Disclaimer: Same as usual. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Regarding the beginning, I did the math myself. I know the numbers aren't technically right (because a year is actually something like 365.25 days), but you get the idea at least…
One year.
12 months.
48 weeks.
365 days.
8,760 hours.
525,600 minutes.
31,536,000 seconds.
…
…
…
Of damnation.
…
…
…
Of hell.
…
…
…
Of life in a frail body.
Hearts broken.
A small patch of grass to call home.
Spinning in a chair.
Staring unblinking in the face of utter destruction.
Body one hundred years too old.
Soul infinitely older.
Planning.
Thinking.
Working.
One thought running constantly through his mind over all the others.
Like the beating of a drum.
Rose is safe. Rose is safe. Rose is safe.
Perhaps the Master is not the only one who's mad.
Perhaps they all were by now.
How many times in the past year had he wished to die?
3,612,702.
Oops. Better make that 3,612,703.
But he held on.
Because Martha needed his help.
And her family.
And Jack.
The whole human race.
As always.
They needed him.
As much as he needed them.
At times it felt like they were leeches – the work necessary to save them drawing out years of his life. He felt the insane urge to laugh as he sat in his small tent.
Never before had the metaphor been so apt.
But never before had the human race been so strong.
Unlike so many denizens of the universe, they raged against adversity. They thrived in it. Grew from it. And so many people had died that he knew it couldn't be long before they were ready to fight back.
His secret weapon.
Humanity.
How brave they were.
How noble.
How naive.
But how capable.
How strong.
He just hoped he was ready.
That he was strong enough.
His weakened body made the work more difficult.
Channeling his way into the psychic network had taken time.
365 days, to be exact.
But the time was coming.
Just as soon as Martha returned.
His delicate warrior.
Coming to save the day.
He smiled for the first time in months.
This last year had seemed a curse.
Life.
Surrounded by death.
But soon…
He would truly live again.
Not as depressing of an ending this time! Yay!
What did you think?