Before the Mushroom War
Hope for the Future
"Hannah… Please... Please don't leave me alone…"
The whole room was completely dark and entirely engulfed by the deafening silence… My eyes were closed as tightly as possible; trying to deny the truth, trying to tell my aching head that this was all a lie as my hands kept shaking uncontrollably, unknowingly gripping the little white hat with short nubs. I don't know how long I have been in here… I didn't care. Time felt like a distant memory to me now… I just sat there in the middle of the dark room, staring at the cold floor under me and... just thinking to myself, surrounded by complete and total darkness. I'm sorry, Hannah, but I know what I have to do now... "Louis?" Henry's voice broke the deafening silence as a door slowly creaked open behind me, letting in a sliver of light into the dark room. My head felt a numbing pain as I slowly opened my sore eyes. "Louis... You've been inside here for a long time already…" His voice grew closer to me. "The last truck is already long gone and the Hover Copter has just arrived. It's time for us to leave…" "…What did the- What did the doctors say about him?" I asked him, ignoring what he just said, before desperately coughing and almost losing my breath entirely. Oh God, I'm struggling to even breathe now... "…Louis, don't-"
"Henry! Please… I need to know…" I snapped back at him before he could say anything else. Henry let out a deep sigh before finally answering, "The baby's not fully developed yet… His muscles are too weak and fragile… The heart is working too slow… He can't even breathe on his own without the necessary assistance…" He hesitantly explained to me as I slowly closed my eyes again. "Seeing as there's no other choice... The doctors were forced... to implant mechanical augmentations to save the baby's life." "So… Are you saying that my son is partially a machine?" "…Yeah." He answered bluntly. "...Which part of him?" "Come on, Louis… You don't really need to know all about that..." Henry tried to reassure me but I was having none of it. "Henry, please… I need to know… I need to know more about my son..." Henry let out another sigh before continuing, "Uh… I'm not exactly sure but the doctor said that… Most of his muscles throughout the body were too weak and underdeveloped… so they had to implant micro-fiber cables and a framework of hardened polymers into the joints and muscles of his arms and legs… so it would strengthen the limbs and prevent it from being easily damaged." Henry slowly paced around the room as he was seemingly reading from a script or something...
"The heart was too slow to support the baby properly… So…They had to install a system into the heart that tracks the medical condition of the baby and activates all these kinds of secondary functions that triggers the body's natural healing reaction." I simply nodded as I tighten my grip around the white hat. "Is… Is that all?" "No… Not really... This is the last one…" He said before I heard a page turning behind me. "The baby's lungs are… underdeveloped to the point he couldn't breathe on his own… So…They had to implant a compact rebreather and an oxygen circulation unit on his lungs which basically adds another reservoir of oxygen into the baby's bloodstream… It also allows the boy to... eventually surpass the normal limits of fatigue associated from extended physical efforts... But the baby still needs the incubator to breathe normally until he finally grows accustomed to his augmentations or he will… Well, that doesn't matter anymore…" Henry finished before I suddenly heard the sound of a clipboard or something dropping on the table behind me.
"There… That's practically all of it…" Henry added before he came closer to me. "So... he will be okay, right?" I whispered weakly. "These augmentations will grow alongside him... and his body has been accepting the augments very well so far. So... Yes... The boy will be just fine, Louis... In a matter of fact, he would be much stronger than a normal person when he grows up..." Henry reassured me as he knelt down beside me. I slowly raised my head from the ground and looked forward to see the incubator pod, with all of its modules and electrical machinery, right in front of me. And through the looking glass lies an innocent baby, a long and slender ventilation tube protruding directly from his chest. The baby- I mean... Finn seemed so peaceful as he slumbers away, without a single clue about the world or what's in it...
"Listen, Louis... I'm sorry... about Hannah... and everything..." Henry whispered softly to me as he gently placed his hand on my shoulder. "But you need to understand that we have to leave right now... We can't stay in this place any longer..." I hesitantly nodded to Henry before muttering under my breath, "Okay, Henry... You're right... We have to go..." Henry nodded in agreement before he slowly stood back up, "I'll leave you a few moments to regain your uh... bearings... I'll be waiting on the office room which is just a few doors down right across the hallway, okay?" And with that, Henry slowly went back out through the door and left me all alone again. Alone in the darkness...
