*PLEASE PLEASE DON'T HATE ME FOR ABANDONING THIS BOOK ADLHFASJD. I've had a busy year and this book just always slipped to the back of my mind, as bad as that sounds. it's here now, and i hope it's not as shitty as i think :(((( i'm sorry for putting it off for so long. you guys didn't deserve that :((((*

(so, as promised, i took ideas from quite a few of you! the beginning of this chapter is my own touch *cough beware cough* but i've decided to use a couple of your ideas. of course i twisted them my own sort of way, so they aren't exact, but they came from:

-@manolaelprince

-@HollyArnold8

-@shahdude78

-@Lana_1Dstan

you'll know your idea when you see it, hopefully! a lot of you had similar ideas, so i appreciate all of your comments! i thought about this a long time. thank you so much for participating and supporting this series. i hope this epilogue doesn't disappoint. love you all xx)

**HELLA LONG EPILOGUE (and it's unedited) YOU'VE BEEN WARNED**

EPILOGUE

EVELYN PANTS, RUNNING FASTER as her heart pounds in her chest. She can hear the gunshots behind her, the sound of screaming and pain. Tears blur her eyes, his body flashing through her mind for the umpteenth time since she forced herself to leave his side. It shouldn't have happened. It couldn't have happened. She refuses to believe.

He isn't dead. He isn't.

He can't be. Not after everything the two have survived together. It's always been together. It always will be.

She has to get to Robbie before they do. She doesn't know who "they" is, but it doesn't matter. There's always someone. There's always people out to get them when things finally start looking up. She doesn't care about who they are or what they want. All she knows is that they're shooting people, setting things on fire, and the kids are nowhere to be seen.

She hears a scream, followed by Robbie's voice shouting her name. Her eyes are burning. She's tired of this deathly fear. She's tired of having any fear. She wishes she could lay down and never get up again, never go through the same cycle over and over of almost losing everyone she loves.

She's breathing hard and her legs ache yet she runs faster. Robbie is screaming for her. She won't make it in time. She can't even see him. But God, is she trying to get to him. She's trying so damn hard.

Something smacks into her side, knocking her off her feet and into bushes. She gets up immediately, ready to brutally attack whatever is standing in her way of rescuing a little boy that's like a brother to her.

She stops cold.

Speaking of brother...

Max's unconscious body lays on the ground before her feet.

She looks up when she hears footsteps, her hands trembling with rage and fear and the desperation to die. She can't save anyone. She's failed them all. What's the point of her being in this world alone?

But Max is groaning. He's still alive.

Before she can drop to her knees next to him, a dagger flies past her head, followed by maniac laughter. She can't see the face. She doesn't recognize the voice.

"Time to say goodbye," the mystery man mocks.

Just as a a sword goes flying, pointed right at her chest.

Evelyn sits upright in bed, sweating everywhere, her body quivering. She runs a hand through her stringy hair, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes though she's awake now. She can still see his body when she blinks. He jumped in to save her, like he always does, and it finally caught up with him. She can still see the light in his eyes fading, his last breath catching in his throat.

"Stop it," she growls to herself, slinging to covers off. She has to get up and moving. She has to go see him.

He should be with Nicola at this time of day, planning reroutes for resources to rebuild homes in nearby neighborhoods. After only a couple of months, half a neighborhood has been restored to look nearly brand new, and families with small kids were the first to be moved in. Still, every day their camp receives new arrivals from people traveling clean across the country. Word spread fast about Nicola's lead. There's not a soul who doesn't know about her.

Evelyn hadn't meant to take a nap at three in the afternoon, but she spent the entire day yesterday teaching experiments how to blend in with normal people. She's the only person (aside from each other) who isn't scared to be around them, so when more show up, she gets thrust out to meet and civilize them. Some of them are still very bad off, but all of them that show up are determined to change. She admires that.

However, she did spend two hours wrestling Torrin, one of the worse off experiments, from chasing after any human that walked by. He's hyper-sensitive to blood and has been so brainwashed into listening to heartbeats, he freaks out when there's a Normal nearby. He arrived only two weeks ago, and that had been terrible. He almost got executed because he kept escaping the cells where ravenous experiments are kept for safety. Not dungeon-like cells. They have nice beds and accommodations Normals get so they feel more comfortable when getting used to being around humans.

