Ian wandered, his head cocked half to the side, just stumbling along, dead silent air and bleary. He was thinking too clearly for the pain, it was all too real and he only wanted to disappear. Ian looked down at his body and at all the blood and wished he could just die. An assault rifle stolen from the dead raiders hung over his good shoulder with a nearly full clip. The grip was stuck to the blood of his hands and arms. He couldn't let it go or move very well. The weapon was part of him, and unusable for that.

Sunlight clambered against his face and eyes, Ian kept shaking his head and looking around. He was starting to feel crazy again, but he didn't want to disappear like that. He felt he would rather die than dissolve into that spirit of chaos once more, but nobody remained to kill him with two rounds through the skull. Ian looked around and nodded. He was walking through the wasteland. He was marching into death, eyes stark open.

"They've all died and now it's just me. I killed Harkness to save him and now I am alone out here. I am alone in this. Markus was first, then Mathew and Amata and Mel then it was my father and then William and Dylan and now Harkness… It needs to be me. I don't want anyone else to die. I don't want anyone else to die..."

Ian looked out across the waste and there was a group of people traveling but they didn't seem to move. He stared at them and then shook his head violently, wishing they would only disappear. The ground was beginning to slope upward and Ian stumbled along that rising hill. He tried to remember which direction he was traveling but there was no destination except death, which he could reach from anywhere in the world.

"It's south. I'm going south. Will I still go back to Megaton? That's what we planned to do… I'll walk back in and it will be the same and I'll look around and be nothing at all. I'll drag my line of blood straight to the bomb."

It was difficult to climb, something made noises moving after him. He listened then turned and there were a few molerats headed up slowly after him. Ian staggered around in a circle then fired at them without care. The dried blood around his stolen rifle snapped off and he nearly dropped it. One of them was killed and it tumbled backward, obstructing the other two for a moment.

Ian crawled away backward onto a higher ledge and his head ached with movement, they were nearly upon him. One climbed up near him but Ian kicked it back down. He shot again but missed this time and hit dirt. The third reached him and Ian kicked out but it slipped around and bit into his leg. Ian nearly fell but he managed to twist and get on his feet. He pushed again and kicked it back over the ledge.

Ian shot and killed the molerat and the other just climbed over the slack body. It leaped from there straight at Ian and he fired into the meat of its chest, but his stolen gun ran empty and it landed on him bleeding and screaming and writhing heavily. Ian fell over backward with the molerat on top of him, he pushed with the rifle between them. He was so weak but the blood pumped inside his head like terrible drums, loudly for movement.

The molerat struggled to get at him, its claws scratched deeply into his chest several times, but then Ian managed to roll the creature off and shove it away. It staggered and gasped, blood oozing out and mixing with the dirt into a rancid, thick concoction which slopped down the hillside. Ian stood quickly and swung his rifle out wide, but the molerat retreated a few steps hissing.

He swung again but knew it would miss, then he missed the strike and the molerat watched him closely. Ian knew he couldn't hit it to death like this and there were no bullets left. He swung again and the molerat staggered away backward, its hind leg reached and scrambled at the steep drop-off. Ian lunged and shoved it over. The molerat shrieked as it skidded against sharp earth then struck the earth. It landed hard on its side.

Ian watched it lay still for a minute whimpering, then it struggled back onto its feet and began to limp away. Every couple steps the creature paused to lick its wounds and glanced around quickly. Ian turned around and realized he was deathly weary from the struggled. He could hardly see in bright daylight, his skull hummed darkly drifting away. Ian limped away up the mountain, dragging himself in search of a place to hide.

Ian reached the peak of the mountain and looked around slowly, battered and fading. He stumbled down the far side and found a cave at the base. He stumbled in twenty feet to darkness and fell against the far back. Ian curled up shivering in that dim light. His teeth chattered but he began again to repeat the names of everyone who had died. He was very tired.

He felt that he was going to sleep and felt a hint of the shadow standing very near. It made him feel guilty, but then he felt nothing.


The men disappeared the next day and it gave Amata chills. She walked through the city several times with Maxon just looking around, but there was no hint.

"Do you think this means it's happening?"

"Fuck… I don't know, maybe."

"We need to find them. Shit."

"Maybe Gob knows. Maybe he heard something."

"He wouldn't say anything about it, if he did."

"You're right, goddammit. What about Moira?"

