The Aftermath
'Can someone stop the screaming?'
Burning. Burning. Screaming. Everyone screaming. Guns. Firing. Dead. Dying. Screaming. Why won't they stop screaming?
We land. He's been called by Her. He's got a job to do. She says he's the One. We land.
The town I never saw. Children hiding. Children scared. Children dying. Get a Doctor. Stop them hurting. Stop them screaming. Dead lie. Sleeping? Dead? Unknown.
They came. They started killing. Everyone's dying because of Them. She knows how to stop Them. She says he's the One.
I can't see. I can't hear. He won't let me. I'm a child. But I can smell. Dead. Dying. The smell that stays with you. The smell that never leaves. Make it stop, The smell of the dead. Make it go away. Why doesn't it go away?
Cracked glass. Broken furniture. Makeshift barracks. Her quarters. Peace amongst chaos. One shining star of hope. Help me. Help her. Help them.
Her office. Lady President. Ma'am. Fred. Romana. Friend. A chair. I sit in a chair. A big chair. A purple chair. A fluffy chair. A comfy chair. The only chair left. Me.
I'm not supposed to listen. I do. They argue. They keep arguing. She says he can. He must. He says he can't. He mustn't. Think of the children. Think of the innocents. Think of the good.
Not good. Dead. Professor wouldn't cause dead. He's not the Professor. He's changed. He's someone else.
He leads me back. No eyes. No ears. I can smell. Make the smell go away. Make it go. Into the box. Into the home. Eyes. Ears. I can see. I can hear.
The button. The one she gave him. Mauve. Mauve button. Danger button. Blow-y button. Bomb button. He has to. He doesn't want to. She told him to. He's going to. He can't refuse.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Big Boom. Big Bad Boom. Dead Boom. Not good Nitro Boom. Dead Boom. Blowing up 'The Eye' Boom.
A thousand million voices. Screaming as one. Burning as one. Dying as one. Her orders. His actions. Who's wrong? Tell me.
Men. Women. Children. Everything. Screaming. Dying. Nothing. Hurts more than the noise. Noise means life. Nothing means death.
Stops me from watching. Tries to. Stop me from seeing them die. he killed them. He saved them. Killed millions. Saved trillions. Killed baddies. Killed his own. Saved strangers. Saved innocents. Caught in the War. Accident. Not choice.
Why won't the children stop screaming? Make them stop.
He takes my hand. We run. Run far. Running since. Running forever. Beating ourselves. Stop and you remember. Run and you forget. Try to outrun yourself. Impossible. Killed everyone. Saved everyone. Her orders. His actions. Who's wrong?
Strangers live. His die. The War's over. The seemingly never-ending War. He. We. Ended it together. Live together. Die together. Run together.
Help me. Please, just help me. Stop them screaming. They're screaming and they won't stop. They're dying and they won't stop. Can't unsee. Won't unsee.
Help me. Just help me.