Tallahassee, United States
4:40 p.m., August 17, 2010
The ice cream shop was relatively empty that late afternoon.
Jason and Melody sat at a table in the back, far away from the other customers.
As soon as they sat down, Melody crossed her arms.
The look in her eyes made it clear that she would not accept any vague answers.
Jason smiled awkwardly.
“You’re scaring me.”
“Good.”
She did not even open the menu.
“Now you’re going to explain what’s happening.”
Jason remained silent.
Melody took a deep breath.
“Yesterday, when your mother called me to ask if I knew where you were, I became worried.”
She rested her elbows on the table.
“Since I’m one of the people who knows you best, I started thinking about where you might have gone.”
Jason felt a chill travel down his spine.
“So I made a few calls.”
His eyes widened slightly.
“I called Mr.
Carter.”
Jason said nothing.
“He told me you stopped by his store and bought a mountain of camping equipment.”
Melody paused briefly.
“Up to that point, everything seemed fine.
You’re always buying things there.”
Then she tilted her head slightly.
“The strange part was how much you bought.”
Jason remained silent.
“Then you disappeared again during break today.”
“I found out you were looking for Jimmy to discuss installing solar panels and reinforcing the bumpers on your family’s motorhome.”
“And knowing you, that can’t be a coincidence.”
Her brown eyes remained fixed on his.
“So I started putting the pieces together.”
Jason felt his heart begin to race.
“All of this started after Todd mentioned those rumors about cannibalism in Georgia.”
She asked the question calmly.
“Jason…”
“What are you preparing for?”
For several seconds, only the distant hum of the ice cream machine could be heard.
Jason did not answer.
He did not need to.
The faint flicker of alarm across his face was enough.
Melody noticed.
Her expression changed immediately.
Suspicion gave way to concern.
She had known Jason for years.
She knew how to tell when he was lying.
And at that moment…
He was not.
Melody took a deep breath.
“My God…”
Her voice came out as little more than a whisper.
“You really believe those rumors are true, don’t you?”
Jason closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them again, he found Melody waiting for an answer.
For the first time since discovering the name Rick Grimes…
He considered telling another person the truth.
Jason took a deep breath.
When he faced her again, every trace of hesitation had vanished from his expression.
“These aren’t merely cases of cannibalism.”
Melody remained silent.
“The dead are coming back to life.”
She frowned.
“What?”
“Dead people are attacking and devouring the living.
Someone is trying to hide it from the public, but they won’t be able to do so for much longer.”
Jason spoke quietly, but with a conviction Melody had never seen before.
“Within a few days, everything will spiral out of control.”
He turned his gaze toward the ice cream shop’s window.
Outside, cars passed by as usual.
People walked along the sidewalk.
Everything looked perfectly ordinary.
“The world as we know it is going to end.”
Melody remained silent for several seconds.
Then she took a deep breath.
“Jason…”
She placed both hands on the table.
“Are you listening to yourself?”
“I am.”
“The dead coming back to life?”
“Yes.”
Melody shook her head.
“That’s impossible.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
Her tone remained calm, but the concern in her voice was unmistakable.
“You spent the entire night researching these cases, disappeared yesterday, and started buying survival equipment…”
She paused.
“And now you’re telling me there’s going to be an apocalypse.”
Jason did not respond.
“I’m the person who knows you best.”
Melody held his gaze.
“You’ve never been impulsive.
You’ve never believed in conspiracy theories.
You’ve never done anything without analyzing all the facts first.”
She took another deep breath.
“That’s exactly why I’m worried.”
Jason remained silent for a few moments.
Then he spoke.
“I know how all of this sounds.”
“Then tell me why I should believe you.”
Jason lowered his head.
“Because I can’t explain.”
“You can’t…”
“Or I shouldn’t.”
Melody stared at him, unable to understand.
“There’s a reason I’m so certain.
But if I try to explain it now, you’ll think I’ve completely lost my mind.”
She continued waiting.
Jason raised his eyes.
“I’m only going to ask you for one thing.”
“What?”
“Give me the benefit of the doubt.”
Melody remained silent.
“You don’t have to believe me today.”
“Just watch.”
“In a few days, you’ll find out for yourself whether I was right or wrong.”
She crossed her arms again.
Logic told her it was absurd.
Everything Jason had told her defied any rational explanation.
But there was another problem.