"Maybe? No, she wouldn't. Why would they go to her shop?"

"I don't know… Who else would know anything?"

"Let's try asking Gob anyway, it's all I can think of."

"I guess you're right. They're just out of sight, I know it."

They returned to Moriarty's and pushed through the door then back to empty seats at the bar. Gob noticed them but didn't come over immediately.

"You need to tell us about Burke."

"I told you not to get involved with this."

"It's too late for that. Just tell us."

"I'm going to make things worse if I say anything to you."

"If you don't tell us it will get worse anyway."

"Jesus, fine. You know that bomb in the center of town? Burke tried to hire somebody to blow it up. It was Ian, and he turned him in instead."

"Is that what they're planning?"

"It must be. They're going to finish that."

"But why haven't they just done it already?"

"Because the bomb is impossible to detonate."

"What do you mean?"

"After he put a stop to Burke's plan, Lucas Simms hired a few people to dismantle the bomb. The warhead was removed and sold."

"Who bought it?"

"I don't know. Somebody from the north. All that matters is the damn thing is out of here."

Somebody motioned to Gob and he walked away to take the order. Amata leaned against the bar and Maxon looked around slowly.

"Goddammit! What are they planning?"

"We need to figure it out. I can't but we need to."

Maxon scanned the people grimly. Amata looked at them and wondered if their lives were in her hands now. Maxon growled something to himself, but it was unintelligible.

Amata looked at Gob and wondered for a moment if he had the correct attitude about this situation. She considered for a moment just tuning the whole thing out and ignoring what might be a terrible danger looming. Amata looked around at the people in the bar again and just shook her head. Gob returned and glanced at them each slowly.

"You given this up yet?"

"No, we can't."

He sighed and shook his head at the bar itself.

"The city is in danger. I'm sure of it."

"It might be, or it might be nothing. All I know is that we don't have to power to stop it."

"We do though, we can. Maxon and I have the strength and opportunity to stop this and because of that we need to."

"Whatever happens is going to happen, whatever you do or try."

"Fuck you. If that was true then nothing would be worth doing at all."

"Maybe it isn't."

Gob walked away again and she didn't look after him.

"We know they're doing something, we just need to catch them at it."

"We need to catch them in the act, but before they've done any real harm."

"That'll be difficult."

Maxon sighed and looked around again. The barroom was starting to empty and grow quiet around them. People shuffled out in groups or upstairs, and the smoke began to clear slowly.

"I'm going to go get some rest."

"Gob didn't win you over, did he?"

"No, we'll do some more work tomorrow. I just need to sleep first."

Amata nodded and looked away.

"I'll be down here a little longer. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

She watched Maxon walk upstairs and then glanced around at the dwindling patrons. Gob walked by then stood near her, but he didn't say anything for a minute. Amata looked up at and his eyes seemed heavy.

"Do you really believe that? You think that nothing can stop what will happen?"

"I don't know… I know I can't do anything about it. Fate will take care of whatever happens, so I guess it is out of our hands."

"I can't accept that. If it was fate that made things happen then whatever we try doesn't matter. I can't accept a world that goes its own way whatever we do."

Gob didn't say anything to that, just wandered away to clean the other side of the bar. Amata stayed still, looked around for a minute then yawned. It was hardly dark yet but they had been running around a lot trying to investigate this. Amata thought she would go upstairs to sleep too, but not yet. She leaned over the bar and shook her head at nothing.

Amata glanced around, then lowered her face and waited for the door to scrape shut again. Two of the other men followed across the bar, then headed outside. She motioned to Gob, already climbing out of her seat. She considered running to get Maxon, but the last of them was already outside. She pulled out her gun and held it low.

"Gob, go tell Maxon that I think it's happening."

"What is?"

"Whatever they're planning. I don't know. I'm going to check it out."

"Be careful."

"Yeah, I will."

Amata ran out into the darkening air, swirling between dusk and full darkness. She looked around and saw nothing for a minute, then noticed the last man moving quickly away. Amata followed him along a downward slope, half ducked and with her gun ready.

The man stopped to look around, and Amata dropped herself behind the edge of a building. She counted a few seconds before glancing out again. He had started off again already and was just turning into the space between two buildings. Amata hurried after and then followed him in, struggling to move quietly despite her pounding heartbeat. There was a terrible feeling in her stomach about all of it, but she didn't even know their plan yet.

