I remember the day after Lori died to that eldritch horror. It was like a scene straight out of modern art. Uncanny, painful, and destructive.

Day 6

It was already the next morning, we could still hear them screaming upstairs as they pounded the hatch. The bunker's cameras were destroyed. Lynn gave me the bullets we had left. Including the one in dad's gun, we only had 23 bullets. I loaded both of the guns leaving us with 11 rounds spared. We had dragged all of the supplies we took to the backroom. We told the younger kids to stay there. It was no use of course. We'll die anyway if the hatch fails. The only two that stood there with me and Lynn was Lana and Lucy. I could've just ended it there. With one gun with me and the other with Lynn. We stood there. It had been going on like since yesterday after we ran back inside.

Suddenly, we heard the banging quiets down. The screams died off, and there we were, standing in the loud quietness.

"Did they leave?" Lana asked, her hands clenched the crossbow she got from the garage.

"I don't know," Lynn said as she walked closer to the hatch ladder. She looked up. "I think we're good for now," She sighed as she placed the revolver in her pocket.

"It took them 21 fucking hours to get tired..." I said as I fell on the floor, my legs were tired, my arms were noodles, and my head felt heavy. Lana and Lucy followed suit, we were tired, scared and absolutely horrified. Even though I was scared at the monster upstairs, I couldn't cry. Even though I was sad that Lori died, I couldn't cry. Even though I was angry that I can't do anything, I couldn't cry.

God is trying to teach me a lesson.

I saw Lynn going to the backroom, they hugged her. I just sat there, with my back to the support pole. They were crying. They are scared. I am scared too. I got up on my feet, and I lied down on my cot. I closed the curtains, and I closed my eyes. I can hear their voices, but I didn't understand what they were saying. As if English had been a corrupted file. So I closed my eyes tighter. And tighter. And tighter. Until there I was, alone in an empty void. Devoid of voices, devoid of sights, devoid of smells. It was peaceful. It was bliss.

Then, suddenly, I felt a shake. It shook me, and it shook me harder. Until my eyes opened. It was Bun Bun. He stood on my chest, and he opened his mouth. "I was scared for you, I thought you were dead!" Bun Bun said in a deep voice. Bun Bun walked its stuffed legs nearer to my face and she hugged me. "Don't worry, I'm here now,"

"Thanks Bun Bun," I said as I too hugged the stuffed doll.

"You know Linky, the Gods wanted me to tell you that they love you!" Bun Bun said enthusiastically. "You just have to be... BRAVE" Bun Bun continued.

"I will Bun Bun," I replied.

"Now go forth, you're the Gods' messenger, you can't be a coward!" Bun Bun said.

"I will Bun Bun!" I yelled.

"Linc? You alright?" Lynn pulled on the curtains, exposing my eyes to the bright shelter lights. I saw the bags under Lynn's eyes.

"I'm good," I told her.

"Who were you talking to?" She asked rubbing her eyes.

"Bun Bun," I said.

"Oh... Alright, I'm gonna go to sleep, you should go eat, you haven't eaten yet today." Lynn said as she climbed the top bunk. "I left you some ramen in the kitchen, if Luna wakes up, can you keep an eye on her, I really need to sleep."

"I will," I replied as I got off my cot.

"Thanks," Lynn said before falling straight into dreamland.

I went to the kitchen and I opened the pot. I saw the ramen swimming in broth, I took a bowl and I filled it up. I went back inside and I looked at the clock. 8.29 post-meridiem. I sat on the floor and I looked at the screen. Static was playing on all the camera feeds. They broke the cameras upstairs. Just as I started eating. I heard a sigh in the vents. I went to the vent grill.

"Lucy?" I asked.

"Oh, hey Linc," Lucy sighed again before opening the vent grills.

"You good?" I asked her as I sat down and continued slurping on the ramen.

"I'm good," Lucy said. "Linc... I don't think I like death anymore... It wasn't as peaceful as it was back then."

"Death have never been peaceful Luce. It will always hurt." I said. "But then again, if I were given a chance to die in the least painful way, I will. I just can't pull the trigger myself like mom did," I told her as I slurped my ramen.