She knew Jason.
She had known him for years.
Since the Scouts.
Since the academic competitions.
Since the countless conversations that lasted late into the night.
Throughout all that time, Jason had rarely been wrong whenever he spoke with such conviction.
Most of the time, she disagreed with him at first.
Then, after a while…
She discovered that he had been right.
That was exactly why she felt so conflicted.
Her reason told her to ignore everything he had said.
Her heart told her to trust him.
After a long silence, Melody released a sigh.
“I don’t believe in the living dead.”
Jason merely nodded.
It was the answer he had expected.
“But…”
Melody reached across the table and took his hand.
“I believe you.”
Jason’s eyes met hers.
“I’m willing to trust you on this.”
She gently squeezed his hand.
“I just hope that, this time, you’re wrong.”
For several moments, they remained silent.
Jason rose from his chair and walked over to Melody.
Without saying a word, he gently held her face and kissed her.
When they pulled apart, he took out his phone.
A few taps on the screen.
Several seconds later, Melody’s phone vibrated.
She looked at the notification, and her eyes widened.
“Jason…”
She looked at the screen again.
“This…
This is far too much money.”
“I know.”
“I can’t accept it.”
She held the phone out toward him.
“Take the money back.”
Jason shook his head.
“Keep it.”
“No.”
“Melody…”
She took a deep breath.
“I know you trust me, but this is too much.”
Jason’s expression remained serious.
“Within a few days, money won’t have the same importance it has today.”
Melody sighed.
“You still believe that…”
“More than ever.”
She lowered her gaze.
Jason continued.
“I’m grounded.
I can’t go out after school or drive for a while.
I need you to buy a few things for me.”
Melody looked up again.
“What kind of things?”
“Buy the essentials for an emergency.”
She frowned.
“And get some books too.”
“Books?”
Jason nodded.
“Books about sanitation, water supply systems, carpentry, water filtration techniques, and simple methods of generating power, such as water wheels.”
Melody thought about it for several seconds.
“You really have thought of everything…”
Jason smiled faintly.
“Not yet.”
“But I’m trying.”
She placed her phone inside her purse.
“All right.”
“I still think this entire story is completely absurd.”
“But I’ll do what you asked.”
Jason released a sigh of relief.
“Thank you.”
“Just don’t make me regret trusting you.”
They said goodbye with one final embrace.
Melody walked slowly along the sidewalk toward her house.
As she moved farther away, her mind remained divided.
It was impossible to accept the idea of an apocalypse.
The living dead.
The end of civilization.
None of it made sense.
Even so…
Jason had never seemed more serious.
She had known him for years.
She knew when he was bluffing.
And she knew when he truly believed what he was saying.
Maybe he’s completely wrong…
Melody thought as she observed the peaceful streets around her.
But if, for some reason, he’s right…
She tightened her grip on the strap of her purse.
…it can’t hurt to be prepared.
An old Scout motto naturally surfaced in her memory.
Be Prepared.
With her decision made, Melody quietly changed direction.
Before returning home, she would make one more stop.
Tallahassee, United States
6:30 p.m., August 17, 2010
By the time Jason arrived home, the sun had already begun to disappear below the horizon.
As soon as he entered, he found his parents in the living room.
“Hi, Mom.
Hi, Dad.”
Jennifer responded with a faint smile.
She was still somewhat upset about his disappearance the previous day, but she seemed calmer.
“Go take a shower.
Dinner is almost ready.”
“All right.”
Jason went upstairs to his room.
His conversation with Melody still occupied his thoughts.
She did not believe in the living dead.
But she believed in him.
For now, that was enough.
He entered the bathroom and turned on the shower.
The cold water helped relieve some of the tension that had accumulated over the past two days.
As the water ran over him, his mind organized his next steps.
There was still so much to prepare.
Far too little time.
And no room for mistakes.
When he finished showering, he changed into comfortable clothes.
A few seconds later, he heard his mother’s voice echo through the hallway.
“Jason!
Dinner is on the table!”
“I’m coming down!”
When he reached the kitchen, he found Jennifer finishing serving the food while Robert arranged the silverware.
The three of them began eating in silence.
The atmosphere was still somewhat awkward because of the scolding Jason had received the previous day.
Then he decided to break the silence.
“Dad…
It’s been a long time since we took a family trip, don’t you think?”
