After he found out that Maya had died, Thomas disappeared from the House. Maybe it was stupid of him, but without her there, he didn’t know why he bothered to stay. And deep down, he didn’t want to know if another one of his friends were dead. So he left like a ghost in the wind, slipping out of Sterling City and moving west, back toward California.
He was always alone, even when thousands of people surrounded him he felt like a speck in the middle of the world, insignificant to everyone. These feelings were not new to him, but after feeling like he belonged somewhere, with someone who seemed to like him as much as he liked her, the loneliness was crushing. But he got used to it–like he always did. Getting supplies for one person is a lot easier than gathering for a whole group and he was able to get by for himself.
He stumbled past other groups and communities, each promising safety for him, but he always turned them down. No one would be able to understand him anyway and from experience, the quiet ones are the ones people are most suspicious of.
He made it to California on luck and good fortune and it took him over a year and a half to get there. He traveled through forests and deserts and was nearly eaten by several wild animals, but eventually he did make it. Not that it mattered, since his parents were dead. He found them still in his childhood home having been turned into zombies after someone had broken in and killed them–at least from what Thomas could tell.
He couldn’t kill his parents, but he grabbed what little was left of his things and left. He didn’t know where he was going anymore. He had no one left, but he was too afraid to end his own life.
He was always lonely, but he had never felt so lost before.
Just like before he walked until he ended up at an abandoned lighthouse not far from Monterey. He made a home for himself there with it being isolated just enough that he only saw the occasional zombie come at him. There were enough supplies in nearby towns for him to survive off of and he seemed content there for a while.
He met a small family during a supply run one day and allowed them to accompany him back to his lighthouse. For a brief time he remembered what having friends was like and that he didn’t have to be lonely anymore.
His kindness was taken advantage of until eventually the family killed him to take the lighthouse for themselves. Thomas didn’t resist them. Deep down, he was glad to finally be out of his misery and he looked forward to possibly seeing his fallen friends again. At least, that’s what he had hoped. He couldn’t be sure if that would be the case, but even if it wasn’t, at least he wouldn’t be lonely anymore. He wouldn’t have to grief or do anything. Thomas could finally rest.
