CHAPTER 20
DESPERATE TIMES

18 MONTHS LATER

EVERYONE thought the Cooperative was coming to save them a year ago. They never did. Nuclear winter came, and it finished off anything left alive from the bombs.

The only thing that changed about Coraline Avery was that she was another year into her twenties. The rest of her life had become continuous. Her visions were coming sparingly now, almost one every four months. She wondered if there was some kind of barrier in her mind now, but truthfully, she hardly knew a thing about her visions anyways, even after all these years. Throughout the past eighteen months, her previous one continued. She kept reliving the black eyes arriving to Outpost 3. After seeing the same pair for several months, one would think she would have an inkling of who the person was. But she had nothing. You could only assume so much from black eyes and a white face.

Miriam Mead still didn't remember a goddamn thing about her. At this point, Coraline was convinced Ms. Mead either blocked out every memory she had with Coraline, or she was simply playing a game with her. Sometimes, Coraline would mention small memories she had of Miriam to her, but the older woman would give her a perplexed expression and walk away. She looked at Coraline like she did recognize — deep down — but still ... she refused to acknowledge it. It was so frustrating. Out of all people for Coraline to be stuck with after the Apocalypse, it was her Satanic neighbor from high school, and the woman somehow didn't remember her.

The no sex rule, or she should say the "no unauthorized copulation" rule, grew on her over time. Coraline didn't have sex with a lot of people before the End, unless alcohol was involved – then she became dangerous. But upon entering this enclosed facility, she thought that maybe – just maybe – she could've found the love of her life here. Call her old-fashioned, but in the means of the end of the world, she started to think irrationally. She was hoping her life would end up like those young adult romance novels she used to read.

She was dead wrong. Most of the men encapsulating the facility were gay. No luck, no fairytale ending. Her finger became her best friend, even though she wasn't a fan of masturbation. She would simply do it in the confines of her bedroom, mainly in her bathtub, because God knows she had all the time in the world now. While the earth got cold and deadlier, Coraline sat in her warm tub, thinking about the men she used to kiss and trying to get herself off. It was so much work, even with the entertaining thoughts of Gabriel, who was probably a pile of ash now.

These were truly desperate times.

She tried her best to get used to her new house mates, but eighteen months didn't do that much. Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt was probably the most annoying human life form that Coraline had ever met, one that totally didn't deserve to survive the fallout. She never shut up and would constantly bring up to Coraline that she looked like she "didn't belong there." Coraline didn't care about her opinion, because while she had lost everything, she did have a lot of money once, but explaining that part would cause Coco's puny brain to melt.

Coco was frequently accompanied by Mallory, the Grey servant Coraline had met on her first day. Mallory was kind and smart, but hardly had a personality. She had this monotone voice, and Coraline occasionally tried to get some excitement out of her, but that never helped. She liked talking to Mallory, though sometimes it was like talking to a corpse. Coraline didn't have many people left, so she had to make do.

Timothy and Emily stayed out of her way, probably because they having sex behind Ms. Venable's back. They made it super obvious, and all Coraline wanted to do was expose them to the others, but she wasn't – above all things – a snitch. It just pissed her off that she had to get off by her own finger while two former-college students were shacking it up next door.

It was cool to get to know a celebrity like Dinah Stevens, but Coraline came to find out that the woman liked to speak in soap opera dialogue and Oprah quotes. That became tiring after a while. Not to mention that her son, Andre, was always crying. After his boyfriend, Stu, became – well – the literal stew, Andre was never seen without tears streaming down his face. His lover was found to be contaminated over a year ago, but Andre wouldn't get over it.

Evie Gallant was a fucking enigma most of the time. Like most of the others, she never kept her mouth shut, always flapping her gums in her loud accent. She used to live a lifestyle full of wealth and gluttony, but somehow, living off one ration of food a day didn't bother her. She considered it a form of "dieting." However, when the "Stu Stew" had been served, she didn't hesitate to eat every last drop. Even after Venable told them the stew wasn't made from their fallen comrade, none of them dared to eat it. But Evie ... she was a brave soul.