Amata felt very strongly that something bad was going to happen and for a moment it terrified her. She wished that Maxon was here with her to face this, but there hadn't been any time. She alone was the only chance for this. She padded into the alley and listened to footsteps ahead. There were several voices murmuring in the shadows and she was careful to remain silent. She tried to catch their words, then saw the three men and dropped out of sight. Amata clenched her hand on the gun and fought to steady her breath.


Ian opened his eyes within darkness and his heart rate spiked. He scrambled back against the stone wall and held himself there for a minute, then just slumped against it as his memory returned. Finally Ian climbed slowly to his feet and felt very unsteady. He leaned back and forth, collapsed against a different wall and nearly blacked out. He slipped back to his knees and coughed, it hurt in his throat terribly.

He looked around with vision wavering, half choking. Light poured in from ahead and shook his skull back and forth. It didn't feel right inside, felt sick and scared. Ian climbed to his feet again and stumbled forward, his head spinning. Ian's mind wavered again toward darkness, he grabbed at the wall and slipped into fading daylight but it blinded him. He pressed back against the wall again and coughed painfully to himself.

Ian stepped away and collapsed against some rocks, nearly misjudged and fell over the edge. He caught onto the sharp rocks and held there, terrified. Inside he was swirling, might vomit. He shook his head and looked around but it didn't connect, it was too far away and turning. Ian coughed again and wiped at his face.

The blood on his hand startled him, then Ian looked over the rest of his damaged body and it terrified him. He looked at is left arm, totally crusted with dark blood and punched through several times. He tried to move it but there was no response. His entire body was dead stiff and too distant to move efficiently. Pain shot through every limb when he shook his head. The wash of horrifying pain covered him, then flooded upward and into his left shoulder.

Ian stood, shaking all over and he couldn't' control himself. He staggered to the side and then began to walk away. He looked at his left arm again and saw each bullet wound gone straight through. It was covered with blood entirely and scabs. Ian realized he had left the mountain behind, he tried to look around but could hardly turn his neck. It seemed to be getting darker but Ian just wondered if he was going blind. He spoke quietly to himself about nothing, his lips just began to move purposefully and there were little sounds.

Ian looked down, then up and slowly around. Everything hurt and it led back inside. He wished for it to all go away. He wished for an escape from this entrapment in pain. Ian wanted to run over the side of an invisible cliff to finish this, but the pain of a quickened step was immense and he nearly collapsed. Ian fell back into a walk and started to breathe heavily, it hurt in his chest and made him nauseas.

"What do I do? What do I do?"

Ian's mind was too strange and muddled now to make himself do anything. He just kept moving south, perhaps. Something moved to the side and Ian wondered if it was a creature or human, a friend or enemy coming for him. Ian thought about Harkness and wondered again when it would finally happen. All of his weapons were lost somewhere behind, but Ian didn't want them anymore. He didn't want anything to exist.

Ian just kept heading south and felt mountingly sick over each step. He didn't' want to keep moving, he wished mostly to stop but there was nothing. The sun had already taken too long to set, it was trapped in the sky like that, halfway. Ian climbed to the top of a ridge and stopped suddenly, looked over at another hill then saw a tall bridge nearer. The small settlement perched on top was Arefu and people were visible even from this distance.

He just stood and watched, still shivering and swaying in place from weakness. Now stopped, Ian didn't know if he could start walking again. The broken blood would dry in this position and he would become a statue ensnared within his own body. They were building some new defenses and there were more people now. They would grow and they would survive together. Ian started to take a step forward, then stopped suddenly and shook his head.

He looked at the sky, then shook his head again, felt sick, looked away and took another step. His body seized and Ian nearly fell. He looked down at the lake and saw a few mirelurks moving around there. Ian's hot breath poured out and he was too weak now to do anything. He wanted more than anything to have some meaning again and only live, but nothing could save him from this repeating hell. It was the same every time. The same ending with a different story, the same death with a different body.

It was finally starting to get dark and night fell heavily all around. Ian started walking again and looked around at the falling darkness. He stumbled on and thought he could see the figure moving along just ahead of him. Ian disregarded it and wondered just how much further this would stretch for. His stomach hurt like knives and the dark world was silent.


