CHAPTER 49: HELL ON EARTH, PART 2

The city of Hillwood has been destroyed, and in its place is left a cursed Earth known as Hellwood.

Having just woken from a long coma, a fatal injury sending him stuck between death and life with his healing factor the only thing keeping him on that line, Arnold Shortman wakes from his dreams to find himself thrown into a nightmare. For the first time in his life, he feels a total sense of defeat; one that takes away more from him that he can even describe.

Being gone for almost a month, he is brought back up to speed by Valiance, who explains the situation of Hellwood to him; telling of its split into several provinces, 3 ruled over by the confederates of the Freak, their complete separation from the United States of America, and what chances they have of survival.

"And that's the state of Hellwood now. Cops are extinct, gangs are the only law, and we're completely on our own, save for the few we can still bring to our side." Valiance said.

The information was damning to hear from his teammate, well aware of his own capabilities and agency. To be made known of the complete destruction of his city brought him further down than a man was capable of knowing, but to hear of hope and morale as low as it was is nothing short of hearing news of a death.

"We've been taking care of ourselves here where we could. I've had plenty of food stashed and generators with solar power backing this place months ago, and the whole place gated off. Nobody's gotten past it without a fight, and less made it out without a bruise or broken bone as a souvenir. We've still done what we can on trying to keep the territories we've gotten protected, and whatever people we could save. Nowadays, though, we've been having less and less progress on that front." Valiance said.

"But... I don't understand. How could things have gotten this bad? I mean, you've still got Sid, Harold, and Nadine, you couldn't do anything on your own?" Arnold asked.

"Nadine's missing; went on a scouting mission to the Farm... and we haven't seen her since."

"But you don't think she's dead?"

"I... I just hope she's not dead. It's... It's- Don't worry about it. She should be fine."

Detecting a strange insecurity in his voice, Arnold's eyes glowed a shade of green, with his mind taking a glimpse into his mind for further context behind the emotion.

Reaching a memory that began some few weeks ago, Arnold relived a memory of Valiance sitting in his room, sulking in a state of emptiness. Having lost what remained of his family, his city, and even his leader, there is little that can guide the white knight on a better path, and fear settles in that he may fall down the wrong one yet again.

Despite his goal of trying to gain privacy, he does not find it. Nadine stepped into the room, inquiring for his well-being, much to Valiance's lack of attention.

"Hey. Val. You doing okay?" Nadine asked.

Proving he had no heart for his surroundings, Nadine's inquiry went unnoticed by Valiance. In a gesture much different from the usual treatment that Valiance had received from either teammate or civilian, Nadine laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing him to snap at attention with a sharpness of breath.

"Hey, whoa, calm down. It's just me." Nadine said.

Relieved to see that his visitor was simply Nadine, Valiance backed down and returned to his meditative state.

"What is it?" Valiance asked.

"I was just checking on you. Things are pretty crazy and all, so, I, uh, just wanted to make sure you're okay." Nadine said.

"Heh. Of course I'm okay. The entire world's just turned to utter shit because of the man who stole my daughter from me, and the only man who could possibly help us is in a coma and might not ever wake up, I'm doing fine. We're all doing just fine."

"Val-"

Getting up from his seat, Valiance tossed aside a desk and various objects around him, venting out his rage on inanimate objects.

"The entire goddamn city's gone to hell, of course we're all fine! Who needs things like society, order, or law when you've just been given a taste of total chaos?! People just want to get completely fucked up down to their core! We don't care! We just want to have some fun, so let's have some fun!" Valiance shouted.

Continuing to throw and smash various objects, Valiance carried on his fit, with Nadine making futile attempts to calm him down. Through only his own volition, Valiance fell to the floor, picking up a bottle of whiskey and chugging down the contents. After he took a few large gulps from the bottle, Nadine slowly lowered the bottle from his face, allowing him a chance to breathe and speak again.