The only person Coraline somehow seemed to tolerate was Evie's grandson, who asked her to call him Mr. Gallant. He used to be a famous hairstylist from Santa Monica, but now the only person he had to work on was Coco's dry and lifeless hair. He was funny though, Coraline would give him that. He didn't look at her weirdly either, not like the rest of the rich house mates surrounding them. Coraline guessed it was because he was the only person, besides Ms. Venable and Ms. Mead, to know her last name. Once he found out she was well-known businessman, Jacob Avery's, daughter, he revealed, "Are you kidding me, Cor?! I used to cut your daddy's hair! It was always so soft. You're lucky I didn't jump his bones, but I heard he had a girlfriend."

Jacob Avery also had a wife too, at one point, but Coraline decided to keep quiet about that.

Her newfound friendship with Gallant did have it's perks though. Despite having to endure the presence of his irritating grandmother, Coraline got a fresh cut whenever she asked. As September 2022 came along, Coraline decided it was time for a new look, and allowed Gallant to style her hair into a new, fresh bob. She hadn't had her hair cut to her shoulders since – well, since the bombs dropped. Coraline remembered when bobs were the latest fashion, back in 2018, and that memory made her sad.

Actually, the whole fucking Outpost made her sad. She felt guilty. Not just of her past, but because she was chosen to survive. Whoever the guy was that decided she was a right fit for the last of mankind, clearly didn't realize how incapable an idle woman with visions could be, especially one that was only predicting the sight of black eyes.

She didn't realize how soon she would see those black eyes in person.

•••

"God," Coraline whispered, staring down at her plate as a Grey set it in front of her. The food never changed. Her eyes were dead and her stomach churned. She wanted to put earplugs in her ears. "I'm so fucking tired of hearing this damn Maureen McGovern song. It's been –"

Ms. Venable tapped her cane against the hard floorboard, signaling her entrance. Her dark eyes scanned the room and took in everyone's battered appearance. She had to fight a smile from reaching her lips. It was so difficult not to laugh at Coco's hair, which looked like she had been struck by lightening.

"I have an announcement," Venable exclaimed, taking her seat at the head of the table. The fireplace crackled behind her, causing a shadow to cast over her face.

Coraline felt her chest grow tight, and she didn't know if it was from anxiety or her constricting corset. While shifting her gaze to Ms. Venable, she sliced through the small, gelatin rectangle with her fork and chewed quickly.

Venable pursed her lips. "This will be our last breakfast. We're cutting back to one meal a day."

"You can't be serious," Coco scoffed.

"An effective dieting technique," Evie commented.

Coraline narrowed her eyes. "That's not dieting. That's called starving ourselves."

"How are we supposed to survive on half a cube?!" Gallant asked, furrowing his brow towards Venable.

"It's not optimal, but also not impossible," Ms. Venable argued with a pointed stare. "Either way we have no choice. Not if we want to keep eating at all."

Coraline looked to the ceiling and shook her head. So this was how they really died. They were allowed to survived for only a short time, but they were always going to slowly die out because of a lack of food. Perfect. When was the plot twist going to hit? The one where they suddenly found more food and they stayed alive for a few more months? Coraline rubbed at her temples. It was foolish to even think that way. She didn't know why she tried.

If she was going to die, this was the worst way. She wanted her death to be quick, free of pain. Looks like she wasn't getting her happy ending.

Gallant shook his head wildly. "I fucking can't do this anymore!" He waved his hands around as he exclaimed, "I can't! I fucking can't!"

"We don't know how strong we are until we have to face adversity," Dinah preached while standing up. She smiled proudly. "This could be an opportunity for all of us to grow."

Gallant picked up his fork and pointed it in Dinah's direction. "If you finish that bumper sticker shit you used to say on your show, then I'm strong enough to shove this fork in your neck!"

Coco yanked down on Gallant's purple dress shirt as Coraline seethed, "Sit down!"

"What is the point of all of this?!" Coco shrieked, mouth wobbling as she fought back tears. On her right, Venable and Ms. Mead shared a glance. "Starving, killing each other, getting shot. All we're doing is waiting around to find out how we die!"