"You seem calm Linc," Lucy said.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked with my fork pointing at her head.

"I don't know," She said.

We sat there, quietly. Thinking of better times. That was when I heard Luna coughing. I got up, and I walked to Luna's cot. Lucy followed behind me. I pulled my gun out, and slowly I pulled the curtains.

"Oh hey guys," Luna coughed. Her face was pale. I shoved my gun inside my pocket and I opened Luna's curtains fully.

"How do you feel Luna?" I asked her.

"Not that good," Luna replied, her eyes looking at the IV bag Lisa hung on top of her.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Famished," She replied with a smile on her face. Without a second thought, I went to kitchen and grabbed another bowl of ramen. I walked back inside and I gave it to Luna. "How long was I out?" She asked as I gave her the bowl.

"A day and a half," Lucy said. "How does it feel? If you don't mind me asking..." Lucy asked as she looked at Luna's leg. "I'm sorry,"

"It's alright... I can still feel my foot," Luna sighed. She's tired.

We sat there on her bed. I could see the pain in Luna's eyes, but she can't express it. "At least, you, Lynn and Lori got out," Luna suddenly said.

"Luna... Lori didn't make it." I said. She didn't know about Lori.

"What?" She said weakly as she placed the now empty bowl beside her. "Don't lie to me Linc, please tell me that you just said a very bad joke," She grabbed me by shoulders.

"I... I didn't lie," I said.

"Was it... painless?" She asked, her grip became weak.

"They took her whole head off," I replied softly. Lucy gasped. She knew Lori died, but we didn't tell them how she died. We only told them that the monsters got to her. I guess, it was for the better that she know this.

Luna released her grasp over my shoulder and rested her back against the wall. She didn't cry, she just stared blankly at me. What was going through her mind. "I should've just died. Luna bit her right hand, the scabs from her previous wound opened back up and her teeth sunk into her skin. I pulled her hand back, but she was stronger than me. So I punched her. "Luna, stop it," I said. She put her bleeding hand down and she looked at me.

"Thanks bro," Luna said, she looked at her hand, and she looked back at me. "I needed that," She said. Her eyes wondered down and she saw the part where there was once a foot. "I... I need some time alone, thanks for checking up on me," Luna said as she looked at me with a smile. I see the pain in her eyes. I see the sorrow, the anger, the regret. But I can't help her.

"Try to let it go," I said before leaving her.

"Thanks Linc, Luce," She said again before pulling on the curtains.

Lucy went back to her vents, and I sat there below Luna's cot. It was the most bottom one. I could hear her crying quietly. We all want to cry. We all want all of this to end. But we know it won't.

MISSIPPI RIVER - ECHO 21 FIREBASE

"Owl 4 to Nest, nothing new so far, over," A soldier said into his radio as he looked down the range through his binoculars.

"Carry on Owl 4, over,"

"I really wish this shit gets settled in a few days, I'm really missing my ma's lasagna,"

"Talking about old Missus Thompson's Lasagna is making me hungry," his friend said. They were up in their watchtowers, pointing the spotlight across the river.

"HEY!" Someone yelled from across. "CAN YOU OPEN THE GATES?"

Ramirez and Thompson pointed the large spotlight at the voice and they saw a man in army uniform and gear waving at them. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?" Ramirez yelled back.

"SPC ALLEN! WITH THE SIGNALLERS!" The man replied.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING DOWN THERE?!" Thompson asked.

"DISTRACTING YOU FROM THE WEAK POINT!" When the two of them heard that, their towers fell.

"RAMIREZ!" Thompson yelled as he got up. Dust rose up. "THIS IS OWL 4 TO NEST, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! REPEAT, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!" There wasn't any reply. Only static.

Thompson got up, he lost his rifle, so took his pistol out. "ANSWER ME DAMMIT!" He yelled at the radio. Just as he smacked it, it buzzed.

"... TO ALL UNITS BANG! BANG! BANG! FULL RETREAT... BANG! BANG! I REPEA-" The radio died.

"Fuck..." Thompson turned his head to look at the river, and he saw the waves coming his way. "Sorry ma' I ain't coming home for Christmas," He said before taking his own life with the M9 in his hand.