Rain pounded fiercely against the window and the wind howled through the cracks in the sill. But Ludwig had become numb to the world around him. All attention was focused on the young man in his arms. It had been several minutes since he had closed the boy's eyes, unable to gaze into the once vibrant almond orbs. But even so, he could not let the boy go. He would hold him and cry over him; cry for the one he ever truly cared about more than his own life. He would hold him until his body disappeared as all nations did when they died.
Ludwig felt his tears coming faster again as he thought about the last moments he had spent with the young man. It had shattered his heart to have to keep the promise made. He lifted his head out of the nation's soft auburn hair and looked over at the gun lying at the bottom of the wall sized world map.
A soft sweet voice spoke into his mind from the near past.
"Ludwig I want you to promise me something."
"What is that."
"I don't want to turn. I don't want to become one of them, so if I do...if I get infected...kill me."
"What?"
"Promise me that if that happens you'll kill me."
"I...I can't...how can you ask that of me? I...Mein Gott!"
"Ludwig. I don't want to be a monster. And I don't want you or anyone else to see me as one."
"But you'd still be alive...I just can't...I mean I..."
"Please Ludwig! Promise me!"
"I...I promise..."
"Thank you. Oh and you can't kill yourself afterwards. You have to stay strong and live by the promise that we all signed in the conference room."
Ludwig looked up at the promise written in his own handwriting across the bottom of the map and all the signatures placed around the world.
Alfred F Jones
Matthew Williams
Arthur Kirkland
Francis Bonnefoy
Ivan Braginski
Wang Yao
Kiku Honda
Ludwig
Feliciano Vargas
His eyes lingered on that name and he whispered it softly over and over again, clutching to the nation's body.
"Feli." He whispered and then broke into sobs once more, "Gott why? Why did I make that stupid promise?"
His eyes found the bottom of the map again and he shook his head in anger and sorrow.
"What good do promises do anyways?" This main promise had been broken so many times that he had almost forgotten they had made it in the first place, "I'm the only one left. Everyone has left me alone now...even...even the one I thought would never leave me."
He buried his face in the boy's hair again and sobbed and screamed all of his frustration out. He had become lost to the world around him again until he felt the body disappearing and he cried out in shock and despair. He tried to clutch to the boy tighter but he knew that it was futile. In the end he was all alone.
"In the end...the promise was for nothing."
He collapsed to the floor entirely spent from everything and simply staring at the message that had promised unity, that had promised courage, that had promised hope.
Even if it should reach the point that few of us are left, we will not give up. We will keep fighting for survival. We will never lose sight of a bright tomorrow. And we will never forget the ones lost. This is our promise.