I slowly forced by weary body to get up from the chair I was sitting from as I kept my eyes solely on the young baby. My body could barely stand as it is, as I shambled closer to the incubator pod before me. I gently pressed my hand against the glass as I smiled weakly, gazing into the peaceful baby which is sleeping the empty hours away. "Aren't you cold, Finn? Aren't you afraid? An innocent child to be born... into a chaotic world at the eve of War... To simply be born at the wrong time..." I whispered to the unresponsive baby, who did nothing but simply stretched his tiny arms outwards. Innocent... "I'm sorry, Finn. but you're not suppose to be here right now... " I muttered to myself before I carefully slid open the glass entryway which leads directly into the incubator pod. "Here... I wanted to give something to you, Finn... It's from your mother actually... You can consider it as your first- birthday gift from your parents..." I said weakly as I gently placed the little white hat besides Finn, to which he immediately clutches to it like it was some kind of doll or something. A slight smile crossed his face as he continues to sleep peacefully. I couldn't help but let out a tiring sigh as I promptly closed the glass entryway and smiled weakly at him, "Okay, Finn... It's time for us to leave now..."
"I'm sorry, Mother... I'm sorry for everything..."
I was pushing the wheeled cart which was carrying the incubator pod as I slowly approached the double doorway of the 'Neonatal Intensive Care Unit' as it says on the sign above the door. This place is practically abandoned now with me being the only one here... There were rows and rows of different incubator pods but... All the other pods were either empty or...abandoned... I quickly pushed past the doorway and dragged the cart through it. The clear white hallways were all but empty as I slowly went through it, searching for Henry. It was kind of creepy actually as I was walking in the abandoned hallways of the hospital. It kind of reminded me about all those cliched horror movies that I used to watch back in the day with... "No... No... This can't be happening..." I heard Henry's voice in the distance behind an open doorway.
As I slowly approached it, I heard Henry's voice grew more and more worrisome. Fearing for the worst, I quicken the pace. When I finally arrived at the edge of the door alongside the cart, I peered inside and saw a small office room with a desk and the holographic computer interface above it and... whatever else that should be in an office... I don't really care... I guess this office used to be for a doctor or someone important. I saw Henry was hunched over the holographic computer interface, wearing some kind of modern headphones, as his full attention was turned towards the computer interface. What in the world is he doing? "Henry!" I called out for him. As soon as he saw me at the doorway, he quickly raised his hand gesturing me to hold on and wait. Really? You ask me to hurry up and now you're asking me to wait? Are you kidding me, Henry? Seeing as there's really no choice but to wait after all, I quickly shrugged it off and leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes tightly, as I wait for Mr. Important to finish updating his Facebook profile...
Hmm? My eyebrows almost lit up with shock when I suddenly felt someone pulling down on my leg. I was immediately surprised by this as I quickly opened my eyes and looked downwards, only to see a little girl right beside my leg. The blonde-haired little girl was wearing a polka-dotted dark indigo dress as her jaded green eyes stared hesitantly at me, it was like she was scared to approach me or something. She seemed like she was barely two years old or something... "Are... Are you trying to talk with... papa?" She whispered meekly to me. Papa? Does she mean Henry? Wait... Don't tell me... The girl is Henry's daughter? "Yes... He's a friend of mine..." I replied weakly to her as I gently knelt down in front of her. She nodded at me before she silently gazed at Henry, whom was still infatuated with the bloody computer.
"What's... your name? Henry never told me anything about you..." I said trying to break the silence between us as we waited for Henry. "My... name?" She said meekly before I slowly nodded back at her in agreement. "Uh... Um... My name is... Su- San..." "Well Susan, it's nice... to finally meet you." She smiled at me before she suddenly seemed surprised at something behind me. She went past me before slowly approaching the cart and the incubator pod. "Is... he sick? Will... he be... okay?" She asked me as she pointed directly at Finn, who was still slumbering away. I slowly stood back up and approached her side before I gently pressed my hand against the glass of the incubator pod. "He'll be just fine... All of this... it's just temporary, Susan..."
