#And what could prove that he might NOT be MoM? Nothing. Checkmate

[softichill]

One of my favorite kingdom hearts theories ever is the Demyx is MoM one.

'Cause like. Sure there's not a ton of supporting evidence, but there's also nothing that proves it wrong either

[chidoroki]

Isabella - 73584

I had a serious debate with myself over whether or not I wanted to sit down and spend my weekend writing another one of these praise posts. I was content with just doing one for each of the Fullscore Trio kids and ending it there.. but apparently I love this woman too much to just ignore her on her birthday. So here were are on September 9th with a list of all her best and my personal favorite moments as to why I believe she’s such a great character, antagonist and mother (yeah you heard me right). Considering she only shows up in the beginning and very end of the story, this post ended up longer than I originally anticipated, which just goes to show how many thoughts I really have about this woman. (for real, this rivals Ray’s post in terms of points but there’s far more words)

Since she also has some backstory and certain events differ between manga and anime (thanks to the second season), I’ll try to go in chronological order between both timelines instead of chapter by chapter, which might be a bit confusing as we’ll jump around the story a lot but just to bear with me as I try to makes sense of it all.

(spoilers for the entirety of The Promised Neverland & ch181.7, so if you haven’t read/completed the manga yet, consider this your first warning, because I’m literally going from start to finish with this one last time. I promise.)

- I’m not sure how well she compares to Emma when it comes to athleticism, but Isabella seemed to have no trouble climbing up and down trees when she was younger.

- Not only that, but she managed to scale the wall by herself using a method that requires a fairly impressive jump. It’s also implied that this is how she climbs the wall again so many years later when chasing the soon-to-be escapees, which helps prove that even at an older age, she hasn’t lost her touch.

- Was chosen to undergo training to become a Mom, which required high test scores and the current mother’s recommendation. She accepted the offer in order to keep living and survive as human the demons couldn’t eat.

- Based on Sienna’s comment, is it fair to say Isabella is on par with the full score trio? I mean, the woman is basically flawless.

- She was practically untouchable during her time at headquarters while training too apparently. Mom positions are scarce so the environment where these ladies fight (physically/mentally/emotionally) to even snag that job is highly competitive, and yet Isabella never let anyone deter her from her goal of becoming a Mom, which probably led to the “Iron Lady” nickname she received now that I think about it.

- She was the youngest ever to be granted the Mom position at..what, 19? 20? Somewhere around there, but impressive nonetheless considering they’re forced to have a child, build up a strong, emotionless exterior and endure so much fear. (but my goodness, the woman doesn’t age at all. she looks just as good when the story actually starts as she did her when she was a bit younger)

- It became common knowledge among the Sisters that she was also very successful in the way she raised her children.

- Her success greatly benefited the farm, as she offered up countless high quality goods, which sounds terrible, I know, but believe me when I say she gave her best effort for her children. Even though she held the Mom position, the amount of power she actually had in this system was pretty minimal, especially with how much she valued her own life. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes or risky changes, so she settled with doing the most with what she was capable of. She provided her children with a normal lifestyle, not only to keep up the orphanage facade, but knowing that their lives would all be cut shorter than they anticipate. She gave them love in hopes that no one would ever have to feel the dread she felt after Leslie’s death and/or finding out the truth. She tried to delay that horrific fate by encouraging them to learn all they can (like teaching the trio about strategy and chess) so they could achieve higher tests scores and (unknowingly to them) add a couple more months or years onto their lives. Yes it was her job to raise these children to such high standards but she excelled at it for their sake too.

- And I know y’all will just throw Ray in my face like, “oh but he was her actual child and she treated him horribly/different.” Okay but deep down I don’t think she actually wanted to? When they both realized they were truly mother and son, Isabella couldn’t just dote on him and start treating him as such. I’m sure Ray wasn’t too fond of Isabella at this point in his life either, knowing that she sent several of his siblings away to get killed. They probably would’ve gotten along just fine in a perfect world, but since they were both aware of the hell they’re trapped living in, they emotionally distanced themselves and formed a business-like relationship as a result of Ray’s deal, which benefited them both in different ways. For Ray, it was more practical, with the obvious notion of living as long as possible along with obtaining various rewards and knowledge of the outside world. For Isabella, it helped emotionally by simply just ignoring their true relation. I believe if she clung to that realization, it would break the orphanage illusion and eventually wear down her “Iron Lady” exterior that she relies so heavily on.

- Like can you imagine how much you would have to harden your heart in order to quite literally walk children to their death every couple months for years on end and just move on like it’s completely normal? Now imagine how earth shattering it must be to think about doing the same to your actual child. All those years spent perfecting a fake smile and emotionless exterior like she was trained to have and her son shatters it in an instant. She becomes completely terrified about how he’s actually alive and in front of her right now and there’s nothing she can do to truly save him.. and yet she still recovers so damn quickly I can’t even comprehend it! But there’s still some sadness in those eyes. You can’t tell me otherwise. That one moment of weakness speaks volumes to me.

