Hunted || Wesari

Epilogue

It was a beautiful day.

The sun shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the people below it, who were seated in chairs. Over the past two years, Wes and Mari had come to know many people in the community, and had invited almost everyone.

Between the rows of chairs was a walkway. They couldn't find any carpets, but neither of them had really minded. The grass looked pretty enough.

Wes stood underneath a tree, dressed in the a suit someone had found in their houses' closet. Despite his stature, it had somehow fit him, which was considered a miracle in Wes' book.

A priest stood behind him, bible open. Neither of them was religious, but seeing as there were no one else who could officiate their wedding, they had asked him. Wes was agnostic, after all. There was a chance God was out there. And if he was, why not get their marriage officiated under him? It wasn't like it could do any harm.

Wes surveyed the crowd as he waited. He spotted Noah's girlfriend, Tiffany, her black hair shining in the sunlight. In front of her were Ned and his wife, Ariel, two people Wes had met while he was on farming duty. Sitting next to them was Keith, his arm around his wife, Becky, and, of course, Zach.

Mari had never ended up going on trial, as Brenden had pardoned her on the grounds that she was doing it for survival's sake (the laws were different here than they were in America). Zach had been infuriated, going as far as to call for Brenden to be impeached. Wes had hated him for a long time, until Keith explained to him how Zach had loved Eugene. Then all Wes could do was feel sad for him.

It hadn't taken very long for Mari and him to settle into the community. Things were pretty simple here. You did your work, and in return got food, water, and shelter. There were rotations, where you'd trade jobs with someone else. Wes had been here two years, and had performed every job there was.

Of course, Wes and Mari had done a little more than required of them. Sitting in the hospital, in a heavily locked cupboard, were two small vials of their blood, lying next to each other. They were only to be used in emergencies, and very little of the people in the community knew of them. Brenden had realized quite quickly that there wasn't enough blood in the two of them to make everyone immune, and even if there was, drinking other people's blood came with a slew of possible health defects. They were an emergency backup, only to be used if someone was bitten. To his knowledge, they'd never been used; seeing as it was four years after the breakout, people had had plenty of time to learn how to deal with the infecteds. Wes was glad for it; the thought of other people drinking his blood made him squeamish.

He and Mari lived in a small house, as there was two of them. Single people had to live in apartments or abandoned hotels until they got a roommate or significant other. They were already used to living with each other, after the months they'd spent in the cabin. They got used to their new housing arrangements quickly, falling into pretty much the same routine they'd had there. Of course, things were different; breakfast was at a scheduled time, they knew exactly what their jobs were, and so forth. In many ways, Wes thought it was better. Life at the cabin had been hectic, and he was a man who had always preferred things to be organized.

Suddenly, a hush fell over everyone, breaking him off from his train of thoughts. Soon, Wes could see why. Emerging from the trees was Noah, but that wasn't who was attracting everyone's attention; it was the woman softly clutching his arm.

Wes' breath caught in his throat. Mari looked stunning. It was the only time Wes had seen in her in a dress, but she pulled it off well, letting the white dress with red floral patterns hug her figure. Her hair was braided, and swept over her shoulder. The purple was completely gone, replaced with the natural black. She was even wearing a light layer of makeup.