Nicola hadn't been fond of the idea of experiments staying on the same camp, but she did agree that they all deserve a second chance to rehabilitate.

Anyways, Torrin is the reason she passed out this afternoon with aching muscles. She's taken a nap every day since he showed up.

She reaches Nicola's main office, where the rest of selected leaders gather to talk about this and that. Evelyn hadn't wanted to be apart of the politics, though, Nicola offered her a spot and told her it's open whenever she wants it. Micah turned down a position as well, apparently having lost his lust for leadership. It's not hard to imagine why; he's preoccupied with something--or someone else.

Harry, Gavriel, and Erik each have spots in Nicola's little council, along with people she trusts closely. Evelyn can say with pride that it's a nice mixture of men and women on said council, both getting along and hearing each other out before jumping to solutions.

"Hey, Nicola," Evelyn says, noticing the middle-aged woman instantly as she hunches over a map on the table. Then Evelyn frowns. "Harry isn't with you?"

"We finished up about a half hour ago," she replies. She glances up. "He didn't go straight to you?"

Evelyn's eyebrows furrow. "No, oddly enough. I'll go find him."

"Good luck. And tell him, thanks to him, another house has been rebuilt and a family of four is moving in tonight."

Evelyn smiles. "Will do."

It's strange he didn't go back to Evelyn, not to sound clingy or anything. The two usually grab a late lunch together when he's finished with Nicola; in fact, he usually wakes her from her nap so she can eat properly. 

Where on earth did he go?

***

"So... you're telling me... you want to take Evie on a... date?"

Harry's cheeks flush, but he nods curtly, feeling small in front of Max even though he's taller than the older boy. 

"And you... you want my advice?"

He nods again.

Max purses his lips, rubbing his chin. "Don't take her on one."

Harry blinks. "W-what?"

"Come on, dude. She's my little sister. Obviously I'm going to discourage you." But Max smiles when he says this, slapping Harry on the shoulder. "No, but really, I don't know Evie as well as I used to. She's the same, but only in certain ways. Besides, she never talked about dating with me. I doubt she ever even wanted to date."

Harry scrunches his nose. "Now that things are settled, she deserves to be taken on a proper date. I just don't know how to do that."

"Well, it's not like any five-star restaurants have reopened or anything," Max mumbles, seeming to be thinking hard. "Take her to the pond at the back of the camp for a picnic!"

Harry gives him a look. "Did you forget the pond is filled with garbage and debris? No one has had time to clean it out yet."

"Garbage can be romantic."

"So you want me to take your little sister on a picnic by a garbage pond?"

"You're right, that's shitty. Get it? Shitty. Cause there's probably shit in there too."

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"I mean, do you need my blessing or something?"

Harry slaps a hand to his forehead. "We're not getting married!"

"Yet," Max corrects. "You're not getting married yet."

"Are you encouraging it or discouraging it because I can't tell at this point."

Max laughs. "A little of both. I actually hate that I like you, you know that? I'm trying to be the tough older brother that keeps his little sister single and alone with cats, but you're making it difficult to want that for her."

Harry frowns. "Thanks?"

"You're welcome."

"Was it really a compliment?"

"Moving on." Max snaps his fingers. "I got it!"

As Harry listens to the elder's idea, he hums under his breath. It's a terrible idea, but it's also the only one that he thinks he can make better.

After all, it's hard to have a fancy date when the world is busy under restoration.

***

Jasper bites his bottom lip to stifle tears that threaten to fall. He leans against the stall door, wishing he were anywhere but at this restaurant. His phone dings again in his back pocket. He knows who it is. Because of knowing, he's unable to hold his tears any longer as realization dawns on him.

There's a knock on the bathroom door. He had locked the main one when he saw no one else was in the restroom. He didn't want his older brother coming after him, but it seems that's exactly what's happened.