- So now with her general backstory FINALLY out of the way, we can finally start with ch01/ep01 and how her laugh is sweet and innocent. I say that because (all hidden emotions and motives aside) that’s exactly how she’s supposed to sound in this moment, not only to us but to the children as well.

- She of course checks Emma’s tracker a moment later but other than that I still think it’s a pretty genuine moment between the two.

- As previously stated, her ability to raise high quality children is unmatched, which is clear as day thanks to the fullscore trio.

- Despite their crazy level of intelligence, the trio has yet to win a simple game of chess against Isabella, even when teamed up.

- She treasures everything about the kids.

- She really cares about them, even when it’s time to send them off with a smile, which we know is thanks to her strong facade.

- But mother dearest isn’t really fine. She doesn’t like walking kids to their death, especially so young. But she can’t let them (or even herself) know that. She can’t show weakness, so she hums Leslie’s song, which is a tool she’s used for years in order to give herself strength.

- Don’t worry, I disliked her this moment happened too, just as the story intended. And here’s where her fantastic antagonist role begins for all the world to see.

- A true champ at jump scares.

- Acts completely calm the night after a couple of kids found out the secret of the farm.

- She uses the tracker in plain sight, sending whomever went to the gate last night a threatening but silent message.

- Correct Norman, that’s the “Iron Lady” for ya. Also the name of ch03 for us. Well, “The Iron Woman” but same difference.

- She switches from calculating and manipulative breeder to sweet and pleasant mother so quickly and effortlessly it’s incredible. Isabella even checked Emma’s pulse in this scene to see if she was acting normal.

- At this point she still had no idea who went to the gate (Ray didn’t tip her off yet, at least I don’t think so) but her guess couldn’t have been more precise. The level of fear she drives into both Emma and Norman was great too, but then again her presence is enough in any scene to give us chills.

- Notices her watchdog isn’t at his usual post and starts to get suspicious.

- Not only of him, Emma and Norman, but Don and Gilda as well, thus giving the five extra chores to finish in an attempt to slow down any escape planning, such as cleaning vacant rooms, organizing the pantry and inspecting spare linen.

- While the trio believes Isabella was being too soft and patient in finding her targets, she effectively catches them off guard by bringing in Krone for assistance. The trio soon realize they were actually preparing the sister’s new room and those mundane chores were just an excuse to buy time.

- Look at her, all smug. Checkmate indeed. (and totally not important, but her eyes are such pretty shades of purple)

- The sass and her no nonsense attitude.

- Immediately puts Krone in her place the moment she even thinks about shipping out the targets. Of course holding off on shipping the targets would benefit the farm, as it would produce higher quality merchandise as time passes, but plant 3 is run by Isabella and she’ll be damned if an assistant thinks they could waltz right in and decide her children’s fate.

- She check’s Emma tracker again despite her claim of knowing exactly who the targets might be. You can never be too careful.

- Her precious children managed to win a game of tag against Krone, which is still impressive considering the kind of training the sister has gone through, so kudos to her teachings.

- Knows right away that Krone was trying to take advantage, which allows Krone to realize that the opening she had to learn more about the children was all planned by Isabella herself. Her intimidating nature is enough to scare adults too.

- Reveals that Krone was mostly summoned in order to keep Ray in check after his failure.

- Despite the trust issue, Isabella still keeps up her end of the deal by requesting the items Ray asked for, thanks to the odd perks she had under Grandma Sarah which allowed her to order goods that weren’t on the supply list.

- This hug between her and Phil is just too cute not to mention.

- I imagine she makes this comment because she knows exactly how long a rope must be based off her own almost-escape.

- It’s just something about how this scene is framed alongside this dialogue that makes me think “oh, like mother, like son.”

- I blame her very thoughtful planning for my first big freak out when I watched season 1 blind, like ma’am that’s my favorite boy, please don’t.

- She conspires with Grandma Sarah in order to get rid of Krone for good, which renders the evidence sister just found out about the children’s escape completely useless. Sarah believes there might be some truth to it, but ultimately ignores it and puts her faith in Isabella’s ability of controlling the children & the situation.

- She then cuts Ray off and ends their six-year long deal, opting to control the situation herself from now on. Also, how she wanted to keep him around until the very end is kinda bittersweet. Does she mean as merchandise? Or because she wanted him to live as long as possible? Ah such a tricky little comment.

- She also tosses him across the room like a rag doll.

- Thank god for this panel existing and actually being adapted into the anime so I could hear it because I had absolutely no memory of her laughing in this moment.

- “She says it so nonchalantly,” Norman said once upon a time, and it’s still so frightening.

- As insane as her ideals seem given the circumstances, nothing she says here is really a lie.

- She has the strength to quite literally break a leg and that cracking noise still haunts me to this day.

- It wasn’t even a spur of the moment thing either. Isabella came fully prepared with bandages to fix up any injury she was willing to inflict and that thought alone is terrifying.

- Not only that, but she broke it so cleanly that Emma’s leg does indeed heal perfectly in the exact time frame she estimates. This entire moment is so unfairly impressive, like ma’am how dare you do this to Emma of all people.. like why couldn’t you at least use that kind of force to snap Peter’s neck instead or something?