"You know what the worst part about all this is? This all started because I had to bring back Rhonda. Everyone told me that I should just let her go, but no. I had to destroy so much, destroy lives and my place on the team, just so I could have her leave me. And she gave the Freak all his power, putting us where we are now. This is all my fault. I'm the one who brought this all on us." Valiance said.

Sitting in his lap, Nadine held his face to hers, trying to keep his hopes up in this dark hour of his life.

"It's not your fault. You wanted to bring back your daughter because you felt like you owed it to her to give her a second chance. She's still alive out there now because of you." Nadine said.

"And she hates me for it." Valiance said.

"She can't hate you forever. Don't forget, you're her father, but she's my best friend. I know her well."

"Of course you do. I was barely in her life at all, how would I know anything about her? How would she know that I did everything that I did for her?"

"I know that, deep down, you're somebody who cares about what he does."

In a move that Valiance would never have expected, Nadine left a gentle kiss on his cheek, following with one on his lips.

"No." Valiance said.

As much as the action brought him disgust, Valiance could still not help himself to reciprocate the kiss, leaving the two kissing each other further.

"Stop it, Nadine." Valiance said.

Even though his mouth tried to let out words that called for an end to this act, its movements back towards hers did not signal it shared the intent. Continuing to hold each other closer and tighter with each kiss, drawing breath from one another, they began to grope at one another in a show of foreplay.

Shaking his head in defiance, Valiance finally shoved Nadine off of him, becoming appalled by his own actions.

"No. Dear lord, no. There's wrong, and then there's wrong, and then there's THIS! NO! For god's sake, you're just a kid, Nadine!" Valiance said.

"No, I'm not. I'm an adult, and so are you. We're old enough to make our own decisions." Nadine said.

"That's enough, Nadine. I'm old enough to be your father. Hell, I was your best friend's father. You're not thinking clearly. You're scared and it's got you talking crazy."

"Of course I'm scared. We're all on our own here, and got no way out. We're all we have left. But I'm still a woman with needs, and you're still a man with needs. The least we can do as teammates... is help each other. So, please, don't give me your sagely bullshit. Just fuck me. I know you want this and you know that I want this."

Letting himself give into his neglected sexual appetite, Valiance gave into Nadine's advances, embracing her once again and accepting her in coitus.

As the memory began to move on to emotions too personal for him to view any longer, Arnold returned his consciousness to the present time; little more than seconds passing since his glimpse. Though Valiance continued his stoic facade of confidence and show of leadership, Arnold knew that behind his face were only a stew of mixed and unresolved emotions from this new and situational relationship with Nadine.

Needing to keep his focus on the more pressing matter at hand of the city of Hillwood, he looks past the topic of Nadine.

"Yeah, you're right. She can take care of herself. But where's everyone else?" Arnold asked.

"Upstairs." Valiance said.

Taking a flight of stairs up from the underground base into the Lloyd Manor, Valiance led Arnold to one of the two remaining Hillwood Heroes: Sid, A.K.A. Bad Boy.

Expecting the laid-back and easygoing member of the team to be at least slightly resembling his relaxed state in the face of the apocalypse, Arnold finds that not to be the case. Remembering Sid as a paranoid young man with many irrational fears, most relieved with his usage of marijuana, he is found to have regressed to his old ways of fear and paranoia.

Pressing himself up against a wall, Sid clasped his hands over his head, frantically scanning his surroundings for any perceived signs of trouble. Coming face-to-face with Arnold with bloodshot eyes and a short breath, Sid cowered back further against the wall, curling himself into a fetal position.

"ARNOLD! Holy hell, man, you're supposed to be dead! We found you dead, you weren't coming back at all! Then I must be dead! Hey, that's not bad, I get to see Stinky and Eugene and Sheena and everybody again, right? No, wait, being dead's bad, it's really bad! No, being in Hellwood is worse! I'm dead, I'm in hell, what difference does it make?! How could hell be any worse?!" Sid ranted.

