There is a sad moment in a story that has been a part of you since 2014, when you are building up to the death of a character. Every character good or bad becomes a part of you in a way that is hard to describe. I would guess that you could say good or bad they are all your children. Even the evil characters have some good within them that makes them who they are. When it is a character that is near and dear to your heart, you just remind yourself that it is a post apocalypse world. That the death will further the plot of the story and just work your way through it for the good of the story. As the author you could change it. You have the power to change anything you don’t like in the world that you have created. But would you be staying true to the world that you have created and placed the characters in?