Amata's fingers were sticky with sweat, and slick on the grip of her shotgun. It was too dark to see much, but their voices reverberated out toward her. She couldn't understand what they were saying, not yet. She inched forward, shaking a little but steeled herself against the worry. She had seen three before, but didn't know how many she might find here. She kept herself silent, but wished again that Maxon was there, if only as a second gun against the unknown group.

She put that thought away. There was no chance of support. When Gob told him, Maxon wouldn't even know where to go. This would be over within a couple minutes, before he could even begin to look. Nerves crawled through her stomach, but Amata slid along the wall and caught a few words, nothing real yet. She could handle two before reloading, but more would be too many. There seemed to be at least five voices but she couldn't' tell.

Another minute, another few feet creeping and then the answer reached her: they were planning to burn the town. They would split into separate groups and burn it from different points at once. She caught a glimpse of six figures in the blur of shadows ahead. This was all the evidence she needed to be certain, but there were too many and she couldn't leave.

The six men split into three groups of two, and two of those disappeared down other alleyways. A cold pain struck through Amata, she shook her head but she couldn't do anything about the terror within. It was starting now, they spoke a few words and then a handful of sparks cut the darkness a moment. Amata was shaking, but she coughed to prepare and stepped out with her shotgun ready.

A shot burst through darkness but clashed on the wall beside Amata. She fired back and killed the firestarter, his body slumped over the growing blaze. The other ducked back, it was difficult to see through the shadows but leaping flames pushed his silhouette around. Amata fired again and his gun clattered against the ground, but the man started to run and disappeared before she could reach him. She looked for a moment, but there was no hope in that wavering darkness.

Smoke stung inside her skull, Amata sprinted over and shoved the body aside. The air was extremely hot already, her eyes began to burn and sting, her hands hurt at the edges they touched. The fire continued to climb exponentially over the obscure heap of architecture. Amata panted and smelled it worse, looked around frantically. The other fires must have been lit already. She couldn't even put this one out, she couldn't reach the others.

She staggered backward, her head throbbing from the smoke and noise, she coughed and shook her head through confusion. She looked up and there was a growing inferno already reaching up over her. Amata couldn't make a noise at this, but turned and ran back to the pain area, stood beside the pit and looked around. She started back at a sprint to Moriarty's, heart beating out of sync with her steps.

All she could think of was being too slow and the flame overtaking her, burning everything alive or asleep, or finding Maxon already dead in the upstairs room. Maybe the other men had found the time to reach him. She smelled them but couldn't figure out where the other flames had been set. Amata almost lost her balance on the edge, but grabbed the rail and steadied herself somewhat. She couldn't remember hearing other gunshots, but didn't feel sure of that.

She caught sight of flames licking over the top of a building, but there was still no commotion. She sprinted around a corner and nearly pushed someone else over the edge. He turned to shout at her, but she stopped him and gestured to the flames sticking out against the night. He staggered away from the sight, then turned to run another way. Amata watched him go for part of a second then started again in her panic.

She wondered in the back of her whirring head how many people would die in the fire tonight. Running didn't seem fast enough at all. She started to yell, it was still too quiet, she could hear the flames popping from here. She screamed for people to get out, but a few of the calls were stuck in her throat. Some people stepped out of their houses and cursed or started crying and running or calling for help or somebody's name.

Amata reached Moriarty's and shoved in through the doors. The place was empty like before, just Gob sitting alone and listening to the radio in smoky darkness. It smelled cleaner inside, less smoke in the air. She told him about the fire and it was released as a shout, he staggered at the information. Gob immediately asked about Carol and Greta, whether they were safe. They were safe outside with Jimmy now, safe on their turn in the wasteland.

Amata choked on the air then told him to start waking people up. She took a gulp of coarse air then darted for the stairs, feet pounding every step. She barreled down the hall and pushed into one room, found Maxon asleep in the bed. She grabbed and pulled him out of the bed, he staggered to the side, just looking confused. She told him the town was on fire, his eyes became wide and he didn't say anything. Maxon took a deep, jittery breath then grabbed his gun and gear.

They headed to the other room to find Phil and Aaron already sitting up in opposite beds, looking over confused. The four of them headed downstairs and met Gob with a few others. He told everyone to get out of town and just go. Everybody ran for the exit and pushed outside, the air was filled with smoke and fire. Several buildings had been transformed into screaming pillars of flame, crumbling in upon themselves. The air was too searingly hot to be night. Fire was the only light and they began to sprint as a loose tangle of bodies, all jagged shadows under tall flame or startlingly white eyes running.


