Was it possible that Judah had only been playing an ugly trick on Jon in his final moments? It was. But Jon was good about spotting a liar. Nothing about Judah’s face or tone had suggested that he was lying.
So who was going to come after Jon?
It was a question he would have to address later. Soon, but later nonetheless.
Hope’s Dawn needed him.
For the first time since he had lost Carrie and Spencer, Jon didn’t want to be alone. The people of Hope’s Dawn hadn’t come after the Vultures only to secure their own freedom; they’d also done so to save Jon’s life. Nine had died and several others had suffered injuries in order to come to the aid of a man they barely knew. It showed Jon that, despite the darkness, this dead world still had a hint of light gleaming within it.
Footsteps sounded behind him, and Jon turned to see the brightest of those lights.
Without saying a word to him, Brooke sat beside Jon, matching his position with her knees up and her arms folded over them.
“How is everyone doing?” Jon asked.
“Exhausted, as you’d imagine. We’ve been preparing for the memorial service tomorrow. But good news, it looks like Garrett is going to make a full recovery.”
Jon sighed. “At least that’s one bit of good news we can lean into.”
“It is. Tomorrow is going to be hard on everyone here, but we’ll make it through. It’s what they’d all want. No one who dies wants their loved ones to stop living just because they’re gone.”
Jon looked over at her. Even with how tired and broken she was from dealing with so much death, Brooke’s face still shined. And her words were so true, resonating with him more now than ever.
Scooting closer to him, Brooke put her head on Jon’s shoulder. Though he thought of Carrie, Jon continued reflecting on what Brooke had said. So, instead of urging her away, as he'd done in previous days, he wrapped his arm around Brooke and allowed her to nestle into his chest.
He focused on his breathing as he trembled, something about this still making him feel guilty. But he knew that would subside, though the memories of his family would never fade.
They sat there in silence for several minutes, listening to the sounds of the fire and the pond with their bodies joined together. Then Brooke lifted his arm and sat up.
“We should get back over there,” Brooke said, standing up and wiping the dirt off the front of her jeans. “Dinner should be ready about now. Hugo is cooking up some venison we got from the Vulture camp, and you’ve never had his food. Trust me, he can cook!”
Jon smiled. “Can’t wait to try it. I’m definitely hungry. And I’m glad to hear he’s doing okay after being stabbed yesterday.” He stood, feeling his knees pop. His body still ached from the previous days of being in captivity and the beatings he’d received. “Mind if I have just a minute, though?”
“Of course.” Brooke put her hand on Jon’s shoulder and smiled before heading back to join the others within the gates of the camp.
Jon turned to the pond, waiting for Brooke to put some distance between them as he stared again over the water. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the picture of his family.
The photo had already started to fade before Judah had stolen it, but now, with it being stained with the dead man’s blood, Jon could barely make it out. Blood had covered all but his wife’s eyes and his son’s smile. Ironically and most disappointingly, almost none had gotten on Jon. He looked at a smiling man without a care in the world, his family at his side, all of them living their simple lives. Lives which would change not long after the photo was taken, and eventually end for those he could no longer see in the picture.
When he closed his eyes, Jon could relive the moment when they had taken the picture. He saw his wife chasing their son on the beach, both of them laughing. Then Carrie directing Jon over as Spencer ran out into the ocean. The couple embraced, sharing a kiss as they turned to watch their son splash in the water.
The memories would always be there with Jon. The picture would never leave his mind.
He took one last look at his wife’s eyes and at his son’s smile.
“I love you two, and I always will. And I will do what I know you would want, and I will live on. But you will not be forgotten.”
Without hesitation, Jon tossed the picture into the campfire.
The corners bent, melting as the heat absorbed it. Jon only watched it for a moment before he looked out at the water again.
He wondered if his family was on their own beach now. He hoped they were, and that eventually he would be there with them.
But the world still needed Jon South, so the reunion would have to wait.
Jon still had his own life to live. More memories to make. He would always cherish the ones he’d created with his family, but life wasn’t through with him yet. The time would come for there to be another dead South, but not yet.
Because Jon South still owed the world, and he wouldn’t leave it until he’d paid off all of his debts.
Epilogue
The messenger breathed heavily as he pushed past a man walking through the camp with a bag of rice over his head.
“Watch the fuck out!” the man with the