"Are you afraid?" She suddenly asked me. I raised my eyebrows in confusion, "Afraid of what?" "This War... Are you afraid that everyone... is going to die?" I was quite surprised by her question, given her apparent age, as she stared seriously at me. I smiled comfortingly at her before I answered, "There's nothing to be afraid of, Susan. Henry- Your father will get us all to safety... You'll see..." She nodded in an agreeing manner at me before she looked back at Finn. "And he will be healthy again and not be sick anymore... and then, he will finally grow up to be a strong boy... You'll see..." I stifled a weak chuckle as Susan smiled sweetly at me. "I guess you're right, Susan..."
"Louis! They're preparing to launch the bombs!" My heart immediately sank as I heard Henry's desperate shouts from the office before he suddenly burst out of the doorway with a scared look on his face. And when he saw Susan standing right beside me, he immediately bit his tongue. "Susan! Why are you here, baby? I thought I told you to stay at the Hover Copter!" "I wanted to... make sure papa is safe!" Susan snapped back at him. "Susan... That's very brave of you... but you have to listen to me..." He said softly as he knelt down in front of her. "So... the bombs are coming to kill everyone..." She muttered with an emotionless look on her face. "I won't let any of that happen, Susan... I'm not going to let you die..." Henry reassured her as he embraced his daughter. She smiled slightly, "Really?" She said with a hopeful look on her jaded eyes. "Really... But I need you to be strong right now... Can you do that... for me, Susan?" She nodded at him before she smiled proudly, "I can be strong!" "That's my girl!" He stifled a proud smile before he stood back up, shooting me a worried look. I stood there stunned as a numbing sensation coursed throughout my body. So it's already happening...
"You're the closest thing I could consider a good friend, Simon... My best friend."
"We have to go! Now!" He yelled at me before he immediately helped me push the cart towards the direction of a nearby elevator at the end of the hallway. But even with the help of someone such as Henry, we were still slowly but carefully pushing the cart towards the elevator. "Susan, run forward and wait for us at the elevator!" Henry ordered her, knowing that we would only slow her down. Susan nodded at him before she immediately ran forward to the elevator. She was already leaving us further and further behind. "What's going? What did you do in there?" I asked him, knowing that Susan couldn't possibly hear us. "I've been trying to get a signal using the computer. To get a better understanding of the situation right now..." "And what did you find out?" I asked him, slightly exasperated. "It's not good, Louis... It's not good... Everything's gone to hell... They just outright announced to us that they're fighting back and preparing to launch all the available bombs. The last thing those fuckers said was good luck to those that did not make it to a bunker... Just like that..." Henry explained angrily as we quicken our pace with the cart. "I think I'm quitting the military too..." He whispered spitefully to me.
Within seconds, it wasn't long before we finally reached the elevator. Susan was already there, madly tapping at the elevator button. "It's... It's not moving!" She called out to us in a worried tone. "Okay! Forget the elevators!" Henry exclaimed as he quickly approached the nearby emergency door. He forcefully kicked it open revealing a set of stairs leading through the different floors of the hospital. "What about Finn? We can't just drag him up the stairs." I told him as I pointed towards the incubator pod. "Ah... We'll just carry him with us!" He shouted desperately at me as he quickly approached one side of the incubator pod. "Susan... Please run up the stairs until you reached the roof and just wait for us there, okay?" He said softly to Susan. "Okay... Don't take too long... or I'll... come down and help you carry him myself!" She exclaimed with determination before she immediately started climbing up the staircase. "Well, I could tell she is really your daughter, Henry..." I said weakly, stifling a meek smile.
"Well, She got most of that from her mother, to be honest..." He said jokingly before he immediately grabbed onto the emergency handles at the sides of the incubator pod. "Come on, Louis... Grab the other one..." I nodded at him before I immediately grabbed onto the emergency handles on the other side of the incubator pod. "Okay... Lift with your back... Take a deep breath aaaaaaaannnddd..." Together, we heaved the incubator pod upwards and carefully make our way up the stairs. "Aargh! This thing is much... much heavier than I expected..." Henry exclaimed as we continued to climb higher and higher towards the roof. "Come on... Put your back at it, Henry! You're the military man!" I snapped at him as I struggled to carry the pod myself. I'm amazed that the baby is still asleep after hearing the wonderful collection of grunts from us both... I guess he got a little bit of that from me... "I'm...going to... remember that later, Louis..." Henry muttered jokingly at me as we slowly but carefully head towards the rooftop...
"It's a promise, Marceline... We'll see each other again."