- To make matters worse, she then reveals Norman’s shipment date. And it’s the following day, which sends the kids into a very understandable panic.

- Needless to say, November 2nd, 2045 was a very successful day in the life of Isabella. Woman was putting everyone in checkmate in ep08 and my anger on full blast.

- This sly smile she sends Ray’s way after announcing Norman’s shipment to the younger kids is so cruel.. it’s perfect.

- I can only imagine she asked about Ray’s whereabouts because she knew the boys were close friends and she hoped they would at least say goodbye to one another, but that’s just me.

- Puts an end to Norman’s parting words in such a simple and chilling matter.

- The way she just openly threatens Emma with others just out of earshot.

- Norman out here asking the real questions. If anything, I say she’s more “content” rather than happy. I don’t think she’s ever really thought about her own happiness, at least not often enough, hence the slight pause. This entire time she’s been focusing on how to make her children’s lives perfect, but for herself she just wants to survive in this hellish world they’re all living in.

- I’m honestly still not sure who’s final decision it is to send people to Lambda, either Isabella, Peter or someone else (honestly never bothered to check), but whether or not Isabella had any say in the matter, I’m sure she’s at least a little glad that Norman gets to live a bit longer? Perhaps that’s a stretch, but I’m putting the idea here anyway.

- I say this because I believe that’s part of the reason why she offered Emma a Mom recommendation, not only because our girl’s high test scores, but in hopes that she could live a longer life.

- Although she really stresses in an intimidation fashion how pointless Emma’s efforts are now that Norman’s “dead,” the cliff remains a major hazard and her leg is still bandaged up, Isabella still tries so hard to convince her to give up, like Ray has, in order for Emma to end her own suffering. It was the first instance during my blind watch-through were I started to get the hint that Isabella might actually care about her kids, and of course I know now it’s because she didn’t want Emma to experience the same pain she did after Leslie’s death.

- With Emma and Ray both broken, things went by rather smoothly for Isabella those last two months, though she continued to keep a close eye on them.

- Her humming is so soothing. And why it took me this long to bring up “Isabella’s Lullaby” is beyond me, but oh my god, that song and any other soundtrack that uses its melody is absolute perfection.

- Had enough sense to not let her guard down the final night, even though her efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, but the idea counts.

- Though her caretaker side is focused on more during the fire, some motherly instincts do kick in as she instructs Gilda to get the babies from her room and lead everyone outside to safety. She was also concerned for Emma’s well being, hoping all the smoke didn’t get to her when the girl vanished. (i know you can argue “she’s only worried because they’re merchandise” which is fair but c’mon, i swear she’s not completely heartless)

- Took a hot minute (ahha) but Isabella eventually realized that the kids were actually escaping solely based on what they were wearing on their feet. I’m sure Emma’s discarded left ear was a big tip off too but to come to that conclusion by noticing the shoes they had on during all that chaos is surprising.

- She looks completely insane here but I always thought this shot of her was nicely animated with all the fire (or embers? sparks? whatever they are) flying around. The laugh she does before this is also a nice bonus. Oh, and she somehow managed to secure a radio from the room Don had locked.

- Figured the fifteen kids would head towards the bridge and called in headquarters to block it off.

- But when the children didn’t appear at the bridge, she just happened to know exactly where else they might try to cross the cliff.

- In the anime’s case, Isabella climbed the wall and ran there quick enough to engage in a stare down with Emma before she finally slid down.

- The moment I knew I was doomed.

- After the 15 kids successfully escaped, Isabella admits defeat, for she couldn’t really see how much her children have grown to outsmart her.

- This iconic quote, which conveys so much truth and sincerity. There were multiple occasions where she had to distance and restrain herself due to the system that controlled her, but the love she was able to show the children was genuine. If she wasn’t held back by the strict rules enforced by Mom position, I don’t doubt she would’ve treated Ray better or became far more emotional whenever a child had to leave for good or seriously injured, instead of donning a fake smile and being closed off.

- She realizes with this unspeakable loss in merchandise, the reputation she worked so hard to build up is meaningless now and that the farm no longer has any use for such an incompetent caretaker. She figures she’s as good as dead anyway now, so she wastes no time in actually helping the escapees by reclaiming the ropes to hide their exact method and route of escape, if only to grant the kids some extra time before the pursuers really locate them.

- She doesn’t act bitter as a result of her loss, instead choosing to wish the escapees luck with the future they grasped for themselves and care for the children that were left behind.

- She’s just so pretty y’all. Thank you anime.

- She was named “Best Antagonist” (and rightfully so!) back during the 2020 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, winning over Askeladd (Vinland Saga), Overhaul, (My Hero Academia), Garoua (One Punch Man,) & others.

(Post-season 1 spoilers ahead, even though the anime is completely finished at this point, but will be touching upon her special chapter more as well.)

- Completely owns up to her mistakes that caused the farm a massive loss in profitable goods and is ready to received whatever punishment necessary, which she expects to be death.

- Only.. she’s not being killed, she’s actually being promoted to Grandma. Though Isabella was directly responsible for the children’s escape, the blame ultimately falls on Sarah who couldn’t correctly control Isabella, thus leading the old lady to be shipped out in place of the goods Isabella lost.

