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Everything was fading away as the air failed to flow through his lung, there was no other thought that ran through his mind as he felt his life fleeting, the screams of all his friends were muffled out, the sight of his friends were fading to the darkness of his mind. Everything fell silent. Everything fell to black.
But soon he spotted a light piercing through the darkness from afar, he gets up to his feet slowly walking towards the light, he steps were the only thing breaking the silence, in a void where nothing ever existed. The more he approaches the light grew stronger blinding him to what laid beyond, when he finally made it passed he felt the cool wind blow gently against his being, it was the most refreshing thing he ever took into his lungs. All around he saw that he was surrounded by a field of tall ornamental grass that stretched as far as he could see that reached up his waist. However the atmosphere of the field was nothing he had ever seen before, the sky just seem to glow a certain hew of blue or green, like it was neither day or night.
He walked through the grass as the sound of the sheer loneliness beaten down on him as he treads through the field alone searching for anything, after a long while he finally came across something out of the vast field. There standing tall out of the ground, rooted deep in the soil stood a cherry blossom tree, the branches were filled with blooming blossoms that reached up high. Standing right under the tree's arms he ran his fingers on the firm, tough bark, the tree didn't move, not even a single peddle from the blossoms shook. He felt tired, exhausted, and the spot where the grass met the roots looked soft under the shade the tree casted, one might lay under the leaves and fall asleep for long, long... time.
"I wouldn't do that."
Turning back he saw that a man stood behind him, tall and broad shoulders, he stood with a smile on his face.
"Dad?" Daulton spoke, surprised and filled with joy to see his father again.
"It's been awhile hasn't it, Champ?" he said.
"Where are we? how is this possible?" Daulton asked looking around til it dawned on him, "Is this...?"
"No," his father answered.
"So it's...?"
"Also no," his father said, "You're somewhere in between."
"I'm sorry, dad, I didn't grow up to be the man you thought I'll be," Daulton started to break down, "I failed you, I failed mom, grandpa, and I failed John."
His father walked up to him, standing over him, looking down to his youngest son, he knelt down placing his hands on his son's shoulders holding him steady.
"Peter... we all make mistakes, but it's those faults that help shape us who we are," his father told him, "Your brother loves you, Peter."
"I still do."
looking to the side Daulton spotted someone he never thought he'll ever see again, Johnathan, along with his mother, and grandfather. They were all here , they were all around him wrapping their arms around Daulton, into their warm embrace.
"You didn't fail us, Peter," Johnathan said.
"You became much more than we ever could imagine," his grandfather told him proudly.
"And just remember, you are never alone," his mother said softly.
"Because we are always with you," his dad said.
Soon everything around started to faded, being carried away by the wind, the light grew brighter destroying everything that was, Daulton, watch as the strange land he stood in fell to the light burning brighter than the sun til it consumed him too, into the burning sky.
\Reality/
Coughing, the air flowed through his lungs, Daulton, found himself back in the track, all of his friends stood around him with their eyes filled with fear, and he looked over finding James hanging right over him.
"Ugh...! up yours, James."
With that everyone felt the rushing feeling of relief washing away all their worries.
\Present/
In the hanger, James, came in standing over a table that Johnathan's urn sat.
"... Hi, John," James waved, "What did that lawyer say?"
"He said that, John, wanted his ashes to be thrown into the ocean," Austin told him.
"So when are gonna do it?" James asked.
"... I don't know if I can do it," Daulton said.
"What?" the others in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Michael asked.
"I'm not sure if I want to dump my brother off into the water," Daulton told them.
"We all know this is hard for you, Peter, but this what, John, wanted." Austin said.
"We're all here for you this time, Peter," Squirrel reassured him and with that Daulton lifted the urn.
\Later/
Coming to the stern of the carrier the girls watched silently as the boys came to a lift that brought them down into the water, the platform sunk down to about half way up their legs. James, and Austin, standing at one side of the platform Michael, and Squirrel on the other with Daulton at the center with his brother's ashes in his arms, the boys gathered near him.
"... I guess this is goodbye, John," Daulton whispered.
He removed the lid from the urn reaching in to grab a fist full.
"A trusted wingman," Squirrel said as Daulton tossed the first fist into the water.
"A wise teacher," Michael on the second.
"A valiant aviator," Austin on the third.
"A close friend," James on the fourth.
"And a loving brother," Daulton said as tears poured from his eyes before finally dumping the whole urn into the ocean, "...I'm gonna miss you..."
\Night/
It was the dead of night, the stars glisten in the sky, outside the hanger the boys built a fire the ashes raising high into the skies the cinders being carried away, and the flames flickering as the boys sat around it.
"What are they doing?" Saoria asked curiously.
"They're just sitting there," Hana commented.
They all followed the boys to the stern and back to the hanger as they continued to observe the boys soon started to sing.
"And am I born to die"
"To lay this body down"
"And as my trembling spirit fly"
"Into a world unknown"
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"A land of deepest shade"
"Unpierced by human thought"
"The dreary regions of the dead"
"Where all things are forgot"
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"Soon as from Earth I go"
"What will become of me"
"Eternal happiness or woe"
"Must then my fortune be"
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"Waked by the trumpet's sounds"
"I from my grave shall rise"
"And see the judge with glory crowned"
"And see the flaming skies"
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"And see the judge with glory crowned"
"And see the flaming skies"
A/N: to my, Uncle, who had suffered from Alzheimer's for years and has finally been put to rest, it was hard to watch as his mental state slowly worsens as the days passed. At first when I interacted with him it was hard for me to understand him because he sounded like he was murmuring his words, but soon later down the line it gotten so bad that his mind was so far off they were unable to communicate with him and pretty much unable to speak, move, and even eat.
Soon they sent him to a place where they monitored him til he died, 2-22-20, at least he's with his brother now... My dad.
