Z for ZachariahEpilogue

Z for Zachariah 293

EpilogueNovember 21stI'd been wandering west for just over 2 weeks. I was extremely tired to say the least. Not only that, but one of the wheels on the cart had come loose and wobbly, making it even more difficult to lug the supplies behind me.

Despite this, I was still in good spirits. The birds Mr. Loomis had claimed to have seen did exist. They seemed to fly just above the ridge of the mountains and then dip back down again. The first time I saw them I'd forgotten after being in the valley for so long that birds couldn't live anywhere outside the valley - at least I thought they couldn't. But after they had caught my attention the second time, I immediately realised that there must have been a radiation-free place, containing food and water, right on the other side of the mountain. Better yet, there would be no Mr Loomis.

Despite what I'd told him, I was still unsure whether or not I would tell anyone about Mr Loomis. Even if I did, I probably wouldn't want anyone to go looking for him, putting themselves in danger. I mean, he has enough supplies left in the store to last him for another 10 years, and after that, he is definitely capable of living off of the land. The way I see it, he's better off on his own - out of harm's way.

Reaching the base of the mountain had been easy enough, but after climbing 400 metres, the cart was wobbling out of control, and the terrain was too steep and too rough. I decided I would leave the cart where it was, and take the binoculars to see what was on the other side of the mountain from the top, and then go back down to the cart to set up camp before sunset.

I never did go back to the cart. After hiking up the mountain for 2 hours, the view from the summit was nothing less than disappointing. Awaiting me was a valley larger than my - Mr. Loomis's one, stretching about 5 km's wide and 10 km's long with a river flowing all the way along. After only seeing deadness for the last 2 weeks, the mass of green to my eyes was overwhelming. I could spot flocks of all different types of birds perched in trees all around the mountain. I took of my radiation suit and sat at the base of a tree to rest for a second and take it all in. And then I saw something that made my heart skip a beat.

Right next to the river was a clearing, with what looked like a hall with tents and huts scattered all around it. I quickly pulled out the binoculars and focused in on the clearing. Boys and girls ranging anywhere from 12 to 21 were gathered, talking, laughing and eating around an unlit campfire.

The binoculars started fogging up, and I realised I had begun to cry. The sight of all those people together so happy reminded me of when my family and I had picnics by the stream, but I pushed the thought aside. I still did not know what these people were like, and what would happen if I approached them out of the blue. I ran down the mountain for what felt like forever, until I finally reaching the clearing and cautiously crawled to the edge of the clearing. I let myself catch my breath before I thought about my course of action.

Everyone had seemed fairly friendly from a distance, but I still had to be extremely careful not to - I heard the crunch of a stick breaking from close behind. A wave of panic rushed through my body as I turned my head in the direction of the sound.

"Hey!" A good-looking boy, about my age with dark brown hair, chestnut brown eyes and a shotgun strapped around his back jumped out from behind a tree. "Where did you come from!?"

I scrambled to my feet. He showed no intention of harming me, instead, he just stared at me with wide eyes and a baffled look on his face.

Z for Zachariah 393

"Uhh," I blurted out shakily. "Another valley not far from here, I've been living there for over a year until-"

"That's amazing! I'm Zachariah, you can call me Zack. We thought we were the only ones left. We came here for a scout camp about a year ago as well, and then the nuclear war happened." His face darkened. Clearly he had also lost love ones as a result of the war, so I decided not to continue on the topic.

"I'm Ann," I said cautiously. "What were you doing behind that tree?""Peeing." He said, blushing."Ohh," I felt myself begin to blush as well, and quickly changed the subject.

"How many others are there exactly?" I asked."24. If you follow me I'll introduce you to everyone."My heart started thumping. I felt really nervous again."Okay." I said shakily."Don't worry," He said reassuringly. "Everyone is going to be so excited to

meet you." He beamed at me and began walking towards the camp."Come on!"I followed, trying to regain my composure on the way. As we got to the

campfire, the chattering died down instantly, a gobsmacked look wiped on everyone's faces. The next thing I knew, I was overwhelmed with hugs and questions as to where I had came from. Everyone was so kind to me considering I was a complete stranger. I told them my story around the campfire, about how my family had all left, how I'd managed the farm and even including everything about Mr. Loomis and my past 2 weeks of wandering.

Everyone listened without interruption, taking in everything I had to say."You'll never have to go back to that again." one of the youngest girls said.

Everyone else nodded reassuringly."Thanks," I replied meekly. "Meeting you guys has been the best thing that's

ever happened to me.""You mean, since meeting Mr Loomis?" Zack asked."You heard me," I said, my lips curling into a playful smile. "I said 'ever'."