- Peter also notes that the farm found more worth in Isabella than Sarah, so her past merits also played a part in sparing her life, as having a woman like Isabella in charge would surely produce the level of quality the farm needs.

- Isabella eventually accepts the promotion, though she can’t help but feel hesitant and shocked about the whole deal. This woman was ready to embrace death and finally be free from this cruel world, but now she has to witness not only more kids being shipped off, but moms and sisters in training as well (yay old chapter reviews coming in clutch).

- She could have very well just refused Peter’s offer, but we all know how much Isabella originally wanted to survive, so she doesn’t just accept because this man dangled a sense of freedom in her face, she also agreed so she could have the opportunity to help her children in any way her newfound power would allow her.

- Of course, her transition to Grandma happens a bit differently in the second season, but I will give some bittersweet thanks to the anime once more for the obvious but curse them for also having this entire scene dark as hell. Let me see her beauty darn it! I can only fix the lighting so much until it looks overexposed and bad again.

Anyways, Sarah is still alive at this point and taunts Isabella with the escapee’s lives just to see how she would react, which gave her a small sense of hope. Then some demons pay a visit later on and also ask if she would want to see the children one last time, but Isabella tells them that not only would she be too ashamed to face them but that they would manage to survive Grandma’s capture plan, which involved several men blowing up their shelter. It’s now clear to the demons that these children are special, and while Isabella agrees, it’s not for the same reason the demons think so. The demons believe the kids are special because of how they were raised to such a high quality. Isabella calls them special simply because they’re her children, just as any mother would.

- In the anime, it’s the demons who offer Isabella the Grandma deal if Sarah’s current plan were to fail (which it does) and she takes it and the freedom from Grace Field House without question. Do I still believe she had similar intentions to help out the children like she did in manga at this point? Of course.

- Not even a full month into her new job did she start preparing to help Emma & the others by considering who from the current Sisters she wanted to recruit to personally assist her destroy the farm entirely.

- A month later and Isabella had already decreased the number of shipments that took place at Grace Field, which obviously helps raise the quality of the children by default, but it also means less death and gives those kids a chance to live longer.

- She completely anticipated that Matilda, Jessica, Sienna & Scarlet were conspiring against her and caught them quite easily, as they were among the top scorers.

- Each had a fair chance at becoming Moms but with those positions limited, it was obvious to figure out they were trying to force Isabella’s seat open by creating some suspicious activity to place on her almost perfect record. Unfortunately for the girls, our new Grandma is too smart for her own good and I love it.

- The four women are apprehensive to join her insane plan to go against the farm, but Isabella assures them there’s no freedom if they follow the system’s rules and betray her. The harsh reality they’re all living in will continue unless they stop competing with one another and combine forces to defeat the true enemy.

- To persuade them further, Isabella mentions the children they all gave birth to are still alive, bringing out an array of emotions from the women that they each thought they had buried deep down.

- THIS! Just all of this is wonderful and shows just how much Isabella learned from her children who once defeated her.

- To fully gain the women’s trust, she gives them Ray’s farewell note that he originally left in order to bait Krone, as proof she won’t double-cross them at any point.

- I love the fact that she kept the note close to her because it acts just like all the other various toys and items she saved in her secret room back at plant 3. The original owners were all precious to her so she kept a piece of them behind to remember them in a place only she knew about. As I said before when mentioning her “I wish I could have just loved them normally” quote, all the love she had for her children had to be suppressed when she was under the system’s control, but that doesn’t mean she never cared. Because she did, and if I haven’t made at least that clear by now then I’m failing.

- Can her intentions and love for her children be any more clear? (possibly, i’m not done with this darn post yet. how you guys holding up? i’m going a little insane at this point.)

- Anyways! Second season didn’t make the rest of the story easy so apologies for any timeline mishaps as I switch between both anime and manga events from here on out.. like how in manga Isabella is informed of the escapee’s return to Grace Field via Peter, while the in the anime it’s her who helps lures them back with a fake transmission via the radio they stole.

- Just before Emma & the others do return to Grace Field on November 13, Isabella finally reaches out to the farm’s many other Sisters to recruit them. She waited until the right moment to inform them of her crazy takeover plan so Peter wouldn’t become suspicious from all of headquarters acting/thinking differently (you know, like how Emma kept the jailbreak plan under wraps until the night of). These ladies also feel a bit wary and even think of Isabella’s offer as a joke, but with some real, heartfelt encouragement, she manages to win over every single woman to her side.

- The moment when it was first revealed to us that she was not only still alive but was also promoted to Grandma is still so powerful.

- She snaps Nat’s finger back into place after Peter broke it. (and considering emma’s group infiltrates the farm right after this, i’m pretty sure that ch170 with rallying the sisters took place before this..i think?)

- Gave me a minor heart attack.

- *CLAPS FRANTICALLY!!!* The moment she truly won me over.