"What the- What happened to him?" Arnold asked.

"He medicated himself with pot. We ran out. He tried getting into some other drugs, whatever he could find. All those anxieties he's been holding at bay with his one drug got so much worse." Valiance said.

"But why would he use-"

"He's never been good at making his own decisions. Without Stinky, him and Harold seemed to drift apart some. Without them, he's just on his own."

Kneeling down to Sid in his frightened state, Arnold reached out a calm and gentle hand to offer sanctuary from his fears.

"Sid, listen, it's okay, I'm okay. Just stand up and-" Arnold began to say.

Fearful of the man standing before him, Sid swatted the hand away, further retreating to his shelter.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME, MAN! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO MESSES EVERYTHING UP! YOU GOT STINKY KILLED! I CAN HEAR HIM SHOUTING AT ME OVER AND OVER, SMELLING THE FLESH BURNING OFF HIS BODY, CRISPING UP LIKE LEAVES! HE TELLS ME HOW MUCH THEY HATES IT IN HELL, BUT HE CAN'T BE IN HELL, BECAUSE THIS IS HELL! OH, GOD...!" Sid shouted.

Covering his face in shame and fear, Sid cried into his palms, letting out his anxieties into a solitary breakdown. The kind heart in Arnold urged him to try to help once again, leading him to take a glimpse into Sid's mind. Within but a few seconds of his decision, he regretted the action.

With his mind assaulted by taking in the pain of Sid's mental anguish, Arnold grasped his head and groaned in pain, unable to process all of the skewed mental processes. He would have been stuck in such a mental position without any easy chance of escape, but Valiance pulled him back, breaking his concentration to return to the real world and his own set of problems.

"You're wasting your time. If we could've fixed him, we would've by now." Valiance said.

"You said Harold's here, too. Where is he?" Arnold asked.

Lifting his arm in a guiding motion, Valiance led Arnold to a workout room in the manor, putting him at a meeting with Harold. Knowing Harold was the one member the least in shape during his time in the Hillwood Heroes, sporting a gut from his taste in sweets and snack foods, the change he sees in him here is astounding.

After working a large rack of weight on a bench press, Harold sat up, revealing most of his body fat gone and toned muscles in their place. Recalling a time when he had helped encourage him to lose weight during the years of his youth, to see him fit like a bodybuilder was an astounding change.

"Hey Arnold. You're finally back." Harold said.

"Harold, uh... Wow. You've definitely been busy." Arnold said.

"Yeah. Finally got off the junk food and candy and put my ass to the grindstone. Funny how it took a damn apocalypse to get me in shape."

In the corner of his eye, Arnold noticed a large trash can filled with crumpled papers, leading him to pause their talk and investigate it. Taking one piece of crumbled paper out of the trash can, Arnold began uncrumpling and straightening it, looking in to read the contents.

Harold began to protest for a moment, but stopped himself short.

"Hey, that's- Aw, whatever, go ahead and read it. Not like anyone else'll see it, anyway." Harold said.

Returning his attention to the paper, Arnold uncrumpled it to find it to be a love letter addressed to 'Big' Patty; one of many still not sent to its intended person.

"Oh... You never sent your letter to 'Big' Patty. I'm sorry." Arnold said.

"Don't worry about it. I could never get the damn letter right, even after all this time. No point in worrying about it now that I won't get it out." Harold said.

"I'm sure that there's some way we can get out of here. Valiance, the flying transport, why don't we-"

"Been there, done that. Any aircraft that tries to get out gets shot down, and all of Hellwood is a no-fly zone. Nobody gets in, nobody gets out." Valiance said.

Realizing that there was no way off the island, Arnold hung his head in shame, feeling personal blame for the destruction of Hillwood and the dooming of its citizens.

"Damn it... I should have stopped Curly from doing all this. I couldn't stop him, I just... I wasn't strong enough." Arnold said.