"Jasper, come on, man. Open the door. Hiding isn't going to change that it happened," Marcus says on the other side.

Jasper unlocks the stall door--yes, he locked both; just in case--then walks to the main one. "I can't show my face ever again, Marcus."

"You're being melodramatic. Just let me come in, okay?"

Jasper inhales a sharp breath. His brother is his best friend. His brother has never judged him, hurt him, or left him behind in anything. Even at his birthday parties when his friends were all over, Marcus would stay close to Jasper and even lose three-legged races just so the younger wasn't by himself.

Marcus is more like a father to him than the father the two actually have.

Maybe that's why he's able to open the door, his eyes puffy and his cheeks streaked with tears.

Marcus sighs when he sees him, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "Jaz..."

For some reason, that one syllable of his nickname coming from his brother's mouth makes him cry harder. Marcus pulls him in instantly, gripping the younger tightly.

"He's going to put me on the streets," Jasper cries into Marcus' shoulder, clutching his brother as if his life depends on it. "D-did you see how livid he was?"

"He's not going to kick you out, okay?"

"Y-yes, he will." Jasper can barely breathe.

"No, he won't." Marcus pulls back, holding Jasper by the shoulders. "He's not going to kick you out, all right? I won't let it happen. He can be pissed all he wants, but you're not going to be homeless. He'll get over it."

Jasper doesn't believe that.

His father is the most homophobic man alive.

Jasper knew he shouldn't have opened his mouth at dinner, but it slipped out unintentionally. When his father introduced him to a young woman--the daughter of the rich man he works with--he knew what was happening. It hardly took his father five minutes to announce their planned marriage. His father, being the CEO of a major company, has told Jasper from day one that he'll marry who his father wants him too so the company maintains its pristine reputation.

He shouldn't have blurted out that he can't marry her. He shouldn't have said he's in love with someone else. That's when his father snatched his phone when Jasper tried to discreetly slide it off the table. He read through all of the messages he shared with Warren, his face getting redder and redder the further he scrolled. Jasper had grabbed his phone back and ran before his father could explode on him in public.

And now here Marcus is to save the day. Or try, at least.

"Don't you hate me?" Jasper asks in a quiet, terrified voice, sounding much smaller than he really is. He hasn't told anyone about being bisexual except for Warren. He wasn't even sure his caring older brother would understand.

Marcus rubs his face, another sigh leaving his lips. "Of course I don't hate you. You're my little brother, Jaz. I'm not supposed to dictate who you love; I'm just supposed to protect you from them. Whoever it is."

Jasper blinks at him, but his eyes are still blurry. He can't stop crying. "You s-still love me?"

Marcus laughs. "Yes, you idiot." He playfully pushes the younger. "Who you love doesn't change that, okay? Stop freaking out so bad. You've already ruined my shirt," he teases.

Jasper smiles, but tears still fall.

Marcus grabs his chin, forcing their eyes to meet. "I'll try to talk to him, okay? You won't be kicked out, I promise. If he wants to pull that bullshit, I'll rent us an apartment or something."

Their dad would flip shit if Marcus left. He's the apple of the groucher man's eye. Marcus is the prodigy, the next CEO of the business. Their father wouldn't lose him.

Marcus knows this. And the fact that he would leave all of that behind for Jasper, makes the younger feel slightly guilty, but also indescribably loved.

"Why don't you go home, yeah? I'll take care of it from here."

Jasper nods, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"And Jaz."

"Yeah?"

Marcus smiles kindly. "You do realize I need to meet this kid someday, right?"

Jasper smiles back. "Yeah. You will."

***

Micah's eyes open slowly, a smile still on his face from the memory. He's been getting one every night since the operation last month. Nicola has a trusted surgeon, Sarah, who read through all of the doctor's notes that Harry acquired somehow. Micah was the first to undergo it, the most desperate man to know who he used to be.

Killian had disobeyed the rules and stayed in the operating room during the surgery after Sarah said she wasn't one-hundred percent confident it would work. Though there was no chance of death, Killian hadn't believed her and argued to stay. She let him, probably too annoyed to argue further.