- While her betrayal against Peter in the manga is fantastic and quite possibly one of my favorite moments, the anime did give us a little something too. It shows Peter spewing utter nonsense to Emma about how she’s destined to fail, only for best girl to bite back with such a fantastic quote, and then Isabella drops the act and switches sides. While I agree Emma’s comeback is “wonderful,” it’s the English dub that completely wins me over in this scene by having Isabella comment “Now that’s my girl” instead, like bro.. hearing that makes me so happy.

- For real dude, you have several highly skilled women pointing guns at you, I think her betrayal is crystal clear.

- This is like the perfect example of how she had to conceal her feelings while bound by the system. She just misses these kids so much y’all but she can’t let her true emotions show yet.

- Having her call Peter a boy is beyond hilarious to me. Also, how she disagrees with him on so many levels is excellent, like how he believes in experimenting on kids and having the right to call yourself their parent just because you created them, while Isabella believes in raising and loving children normally and that you earn that parent title by actually being part of their lives. To be fair they both inflicted pain on kids (Nat’s finger/Emma’s leg) but Peter’s action was a mistake in itself. Isabella got frustrated back when Krone even threatened to ship out the kids who discovered the secret, so you can bet she’s probably pissed off at this boy for harming one of her kids on purpose.

- The best mother-daughter moment ever! It’s such a shame it never got truly animated since the second season decided not to give the children guns, but we get to see a small smile from Isabella after Emma decided to still call her “mom.”

- The anime never gave Peter the chance to run away, like he (somehow) managed to do in manga, so we had the chance to see someone actually shoot at him. Well, in his general direction at least. Isabella lands a perfect shot not even a full second after he pulls out that disc. Accuracy on point.

- Said this once or twice in the past in manga so I’m glad the anime brought it back.

- Remains cautious and keeps her gun raised at Peter when Emma approaches him and rightfully so considering he still had his knife hidden at this point.

- Refuses Emma’s offer to join the kids in the human world at first because she knows that her (& the sister’s) actions shouldn’t be forgiven so easily, but with some rather blunt sympathy from Ray and encouragement from her other children, she finally gives in.

- This entire post summed up in one image.

- She apologizes even though distancing herself from her kids and preparing them for death were just required of her role as a caretaker. She wouldn’t have done any of that in a normal world. (do i sound like a broken record yet? probably)

- The emotion you hear in her voice during this entire dub scene hits my heart in all the right places.

- She still thinks of Leslie after all this time and I think that’s real cute.

- Her protective nature is on full display when she protects Emma from this bastard of a demon. A truly surprising and heartbreaking moment, considering this is the woman who’s survival used to be her top and only priority in the past, but now doesn’t hesitate to give her life in order to save her kid (and by extension that small girl emma saved. also, major heart attack for me).

- Despite being critically injured, this woman still possess enough strength to hold back a demon twice her size. She doesn’t even pay any mind to its nonsense. Like the demon, people often think this is when redemption arc starts but I believe it started way back in ch37 when Isabella retrieved and hid the ropes the kids used to escape. Ever since she admitted defeat on the wall that night, she threw caution to the wind and began cheating the system in hopes to one day assist the kids achieve a brighter future. Despite all the work she’s done behind the scenes, Isabella believes there’s still so much more she can do to atone, so even though she’s already received the children’s forgiveness, she continues to assist them by jumping in and saving them directly from demons for once in her life.

- Ma’am it’s sweet you’re so concerned with their safety, but we should be asking you that question ya know? (but then again emma was the same way after she woke up from her coma).

- Knows that just apologizing and saving Emma isn’t enough to suddenly forgive all her actions and wants to do so much more for the children as a result. Even though I already acknowledged all her subtle and hidden moments, I wish we got to see her care for them more openly.

- I simply can not read through ch177 and not get emotional. No matter how hard I try, I always feel tears start to form in my eyes. Oh my god, how cruel that death can be this beautiful. It’s so unfair.

- *uses old chapter review because I’m too upset right now* “She apologizes for everything. For not treating him right and loving him as a mother normally would her own son. For making him despise his life so much and enduring so much pain that he thought the only escape was suicide.”

- “She leaves him with one last wish to protect everyone, and that completely breaks me because you know exactly how much they both care for their family. Not only would they literally die for their family, but they would live for them too if someone asked. Truly like mother, like son.” (aaaaaahhhhh)

- Her, umm.. ghost (along with Conny’s & Yuugo’s) help Ray reunite with Emma in 2049.

- All my tears aside, the anime did something right by actually keeping her ALIVE!

- Have you ever seen something so GODDAMN BEAUTIFUL in all your life?? This image is so powerful it literally tossed aside any salty feelings I had that night with how the second season ended. Seeing her like this grants me so much happiness y’all, it’s truly unbelievable. I still can’t get over it and hopefully I never will.

Okay, now I’m done, thank god. Sorry this is like ridiculously long, especially since she’s absent for sooo many chapters. Also find it so hilarious how drastic my opinion of her changed from the beginning to now, from “bitch” to “oh my god I love her so much.” I know people will always have opposing opinions whether she’s actually a good mother or not and that’s totally fine. Wasn’t trying to convince y’all of that either because yes, some of her actions are real unforgivable, but she was suffering under the farm system too and just followed through with what she was trained to do in order to survive, but while other Sisters fought to climb ranks and help themselves survive, Isabella ultimately wanted the best for her children. The more power she gained, the more risks she took and once the system crashed so did her facade.

