July 6th

"FBI is still investigating the identity of the man who appeared to have self-detonated at the White House as crews continue to search the greater DC area for survivors," the reporter says. "The Nuclear Man Incident has already been deemed the most deadly attack on American soil in the history of our nation, as the death toll climbs to over 20,000 people, including the majority of our nation's diplomats and our president. The line of succession for the presidency has run all the way to the 7th successor: Attorney General William Townsend. Townsend says, 'This is a great tragedy, one that I cannot understand or seek peace from; however, I will do my best to serve as our nation's leader while we get back on our feet.'"

"Did you hear that, Lance?" Isabelle calls from the living room. Lance is working in the garden, just below the open window.

"What?"

"The death toll is up to 20,000."

"Jesus... you know, I am going to go get some of those antibiotics from the store today. I feel like this is all a message."

"Go ahead. I'll never make fun of your prepping again."

November 8th

"Hey Lance," Meredith Timmons calls from her front yard, "don't forget to vote! Polls close at 8!"

"Thanks, Meredith. We actually voted earlier today before market," he calls back as he unloads empty bins from his truck, the results of a prosperous day at the farmer's market.

The door to Lance's white farmhouse bursts open. His wife Isabelle runs onto the porch, his eyes wild with terror. 

"There's been another bombing in DC, and another in New York. We have to get downstairs."

"Bombings?" Meredith shouts across the space between their homes.

"Meredith... we have a safe room down in our basement. It's a fallout shelter with medicines and food. Come down if you and your family want shelter. It sounds like the country is under attack," Lance shouts in reply before hurrying into his home.

The Hicks family huddles in the shelter, trying not to worry or frighten the children too much. After all, Beatrice is only ten, and Henry is only four. 

Isabelle turns on the radio. 

"Listeners," the host of the AM talk radio channel says, "I have just received word that Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston have all been hit. If there was any doubt before, we know now that our country is under attack. Please get to safety. Though it was a tremendous loss, the Nuclear Man taught us that we must take much more serious precautions to our emergency preparations. Before we go off air, I pray that your families heeded his warning and that we may all see each other again. God speed."

Then the radio plays a pre-recorded message. "This is an emergency message: Seek cover from nuclear fallout. This is an emergency message: Seek cover from nuclear fallout." The message continues to loop, so Isabelle switches the radio off.

"If they hit Philadelphia, we will feel it soon. We need to close the door."

"Wait!" Meredith Timmons's familiar voice shouts, accompanied by the sounds of feet clamoring down wooden stairs. 

Meredith, her husband Ed, and her daughter Ellie race into the safe room, a room sealed off from the rest of the basement, and just before a nuclear pulse hits the home, Lance secures it into place.

December

The food is lasting the two families as well as it can in an emergency, but with nuclear winter blanketing the earth, there's no leaving the basement for any backup food. They need to stretch what they have until only God knows when. 

Thank goodness for the medical supplies, which have kept Henry alive through a terrible infection, and have kept Meredith healthy through the flu.  

Eight years later, July

Beatrice birthed a healthy, beautiful baby girl, who she named after her parents, Isabelle and Lance by calling her Isla. Uncle Henry is as proud as can be, and he takes turns babysitting both Isla and Ellie's 6-month-old son who she named David. She chose the name after the Biblical character, because though the apocalypse was a terrible giant, their families never faltered in the face of it. Not even when Rebecca nearly killed herself and her mother during her birth. Thankfully, Meredith was there to help the birth, otherwise, who knows what would have happened. 

David's father Ben only wishes his brother was still around to meet his nephew. He left for DC years ago and hasn't returned since. 

Ten years later, October

Henry and Rebecca are married, and the entire family, as well as the nearby community of Mountville, celebrate alongside them. 

Seven years later, June

Soldiers in tanks appear in the distance and attack the family. Luckily, Isla is inside the home taking care of Henry and Rebecca's daughter Belle, alongside Beatrice and Ellie when the attack happens, and they lock themselves in the safe room to hide. The six of them are safe, but David, Ben, Todd, and their neighbors the Beckers are all taken hostage by the soldiers. 

August

The soldiers return to the farm. Based on the words of a soldier in a tank who they overhear, the Blumes, Crowleys, and Hicks realize that for some reason, they are searching for Isla. 

"It has to be David. He must still be alive and searching for you," Ellie says. "We have to keep Isla safe."

