Chapter Text
Alice couldn’t believe this was happening.
Joseph was right.
He was right.
They had all watched the bombs go off in the distance - the group fighting him scattered, all running to different bunkers, all praying they’d get there safe, nobody knowing if anyone else got to safety.
Not even those in her car: Staci panicked, Alice lost control - then everything was blank.
Joseph was standing in front of her when she woke up, handcuffed to a bed. Just like the first bunker she’d been in, all those months ago, with Dutch.
Where was Dutch? Not in this bunker - it… Where was everyone ?
Faith was with Sharky, she knew that - she knew her love was safe.
If they got to his bunker.
God, she hoped they got to his bunker.
Everyone who had helped with that last fight… She didn’t even know who was actually there. The bliss was so strong… She knew that everyone in the car was actually there, but… Mary May? Nick, Hurk, Wheaty...
Oh.
Nick.
If he was there - she prayed he was able to make it back to his house, back to Kim and little Carmina, to the closest bunker…
And her cats.
It was stupid to worry about them - in the grand scheme of things, her cats didn’t matter, but... Them, Boomer, Peaches and Cheeseburger - she was worried for all of them, for everyone (every thing ) that couldn’t make it to safety.
The door to the little room she was in snapped open, Joseph (looking rough - a cut over his nose, bruises everywhere, burns on his arms… How bad did she look?) strode in, leaning on the table across from her.
“Joseph.”
“Deputy.” He took a deep breath, then leaned down in front of her. “You know what this means?”
“The world is fucked?”
He ignored her. “The politicians are silent. The corporations are gone. God’s righteousness has cleansed the earth. And I was right .”
“Joseph..”
“The Collapse happened. The world as we know it is gone - I waited for this, I prepared my family…” He glared at her, and Alice shrank back, knowing how angry he was. “You took them from me. I should kill you - but now you’re my family.”
A protest died on her lips (his brothers were - had been - are? alive, Faith was (should be, a small voice in her head whispered) safe, in a location the resistance and the Project alike couldn’t get her…) as he continued, saying how she would be at his side when they left the bunker, going to what he expected to be Eden’s Gate.
He leaned back against the table, giving her one of his trademarked bone-chilling stares.
There was no way for her to get out.
Even if she wasn’t handcuffed to the bed - the bombs were real.
She was stuck here.
With Joseph Seed.
For who knows how long.
///
At first, time passed slowly in Alice’s bunker.
Joseph told her maybe a week in that it had been Rae-Rae’s. The woman had stocked it well - obviously prepared for more than two people to be there, and for possibly years to be spent in it.
There were dozens of books (not a single copy of the Book of Joseph, to Alice’s amusement), and a few DVD sets for the tiny TV. They wouldn’t last long, she knew, but… It was better than nothing.
Most nights, Alice cried herself to sleep. Joseph ignored her - she preferred it that way, honestly. She missed being close to people, but… She could never forgive him for what he did to her county.
A year went by - no word from outside, despite both of their attempts to contact other bunkers.
Another.
And another.
She was sure that it was safe after the first year, honestly, but Joseph was convinced that they needed to stay for seven years. It wasn’t worth arguing. She wouldn’t win. If she tried to leave on her own - she was afraid he’d handcuff her to the bed again.
Alice still had the scar on her wrist from trying to escape them that first night.
By the third year, she’d read every book in the bunker at least twice. They’d watched all of the shows a few times, until she realised that fuel was limited, and as much as she liked watching MASH and old episodes of Doctor Who? They probably shouldn’t, at least unless they really needed a distraction from the claustrophobia. Joseph had warmed up to her, at least - while they would never be friends, they at least could coexist in the bunker peacefully.
Arguments were different now, too - about rationing, planning, what was more important, instead of Alice wanting to get out, Joseph wanting his family back.
Years four and five were a blur.
She thought about the animals in her life a lot, and what had happened to all of her friends.
Joseph reassured her that most of those who had fought by her side were smart, and with how many bunkers were around the county, had a high likelihood of surviving.
Cheeseburger and Peaches, though, he had no comments on.
She knew the lifespans of grizzlies and cougars, thanks to a set of encyclopedias Rae Rae had stored in the corner of the bunker. Cheeseburger she might see again. Peaches, though? Not likely. The same with Boomer - if he had been young when the bombs went off, maybe, but with how old he was? Even if he had been taken to safety, old age would get to him before seven years were up.
Year Six… It was different.
Slow, like the first.
Until the radio crackled to life one day, scaring Alice, making her drop the book she was reading.
She scrambled to it, frantically trying to figure out where the fuck the stupid microphone went.
The staticy voice disappeared just as she found the microphone, throwing the bunker into silence again.
Alice looked at Joseph, standing in the door of the store room (a room that was rapidly emptying, with maybe a month of supplies left - not enough to please Joseph), and shrugged.
It crackled again a week later.