"We're almost there!" Henry shouted out of pure relief. A streak of bright sunlight from upstairs signaled the emergency door of the roof was very close indeed. As we climbed the last set of stairs, I saw Susan was standing against the door, dutifully keeping it open for us with her arms. "There you are!" She exclaimed happily at the sight of us slowly climbing up the stairs. "I kept it open, papa! All by myself!" She said, clearly proud of herself. "That's wonderful... Susan..." Henry grunted as we went through the emergency door and into the open rooftop. I could see the bright orange-red Hover Copter sitting alone at the landing pad of the hospital. I wondered where all the other hospital's choppers are... "Come on... Come on!" Henry kept repeating to himself as we urgently made our way towards the Hover Copter. "Okay, okay, careful now... Gently put it down..." Henry said, slightly exasperated, as we carefully placed the incubator pod on the ground next to the Hover Copter. "Is he... fine?" Susan inquired about Finn as a worried look cross her face. "Don't worry. He's... perfectly alright..." I reassured her as Henry opened the pilot door of the Hover Copter. A familiar bright blue holographic sphere suddenly emerged from the Hover Copter. "Good to see you again, sir."
"Jerry! I thought you were decommissioned!" I exclaimed, pleasantly surprised at the sight of my old lab assistant. "I kept him behind thinking that he would be useful later. And I was right in the end... The Hover Copter and Susan wouldn't even be here without his help." Henry explained to me as he helped Susan climbed into the pilot door and towards the passenger seat. "Yes... You have my heart felt thanks, Colonel Henry." The sphere quickly darted to and fro in the air before its only eye finally looked at me. "Ah! Louis! Shame about all this terrible War business, isn't it? How I wish Atlas was still here... That would certainly make everything much easier." "Yeah, well... Let's not discuss about that matter further, shall we?" I said weakly.
"Jerry! I need you to be quiet and install yourself into the incubator pod. I want you to take care of the baby and always make sure that he is safe. Do you understand me?" Henry ordered Jerry, immediately interrupting him from speaking to me. "As you wish, sir." The blue sphere immediately dissipated into the air and was gone from my sight. I noticed that the blue sphere was already inside the monitors of the incubator pod as it lit up with the image of Jerry. "The baby appears to be in optimal conditions, sir. And might I say congratulations on your new member of the family, sir! How is dear Hannah anyway? It's been a while since I met her..." I immediately fell silent as I simply stood there motionless, not a single feeling inside me.
"Jerry! What part of being quiet do you not understand?" Henry yelled at Jerry as he quickly opened the door of the passenger seats at the back of the Hover Copter. "...Understood. Terribly sorry, sir..." Jerry immediately fell deathly silent as he finally complied with Henry's orders. "Okay... Help me get him onto the back." Henry beckoned me as we both grabbed the emergency handles of the incubator pod before we made one final heave upwards until it was safely in the back of the Hover Copter. Henry quickly grabbed the safety latches dangling on the ceiling and promptly latch it onto the emergency handles as firmly as possible. "There! He's all secure and safe!" Henry exclaimed happily as he dropped back down onto the ground and closed the door behind him. "Alright! Let's get out of here!" Henry said excitedly as he moved closer to the pilot's seat. "Louis?" I looked up at him as he was halfway climbing into the pilot's seat. "What are you doing, man? You can get through the other side. Come on, let's go already!"
"I'm not going, Henry... I'm not leaving with you..."
"...What?" He exclaimed out of shock as he immediately dropped back down onto the ground. "What- What the hell are you talking about, Louis?"
"I- I can't leave her, Henry..."
"Are you fucking crazy?! You can't just throw away your life like that! For God's sake, what about your bloody son?" Henry yelled angrily at me as I saw Susan peering outside with a confused look on her face.
"My son is the only thing I have left in this world, Henry... All of my friends and my whole family are probably dead now. Without Hannah- The only thing left that I want to protect is my son... And I know that he's safe now... In the end, that's all that really matters to me."
"No, you dumbass! I won't let you be an idiot and just throw your life away like this! Damn it, Louis! What will Hannah think? What about your goddamn son? You can't just die on me now and leave him alone, you fucking moron!"