"Don't blame yourself. This is my fault. If I hadn't tried to bring back Rhonda, we wouldn't be in this situation. Though, I have to say, if you had killed him in the first place, we would be all the better for it." Valiance said.

Hearing Valiance suggest the concept of murdering the Freak once again, Arnold took anger and offense to the statement.

"You still haven't learned anything, haven't you, Buckley?! Killing is not the answer! Killing Curly will solve nothing!" Arnold shouted.

"Try telling that to the millions of people he killed when he almost nuked this city and left the rest to ruins. If you'd just killed him the first time, we wouldn't be here. Valiance asked.

Having no counterargument to Valiance, Arnold turned away in anger.

"Exactly what are you trying to prove with this 'no-kill' bullshit? Is this some way of saying we're better than them? Do you think that we're somehow on the level of those maniacs? What exactly is your nuanced position on ending lives that need to be ended?" Valiance asked.

"Simple. Our job is to protect people. We don't get to choose who lives and who dies based on mistakes they've made. I've stopped plenty of people that were about to make some of the biggest mistakes of their lives, and they've gone on to do much better things. If I killed any of them, none of the good they've done would've happened. Even if that were the case, where do you stop on deciding who gets to live and dies? Prostitution? A victimless crime, but it's illegal. Would you kill a prostitute? Making moonshine? A victimless crime, but it's illegal. Would you kill a moonshiner? Jaywalking? A victimless crime, but it'ls illegal. Would you kill a jaywalker?" Arnold asked.

"The Freak's a long ways from a victimless criminal. I'd only kill the ones that harm others. Murderers, rapists, human traffickers, sadists; the worst humanity has to offer. We don't need these people in our society, not that we have a society left."

"That's not for you or me to decide. Laws might be flawed, but, if it's a choice between a broken system or rank vigilantism, I'll stick with the system. Even if there's no society left, that's no excuse for us to start acting like madmen. We have to at least hold to some standard of morals. We're not criminals."

"Sure we're criminals. We've always been criminals. We have to be criminals. That's the only way we've been able to reign in this city for as long as we have. The only difference is we commit our crimes in colorful capes and masks."

Having no more discussion to continue with Valiance, Arnold turned his attention back to Harold, handing him the crumpled letter.

"Don't give up on yourself or Patty. I promise you this: I'll get all of us out of here, and I'll set everything right." Arnold said.

"Heh. Don't make a promise you can't keep, Arnold. Besides, I think you have some romantic issues of your own to take care of." Harold said.

Without even hearing her name, Arnold's mind returned to the most important person on his mind: Helga. With an entire month passed by him, one full of violence unbound and carnage and mayhem being the only rule of law in his city, the possibilities of what could have overcome her made him shudder in terror.

"Oh, god, Helga! What happened to her?! Did you check on her?! Is she here?!" Arnold panicked.

"Calm down, the first piece of territory we took was the Sunset Arms. It's under our protection. Helga and your parents are fine. Matter of fact, they're pretty much the only thing that's kept our territory sane. I'll take you there myself." Valiance said.

Following a sigh of relief, Arnold wasted no more time to head to his intended destination and subsequent reunion.

"Don't bother. I'll go by myself. I need the alone time." Arnold said.

"You don't understand, do you? This isn't Hillwood anymore. You can't just walk down the street carelessly like you're going to a pizza shop. The whole city is ruled by gangs and violence now; no cops, no government, no rule of law. We are the law." Valiance said.

"You know of all people I'll be fine. I want to see it for myself."

Exiting the room, Arnold took his departure from Lloyd Manor, moving back to the remaining city of Hellwood to make his way to the Sunset Arms Boarding House. Standing up from his bench press, Harold reached for his Star of David attire to join him, but was stopped short by Valiance.

"What are you doing? I can't leave him alone out there!" Harold said.

"You're wasting your time. If he doesn't want to be followed, you won't be following him. Probably better he sees things this way." Valiance said.