This time -
“Anyone on this frequency?”
She knew that voice. It was -- thank fuck. “Dutch? That you? It’s - it’s Alice. Riley.”
“Kid.” Alice could almost hear his relief - the years had taken their toll on him, she could tell that, but… They were both glad the other was alive. “Where are you?”
Joseph shook his head from across the room.
“Kid?”
“I’m - I’m not sure. It…. Joseph’s with me.” The man frowned, but she shrugged. “I blacked out. He brought me in here.”
“Joseph? Joseph fuckin’ Seed? He’s with you?” Jess. That was Jess .
Alice gripped the microphone tighter, her brain not believing her ears. “Jess?”
“Rook, what the fuck has he done to you?”
“Nothing - he’s… Nothing.” It was true - aside from the initial entry into the bunker, he had never touched her without her permission, and was reluctant to touch her even with her permission. “We’ve argued, but… We’re just waiting for the end of the year. He said it’s safe to get outta here then.”
Silence.
Long enough that Alice was worried the connection was lost.
Then…
“Alice.” Jess was… Worried? “It’s been safe to be out in the open for years. We left -” Her voice was muffled for a moment, then came back. “We’ve been coming and going for five years. Look, I’m at Uncle Dutch’s, you -”
The radio switched off.
Joseph stood next to her, holding the power cord for the radio. “I know you have questions.”
“Questions? Questions? ” Alice stood up, staring at him. “Could we really have been out of this stupid bunker for that fucking long? We could have been - we could have been looking for everyone. We could know if everyone was okay, if everyone made it to bunkers, Joseph. We wouldn’t have been sitting here for six and a half fucking years, wondering if -- fuck! ”
He didn’t stop her when she stormed to the ladder out of the bunker, nor when she started climbing.
Feeling the fresh air on her face for the first time in years was glorious .
Seeing the damage, though?
It kinda killed the mood.
Joseph climbed out behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“It could be worse.” Alice murmured. “I mean, the house isn’t completely gone, just… Mostly.”
“That isn’t comforting, Alice.”
“Sorry.”
Fuck, the light hurt her eyes. Joseph’s, too - the man looked ready to duck back into the darkness of the bunker, or to dig through the ruins of Rae-Rae’s house to see if there were any sunglasses or a hat or something to dull the brightness even a little.
The house.
That was a good idea, actually - it was fucking cold out. There had to be something in there that was still in one piece, something she could throw on or wrap herself up in… Maybe there would be some food left - something different from what was in the bunker, something new .
Before they did anything though, they needed to find weapons.
Who knew how the world had changed? Who knew how many people were already out, if any of them would be violent, if any would remember being told to kill the deputy at any cost, or to kill Joseph at any cost….
Yeah. Weapons were a priority.
The garage - not much of a garage now, having been knocked down by a storm years ago and dirt piled against it - had weapons in it once upon a time.
Still did. The guns didn’t work, but the dynamite was dry, the grenades looked like they should work, and the knives? Well, they were perfect. She silently passed one to Joseph, praying that the years in the bunker meant that wouldn’t be a mistake.
A car speeding up the driveway, stopping where the garage used to be, almost the exact spot she found Boomer all those years ago, stopped her.
Jess.
Oh God , it was Jess.
Her old friend looked so different.
Older, obviously, with wrinkles where there hadn’t been any before, a new scar on her face, new ones disappearing up her arms, hidden by the ratty sweatshirt she wore.
Her eyes, though - those were the same.
Jess stood there, next to the car, watching them.
Alice gave her a weak smile.
She barely had time to react before the other woman’s arms were around her, face buried in her hair.
“Fucking hell, Alice, where the fuck have you been.”
“....Here?” She got a swat on the arm for that, and she smiled. “Fuck, I missed you.”
“Missed you too, you asshole.” Jess smiled into Alice’s hair, then glanced over at Joseph. “Fuckin’ hell, I never wanted to see that fucker again.”
Alice shrugged.
She never would be friends with Joseph, that’s for sure - but even with his deception? They did spend nearly seven years in a bunker together. They almost liked each other - tolerated, definitely, they’d certainly come to an (uneasy) truce, one that would likely extend to their lives in the “new” Hope County, out of pure necessity.
They couldn’t really afford to keep the war going, after all - even if it looked like the county was recovering, who knew what forces were out there to cause chaos in the county (country? World? ugh.)
Jess, with a little too much enthusiasm, grabbed a rope from the car and tied Joseph to a fencepost, then went back to grab a second blanket for Alice.
“What now?”
“Mary May’s on her way. She’s gonna take you home.” Jess sat next to Alice, nudging her with her shoulder. “Then I’ll take that fucker over to the county jail, I think they still have a cell with a working door.”
“Oh.”
“Alice fuckin’ Riley, you did not go soft on me.”
Alice shook her head. “No. I just… It’s a lot. Everything’s different. I dunno why I didn’t expect that monstrosity t’ still be standing. There’s worse places for him to go, I guess.”