"Hannah's dead, Henry... And my son... I know now that he's safe but he doesn't deserve someone like me as his father. After all I done... It's just- I- I can't leave Hannah alone..." I could feel my hands shaking uncontrollably as I just looked at him in his eyes, into his desperate and frustrated eyes...
"For God's sake, Louis, why? ...Why?" I could tell- I knew that even if he doesn't want to admit it or accept it, he understood that he couldn't change my mind. And it's making him completely frustrated and defeated.
"I need to ask you of another favor, Henry..." I exclaimed as I took out a piece of paper from my pocket and handed it to Henry. "What- What's this?" He said as he confusingly took it from my grasp. "It's the VIP pass for Beautopia... The one you gave me at my house... I want you to get your daughter to safety instead... I just wanted to ask you if you could bring Finn along with you..." I smiled weakly at him. He let out a defeated sigh as he clasped onto his forehead tightly, "I- I won't be able to change your mind, can I?" I stifled a smile at him as I slowly shook my head...
"So... this is it then. You expect me to fly away knowing that I just left my friend behind to die?" For what's probably the first time in my life, I could actually see his eyes were watering. "I'm sorry, Henry..." I said as I slowly raised my hand towards him. "Goodbye, Henry. And thank you... For everything..." Henry suddenly pulled my hand closer and to my shock, he- he immediately hugged me tightly. I guess there is a soft side to him, after all... "You're an idiot, you know that, Louis... But- But I guess I was wrong about you after all..." He whispered to me before he finally let go of me and slowly backed away towards the Copter, leaving me behind...
"Goodbye, Susan! It was nice meeting you!" I called out to her as Henry was already climbing back into the pilot's seat. "Goodbye, mister!" Susan smiled meekly as she waved at me from the Hover Copter. "Goodbye, Louis... Be sure to save me a spot up there, won't you? I'll be joining you once I'm done here..." Henry smiled sadly at me as he gently caressed Susan's blonde hair. "I will, Henry... Maybe we could have a drink together or something..." I grinned weakly at him. Henry nodded at me before he closed the door right behind him and immediately turned on the engine of the Copter. Without a single moment of hesitation, I slowly backed away as the gyros of the Hover Copter started to spin. Within seconds, the Hover Copter immediately rose up from the ground until it was hovering on the air, hence the namesake... I saw Henry at the pilot's seat, giving me a honorary salute of sorts, before he immediately flew off into the distance. It wasn't long before I couldn't even see him in the nearby cloud-kissed skies anymore. He's gone now... My last chance of escaping was gone... And I feel nothing... I breathe a tiring sigh as I slowly walked back to the emergency door and went back downstairs...
"Papa..."
"Yes, Susan?" Henry had his full attention turned towards flying the Hover Copter as his daughter was sitting neatly at his side. "I thought we were going to the ARK?" She asked her father, sounding very much confused. "Oh, that... We're having a little change of plans, dearie. We're going to try our chances at Beautopia instead." He explained to her as he slightly glanced at the VIP passes in his pocket, given to him by an unexpected friend. "Really?!" She exclaimed excitedly, almost jumping in her seat. "I always wanted to go to Beautopia instead! I never liked the ARK, papa! It's just too cold and dark... And those robots are just so scary..."
"I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that, Susan. But if you don't mind, we're making a quick stop to the ARK before we head towards Beautopia." He said as he already began preparations into landing the Hover Copter. "...Why?" A curious look cross the little girl's face. Henry glanced at the incubator pod behind him, which holds his friend's only hopes for the future, before he finally answered, "A favor for an old friend... I need to make sure his future is completely safe from any harm. It's the least I can do for him..." Susan followed her father's gaze as she stared at the incubator pod, which lies neatly and safely at the back of the Hover Copter, before she finally understood what her father meant. "Okay, papa... I understand... I don't mind at all..." She said softly. Henry nodded proudly at her and was slowly landing the Hover Copter before a sudden interruption distracted him. "Anyone... To anyone on this frequency..." The radio suddenly blared out with a blurred voice speaking nonsensical words. Confused, Henry decided to let it continue...
"To anyone... on this frequency, I have... finally received the news... The bombs have been launched!I repeat... have been launched! The satellites... aligning! They... retaliating! I repeat... are finally retaliating! Hell... on Earth! Fire w... rain down on everyone! Hour of Salvation! Repent! Repent... all your sins, my children! Run... your lives! Run for... fucking lives! Save... Yourself! Just save... but yourself... God... be with us all..." The radio immediately cuts off with a deathly silence.
