Dead World

EPILOGUE

Outside Sanctuary chaos reigned supreme. Those of Jones’ men who remained, were too busy fighting off the zombies to worry about stopping Isaiah and his family from escaping.

Anna led her family into the woods. The further they went, the quieter it became, the sounds of screaming and gunfire eventually petering out altogether.

They continued through the day, rested at night and then continued the next day. Mother Charles required assistance to walk, and Isaiah gave her a piggyback for some of the time, or allowed her to support herself on his shoulder the rest.

With no destination in mind, they just kept going until eventually they arrived at the remains of a security fence. The concrete pillars had collapsed in places, and most of the fence had rusted away.

Beyond the remains of the fence, a low building covered in plant growth was visible.

“We should rest up inside,” Isaiah said. Nobody argued as they were too tired.

They traipsed towards the building. Most of the windows had fallen out or been smashed and they clambered inside, with Isaiah lifting his mother through a broken window, to find themselves in a room littered with the remains of medical equipment.

Dust coated the walls and ceiling suggesting the place had been abandoned a long time ago.

“We should be safe here for now,” Isaiah said. He shrugged off his backpack and dropped it on the ground.

Anna walked across to a wall and rubbed at a dust coated sign, uncovering: METHUSELAH — The immortality project.

“What do these words mean?” Lucy asked.

Anna bit her lip, pensive. She looked at Isaiah. “Jones spoke of an experiment that started all this. Well I’m guessing this is where it originated. They were trying to live forever.”

“They’re all dead,” Zeke said. “That’s no life.”

Anna nodded. “I think they failed to realise we’re already immortal. We live on through our children.”

“So now what do we do?” Lucy asked.

“There must be other communities out here. Friendly ones. We need to find them,” Anna said. “And we need to put the departed to rest and bring life back into this dead world. This is our home.”

Isaiah reached into his satchel and rummaged around before pulling out a book.

Mother Charles nodded at him. “Therein lies the truth. But not the way the brethren interpreted it. We have to have faith.”

Everyone sat down, huddled in a small circle.

Isaiah opened the book and started to read. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”