“We could leave him out for the bears.”
“ Jess .”
“What?”
She sighed. “Just… Let’s not.”
“...Sure.” Jess looked at Alice, seemingly taking a good look at her old friend for the first time since she arrived. “Fuck, you look so weird right now.”
“Wow, thanks.”
“No, I mean - your hair.”
Alice frowned, then looked down at her braid. “Oh. Yeah. For some reason, Rae-Rae didn’t store any hair dye down there…”
“Oh. Right.” Jess started, looking up at a noise (fuck, it was so quiet - Alice hadn’t realized till then, there weren’t any cars, no planes, motor boats - nothing, not until the silence was broken just then), a tense look coming over her face.
Another car pulled into the driveway - a beat-up old pickup.
Was that…
Huh.
Her dad’s old truck survived the apocalypse.
She didn’t know why that surprised her.
Nor the fact that Mary May stepped out of it - her friend was so determined, so smart, so resourceful - she should have expected her to survive the bombs.
Her heart stopped when she saw who climbed out the other side of the truck.
Faith.
It was Faith.
Her Faith.
She was alive - she was safe .
Mary May beat Faith to her, enveloping Alice is a deep hug.
“Alice.”
“Hey, May.”
“You’re here.”
“Yeah.”
Mary May stepped away with a smile, moving to talk to Jess.
Alice stared at Faith.
She still couldn’t believe that she had made it, and that she looked so, so similar to how she looked before, not appearing to have aged a day.
Faith was looking at her the same way - disbelief, love, sadness, other emotions she couldn’t identify, all passing over her face.
“Are you going to make me wait?” Alice smiled, shrugging off her blanket and taking a step forward.
Faith launched herself at her, wrapping her arms around Alice, face nestled in her hair. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too. Fuck , I missed you so much.” Alice whispered, then pulled her into a kiss.
When Faith pulled away, she rested her forehead against Alice’s, smiling. “I have so much to tell you.”
They stayed like that for a moment, enjoying each other’s touch, enjoying being close for the first time in nearly seven years, before Mary May tapped Alice on her shoulder, motioning towards the truck.
Oh.
Home.
“How bad is town?”
Mary May laughed. “It’s still there. Mostly.”
“Mostly?”
“The house is there. It’s where I live. The cats are still there, too.” Faith smiled, ignoring Mary May’s uneasy look. “Uhm, I’m not alone.”
Oh.
“I - after we left the bunker --”
“When was that?”
“Uhm, a month after.”
Alice’s face fell. Were they the only ones who stayed in for that long?
“But, uhm, after we left, I helped out at the jail. Babysitting, mostly.” Faith took a deep breath. “Two of the kids I was watching, their parents both died. Their dad right after they left their bunker, their mom... She fought at the jail.”
“Oh.”
“They’re living with me now. Grace is watching them right now. They - I’ve told them about you. Claire’s excited to see you. The cats, too. They hated coming home and you not being there.”
“I think you might be overwhelming her, Faith.” Mary May sounded so serious - how much more was there that she missed?
The kids - she wasn’t surprised, honestly. Faith had always had a soft spot for kids, taking care to avoid areas that kids were, and avoided using bliss on parents of young children.
The cats - she wasn’t expecting them to have survived. Data and Crookshanks were so particular, and this new landscape seemed so harsh and unforgiving…
As they drove past an old Eden’s Gate cross, a thought crossed her mind.
“Hey May? Is my sister okay? And Lucas?”
Mary May snorted. “You really think John didn’t get them to a bunker? Yeah, they’re fine. Holed up at Seed Ranch. Jane, she actually, uh, just had another kid. Joanna. Nothing from your folks in California, though. Staci tried to get a message out to them, but we haven’t heard back yet.”
“Oh.” Knowing Jane was okay - fuck, that was a big relief. And her little nephew - who wouldn’t be little, really, he’d be seven now - and new niece. “Who else is still alive?”
“Most everyone made it.” Mary May glanced at Faith, who shook her head. “Look, let’s just get you home, then we can fill you in.”
The rest of the drive was spent in silence. Alice curled herself into Faith’s side, trying to not look outside and see how bad everything was, to see the horrors she had imagined.
She felt the car slow when they arrived in town, turning onto her street. This was the part she had dreamed of the most in the bunker: her bed, her couch, her bathtub , the cats - everything.
The house was there, just like Faith had said.
It looked like shit , but it was there.
At the sound of the car, the front door opened, and… Grace.
She looked older, but exactly the same at the same time. Two girls stood at her side - one a teenager, and the other just about the same age her nephew would be.
“Caroline and Claire.” Faith whispered. “Caro’s the older sister, Claire’s younger. She’s decided she’s in love with Carmina.” As the car slowed to a stop, Faith smiled. “Come on. Let’s go meet them.”