"What was he talking about, papa?" Susan asked her father in a worried tone as she couldn't understand what the radio was saying, but her father did not reply to her as he immediately fell silent. As soon as the Hover Copter finally landed onto the ground, Henry quickly opened the door and jumped out onto the ground. "Stay in there and don't move!" Henry urgently ordered Susan as he rushed to open the passenger doors at the back of the Hover Copter. The incubator pod was still there unmoved and unaffected by the chopper ride. Henry quickly climbed up and started unlatching all of the safety latches before he tightly grabbed both of the emergency handles. Without any form of help, Henry struggled to carry the incubator pod as it was heavier than ever but he managed to muster all his strength to lift it out of the Hover Copter. Henry grunted in pain as he struggled to carry the incubator pod across the grass field towards a nearby stone wall.
"Jerry! Listen to me! Listen to me! I need you to take care of the baby! I don't care how long it takes or whatever the hell you have to do, I want you to just make sure that he survives at all costs!" Henry loudly ordered the Virtual Intelligence as a part of the stone wall suddenly slid downwards into the ground, revealing nothing but darkness inside. "...Understood, sir! I will try my very best! You can consider it already done!" The blue sphere in the incubator pod exclaimed confidently. Henry entered the darkness without a moment's hesitation before a flash of bright light suddenly emerged from the darkness within. A distant voice could be heard after the flash of light, "Welcome to the ARK, Colonel Henry."
After a short while, Henry himself emerged from the darkness empty-handed and struggling to just stand straight. As he was slowly making his way back to the Hover Copter, a sudden scream of horror echoed throughout the mountains. "Oh my goodcuss!" Susan cried out loudly in a scared tone as she gazed upwards into the sky, her face full of dread and fear. Henry whom was already climbing back into the pilot's seat of the Hover Copter followed his daughter's gaze and immediately witnessed the horrifying sight of enormous columns of black smoke slowly trailing into the sky, "My God... It's finally happening..."
"I- I'll promise you will see me again... One day, somewhere in the future..."
My hands were gently pressed at one of the windows of the hospital as I gazed forward and witnessed tall columns of black smoke trailing into the sky over at the horizon. So... There it is then... I can only hoped that Henry already arrived at Beautopia with Susan and Finn. Well, those Hover Copters are known to be pretty fast... so I guess I have nothing to worry about... I proceeded to shamble my way across the empty hallways towards her... As I traveled my way across the hallways, I happen to notice many things. The very first thing I saw was a group of three doctors lounging about in the hallway, laughing and drinking... I recognized one of the doctors as the one who was operating on Hannah... And I think he recognized me too when he turned his head and saw me walking along the hall.
He immediately walked towards me carrying two glasses filled with the whiskey he and his friends were enjoying themselves with. Without saying a word, he immediately offered it to me as soon as I had arrived, a look of understanding and a desire for forgiveness in his eyes... I simply smiled weakly at him and gave him an understanding nod as I gently grabbed the glass from his hand. "To the end of the world, my friend!" The doctor proceeded to cheer as he raised his glass upwards into the air. "WOOHOO!" His friends cheered alongside him before they immediately gulped their own glasses down. I too couldn't help but join them as I quickly drank the glass empty, feeling the stinging warmth of the whiskey going down my coarse throat. It was a brief bliss, at least... The doctor gave me a friendly smile as he patted me on my shoulders before he and his friends slowly walked away and left me all alone in the hallway, slightly saddened by the fact that their bottle was finished. With no one else around the hallway, I continued my walk through the lifeless hallway...
At one of the many doors I walked past, I was surprised to see Martin. He didn't leave with the trucks? I had thought that he already evacuated... Martin was sitting down next to a bed ridden African-American old woman. She must be his wife... Her eyes were closed with all kinds of medical machinery strapped to her and she was... hairless... Martin was holding her hand gently as he was silently whispering to her even though she was unconscious. When Martin eventually saw me at the door, we didn't say anything to each other. He just slightly nodded at me as if he understood... I quickly left him alone with his wife... I passed by another room with what appears to be a family in it. The man was sitting up from the bed as he huddled closely together with who I presumed is his wife and two teenage children. I was even more shocked to see there was still a few children left in the hospital.