Stepping away and moving back to his bench press, Harold prepared to return to his exercise, but not before exchanging one last comment with Valiance.

"You know, things are gonna change now that he's back." Harold said.

"This changes nothing. The mission stays the same." Valiance said.

[Soundtrack Cue: Bruce Springsteen - The Ghost of Tom Joad]

Away from his city for a month, Arnold Shortman strolls the streets of Hellwood, taking in the surroundings of the city he once knew. Even hearing of the destruction and downturn of his town beforehand of exploring for himself, he was still not prepared for the images that awaited him ahead.

Under the cloudy night sky, dimly lit by the light of the moon and lightly blanketed by a covering of snow with the choking smell of smoke in the air, many buildings laid derelict and in disrepair; housing many squatters inside. Each remaining citizen of Hillwood squatting within was barely dressed; covered with rags and struggling to stay warm during the cold winter's weather, and having but scraps of food to eat.

Those who did not take to the buildings for rest wandered the streets aimlessly, having nothing left to live for nor much life left to live it. Those who had no life left at all were laid beside each other in the street; nowhere to bury them or any place else to put them, but more than enough to mourn over them, such as a mother and father grieving over a young child dead of frostbite.

Once, Arnold Shortman felt an emotion like no other while connected to this city: A feeling that was incomprehensible to those who could not feel it, but far from indescribable to the layman. The city of Hillwood, filled with its many inhabitants full of hopes and dreams, played out a symphony of joy; a harmony playable only to the ears of Arnold Shortman, and under his responsibility to keep it that way.

Now, the emotion is long gone and dead. In its place is a feeling of misery and pain immeasurable, like a place where the dead walk the Earth in vain hopes that they will find their peace in death once again. A call for the pain to end is screechingly loud under the many voices calling for it, and Arnold Shortman cannot stand it.

Now, he truly understands that his is hell.

Arnold wept.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

Through the sea of pain and suffering that he wades through, however, there is one streak of hope that awaits him ahead. After suffering through the view of pain that had become of his city, the familiar sight of Sunset Arms Boarding House has become a sight that takes away that blight for just one moment.

Stepping up to the front door of the building, Arnold opened it, finally entering his home once again after his month-long coma. Upon looking around the boarding house, he had quickly realized that the differences that he had faced outside were merely the first changes to be seen in Hellwood.

Many people were laid about the foyer in compromised beds, each being treated by other, more capable people in charge of aiding their recoveries. This sight, alien as it was to see in his home, gave him at least some relief that perhaps there is some form of hope in this place.

After tending to her patient, one person that seemed to act as a nurse approached Arnold, inquiring his visit.

"Hello, sir, can I help you?" The nurse asked.

"I, uh... What's happened to this place?" Arnold asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I... I used to live here. Who are you and all these people?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Arnold noticed Stella Shortman, his mother, conversing with another nurse, this one a male. With one of his parental figures seen alive and well, his attention was completely lost upon the nurse in front of him, putting their current conversation at a pause.

"Doctor, we're starting to run low on ibuprofen, and this patient's allergic to aspirin." The nurse said.

"Try checking the bathrooms, I think there's some naproxen left in the-" Stella began to say.

Joining her son in eye contact, Stella, too, lost her focus on the topic, immediately rushing to give him a hug and kiss, which Arnold quickly returned.

"Oh, Arnold, baby, I thought you were dead!" Stella said.

"It's okay, mom. I'm fine. I'm just fine." Arnold said.

Following her moment of reconciliation with her offspring, the two nurses looked to the event in confusion, neither seemingly aware of Arnold before now.

"Uh, you said this is your son, doctor?" The female nurse asked.

Wiping the tears from her eyes and composing herself, Stella cleared her throat to answer the question.

"Ahem, uh, yes, this is my son, Arnold. I... I thought he was lost when the bomb hit. Arnold, these are nurses Caudell and Smith. They've been a couple of helpers we've had around here, and saved a lot of lives while you were gone." Stella said.

