Day 9

It was 3 AM, I woke up with a thirst in my throat. I got up, and just as I was about to enter the backroom, I remembered what happened yesterday. I sighed. I went in anyway. I saw the place that exploded, I guess even after surviving hundreds of chemical explosions, one will eventually bites the dust. I saw the propane tank that exploded, what was she doing with it anyways? I went to the less burnt part of the cupboard and I opened it. There wasn't much left of anything. I grabbed the half filled bottle of water, and I took a sip before putting it back inside. When I got back to the common area, I saw Lana standing in front of the turned off screen. "Hey... Lana?" my voice felt groggy.

"Hey Linc." She sighed. She turned the monitor on and my eyes was blinded by the bright static. "It took 8 days to kill 5 of us, who do you think'll die today? Will it be Luna? Or Lola? Lynn? I don't think they'll let Lily live though, maybe her too? Who do you think will die Lincoln?" She asked, her eyes staring deep into the monitor as if it was her beloved.

"I... I don't... I don't want anyone to die Lana," I said. I really want to die. I want them all to die. Salvation is death. But I can't tell her that.

"Do you know who I think will die today Lincoln?" Lana asked.

"No..."

"Me," She looked at me. Her mouth stretched into a wavy smile and her eyes drizzling rain. "It has to be me."

I don't know what to say. My hand wanted to reach at her and hug her, but I couldn't move.

"Lincoln, there is no hope for any of us, no help will come, we're alone." Lana cried. It wasn't true, we weren't alone, I know that now. But I didn't then. "We should just do what mom did, at least then it will be without our organs being ripped apart."

"Lana... don't say that," I said. My voice sounded weak.

"You tried to do it too Lincoln, don't be a hypocrite,"

"I... I'm sorry,"

"It's alright, I'm just sad, we all are. But death is the only way out of this hell," She said as she walked up to me.

"What if we don't go to heaven?"

"Then we'll just go to hell."

"What if there is no afterlife?"

"Then it'll be a long sleep with no alarms," She said before going to the mattresses we laid on the floor.

"But... what if there is hope?"

"Then we'll miss it," She laid down beside Lola and Luna. She slept.

I couldn't go back to sleep. I was staring at the static on the monitor when I felt a tap on my foot. It was Bun Bun.

"Lincoln, would you follow me?" Bun Bun looked into my eyes.

"Yes..." I said silently as I followed him to the backroom.

We both walked until we reached a box at the corner of the storage. "Open it," Bun Bun ordered. So I followed. There was a can of bug spray. I picked it up. "The gods said that you must protect your sisters... well, whoever's left. The demons will come one day for your souls. I can't interfere with this holy war for I am but a proxy."

"Bun Bun, what do you mean?"

"You need to survive, whatever you do, never listen to the Antichrist. For he with one eye shall bring despair to you."

"Who is the Antichrist?"

"I must go, farewell Lincoln"

"WAIT WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST?!"

It was too late, Bun Bun was gone. In my hand was a can of bug spray. God exists and he wants me to protect his lambs. I shall be the shepherd as ordained by God. I got inside, and I saw them still sleeping. Who is the Antichrist? I went to Luna, and I shook her up. Her eyes flicked open and panic was prominent. "What's going on?" She asked with a hint of panic in her voice.

"Lunes, I found this," I gave the can to her.

"Where did you find it?" She looked like she wanted to scream with glee but she knew the others were still sleeping.

"Bun- I found it in the back, it still has some weight to it, it should be good."

She hugged me. I could feel her hug getting tighter before she released it.

"This means that we can go out to find food for the winter." Luna smiled.

I didn't say a thing. I just looked at her stump. It must be painful, it must felt depressing. But how did she kept her face up? How did she manage to keep her tears in check today? It hasn't been a week, and she's already moving fast with her crutches. Is that the power of being the last elder alive and sane?

2 PM, Luan was still asleep, Lynn woke up but she haven't spoken a word. We already undid her bindings but she didn't get up from that spot. Lucy was still in the vents, and Lana and Lola was with Lily. I was with Luna in the backroom. The scorched marks on the walls, the cracks on the ceiling. It was made to withstand an explosion outside but not from the inside.

"Poor Lisa," Luna said as she went to the box we kept her and mom's remains in. "She was just a bit too excited,"

She went to the pile of parts Lana salvaged and she picked up a few metal pipes.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"Well, running and walking with a pair of crutches in the snow sounds like an easy way to get killed, I'm thinking of making a leg with Lana later. We need to get outside eventually," She sighed. Despair, depression, desperation, the three Ds of our life in this bunker. "It's alright Lincoln, I'll make sure that I can walk in two days, we need to find food and water." She threw a smile at me. Clutching the pipes under her arms, we went back inside. Lynn was still at the pole, motionless. Luan is asleep. Luna sat the pipes down and we walked to the bunk Lola, Lana and Lily was at.

"Hey guys!" Luna said with a forced glee as she opened the curtains.

They didn't answer with words, they just showed us the thing they were doing, staring at old albums. Luna sat down with them, I can see the pain Luna is forcing herself to endure behind her smile.

We sat there looking at the days when happiness was a thing and not a myth. Guess it is still a thing, but not prominent enough anymore. Hours passed, it was around 5 when we heard Luan's voice from outside the bunk. She wasn't laughing. We opened the curtains and we saw Luan, her eyes staring at us. There was blood running down her right eye. Her right hand was inside the creepy ventriloquist dummy she called Mister Coconuts, with the only difference being the blood coming from it. Luna got up immediately, with her crutches in her hands she walked to Luan.

"LUAN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Luna asked as she walked to her. Luan didn't reply, she just kicked one of Luna's crutches, making her fall to the ground.

"LUNA!" Lana yelled as we got to her, pulling her back.

"LUAN WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!" Luna yelled.

"Funsies," Luan said, "Also, I'm Missus Coconuts," She looked at us.

She crouched to our level, and we saw why her eye was bleeding. Her eye socket had a wooden eye in it, and we saw why her hand was bleeding, she nailed Mister Coconut to it.

"What the fuck Luan?" I gasped.

"We just see eye to eye right dear?" Missus Coconuts asked Mister Coconuts. Her missing right eye was there on Mister Coconuts.

"Absolutely, you were an eye opener for me," Mister Coconut yapped.

She's too far gone.

Is this what Bun Bun said when he mentioned the Antichrist?