An absolute queen.

[lilacmoon83]

A Darker Curse

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 29: Bad Blood

Snow looked at herself in the full length bathroom mirror and gently rubbed the towel through her wet hair. Her pixie cut had no signs of gray anymore, though before she had kept it dyed, taking advantage of this world's benefits in that respect. But there would be no need for that anymore. She then took a deep breath and opened her towel, looking at her body in the full length mirror on the back of the door. She knew Charming's words were true. He found her beautiful and sexy, this version and her older version. But she was still curious to see the changes that would be evident in her body.

She had done her best to stay trim and in shape over the years and time had been kind to her, actually. But there was still some noticeable difference. Her hips were still widened from pregnancy and she had subtle stretch marks on her belly from carrying Emma and a few on her thighs. But any wrinkling in her skin was gone and back to being much tighter than before. And her breasts...well, they were definitely perkier than they had been in years. She scoffed at herself. She was being really silly and her husband had already proved to her, more than once, how attractive he thought she was, even twenty-years older than him. And though she was grateful to have the twenty-years they lost essentially restored to her, she would always be grateful for her time with him as she was before. They had proven to all that their love was stronger and so much deeper than age and she liked that they could stick it to all those that had ever doubted them.

She had twenty-years to reflect on things that happened before the curse and the people she and Charming had surrounded themselves with in their court. Some of their trust was well placed and then there were sadly a few that she had serious questions about now.

Regina and Robin, of course, were always in their corner, as was Red and Granny. But she had some serious doubts now about the loyalty of the Blue Fairy and Geppetto. She knew August loved her and wanted nothing to do with them, but she had a feeling that Geppetto wasn't going to let her son be. In reality, she just wanted him to be happy and if that meant he wanted to forge some kind of relationship with the woodcarver, then she'd be happy for him. She knew that she was his Mom and that wasn't going to change. But they had betrayed her once and she would be lying if she said she didn't fear betrayal from them again. Archie had played a part in the lie too, though she had a feeling it had greatly troubled him. She wondered what they had done to convince him to go along with it.

Gently, she pulled her robe on and exited the bathroom. She spotted her husband locking up for the night and saw a text on her phone from her son. He was with Tink, which surprised her a bit, but then didn't. She had seen the signs of something between them. She just hoped Tink planned on sticking around. She feared for her son's heart if the fairy decided that Storybrooke wasn't for her.

"Everything okay?" David asked, as she looked up at him and she nodded.

"August...he's staying with Tink tonight," she mentioned. He smirked.

"You called that one," he said. She nodded.

"But that's not what has you so distracted," he added. She sighed.

"I'm just worried about him. I don't want him to feel like he's being pulled in a tug of war," she replied.

"August loves you. He's your son...because you raised him and Geppetto should be thanking you profusely. If he had sent August to this world by himself...that would have been pretty damaging. You're the reason that August is the man that he is," David reminded her.

"I know...and I can accept it if August wants Geppetto to be a part of his life, but I don't think Geppetto can accept me as a part of August's," she lamented.

"He doesn't have a choice and he's a fool if he can't see how lucky he was that you were there for August," David said.

"You raised two children by yourself. Look at the amazing people they are...because of you," he said.

"You are the most wonderful, amazing mother in all the realms," he said, as she swiped a tear away.

"I thought of you...every minute of every day. Any strength I had...I drew it from you and them. All for this moment...when we would finally be together again," she cried. He smiled.

"And we are. We did it, Snow. Cora is dead and nothing is ever tearing this family apart gain," he said passionately. She breathed in relief and lost herself in him, as their lips met passionately.

"I need you…" she begged, as she hurriedly unbuttoned his shirt and he undid the cord of her robe. Their lips met again, as she fumbled with his belt and he pushed her robe into a puddle on the floor. She yelped, as he lifted her up and they fell to the bed for a bout of frenzied lovemaking.

~*~

Greg put down his phone, as he heard a knock at his door and got up to answer it. He thought it might be Tink again, but was shocked to find Tamara behind the door.

"Tamara…" he uttered.

"Surprised to see me?" she questioned.

"Uh yes, I didn't know you could even get here yet. I mean...without an enchanted object," he said, as she walked in without an invite.

"You mean like the enchanted map that you just gave back to the leaders of this town?" she questioned and he felt a ripple of fear slither down his spine. It was well known that Tamara was ruthless when she needed to be.

"I didn't have a lot of choice. I decided that giving it up was better than getting locked up like Detective Bishop," he covered quickly.

"I suppose you're right and so you know...it seems that whatever barrier was around this place before is gone now. Curious, isn't it?" she asked.

"It is…" he agreed.

"So...tell me everything so we can complete our mission here," Tamara said.

"What exactly is the mission?" he asked. She looked back at him.

"To destroy magic, of course. This town is lousy with it, especially now, isn't that right?" she asked.

"Maybe...but the evil is gone. I've found out that Cora was the reason for all the bad and the reason my father was killed. No further action is needed here," he replied. Tamara snorted.