"God, please forgive us all for our sins..." I heard the woman whispering as she tighten her grip around her family. The teenagers were silently crying as they continued to pray together. I already left them alone to be with each other... "Where's my son?" I heard an old woman's voice in the distance as I walked up to a door which was slightly ajar. I saw a doctor was sitting beside an old woman whom was resting neatly on her bed. "I told you already, Ms. Ingrid. Your son had to be somewhere else right now..." The old woman nodded understandingly before she smiled at the doctor, "Okay... But could you tell him that he should come visit me more often? It's been a while since he last visited me... I wonder how he's doing with his biology test..." I noticed a single tear crossed the doctor's face as he held the old woman's hand and smiled politely at her, "I'll be sure to tell him that, Ms. Ingrid... And I'm sure he'll do amazing in his biology test... In fact, I bet he'll come visit any moment now... You'll see..." I felt sorry for the doctor as I walked past the room, leaving them to be alone with each other. How the people must pay for the atrocities of War...
As I finally reached the end of the hallway with the emergency room from before, right in front of me. I took a deep breath before my hand slowly edged closer to the door handle. But the door suddenly open right before I could grab a hold of the handle, much to my surprise. I was even more surprised to see the female doctor from before emerging behind the door. She was as confused as I was when she saw me, "You didn't leave with the Hover Copter?" I was almost stunned by her sudden exclaim before I muttered, "You- You knew about that?" "I think almost everybody heard it when it was landing on the rooftop..." She answered with an expressionless look in her face.
Completely confused, I asked her, "And yet... You still didn't do anything about it?" She let out a tiring sigh before she walked past me and gazed into the nearby window, witnessing the columns of black smoke in the horizon. "What could we possibly do? And even if we did anything and by some miracle, made it all the way to Beautopia with all of the patients... Then what would happen next? Will the world still be the same to come back after- if the War ends? Will we even be able to resurface? When will it all end?" She turned back to me and smiled meekly, "I guess I and... maybe everyone else just wanted to leave a world where it still makes a bit of sense and we don't want to see what comes after everything... What happens after the end..." She finished with a weak grin.
"What comes after the end?" I muttered out of confusion. I never really thought about that... "Who knows what will happen next? Maybe the world will be a better place after the end, after all. But I only wish that I could see my brother one last time and tell him I'm sorry for what I done to him..." The doctor seemed sad and longing about her brother. I didn't know what to say to comfort her as I just stood there in helpless silence. After a few quiet seconds, she slowly turned around and finally continued to walk away. "She's waiting for you, you know... I managed to clean her up a bit so you should be good to go..." I heard her calling out to me as she walked away from me and leaving me alone. "Thanks again, doctor..." I said softly before I turned around and saw the double metal doors right in front of me. I took a deep breath before I slowly edged my hand closer to the handle and finally pushed the door open...
"I- I can't leave her... I won't leave her..."
I opened the door and quickly went through the observation room before I finally reached her... She was resting neatly on the bed under the now clean white bed sheets. Her soft eyes were closed as she laid there motionless. She seemed so peaceful... I let out a weak sigh before I slowly opened the curtains of the windows in front of her that I didn't notice from before. I dragged a nearby chair and promptly sat down next to her facing the window which oversees the horizon in the distance. I could still see the columns of black smoke over at the horizon but they were already dissipating in the air. It won't be long now... "Hi..." I said softly before I swallowed my throat. "I wanted to tell you... that our son... is safe now... Henry's taking him to Beautopia as we speak so... You have nothing to worry about, Hannah..." I stifled a weak chuckle as a single tear crossed my face before I continued, "But I bet you would be really pissed off at me for not going with them... I bet you would tell me off for hours and you would probably lecture me non-stop... Heh... Well... I always was a never good listener..."
