Although there was much uncertainty left in the world, I was certain that Zombie loved me and I loved him. And that was enough for me.

Nugget Pov 

"Bones sinking like stones," I sang softly, gazing up at the ceiling from my bed. 

I pulled the covers up to my chin to cover my bare skin. Christmas morning had come, and with it, the cold. 

I wasn't sure how long it had been since the destruction of the Others. A couple months at least. We had left the base, running away from the devastated legacy of the Others. We were still somewhere in Ohio...maybe it was Dayton...or Cleveland. No matter, we'd found a big house, more impressive than our homes before the waves. The house stood by itself in the quiet of an extensive stretch of farmland, with nothing and no one around for miles. 

Finally, after so long, it was quiet. It was quiet and we were at peace. 

I sighed, clenching my jaw to keep from trembling. Every time I reflected on the past and that the Others were gone, I thought of Cassie. She had sacrificed herself for all of us. 

I brought a hand up to my eye, wiping an emerging tear away. I should have told her how much she meant to me before she'd gone- before she had left for good. I should have told I never meant to be rude to her- she was my sister and I would always love her. 

"All that we fall for," I sang, finishing the verse I'd started. My breath locked in my throat as a strangled sob erupted. 

"Nugget? Are you okay?" Canary asked, the door opening with a creak. I heard her foot steps echo on the wooden floor as she ventured over to the side of my bed, kneeling down. 

She leaned over, brushing the hair away from my forehead. "She loves you," Canary said, "And she knows you love her too." 

I looked up at Canary and nodded briefly, sniffling. 

Ever since Cassie had sacrificed herself, I'd woken up crying in the morning. And without fail, Canary was there every time, reassuring me that all would be okay. 

"I know," I said softly. "I just...feel bad." 

Canary nodded and offered me a kind smile. "She would have done anything for you," she said, "There's no need to feel bad for anything." 

I closed my eyes, thinking for a second. She was right. Well, of course Canary was right. She was always right. 

I opened my eyes, looking up at her. "Okay," I said. 

Canary nodded once, smiling. "Okay," she said. She rose to her feet and kissed me softly on the forehead. "I'll be downstairs," she said. 

"Okay. I'll be out in a second," Nugget said.

There were a couple things I needed first, starting with saying a formal goodbye to Bear. Bear was Megan's now, but Cassie had risked her life to get him back to me, so it was the least I could do. Second, I needed to give Zombie back the locket I'd been holding onto for awhile. I knew he wanted to give it back to Canary.

Once I heard the door swing shut, I climbed out of bed and threw the covers over the pillow. 

Cassie was gone, and I missed her. But we were safe - the Others were gone and now, the only thing that could be done was to move on. 

I slid my feet into my slippers and took a deep breath. 

It was time to move on and live the life Cassie made possible. 

~*~

Canary Pov

I closed the door to Nugget's room, letting it shut quietly. 

Nugget would be okay. So would Evan, who had just left a few days earlier to go out and destroy the remaining Other bases. 

Megan would be fine too - she had Bear. Ringer was doing better now that she'd given birth a couple weeks prior. She'd named her daughter "Cassie," and had tried her hardest not to be as much of a bitch as she normally was. 

And Zombie...well I figured he was doing better now that the Others were gone. He was starting to smile more and had stopped sleeping with a gun under his pillow. 

A small smile appeared on my lips and I bit my lip softly, looking down at the ground. 

It wasn't as if Zombie was like his old self, but he was definitely getting better, happier. I almost liked the new Zombie more than Ben Parish, if such a thing was possible. 

Not a night went by when Zombie didn't hold me close, with his strong, protective arms winding around my waist. He never failed to make me feel safe and loved, which were two things I'd found hard to feel while we were running from the Others. 

I tugged the sleeves of my flannel over my fingers, shivering slightly. I moved down the hall and ventured toward the living room. 

Zombie would be there, like he was every morning, standing stoic near the window, his eyes combing the farmland. 

I peered inside the room, my smile widening as my predictions were confirmed. 

There, Zombie stood near the window. His feet were spread a part slightly and his arms were crossed over one another, reminiscent of the stance of a soldier. His jaw was clenched and his hair was tousled - he had just woken up. He was wearing a black sweatshirt and sweatpants - the ensemble he'd exchanged his army uniform for. 

"Zombie?" I said, coming into the living room. 

Zombie turned his head slightly to look at me, a smile spreading across his face. "Morning, beautiful," he said. 

I felt heat rise to my cheek and I bit my lip gently again. "Morning," I said. I walked over to him and wound my arms around his neck. "You don't need to stand guard anymore," I said softly, searching his eyes. "We're safe." 

Zombie nodded slightly. "Yeah, you're right," he said, his gaze dashing down to my lips for a moment. "Old habits die hard," he said, his voice low and husky. "And you never know - they might come back," he continued, almost joking. 

I shook my head slightly, maintaining my gaze. "No," I murmurred, "The Others are gone. The only thing we need to do now is rebuild the world - no big deal," I said, brushing my lips teasingly against the corner of his mouth. 

I smiled as Zombie's hand found the small of my back, pulling me closer to him. "No big deal," Zombie said, laughing faintly. 

Then he lowered his lips to mine, pressing them firmly against my own. 

I smiled against his lips, kissing him back with as much intensity as I dared. 

Although there was much uncertainty left in the world, I was certain that Zombie loved me and I loved him. And that was enough for me.

We would worry about rebuilding the world later. Right now, all I needed was Zombie and the family I'd built for myself. 

"Let's put the star on top of the Christmas tree!" Nugget exclaimed, rushing into the room, Megan on his tail. 

Ringer followed the two only a moment later, baby Cassie in her arms. "You losers better have gotten me some half decent presents," Ringer said with a smirk. 

"Of course, only the best for you, Ringer," I said, pulling away slightly from Zombie so I could wrap my arms around his torso, letting my head rest on his chest. 

Zombie laughed that beautiful, warming laugh I'd fallen in love with such a long time ago, when things were easier, before the world had turned to shit. And in that moment, everything seemed absolutely perfect; the storm had settled and all that was left was the calm that followed. 

The others, the wicked, has perished and the human race had prevailed. We had won. The victory most certainly wasn't without collateral damage and loss, but in the end, the earth, our home, had been protected from a parasite. And along the way, I'd managed to fall in love with the boy named Zombie. 

<><><>

(Listen to the song I attached above: Excavate by Macklemore ! I was listening to it while writing this epilogue)

Hello everyone! I can't believe I'm saying this, but that was the end of Perish! I don't know whether to cry or smile that this is over and I won't be writing about Canary or Zombie again. I honestly can't believe that after multiple years of writing and thinking about this story, I'm finished. 

I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for sticking with the story and for ~hopefully~ falling in love with Zombie and Canary. I can't tell you in words how much it means to me to have had your love, votes, and comments these past few years. So much has changed in my life, but your undying support never wavered. Thank you. You all are amazing and beautiful. 

I don't want this to be goodbye, so I want to let you all know that I'm planning on starting a new story on here. It won't be a fanfic and I still have to flush out a couple ideas before I start the writing process, but the end of Perish by no means means you won't see me on Wattpad. 

Love always, 

Anna