After securing Belle in the house with Isla, the four remaining adults lead the soldiers away from the farm and begin fighting them off, until a larger, more impressive, multi-story tank rolls into view, equipped with fighters who effectively kill off the soldiers before they can take the rest of the family hostage. 

The fighters call themselves Deathless and offer the family refuge on the tank. 

"Isla, you can come out now," Beatrice calls into the house.

One of the fighters, a man named General Kevin Sato, stops Beatrice. "Isla? A transmission has been sent from the government bunker calling for Isla Blume."

"Did it sound like a younger male?" Ellie asks. 

"Yes?"

"That's my son, David. He was captured by one of those machines. That means he is still alive. We need to get him back."

The fighter smiles. "Oh, we will get him back. You're fighting with the Deathless now, and Deathless never lose."

The family joins these Deathless people and soon learn they are rebels from the government. Apparently, the apocalypse was designed by an organization called Roberts and Cooper, who scrambled to make it possible after the death of President McCleary. Apparently, it was meant to happen much earlier. 

"Cooper is running the show in the bunker. He killed Roberts after Roberts started going soft on him," General Sato explains as he shows the family around. "Without a President to run the show, the whole operation has been moved to Cooper's secret estate. Only a few personnel know where it is, but as a formerly high-ranking military official, I do. Cooper's running scared, and we are going to take him out in one attack. See, the original plan for the apocalypse and world domination included many more scientists and officials, but after the Nuclear Man Incident killed just about all those scientists working on Cooper's projects, he stupidly moved ahead with his plan without all of the supports he once had. In this weakened state, we can stop him, and start rebuilding a new country among the survivors. There are many of us, oddly enough, thanks to the Nuclear Man."

Beatrice, Ellie, Henry, and Isla all agree to fight with the Deathless to get their families back.

October

After some training, the family is ready to fight alongside the Deathless and other survivors on the tank, many of whom are doing the same thing they are: fighting to get their families back. Even their trainer, a young man named Nathan, is fighting to get his cousin back.

General Sato leads the attack on Cooper's estate, and though Cooper has more weapons and more armor, the Deathless greatly outnumber them and within a day, the Deathless are victorious!

The families reunite with their loved ones, and all are allowed to either join the Deathless in the new United States capital at the Hoover Dam or return to their homes.

Many, including all survivors who were captured in the estate, leave with the General to the Hoover Dam; however, the Hicks, Blumes, and Crowleys return to their home back east. Their neighbors, the Beckers, choose to go with the Deathless instead.

Two years later, September

David and Isla are married in front of their family. Ben often wonders where his brother is, but has accepted that he is most likely dead. Henry and Rebecca are pregnant with their second child and look forward to the birth in a month. 

Sometimes Ellie and Beatrice talk about what life was like before the world ended.

"I remember there was this girl who came up to the house... she told my dad to get antibiotics. He thought it was weird and told my mom to stop answering the door for strangers," Beatrice says. "But after the bombs and then after Henry got sick... I've had this weird feeling that that girl knew it was all going to happen. Like... somehow she was from the future and she wanted us to be safe. She wanted Henry to be safe."

"There was another girl," Ellie adds. "My mom told me about her. It was that same day, and it was strange too. She told my mom to be home on a very specific day, like two days after the Nuclear Man thing. I wonder about that too, now that you say it. What if my mom hadn't been home on that day? What would have happened to her?" 

Beatrice shakes her head. "Our lives after the apocalypse could have been so much harder. Getting our family back could have been so much harder. If Cooper's plan had all gone right, we could have been at that estate, only on the other side of things. Who knows what else could have happened to us."

"Hm." Ellie sort of huffs to herself. "I wonder if even the Nuclear Man knew that he had to kill all those people. We were taught he was the worst terrorist in the history of our country, but what if he was saving us from a truly terrible terrorist?"

"Well, I am not sure I'd go that far," Beatrice says, "but I understand what you mean." She looks off into the distance for a few moments. "I wonder if there's another timeline out there in which things went horribly wrong, and those girls were messengers, trying to tell us not to let that happen."

Ellie shrugs. "It's nice to believe. I'll believe it."

"Yeah... but I doubt they'd be in this timeline, huh? There's no way of thanking them, huh?"

"Probably not. But again, it's nice to believe it's possible. I'll believe it if you do."

Beatrice smiles and pats Ellie on the back. "I'll keep my eye out for them."