"'Nurses'? Mom, what's going on here?" Arnold asked.

"My, uh, my son and I need to catch up on things for a while. Would you two just keep doing what you're doing?"

"Yes, doctor." The nurses said.

With the nurses dismissed, Stella began leading her son up the stairs, bringing Arnold up to speed on the changes that have been brought about by the destruction of Hillwood. Reaching the next floor up the Sunset Arms, more patients were laid about in the building, with more nurses tending to the sick and wounded.

"What's with this 'doctor' stuff? What are all these people doing here?" Arnold asked.

"Well, as you know, I am a doctor. At least, I was back during San Lorenzo. Your father and I couldn't just sit around and watch hurt and sick people stay that way, so we decided to do whatever we could to help as many people as we can. We might not be able to jump over rooftops and fight off gunmen, but we figured we should do something you would've done. We mainly get help from any volunteers we can get, following as good a crash-course I can give them in medicine. They seem to do a good job, all things considered." Stella said.

"That's... That's good. It is really nice that you and dad are trying to help people. Is Helga...?"

"Helga's fine, honey. She's up top. We're going there now."

Walking up the steps to the second floor of the building, the two passed through Arnold's room, showing it to be untouched and preserved during his absence.

"You didn't use my room to hold anyone else?" Arnold asked.

"I couldn't. If there was any chance you wouldn't have made it, I wanted to keep it like it was in case I... didn't ever see you again. Miles and Helga felt the same." Stella said.

Opening the sunroof and stepping onto the rooftop of the Sunset Arms, Stella showed Arnold to another project of the building: A large garden of various fruits and vegetables with a pigeon coop housing chickens, with many workers working on tending to the garden and chickens.

"You've been making your own food here, too?" Arnold asked.

"Trying our best to. Being a botanist doesn't hurt at all on the garden, but it's still the middle of winter... and things don't grow in the winter." Stella said.

A statement like that rings true for many of the plants, but there is something far more formidable that it does not apply to. Recognizing the blonde hair of one of the workers in the garden, Arnold's attention is immediately brought to her, even if the hair is shorter than he remembers.

As the worker turned her head to her back, his suspicions of this person were confirmed with seeing her face, and looking back at him as well. With both lovers recognizing each other, Arnold and Helga wasted no more time for looks or dialogue, instead rushing straight towards one another in a kiss and embrace.

Frantically grabbing at each other's bodies as if this would be the last opportunity for either to do so, they cannot think about anything else than to make sure one does not lose the other again. In doing so, they also neglect the presence of anyone else, including the watchful eyes of Miles and Stella Shortman; Miles just joining his wife.

Uncomfortable to watch their son and future daughter-in-law act so intimate in front of them, the two looked away, with Miles giving a subtle cough. Hearing the cough break their concentration, Arnold and Helga looked to the parents nervously chuckle off the display of affection, slightly blushing.

"Well, uh, good to see you're back, Arnold." Miles said.

Breaking off from Helga to give his father a much-deserved hug as well, Arnold and Miles shared their embrace for a brief moment before the father asked for answers from the son.

"So, uh, what happened to you? I mean, you've been gone for a month. That Valiance guy hadn't told us anything about you, and we thought you were... well, dead, as upsetting as that would have been to think about." Miles said.

"I was healing up at- Wait, Valiance didn't tell you where I was?" Arnold asked.

"No. Why? Did he know something?"

"I was at his mansion, he kept me there for who knows how long until I healed up. He didn't tell you that?"

"No, he didn't tell us anything."

"Damn him. I've got to get back to him and-"

Before Arnold could finish his sentence, Helga wrapped herself around him, preventing any departure from taking place.

"No, Arnold, don't leave just yet. You just got back. I've... been wanting to talk to you." Helga said.

