members have for our community.

  That’s how we live now—together.

  We share resources, we help one another, and we respect everyone. I know the names and birthdays of everyone in my neighborhood. I know their strengths and weaknesses and I am always looking for ways to help them further.

  Sarah and Rhys live next door to us. I insisted on it. I was serious when I told her she wasn’t going to get rid of me again. Rhys recently invited his long-term girlfriend to live with them. At first, Sarah was a little hesitant, she was used to having him all to herself for so long. But I think it’s working now, especially when Sarah realized how good a cook his girlfriend is.

  I can honestly say I have everything I ever wanted now. We are slowly rebuilding this planet and will one day be fully recovered. It will probably take several decades, but it doesn’t matter. The only thing that counts now is that we’re alive, happy, and thriving.

  This is living.

  We have emerged from the darkness and now bask in the light.

  And we will do so forevermore.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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  Jamie Campbell grew up in the New South Wales town of Port Macquarie as the youngest of six children. She now resides on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

  Writing since she could hold a pencil, Jamie’s passion for storytelling and wild imagination were often a cause for concern with her school teachers. Now that imagination is used for good instead of mischie
f.

  Visit www.jamiecampbell.com.au now for exclusive website only content and free downloads.

  Jamie loves hearing from her readers, send her an email at Jamie@jamiecampbell.com.au

  Also by the Author:

  After The End

  A Hairy Tail

  Another Hairy Tail

  Fairy Tales Retold

  All The Pretty Ghosts

  Ashes to Ashes

  A World Without Angels

  Angel’s Uprising

  Gifted

  Fashion Fraud

  Liar

  Perfectly Timed

  The Project Integrate Series

  Dark Eyes: Cursed

  Shadow Academy

  Songbird

  The Keeper of Lost Things

  The Star Kissed Series

  The Star Crossed Series

  Through a Tangled Woods

  Trouble

  Two Beating Hearts

  Copyright © 2020 Jamie Campbell

  Jamie Campbell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.