When it worked, he hadn't quite believed it. He thought he was making up random scenarios in his head of what could have been.

Gavriel had been next for his memories, and the man tries to sleep as much as possible now since that's when most of them restore. Micah may have seen him awake four times this week, and it was only for lunch before he went back to sleep and skipped dinner. Micah doubted it was healthy, but he couldn't blame the man. He's always excited to go to sleep, too.

He looks around the room for Killian, but remembers he took a nap after breakfast this morning since Killian would be down at the school all day helping set up. It's not quite up and running yet, but Nicola hopes within another week or two, kids will be pursuing their educations where they left off. Killian wants to be a teacher; he says he's always wanted to be.

The two share a dorm on the camp, like most people do since the rebuilt houses are being filled with families first. Which Micah absolutely agrees with. He doesn't mind staying in the dorm, despite its rough edges from being built quickly and its cramped space. He's stayed in much worse environments.

The door opens and Micah sits up on his elbows, watching Killian bounce in with excitement. Micah quirks a brow at him, but Killian jumps when he notices the older is awake.

"Good Lord, I thought a demon had taken over your body," he says. "I thought you'd still be asleep."

Micah rolls his eyes with a smile. "Just woke up, actually. What are you so happy for?"

"Nicola just secured me a spot in the English department," Killian replies with a grin, doing a little happy dance that makes Micah cringe, but also laugh. "There's actually someone who used to be an English teacher in the camp, and he told me everything I should know. I have studying to do."

"That's boring," Micah says with a frown.

Killian raises a brow. "Did you have something fun on the agenda then?"

Micah shrugs, an idea or two popping into his head but Killian would throw that English textbook at his head if he said them aloud. "Not really," he says instead. "I just wanted to do something, I guess."

"We can go down to the garbage pond," Killian suggests. "I can study there and be with you, so it's a win-win situation."

Micah gets to his feet, agreeing, despite the fact that the garbage ponds smells exactly like that: garbage. It sort of kills any romantic vibe he might've tried to start. But, it does have a nice sunset and there's tons of oak trees around to give it a prettier look.

Micah scrunches his nose at the smell when they arrive. He's been smelling it the past ten minutes with his advanced senses, but Killian keeps rambling on and on about some classic book he wants to find to read again. Micah realizes if it had been anyone else talking, he would've snapped before spinning on his heel and leaving.

Not with Killian, though. Never with Killian.

He even tries to seem interested. "So it's a really good book?"

"I think, but I don't really remember, okay. Like, I know I loved it when I read it, but I read it five years ago so..."

The two plop down in the grass, a fair distance from the pond so the smell isn't as strong, though Micah is practically dying from it. He uses it as an excuse to show his face into Killian's shoulder. Killian is unfazed, still chattering away.

"I'm boring you, aren't I?" Killain asks after a few moments.

Micah lifts his face, resting his chin on Killian's shoulder. "A little, yes, but I don't mind listening since you're so ecstatic about it."

"You would let me bore you just to please myself?"

"Yup. And I could listen to you talk for hours, honestly."

Killian blushes, but tries to hide it by laughing. "Who knew Micah, a once anticipated overlord, could be such a softie."

"I never wanted to be an 'overlord,' you asshole." Micah rolls his eyes. "I just wanted enough power to get rid of you-know-who."

"Well, I'm glad you don't want to be an overlord. I hate power-hungry people."

"So you hate me then."

"No! You said you didn't want power!"

Micah chuckles. "I don't."

"What do you want in life then?"

Micah leans forward, kissing Killian's cheek. "I already have it."

Killian turns to him, eyes wide. "You cheesy bastard."

"What? I'm talking about having my own garbage pond, of course. What did you think I meant?"

Killian goes to smack him in the chest, but Micah catches his wrist, kissing the back of Killian's hand gently. He really likes seeing Killian's face flush. He likes having the confidence he lacked when the two first met. It's nice to be the one causing the blush instead of being the one to blush. He's comfortable with Killian now, and with his memories coming back, it's so much easier to be open like this.

"Can I say something?" Micah whispers, suddenly feeling as if he shouldn't speak too loud.

