They stopped in the driveway, and Saul switched off the ignition. With the wind howling around the truck, he stared at the house. It was dark, cold, and unwelcoming. Yet, it was their home now, and he reminded himself that it was the people inside who made it worthwhile.
“What do we do now, Saul?” Tara asked in an uncertain voice. The events of the night had taken its toll on them all, and they looked to him for guidance.
“Now?” Saul asked. “Now, we wait out the storm, and once it’s gone, we rebuild. And this time, we do it better than before.”
Epilogue - Dylan
Just like Saul had promised, the storm passed, and the sun rose on a new day. The snow began to melt, and each day it was a little warmer than the one before until it felt like an ordinary winter. Cold but bearable.
With the loss of Major Reed and Lieutenant King, the burden of command fell on Sergeant Dean’s shoulders. It was not a role he accepted with grace, preferring to take orders rather than dish them out. Despite his reluctance, he did his best, and Dylan saw little of him during the passing weeks.
The storm had wreaked havoc on the base, and the task of rebuilding loomed large in all their minds. Even so, Nick and the remaining soldiers gave it their all. With the help of the civilian contractors and workers, they repaired the damaged structures and defenses and restored power to much of the base.
Raiding parties were sent out to bring back fuel and supplies, returning triumphant most of the time. It seemed the storm had brought about one good thing, at least. It drove away most of the zombies within a large radius, which granted the base breathing room to recoup its losses. Plus, with winter still holding sway, it didn’t look like they’d be back any time soon.
Tara surmised that the cold slowed their metabolic functions and made them less active. It certainly looked that way with the new infected they kept captive inside the lab. This time, there was a whole list of extra security measures set in place to prevent another tragedy. Not only was the manual override measure removed, but the infected themselves were chained to the walls with a steel chain and collar around their middles. They weren’t going anywhere.
Lieutenant King was never found, and neither was Dr. Bannock. Both disappeared into the mist as if they’d never existed at all. With time, people forgot about them. Except, Tara and Dylan. Tara swore she’d find and kill Bannock one day, while Dylan was convinced they hadn’t seen the last of them. Men like Lieutenant King didn’t give up that easily.
Major Reed, Miller, Jackson, and Dr. Patel were cremated along with Harris, who froze to death inside the storage room. Nobody shed a tear for him.
Tara resumed her research while Saul became Nick’s new second-in-command. Alex joined the army once more and spent much of his time inside the workshop, tinkering on trucks and engines.
Ethan approached Dylan with the offer of going on a date, but she refused. He was sweet and kind. A gentleman. But that wasn’t what she needed. She’d realized that much after everything that had happened.
At her rejection, he moved out of the house and kept pulling late nights at the infirmary until another doctor forced him to take time off. Amy refused to set foot inside the lab ever again, and returned to the classroom with the rest of the teens on the base.
As for Dylan, she tried to keep herself busy by joining raiding parties and training with the soldiers. She was dead-set on learning how to handle a rifle. Even with all of that, she often found herself staring into the distance feeling a little lost and without purpose.
It was on one such a morning that Nick found her sitting on the patio watching the sunset, a thick blanket warding off the cold. She jumped up when she saw him and threw herself into his waiting arms. “Nick, it’s you!”
“In the flesh.”
“It’s been so long, but I know you’ve been busy, and I —”
He smothered her garbled words with a kiss that left her trembling and breathless. With a teasing grin, he asked. “Ready to be clubbed over the head and dragged to my lair?”
She found herself smiling back, all thoughts of loneliness fading away like mist under the sun. “I’m ready.”
He grabbed her around the waist and tossed her over his shoulder while she shrieked with surprise. “Good, because I’m done waiting.”
“Are you really going to haul my ass all the way back to your quarters?” Dylan asked.
“God, no. You’re far too heavy for that. I’ve got a truck waiting outside,” Nick replied, whacking her on the bum. “Let’s go home, my beautiful monster.”
The End.
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So we’ve reached the end of Apocalypse Z - Books 1-3 (Boxed Set), and I really hope you enjoyed reading this collection as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, please consider leaving a review as that makes it so much easier for an author like me to reach more readers like yourself and to keep writing.
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Plus, there’s plenty more where that came from. Apocalypse Z - Books 4-6 (Boxed Set) is now available on Amazon, and I’ve included a preview for your enjoyment. Continue the adventure to find out what your favorite characters are up to next. Available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L5HLNW8
Apocalypse Z - Books 4-6 (Boxed Set)
Chapter 1 - Amy
Amy’s eyes snapped open when a hand clamped shut over her mouth. In the dim light of her room, she could barely make out the shape of her attacker. All she could see was a hulking shadow