Ian wandered alone through the desert, swaying heavily with every step. He just kept shaking his head and occasionally his lips would move without words. It felt so cold as the sun disappeared. He looked at the falling darkness then his empty hands: one bloodied and one clean. He laughed at himself dying but it came out as more of a brittle cough than anything.

Ian noticed a mountain ahead and it just seemed strange. He wondered if this was Vault 101, lurching back through his vision. He imagined seeing that place again, then nearly fell over a steep ridge. He thought of his destroyed body, Ian knew he would only terrify them. He wondered if Amata would make it back, but it was an empty thought. He still hoped to find her again even though he was dying soon.

Ian looked at his body again and knew it was true. He would just slow and bleed out. It was so tiring to fade out, and he didn't want to die. Ian wanted to live with some meaning. A voice called out to him, words blurry it labeled him an adversary. Ian looked at the dilapidated robot half buried in the foot of a hill. He figured it as the same robot as before and he just looked at it slowly. Somebody had broken off its hands so it couldn't shoot at him or anything now.

Ian walked over and winced. It was struggling to fight him still, calling in its flat, distorted voice and waving its hissing stumps. Ian asked the robot if it would like to kill him. It called him a son of a bitch. He asked if he should try to find Amata. The robot insulted his communist mother and their mongrel heritage. Ian asked how soon he would die and the voice stuttered so that a short, meaningless noise was punched out at him.

Ian stood there shivering as darkness fell and then suddenly became enraged at the total meaninglessness of everything. He threw his left hand at it, thought the hand should break but there was not enough force. Several of the scabs were broken open and Ian fell backward in pain, he staggered away. He fell against the side of a hill and looked at his left arm. He touched it and it felt warm like rotten meat. Ian lay against the hillside and thought he would die any minute. He looked at the robot still struggling to kill him. He taunted it slowly, the words were difficult.

"You didn't do this to me. I did this to me."

It didn't matter what he said, the robot would still be reaching for him. Ian wondered for a moment if it was like himself, just struggling for something impossibly out of reach. He started to laugh at it but then felt empty inside and terribly frightened by the prospect. Ian imagined that he would keep walking until he just collapsed against the dirt. He envisioned himself half buried and trapped for the rest of his life this way. Suddenly Ian wished that he had a gun so he could kill the robot with mercy and end it. He took a step and then began to feel sick.

Ian heard a scattering of gunshots which drew him away from the nightmarish circling moment. He climbed slowly to the peak of his hill and stumbled about at the top. He could only guess at the correct direction through pressing darkness, but thought he recognized Megaton there. He wondered if that was the origin, and what could possibly be the cause.

He stood for a long time still then saw a few licks of fire pass over the walls. Ian started walking but felt confused and uncertain for the whole thing. He wondered if he should feel some allegiance toward Megaton, or a loyalty. He was already walking there, but now he thought he should run. If it had been possible for him to run, Ian would have sprinted toward the rising flames.

Lucas Simms was dead, and he had lost that deputy badge a very long time ago. Ian started to shake his head again and felt empty thinking about Amata and the past. He stopped suddenly and his body shook with cold and fear, then he began to sprint to sprint toward Megaton. Flames were climbing past the wall and he could smell the burning. Blood poured down his limbs but that was too far away. He wondered if this was his final death. Somehow he felt that would be the right way.

A long time ago he had run away there dying. It was the same again tonight.


Amata led the group through pain of fire and confusion. They hurried past a few collapsing buildings and destructive bursts of flame. Maxon grabbed a couple people panicking in the chaos and pulled them along toward the exit. The ground shook and Amata felt worried about the slope giving away, but that was behind the constant worry for being smashed or burned to death.

She caught sight of the gate and yelled it to the others, but they didn't hear her. Soot choked her and the air was filled with massive noise. Amata motioned toward it and they ran out, coughing and stumbling from the destruction. They found Carol and Greta on one of the nearby hills, frozen watching the event. Carol was terrified, then happy to see them safe, but still worried and scared for everyone. Greta just looked at it stern and didn't move.

"What happened?"

Amata just shook her head.

"I'll explain after. Where is everyone?"

"Here, around."