Robert looked up from his plate.
“It has.
I don’t think we’ve all gone away together for more than a few days since the trip to Disney World.”
Jennifer smiled.
“I miss that too.”
Jason seized the opportunity.
“I was thinking…
Maybe we could travel in the motorhome during our next vacation.”
Robert appeared interested.
“Where would we go?”
“Maybe a national park.
We could camp for a few days, go fishing, hike…
It’s been a long time since we took that kind of trip.”
Jennifer looked at her husband.
“That could be fun.”
Robert considered the idea for several seconds.
“The motorhome needs a few repairs before we take it on the road.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Jason replied.
“If we’re going on a long trip, it might be worth installing solar panels.
That way, we wouldn’t have to depend on campgrounds to recharge the batteries.”
Robert slowly nodded.
“Good idea.”
“And perhaps we could reinforce the bumpers too.
Some of the dirt roads leading to the parks are pretty rough.
It would be good to avoid problems if we encountered rocks or fallen branches along the way.”
“That’s true,” Robert agreed.
“The original bumper can’t take much abuse.”
Jennifer laughed.
“I know you two.
A simple family vacation is already turning into an engineering project.”
Jason smiled.
“Better to be prepared than stranded in the middle of nowhere.”
Robert took a sip of juice before speaking again.
“If we’re going to prepare the motorhome, perhaps it would also be a good idea to buy a new hunting rifle.”
Jason pretended to be surprised.
“You’re still thinking about that?”
“I am.
My old rifle was ruined years ago.
If we’re going to spend several days in areas where hunting is permitted, it would be useful to have decent equipment.
And I want to teach you once you get your license.”
Jason nodded, keeping his expression neutral.
“I’d like to learn.”
Robert continued.
“I’ve also been thinking about buying a handgun to keep in the house.”
Jennifer gave him a disapproving look.
“This again?”
“I’m not saying we’ll ever need to use it.
But I like being prepared for emergencies.
Hurricanes, break-ins…
You never know.”
Jennifer sighed.
“As long as it remains securely stored and away from the children from the orphanage whenever they come to visit, I won’t object.”
“Of course.”
Jason remained silent, concealing his relief.
A simple conversation over dinner had set several important pieces of his plan in motion.
Now he only had to hope that everything would be ready before August 25.
Later that same night, after the repair shop had closed, Jimmy found his father putting away the last of his tools.
The metallic clang of a wrench being placed on the workbench echoed through the garage.
“Dad?”
The man raised his head.
“What is it, son?”
“I ran into Jason at school today.”
“The Miller boy?”
“That’s him.”
The mechanic wiped his hands on a rag before leaning against the workbench.
“What did he want?”
“He wanted to know if you could make a few modifications to his family’s motorhome.”
“What kind of modifications?”
Jimmy tried to remember the conversation.
“Install solar panels…
reinforce the bumpers…
and maybe add a roof rack too.”
His father smiled.
“Nothing too complicated.”
“Can you do it?”
“Of course.
I’ve done similar work on other motorhomes.
These days, many people like to travel without depending on campgrounds.”
Jimmy shrugged.
“That’s exactly what he said.
He told me they wanted to take a family trip during their next vacation.”
The mechanic gave a quiet laugh.
“Knowing Robert, I’m not surprised.
He has always enjoyed camping.”
Jimmy remained silent for several seconds.
“I thought it was strange.”
“What was?”
“Jason.”
“Strange in what way?”
“He seemed…
rushed.”
His father raised an eyebrow.
“Rushed?”
“As if he were racing against time.”
The mechanic returned to organizing his tools.
“Maybe he’s simply excited about the trip.”
“Maybe…”
Jimmy did not sound convinced.
“He’s been acting differently since Monday.”
“Different how?”
“More serious.”
“Distracted.”
“And Jason has never been like that.”
His father closed the toolbox.
“Sometimes people are simply going through a difficult time, son.”
“That could be it.”
Jimmy nodded.
“If Robert comes by, tell him I can do the work.”
The mechanic turned off the shop’s lights.
“And tell Jason that if he has any other ideas for the motorhome, it would be better to do everything at once.
It will be cheaper than taking everything apart twice.”
Jimmy smiled.
“You got it.”
As father and son closed the repair shop, neither of them imagined that this simple job would transform the Millers’ old motorhome into one of the most important places in their lives only a few days later.