Realizing once again that this was a matter between the two lovers, Miles and Stella began stepping away back to their work, leaving them to settle their matters.

"Uh, it looks like you have some catching up to do. We'll just- I'll just work on the plants, Stella'll be back downstairs, I guess." Miles said.

"Actually, dear, I think I could use your help with one of the patients. I need someone with your... strength." Stella said.

"Well, I'm not really that strong, Stella, I just-"

Realizing that her husband was not understanding her message, Stella gave Miles a sneering look, making him change his wording.

"Oh! Uh, right, that patient. Right. Totally within my strength range. I'm right on it, honey. Lead the way. Right behind you." Miles stammered.

Leading her husband away as such, Stella shook her head with a suppressed smile on her face.

"You are such a klutz, Miles... but I love you for it." Stella said.

Alone at last, Helga held Arnold tight against her, with Arnold holding her back as well; neither willing to let the other go.

"God, I missed you so much." Helga said.

"I missed you, too." Arnold said.

The two returned to kissing one another, with Helga reaching her hand down his pants, but Arnold stopped her from continuing their act its next level.

"Helga..." Arnold said.

"I haven't had you here for a month, and I've been all too stressed out all this time. I need this." Helga said.

"Helga, wait. Just let me talk to you first. I want to-"

"I don't want to talk right now. I just want-"

"Helga, please just listen!"

Gently pushing her off, Arnold lightly kept a grip over Helga's forearms, keeping her close, but still at attention.

"The last thing I said to you... I didn't want that to be the last thing you ever heard from me." Arnold said.

"I don't want to talk about that, Arnold. It doesn't matter now. I have you again, and we don't have to repeat that." Helga said.

"It matters to me. You were pregnant with my... with our child... and I hit you. What I said about your parents... I don't know what came over me. I can't believe I could ever say anything that ugly, especially to you."

"We both said ugly things that night, but... you were more in the right than me. I... shouldn't have talked about risking myself like that. You were just concerned for my safety."

"And I hit you to show it. I lost control of myself."

"You're fighting off cannibals and Nazis. If there's one person who deserves to lose control once, it's you. Trust me, it's nothing. Plus, I've done worse to you over the years as kids, Arnold. Don't take it so hard."

"I can't just... Fine. Forget about it. Just... how's the baby?"

"He's... doing okay, I guess. I haven't had any problems or issues. It's only been a month, but, still."

Kneeling down before Helga, Arnold laid his head against her belly, listening in for hopes of hearing any signs of his first child. Opening his mind to the astral plane, his eyes glowing green as he did so, he searched for a trace of the mind developing in his fiancee's womb.

Despite prodding deep into the astral plane, he found no trace of a life growing in Helga, at least none that could be traced by his powers.

"Something wrong?" Helga asked.

"I... I can't feel anything." Arnold said.

"Well, duh, football head. I'm only a month in. You don't see a belly yet, do you?"

"No, that's not it. I mean I don't sense anything with my powers. No mind, no nervous system, or anything. I should be able to feel something in there."

"Well... like I said, I am only a month in. It'll probably just be a little longer. Any day now, probably."

"Yeah, you're right. I was just... I was just looking forward to saying hi to my kid."

"Oh, you're looking forward to it? Try carrying it, especially in the later years. If he's got a head even remotely shaped like yours, I'm going straight to a C-section."

With humorous banter returning to the couple, a brief moment of love returned between the two, but was lost once again with a frown coming to Arnold's face.

"Hey Arnold. What's wrong? You were starting to look happy for a moment, at last." Helga asked.

"It's just that I can't help but realize what's happened. So many people have suffered and hurt, more died, and there's no way I can get anyone off this island. There's nothing left for a lot of these people, and it's because I failed to stop Curly. These people are suffering... and I'm standing up here and laughing with you." Arnold said.

"And that's... a bad thing?"

"I... I just feel guilty about it. I should be getting out there right now, doing as much as I can to help as many people as I can."