The room was silent for a moment, with Ms. Venable scowling in each of their directions. Finally, Coraline leaned forward and pointed her fork in Coco's direction. "You know," she muttered, "that's probably the smartest thing Coco has said in the last year and a half."

Mallory nodded her head quickly. "I say we take our chances outside."

"She's right," Gallant agreed. "We gotta get out of here! Who's with me?"

Ms. Mead's eyes turned dark as they landed on Gallant. It sent a shiver down Coraline's spine. "Nobody's going anywhere," she warned.

Gallant huffed. He picked up his plate then, and before his grandmother could stop him, he threw it across the room. The plate cracked against the wall instantly, creating a dent in the cement. It shattered and sent pieces scattering across the floor. The room was utterly silent, with the exception of Maureen McGovern's classic hit, "The Morning After," playing loudly in the background. No one dared to breathe as Gallant turned to his superiors with a heated expression. The candles flickered, their flames swiveling.

"What are you gonna do?!" Gallant screeched, kicking his chair back. "Shoot us all? Huh?!"

The song, combined with Gallant's screams, was nauseating. Coraline plugged her fingers into her ears, but she could still hear it all. A panic washed over her.

There's got to be a morning after ... We're moving closer to the shore ...

Gallant jumped in the air, waving his arms around. "WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?!" He continued with frustration. "Shoot me, for all I fucking care! It's better than dying a slow and painful death!"

I know we'll be there by tomorrow ... And we'll escape the darkness ...

Evie rolled her eyes and pointed her fork towards her grandson. "Can you please –"

"You – shut up," Gallant hissed through clenched teeth.

We won't be searching anymore ...

Coraline rocked herself back and forth, screaming, "EVERYONE SHUT UP!" Her nails were scraping the insides of her earlobes the more she dug them in, if that was even possible. She wanted the silence again. It was so much more comfortable. She wanted Evie to stop condemning her grandson. She wanted Gallant to stop yelling. And she, especially, wanted this stupid, fucking Maureen McGovern song to cease –

Ms. Mead was ready to stun him. Venable's chair scraped against the floor as she stood. Before she could announce a proper punishment, an alarm began to blare in their ears. Coraline's eyes searched around the room, wondering if she was hearing that through her plugged-up ears. The chandelier above their heads began to reflect an intense red. Everyone stood from their seats, looking around, but Coraline kept her butt firmly in it's place, afraid to even move.

"Perimeter alert," the Fist, one Venable's armed guards, claimed. "There's been a breach."

Ms. Venable's brow knitted together. She stepped forward with confusion, but followed her colleague nonetheless. The alarms continued to boom as Ms. Mead trailed her associates, until only the survivors were left in the room. The emergency sounds reminded Coraline of the day the world ended, and before she could reflect on that horrible date, silence engulfed the room.

No more alarms. No more music. No more screams.

Then the radio shifted static. A familiar tune rang through the speakers. Maureen McGovern's shaky voice turned into a male's: "Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack ... I went out for a ride and I never went back ..."

Coraline would know this song anywhere, even with the static echoing in the background of the old radio. She knew the rhythm of the guitar, the beat of the drums, the tempo of the base. It was a classic. The group of survivors scrunched up their brows, confusion covering all their faces.

Like a river that don't know where it's flowing ... I took a wrong turn and I just kept going ...

Coraline tore her fingers from her ears and stood up, not believing the next lyrics to blast from the radio.

Everybody's got a hungry heart!

A scream clogged in her throat. This wasn't it. He couldn't have survived the End. No – it couldn't be. Not now. Not when they were going to die soon. Not after what he almost did. Not after what she did to him. Not after the Apocalypse.

"No," she shook her head violently, "no fucking way." It had been five years – five, long years. It hadn't been long enough. Coraline stared ahead, frozen in place.

He found her.

•••

A/N: MANZ IS HERE I REPEAT MANZ IS HERE

Wow I'm sorry half of this chapter is just info dumping but I just had to to explain some stuff!!!! But again!!! OUR ZADDY IS HERE PEOPLE

MICHAEL AND CORALINE ARE ON A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL NOW 😈

Last but not least

Thanks lunimous ://////