Killian nods, his hand still in Micah's.

Micah lets his forehead fall to rest against the younger's. "I'm really grateful I met you."

Killian gives him a soft look. "Micah--"

"I don't think... I don't think I would have had the strength to keep going if you hadn't come along. I was starting to lose hope and... I didn't feel anything. I couldn't feel anything after all I'd been through. Even in my past life, I've never felt so many emotions until you."

Not even with Warren, who was with "Jasper" through some of the worst times in his life. He'd been in love with that boy, but now he's merely a faded memory, one that could be only a dream and Micah would know no difference. He's glad he has his memories back, but those don't change who he is now. Why he is who he is now.

"I love you. Don't forget that, okay?" Micah whispers.

Killian smiles, leaning forward to connect their lips. Micah's arm instantly winds around the younger's waist, pulling him closer. The two fall back into the grass, Micah hovering over Killian, wishing he could stay like this forever.

Even the stench of the pond can't ruin the moment.

***

Evelyn is frowning as she walks around the camp, asking various people if they've seen Harry anywhere. It's not that she's worried something happened to him--she knows better. It's just odd for him to up and vanish... Especially when they're all cooped up on a single property.

She's rounding a corner of the building that leads down to the cells when two arms wrap around her waist, yanking her back. Instantly on survival mode, automatically assuming Torrin had escaped again, she throws her elbow back into the culprit's throat, then leans down and grasps their ankles, snatching them out from under the man. He lands on his back with a cough.

She turns around, ready to snap angrily when she stumbles over herself, choking on her own spit. "W-what, Harry? You know you can't just grab me!"

"Well," Harry grunts, rubbing the base of his throat. If he were anyone else, it might've killed him. "Most girls would've found it cute."

She gives him a look.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbles. "You're not most girls. Definitely not."

She helps him up, huffing. "I've been looking for you half the afternoon and you decide to pop out like a serial killer."

"I think you're a bit dramatic. All I wanted to do was literally hug you from behind," he says, smiling partially at her. 

"It felt like an attack to me," she mumbles, averting her gaze. 

His eyes soften. He knows how badly she's been struggling to get used to having structure and order again. She isn't used to trusting whoever pops out from around a corner, even if she knows she's in the safety of her camp. He knows he can't quite do romance with her like he would have with a girl in the past.

He kisses her forehead. "I would apologize but you nearly busted my windpipe, so I'd say we're even."

She rolls her eyes but grins. "Fine, we're even."

"Anyways," he says, lacing their fingers, "I want you to join me on my next riveting task for Nicole."

"Oh? And that would be?"

"The roof to her office has a leak."

"Doesn't she have a guy for that specifically?"

"She swears an experiment went up there with attempts to bust in on her while she slept to kill her," Harry replies monotonously.

"Well, fair enough, I suppose," Evelyn remarks sarcastically. "Can't it wait till morning? It's getting dark out now."

Harry kisses her cheek. "It'll be quick. I need company."

"You could've had company three hours ago if you bothered to come out of hiding."

Harry gives her a cross between a sympathetic and amused look, saying nothing else as he tugs her along with him, majority of the camp members beginning to tuck away to their dorms for the night.

He inhales a sharp breath. He hopes this doesn't completely fail.

More so, he hopes Max doesn't screw up.

He knew this was a shitty plan...

"Why so quiet?" Evelyn asks, catching up to walk beside him as she swings their arms between them casually. 

"Just thinking..."

"What, that an experiment wants to kill Nicole in her sleep by making a hole in her roof?" she snorts.

"You never know."

"As a paranoid person myself, I can say she's being utterly ridiculous."

Harry chuckles, shaking his head. "Go tell her that, then."

"I'll tell her in the morning, how's that?"

They use the ladder resting against the side of the building to climb up. Nicole has been trying to make the structure taller, so there's spare wood stacked on the side of the roof, some pieces of plywood already nailed down along the trim. Max is standing where he's supposed to in the corner, and he gives Harry a wide eyed look when Evelyn appears behind him.