"This town doesn't belong in this world! Magic...it's unholy," she argued.

"Look...I know that's what they've always told us, but the rest of the people here are innocent. The Evil Queen was the real evil and now that she's gone, there will be peace here," he insisted.

"Wrong...magic must be destroyed and the war has just begun," she replied, as she looked out the window.

"We can't hurt innocent people, especially for a cause that might have ill intentions. I've been talking to Tia…" he started to say, but she cut him off.

"You mean Tinkerbell?" Tamara questioned.

"She has a lot of reasons to hate magic too, but she made me see that Cora was the real villain and that there is no need to take it out on a town full of innocent people. She said that someone sinister is behind the Home Office," he explained.

"Oh did she?" Tamara asked.

"Think about it, Tamara...we get anonymous orders and we don't even know who is really running this thing. We're pawns," he replied.

"Maybe you're right…" she said, pretending to think for a moment. He sighed in relief, but then his eyes widened, as she pulled a gun on him and it was capped with a silencer.

"Guess it's checkmate for you," she said.

"No...Tamara, wait!" he cried, but there was no hesitation from her, as she laughed.

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you," she said, as she pressed the barrel to his head.

"You're going to do that yourself," she said ominously.

~*~

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until morning to do this?" Robin asked, as they approached Cora's vault.

"No...those people out there deserve to have their hearts back sooner rather than later, especially Graham," Regina said. He nodded in agreement.

"My mother hurt so many people and destroyed so many lives," she added.

"She did...but she finally paid for it full," he said. She nodded.

"Besides, this place doesn't get any less creepy during the day so we might as well get this over with," she replied, as she used her magic to enter the vault. Since she was a blood relative, none of the protections her mother had on the vault hurt her or kept her out. Regina looked around, feeling the memories flood her mind. The way the wall full of small compartments breathed still sent chills down her spine. She peered into the potions cabinet and remembered watching her mother perform spells from behind the furniture in her den. She thought it was exciting at the time and long before she realized that all the things her mother did in that den would probably hurt people.

"Love...if you're not ready for this, we can wait," he said, as she was brought back to reality.

"No...the people that my mother took these from deserve to have them back," Regina said.

"It's a larger undertaking than I thought. She took so many," he mentioned.

"And she didn't bother to label them. Why would she? She never intended to return them. This is going to be harder than I thought," she said.

"Is there a way to identify who they might belong to?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yes, but it will require bringing each person here. So, first thing in the morning, we'll bring Graham here and find which heart is his," she said.

"And then we can summon anyone else that she stole from. She's gone, so there should be no fear in coming forward," she added. He smiled.

"That will at least be some of Cora's wrongs set right," he agreed, as they shared a kiss.

"Let's go home," he suggested, as they joined hands and left the vault and its contents behind for the night.

~*~

"And that's pretty much the story," Tink said, as she finished telling him.

"But you knew that...you're the author," she reminded him. He smiled.

"I know...doesn't mean I didn't want to hear about it directly from you," he mentioned.

"I guess my Mom and David aren't the only people Blue screwed over," he said bitterly.

"She's the worst," Tink agreed.

"I can't believe she stole your wings. We should make her give them back," he said, but the blonde shook her head.

"No...it's okay. I'm okay not being a fairy anymore. I made peace with it," she replied.

"So...now that the curse is broken, do you think Pan will mobilize his minions?" August asked.

"He'll try...but to be honest, not even I know what he's after here in Storybrooke other than the magic of some kind," she replied.

"Yeah…I guess we'll have to ask Gold tomorrow. He might know more. Until then...do you wanna get a drink?" he asked. She smiled, as they stopped in front of the Rabbit Hole.

"A seedy tavern…" she said.

"You certainly know the way to this girl's heart, though I'm pretty sure I can drink you under the table," she warned. He chuckled.

"I'm sure you can," he agreed, as they went inside.

~*~

A few hours later, the loft was dark and silent, as Snow and Charming slept soundly, spooned together after their blissful coupling earlier. A soft rapping though pulled Snow from her sleep and she gently sat up, covering her unclothed body with the sheet. She smiled fondly at her sleeping husband and gently traced a finger along the side of his handsome face. But then she heard the rapping again and got out of bed quietly. She found her robe and put it on, before tying it and hurrying to the door. She thought maybe it was August and he had forgotten his key or something, but she was shocked to find Geppetto was behind it.

"Geppetto…" she uttered in surprise, as she tucked the top of her robe a little tighter. Snow was never one for most of the rules or pomp that came with being a royal. After all, she and Charming regularly broke the appropriate etiquette against public displays of affection and she had tossed away all tradition when she married her beloved shepherd. But still...it was highly inappropriate of Geppetto to confront her in what was essentially her bed chambers in the middle of the night. She was still a Princess and believed she deserved her privacy, especially with her husband. Even by Land Without Magic rules, he was being inappropriate, but by the stern look on his face, it seemed that all pleasantries were lost on him.

"I believe we should talk," he said.

"Perhaps...but I don't think it's necessary to do so at two-thirty in the morning," she replied, but he pushed passed her without invitation.