"That can't be everyone who got out."

"I haven't seen anyone else leave."

"Where is Gob?"

"He's here. He's with us."

"I don't see him."

"He was right behind me."

"Shit!"

"No..."

Amata looked back at the gate but there were only a few people escaping.

"We to go back in and help the others."

"You're crazy, we can't go back in there!"

Amata threw all of her gear and her gun aside then turned to survey the flame for a moment. Her things rolled down the hill and into a deeper shadow.

"Maxon, try to help them. I'll go back and find Gob, try to help some of the people still in there."

"No, I'm going in too. Greta, you stay here and try to take care of them. Let's hurry."

Maxon dropped his gear and it disappeared. He took a step and then they began sprinting back toward the burning city. The air was already burning as they approached, Amata tried to prepare herself for running through that terror again. She noticed that Jimmy was following them at the same sprint, but she didn't say anything.

It was dark until they passed through the gate, then the burning air lit their way. The buildings were engulfed in a thick inferno. In many places it stretched between buildings in a long snake. It hardly resembled the city it had been an hour ago. Amata noticed a building with a shut door and she called it over to Maxon. Fire had taken the upper half, but a door on the ground floor was spared yet locked and stuck in place.

Screams from within became apparent as they grew nearer. Amata grabbed at the knob, but the metal burned her hand so that she couldn't close it to turn. Maxon started looking around frantically, sweat rolled down his face and cast small, dark shadows.

"Jimmy, pull the door off!"

He stepped forward and grasped the door with both hands, let out a huge roar then ripped it away from the building. Somebody stepped out but screamed at the sight of a mutant, but Maxon shouted and just told them to get out. A few thanked him while others just ran away and disappeared toward the gate. Maxon looked inside then wiped at his face and pointed to another building, noticed a few people struggling to climb out the window as it teetered on the edge of collapse.

He started running and Amata followed him over a shaky ramp. She tried to put the failing architecture out of her mind while sprinting across, but it leaned over one way and then began to break apart with a series of heavy squeals. Amata grabbed onto the rails because there was nothing else and the whole ramp toppled over against the hill. Maxon fell and slipped, but he managed to get his footing and they climbed back up toward the building.

Somebody managed to climb out and dropped to the ground, but that fall left them dazed and staggered against the earth. The building wouldn't stand much longer while fire and convulsing earth devastated it from all around. Amata told Jimmy to try to hold one of the supporting pillars together while she and Maxon smashed the door open. She found a large rock sticking out of the earth and began pounding against the door, leaving huge dents and creases.

Amata wondered how hot the metal must feel locked within Jimmy's arms, then the door fell open and he called inside. People started running out, a few down the stairs escaped, then the building collapsed backward and slid down the hill. The earth shifted massively beneath Amata's feet and she lost her balance, rolled down with the falling metal. The center of the pit had become the heart of a massive fire and the shriveling dirt kept sucking her down toward that.

She saw Maxon fall and struggle to catch himself again, but Amata pulled at the earth and sweat covered her entire body. The hot earth disintegrated as she touched it, but Amata managed to pull herself over onto a solid ledge and lay there for just a moment panting alone in the sweltering heat. It was impossible to tell where she was or to see anything or think. She started to climb and then screamed for Maxon but didn't see him anywhere

Amata choked after screaming and her vision began to blur from that. Everything was falling apart everywhere she looked but she didn't see anyone. She screamed again, then pulled herself over onto flat ground. Her arms and hands were covered with deep burns that she couldn't feel yet. Only a few buildings were left standing around.

Amata wiped the sweat from her face and screamed again, then backed away from the pit. She screamed Maxon's name again against the powerful roar of flame but then she couldn't muster the strength any longer. She thought he would go for the exit, so Amata turned and tired to find her way there. She didn't want to abandon him, but she couldn't save him. Gob was here somewhere and she had never even seen him.

The earth shifted again and Amata narrowly escaped falling into the pit. She stumbled to the side and felt sorry that she hadn't managed to find Gob. Somebody sprinted past far ahead and into a building. Each breath came faster than the last and felt less substantial, less oxygen for her body. She looked around, trying to find the exit but she was choking. She shook her head and coughed, but struggled to remain calm, to find her way out. Amata ran toward the building. It could be Maxon, it could be Gob. That could be the way out into safety.


