So I'm just at the stage now where I've lined up the big finale. Trouble is, I haven't a clue how to go about finishing it. Basic out line of the story is a post apocalyptic world. 5 survivors. One of the survivors is mentally unhinged and has been found out for working against the others. The obvious thing to do is to banish him, but my characters are questioning the decision. What's to stop him returning? It's not a book about killing, so blowing his head off isn't an option, so how can I get rid of him in a way that's exciting for the story, but also a realistic option to prevent him returning. The world is basically as you were save for everyone being dead. No power is the main difference, So don't think that Alians have invaded or a shower of.meteors have rained down on us.
Why is this not a book about killing? It's a post apocalyptic world. That seems to push firmly in the direction of being about killing.
It's more of a realistic take on it. With no immediate threat (aliens zombies etc and food and water readily available there is no need for your average Joe to suddenly turn into a murderous savage over night. Yes everyone is dead ( that happens at the very start of the book) but that's not what the story is about. It's more a case of what would you do than how would you survive a murderous world. Anyway, the question was how would you get rid of the bad egg...
Tell him to leave in a firm tone of voice. And add the phrase "or else." Honestly, if you can't kill him I'm out of ideas. That might be difficult to achieve with realism since it's never happened before. As for the murderous savage thing, one of the gags with post-apocalyptic stories is that people have always been murderous savages but have been able to coexist through societal restraints. Once that's removed, it's the wild kingdom for everyone. But if that's not in play, then to solve your particular problem I'd examine where your conflict is based. If there's no "immediate threat" from the post-apocalyptic environment, the conflicts would seem to trend toward the internal or interpersonal. It would depend on the kind of "grand finale" you have planned and how those conflicts are ultimately resolved.