I mustered up a weak smile on my face as I continued, "Do... Do you remember the first time we met, Hannah? No... I'm not talking about college... The very first time we met... at the park when we were kids... You probably don't remember it... and you said I was the one with the terrible memory... I guess that's only... partially true then..." I gazed into her, sleeping peacefully on the bed. "I... I was walking around on the park with my head on the clouds before I was suddenly tripped by this mean teenager which immediately caused me to fall down right on this nearby pile of mud... All the other kids began laughing at me... except you..." I slowly outstretched my right hand and gently clutched into hers... "You helped me out that day... You saved me... And even though I just single-handedly ruined my popularity at school and I got mocked by the other kids at school for what seems like months, I still considered that day as a lucky and wonderful day for me... For you see, I was lucky enough to have met you... I'm still thanking that rude bully to this day actually... And I remembered how I swore that when I grow up, I would buy you a flower shop knowing that you love flowers... I guess that still never happened then... I'm... sorry..." I looked into the afternoon sun as the columns of smoke were all but gone. "I met a young girl at the city yesterday... She was resourceful, she was passionate, she was head-strong and brave... and she reminded me of you, Hannah... I wonder how she is doing right now... I hope she's already safe from... all of this... I guess it looks like I won't be able to fulfill the promise I made to her... It seems like I'm always abandoning promises lately..."
A deafening silence erupted in the room as I just sat there clutching onto her lifeless hand. Without thinking, I slowly raised my other hand and gently clasped onto my entire face, taking deep breaths and trying to stop my entire body from shaking. I still can't believe it's just going to end... Everything- Everything is gone now... In the midst of all the pain-stricken silence, I- I couldn't help myself but wondered how heaven had looked like as I sat there on the forsaken chair, completely alone... I had wondered if Hannah or Mom and Dad would already be waiting for me... I wondered if I even deserved to go to heaven in the first place... Throughout my entire life, I was really never that much of a religious man, much to my Mother's sheer anger... And I still remembered the faces and the screams of all those people I didn't help... All those people I left behind... It was then that I realized I was actually a selfish and greedy man... Maybe I'm not so different than the people who were forced to instigate War for their people's survival... Maybe I deserved this... I guess I really fucked it up this time, didn't I?
"I have to admit, Hannah... I'm scared... I'm really scared... I'm afraid to die... I don't know what's going to happen next... I don't know what happened to my Mother... To all of my friends... I don't know what's going to happen to our son... I could do nothing but only hope... Hope that he at least reemerged into a world, free from the wrath and destruction of humanity..." Tears were slowly going down on my face as I glanced continuously at her closed eyes... The stars are gone... Her smile was gone... Oh God, what could I have done differently? At any point in my life, what could I have done to make this nightmare seem distant? Oh God, what could I have done so I could be with Hannah, just for a little bit longer? "It looks like I'm just fulfilling one promise at the moment... The one I made to you... at our wedding, remember?"
A loud whizzing sound suddenly erupted from outside in the distant horizon as it gradually grew closer and closer. Is it time? I guess the time has finally come... I simply closed my eyes as I tighten my grip around her hand. "I... I promised you..." A large blinding flash of green deadly light could be seen at the corner of my eyes, even when they were tightly closed, with a thunderous and booming sound in the distance immediately following suit. Green... Green light? No... It- It can't be... Don't tell me they were actually desperate enough to use those kinds of bombs... It's- It's horrible... But I guess we're all desperate nowadays... Within seconds, it suddenly got much hotter and hotter in the room to the point that I realized it was actually getting much more difficult to simply breathe... I was gasping for air, struggling to even take a breath of air... My throat felt completely dry and coarse before it was swollen by the immense heat... I can't even utter the words without feeling the sharp and burning pain in my throat...
Before anything else could even be done though, another blinding flash of the horrific green light before another immediate deafening explosion could be heard with the distant sound of the front window slowly cracking and smashing into pieces. I could hear the faint sounds of the many glass shards pelting the floor as I struggled to continue...
"I promised you... that I..." I briefly stopped when I immediately realized all of the air around me was quickly being drained from the room, much to my anguish and horror.
"will never... leave your side..." I was wheezing desperately as I struggled to even continue to speak.
"until we decide... it's our time... to leave together..." A desperate scream could be heard echoing in the distance before it was immediately silenced by another deafening explosion.
My ears couldn't hear anything but a hollowed ringing as I could feel the searing heat from outside was quickly getting closer and closer before it nearly engulfed me... The green blazes was the only thing I could see through the empty tears of my eyes... I knew I couldn't breathe anymore as I opened my mouth and gasped for one last tired breath, closing my tear-filled eyes as hard as I could and clutching onto her hand as tightly as humanly possible...
"I- I love... I love you..."