Chapter 13: After All We Did For You?
Airianna Alinsky
Estimated, May 2025
About 36 months after outbreak
Oregon
Season 1
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"Ophilia, do you hear that?"
"Shit. Airianna, we have to go."
"What?"
"We have to go right now!"
"Why? What's happening?"
"It's open. Someone opened it. We have to go or we'll die here! Please, come with me."
"My sister and my dad are still here, we have to go find them."
"We will find them but we have to go now."
Ophilia pulled me up from the ground and almost ripped my arm off. I was confused and shaking. I didn't really want to die. She took my hand in her's and dragged me behind her as she ran faster than I could keep up, but I tried, my life depended on it.
I didn't know where my family was. I didn't know if they were alive. I didn't even know what the hell was happening but my heart was beating far too fast for me to care.
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Rudolph Alinsky
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I backed away slowly as the dead began to stumble out from behind the doors. There must have been thousands, I wondered how they all managed to get down here.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" I heard Jayce yell from behind me as I started to pick up the pace in running from the herd. "We welcome you into our home! We give you are food! And you ruin our lives!"
"You did that to yourself! What kind of sick man keeps thousands of these creatures right below their families feet." I began running up the stairs but it didn't stop the dead from following close behind.
"I cared about those people! They're dead all because of me! I had to! I! had! to!"
When I got a few floors higher I met up with Airianna and Ophilia. They were on their way back to Juna. I picked them both up in my arms and ran with them by my side. They were terrified as they watched the dead get closer from behind us.
Juna was standing outside of the store with tears streaming down her cheeks. When she was what was behind us it didn't help calm her nerves. I picked her up too, Ophilia offered to run herself.
I heard some of the others scream as we made our way to the exits. I never saw Jayce again after that. I never saw any of the others again, except Juan who had survived. Him and his daughter left off on their own. I had wanted The Mall to be a place for us but it wasn't and it never could have been.