The candle on the makeshift table (out of a log and extra plywood, and the candle was found in the warehouse... "candle" is generous considering it's a mere tea light) is lit, and Max lifts the guitar he found in one of the dorms weeks ago.

Then Harry cringes.

He's awful.

Max himself has his nose scrunched as he strums the cords while Harry massages his forehead, too humiliated to look up for Evelyn's reaction.

He doesn't need to look--he hears it when she bursts into a fit of laughter.

He can't say he expected a reaction of awestruck joy, anyways... But... is she mocking his attempt?

"Hey!" Max shouts, pointing the guitar at her. "I practiced a whole fifteen minutes for this solo, so you better appreciate it."

"Do continue," she says, giggling.

He starts again until the instrument shrieks abnormally. He licks his lips, clicks his tongue, then jabs his thumb towards the ladder. "You know... I'm just gonna..." He makes a break for it, dropping the guitar and disappearing in an instant.

Harry's cheeks are so red. He can't even manage to look up.

Evelyn's hands tug his own away from his face. There's a smile on her lips that make his cheeks warmer. "Are you embarrassed?" she asks softly, biting her lip to keep from laughing further.

Harry rubs his jaw, averting his gaze. 

"Harry. Hey, come on." She cups his cheeks. "I'm laughing at how idiotic Max looked holding anything that isn't a baseball bat. You know he's never held an instrument in his life, right?" She steps closer, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Did you do all of this just to give me that date you promised?"

He wraps an arm around her shoulders, leaning his cheek on her hair. "I wouldn't say this is the date I promised, but..."

"I love it," she whispers with complete sincerity. Harry tries to find the forced genuinity in her voice; he can't fathom the idea that she truly likes it.

But she's being a hundred percent truthful. There isn't even a skip in her heart rate.

"Well," she says, pulling away to go sit cross-legged on the roof at the makeshift table. She grins at him. "What's for dinner?"

***

MAXIE'S JOURNAL

ENTRY #1

AUGUST, 2084

Hello, readers of the future. My name is Maxie, a frail fifteen year old that somehow struck the jackpot when meeting the best people of her life. My previous journal is lost to me now, but hopefully someone is able to stumble upon it eventually. There's a lot of fear in those entries, a lot of words in panicked scribble because I was constantly convinced it would be my last few moments.

Not anymore.

I get to write this journal with complete content, knowing I'm safe and sound as the world restores around me. I'll be recalling every memory, from the beginning of the war until now. It's hard to believe it's truly over. The nightmares are finally going to end.

Needless to say, it won't be easy. It takes a lot to get the country moving fluidly on its own again. We're lucky we have Nicole, someone smart and compassionate about fixing everything. We're lucky we have people like Harry and Evelyn and Micah, always ready to defend humanity. With them around, I don't think it's possible the world could fall apart again.

They're the ones who helped fix it, after all.

But don't worry. You'll meet each character in time and I'll try to do my best to jot down the things I know. I want it to be authentic, how I felt in that particular setting with them. I can easily call them family now, but it wasn't always so easy.

A lot has happened in a few months.

A lot.

But that's why I'm here, and that's why you--future readers of upcoming generations--are reading this now. So you know how it all happened. I may not have all the answers for the whys and the hows, but I can confidently say I know the end result. 

I don't know all the specifics as to why the war started, but I know how it affected people as a whole. I don't know all the specifics as to why the experiments lashed out of control, but I know now they were only tormented souls desperate for some kind of release. 

I'm here to say up front that there is no true villain in this tale apart from the scientist who started it all. But then again, can a man who had a vision of a peaceful world really be the villain? If his heart was in the right place, but his brain didn't know how to carve the path to get there? That's not for me to decide, anymore. He's with his own maker now; we'll let the Big Man upstairs do that tedious judging.

But this is the start to what I hope will keep people from picking sides. Some of the heroes in this book started off as villains. Some of the heroes had a hard time proving they're truly good. That's how life goes. It isn't one easy straight line where you either venture off the path or you don't.

Life is an absolute mess.

And with every story, there's always more than one side to be told.

So let's move on to entry two, where I introduce you all to the first hero to make her mark...

THE END