Ian sprinted through the wilderness, his body falling apart and smoke floating out through the air. It was almost totally totally dark but the town burning ahead provided enough light to find his way. Ian felt sick looking at all of the destruction. A house near the wall began to crumble and took an adjoined section down with it. There was a shuddering scream from somewhere within.

He wasn't carrying anything at all, and sprinted down toward the fire. It felt crazy, but he didn't thinking about it. He put death out of his mind and ran in through the hunched gate. Inside he felt struck by the violent heat and stared around for a moment in panic. It didn't make any sense to come back here now.

Ian saw someone staggering around choking, then the person fell to the side. Ian ran over and helped the person back up. A few others ran past but didn't stop, Ian followed them dragging the weak person along beside him. They got back outside and Ian left him lying on the side of a hill. Outside, by the fluttering firelight Ian realized that it was a ghoul. He turned and ran back toward the fire without saying anything. The man was unconscious anyway.

He was covered in sweat and panting. Everything was pain so that the pain disappeared He looked around for anybody else but the sweltering air was empty. Ian noticed his house through the smoke, then shook his head and looked around again. For some reason he started climbing. It had not yet been caught in the flame, even though the world below was engulfed. This one building stuck out like a fire retardant sanctum.

Ian tried to the door but it was locked and burned his hand to touch. He found a piece of rubble and smashed the doorknob off. It bounced away clattering, then rolled down into the massive flame below. The robot pushed through and apologized and thanked him then disappeared away toward the gate. Everything shimmered like a mirage.

Ian walked inside and smoke poured through with him. He climbed up to the stairs unsteadily and just looked around, numb. The air was extremely hot, the metal was trapped and conducted heat. For every second within he was being cooked like meat. Ian wipe away dense sweat and forced himself to breathe. He stood on the landing, kept slipping a little with every step. Nothing felt right to be. Ian shook his head to clear his vision but it didn't work.

He walked over the the room that would have been his if he ever lived here. The floor was covered with junk. Ian walked over and picked up a book from the desk. He looked at it but couldn't read the cover. He didn't recognize it, or remember anything about it. Ian took a backpack from the floor and shoved the book inside, he opened a drawer of the desk and pulled out Markus's pristine revolver. He put that in the backpack and hung it over his good shoulder.

Everything shook around him, Ian looked quickly then headed back for the stairs. He felt covered in pain, his head ached terribly from the constant heat. Suddenly the house shifted around him and Ian fell to one side, slammed against the wall. There was a massive noise from below and Ian thought the world must be falling apart from heat. He pulled himself back up slowly, body vibrating and then stumbled down the stairs painfully.

Another tremor threw him on the way down, but he clamped at the rail. It burned his hand to touch but Ian stayed there and pieces of the building fell around. Something struck him from behind and knocked him down the stairs. Ian clutched at the bag terrified, then struggled back to his feet again panting.

He was shaking, only a few feet from the door, limped forward while the roaring noise only heightened around. None of it made sense, he just kept moving. Ian noticed several wide bulges in the metal of the walls but ignored them and got outside finally. Smoke battered at his face but the air felt cool after that damage. The building started to crumble in on itself with a terrible noise. He took a step back to run but something struck him from the side and then Ian was knocked backward.

Something pressed on his left arm near the shoulder, pain cut through everything, a disastrous sensation. His body was being pressed into the dirt from the weight but he couldn't see anything. Massive heat dug into him, Ian was immediately delirious from the pain and saw fire crawling over his whole body. He choked and tried to drag himself away but there was nothing to touch or hold.

There was dark fire all around. Ian thought this would be the time he really died. It was a tight little thought through his chaos. Ian looked out and saw the dark figure approaching. He wondered in a fragmented sense if that was always the same masked being: guilt or fear or death now? Ian felt himself shaking and he couldn't feel anything except for the massive pain in his left arm. He knew that the backpack was still clutched in his right arm by a deadly closed hand.

All of the fire began to disappear with darkness as the dark figure approached. This was the silhouette he had been waiting for, now everything slipped off. Ian looked over and his skin was starting to turn black near the shoulder. He couldn't breathe. There was nothing. Ian slipped back further and further into darkness. He felt some solace near this end. This was right. He had saved a ghoul from the fire.

It was all meaningless, but the end tied itself together. Ian shut his eyes in the midst of destruction and let the good silhouette take him away.