"Hey, give yourself some credit. You just got out of a coma. You need some time to recover."

"I don't need time to recover. I'm supposed to be the one people can rely on. I- I have to get out there right now."

Arnold prepared to leap from the rooftop to the ground, but Helga stopped him once again, fully intent on not letting him leave her.

"No, Arnold. I've been missing you for a month. I'm not letting you go anywhere. Not yet, anyway. I told you, I need this. And maybe you need this, too. You need me like I need you." Helga said.

Leading him back away from the rooftop, Arnold was sent straight back into his fiancee's arms, holding her tightly once again.

"You're not going anywhere. I need you with me." Helga said.

"I know, but-" Arnold tried to say.

"Shh. No 'buts', football head."

Finally leading into their acts of utmost intimacy, the two lovers hold one another closely; joined at the mouth and hip. Beginning to remove their clothing, revealing skin to one another, each intently laid their hands over the other's body; each pore seeming to call out for touch and stimulation from deprivation.

Releasing their kiss, Arnold's lips left Helga's with a taste of her breath and a trail of her saliva, leading him to slowly kiss down her body; starting from her neck, to her shoulder, to her chest, to each breast, to her solar plexus, to her abdomen, to her mons pubis, and eventually between her legs.

His act of oral pleasure led Helga to wrap her legs around his head, while still trying to keep them apart to accommodate for his large head; self-made torture of fighting back against two opposites of her own instincts. The act lasted several minutes before her climax, but the experience seemed like a lifetime after gaining her long-lost lover at last, remembering how sweet it was to have him back following his first exodus.

Moving on to their act of shared pleasure, Arnold inserted himself into Helga, beginning to move inside her as he had always done, and loved doing. Recalling how forceful, crude, and detached the last time they had shared such an act, Arnold did not repeat that error, instead focusing on her pleasure.

Holding him tighter with each thrust, her body having been craved for this intimacy, Helga's enjoyment seemed to be higher than usual, most likely brought upon by his long absence. As such, her reactions are even more intense than before, leading her to dig her nails into his back, nearly drawing blood.

Turning him over on his back, Helga began taking the lead, riding Arnold and letting him enjoy her without straining him further. Laying on his back while Helga took him in while sitting up straight, Arnold was treated to a vision witnessable in only erotica magainzes; a privilige reserved for only a lucky few.

Watching her nude body bounce up and down his across the moonlit sky, her moderate breasts nodding along with her rythym, the sight of his lover in a look of love and ecstasy behind the white glow of the moon is a dazzling and hypnotic sight that he will cherish forever, remembering how full of happiness Helga was during that moment in time.

But even this most astounding vision cannot compare with nor draw his attention away from the more important of thing in this moment. All he can focus on is her eyes, and the look he gets back from them as he looks into them is a sight he can never get enough of, and he knows that even his powers as a Spirit Master cannot compare to making her a happy woman.

Finally, the two release in climax, with Arnold emptying into his fiancee's womb. Being surrounded by flora and occupied with his lover in an open space, the moment is comparable to a chapter of the book of Genesis, with Adam and Eve conceiving the first life on Earth to be born.

Already does Arnold know of the life growing within her, but, as she falls down and holds him tightly, he cannot help but feel as though this experience is comparable to it, with his first child on the way. Letting her peacefully rest on his body as she breathes in deeply, he realizes this fact:

For the first time, it seems less as though they had just simply had sex, and more as though they had actually made love.

As the two had caught their breath again, Arnold held her tight once again, making sure he would not let her go again, savoring as much time with her as he could.

"I promise, Helga... I won't let our child be born here. I'll stop Curly... get everyone off this island... marry you the second we're off... and I'll give our child everything. Whatever it takes." Arnold panted.

With his eyes beginning to close, he drifted off into sleep; his mind overly relaxed under the warm comfort of Helga and her body.

Whatever it takes. Arnold thought.