"Please...come right in," she muttered sarcastically, before closing the door.

"I am sorry, but I need to see my son. I cannot wait until morning, because he will not answer my calls," the woodcarver stressed.

"August isn't here…" she replied. He looked at her in surprise.

"Not here? Why is he not here? Like you said, it's two-thirty in the morning?!" he hissed.

"August is a grown man. He's twenty-seven years old and if he chooses to spend his evenings with someone special, then I will neither object or interfere," Snow responded sternly.

"He should have come home with me!" Geppetto cried.

"August is an adult...it has to be his choice," she replied.

"Then you have to convince him to talk to me!" he insisted.

"I have encouraged him to forgive you, but he has to work out his grievances on his own. I can't force him. But I know my son…" she said, but he cut her off.

"He is my boy!" he said hotly and she recoiled.

"He is my boy…" he lamented sadly.

"He is also my son…" she said sternly.

"And I know August…" she said, but was interrupted again.

"Pinocchio! His name is Pinocchio!" Geppetto insisted.

"No...his name is August and I am his mother. I know that's hard for you...but you have no idea what we've both been through. The world out there...it was no picnic," Snow said sharply.

"And I am grateful that my boy had you. But now it is time that he come back where he belongs," Geppetto replied.

"Except that it doesn't work like that. I am his mother now and I can't just let him go, nor will I. August will come around on his own and I know him...he'll forgive you, but not if you tell him he has to push away the only family he knows just to be with you," Snow admonished.

"We can all be a family though. You'd be more than welcome to join us at meals and get to know August again," she offered.

"This is not how it's supposed to be!" he said in frustration.

"I'm sorry...but August was always going to grow up. You must have known that when you put him through the wardrobe," Snow replied.

"But I did not expect you to turn him against me!" he accused.

"I did not turn him against you!" she insisted.

"He wants nothing to do with me!" he snapped.

"You just have to give him time," Snow said.

"That's easy for you to say! You've had him for twenty-years!" Geppetto replied.

"You keep saying you are his mother...but you are not! You were to care for him for me and then give him back!" he ranted irrationally.

"If you raise your voice to my wife once more, you will not like where it takes you," David's voice interjected and Geppetto looked up to see the very stern stare of Prince Charming glaring daggers at him.

"I trusted you to raise my boy…" the old wood carver fretted, as David gently put his arms around her.

"And she did and she raised him into a wonderful, loving man. You should be thanking her profusely that she was there for your son and he wasn't alone," David defended.

"And I am! But now I am here and he does not want me! You told your daughter all about her father...yet you told mine nothing of his!" Geppetto accused.

"That isn't true! I told him how much you loved him and that you did what you did, because you were scared for him," Snow insisted.

"Yet your daughter got stories about her father's heroics," he countered.

"My daughter got stories of the truth and so did my son," she retorted.

"You betrayed me," Geppetto accused.

"She betrayed you!?" David growled.

"Did you seriously just say that!?" the prince cried.

"You lied to us! But we love August and we are more than willing to forgive that, because we know you did what you did out of fear to protect your child! But how dare you accuse my wife of betraying you!" he hissed.

"She would have been your Queen...how dare you stand there and cast aspersions on her," he spat.

"Get out of our house," David demanded. Geppetto wisely backpedaled and exited their home. Snow broke down in tears once he was gone and turned in his arms, as he pillowed her against his chest. He pressed a kiss to her hair and stroked her back. He was seething, but he pushed his own anger away and focused on comforting her.

"Mom? Dad?" Emma called from the top of the stairs, as she padded down with little David in her arms.

"Oh honey...I'm sorry, did we wake him?" she asked.

"No...pretty sure it was the jerk that barged in here in the middle of the night," Emma answered.

"Yeah...he won't be doing that again if he knows what's good for him," David said.

"Yeah…August is going to be pissed," Emma mentioned. Snow sniffed.

"Maybe we shouldn't tell him...I don't want to make things worse between him and Geppetto," she lamented.

"Geppetto did that...not you, Mom," Emma admonished.

"And like it or not, you're his Mom and he's my brother. He's going to have to accept that if he ever wants a relationship with August," she added. David kissed her hair again.

"She's right," he agreed.

"Nana?" little David cooed.

"See...even the kid agrees that you're the best," Emma said. David smiled, as they hugged her between them. Snow sniffed and looked at her family fondly. All the hardships she had endured were suddenly worth it just for that moment.

"I'll make us some cocoa and then we can all try to go back to sleep," David said, as he kissed her tenderly and went to the kitchen. Snow watched him fondly and then cuddled on the couch with her daughter and grandson.

~*~

Neal rubbed his tired eyes and padded downstairs to the kitchen and was surprised to see Belle up and making tea in her robe.

"Oh…I didn't know anyone was up," he said awkwardly. She smiled.

"That's okay...would you like some tea?" she asked.

"Sure…" he replied, as he sat down at the table.

"Where's dad? I mean, of anyone that should be up, it's usually him," he replied.

"He is...he's down in the basement," she replied.

"In the potions lab," he muttered and she nodded.

"So...you and my dad? How did that happen?" he asked bluntly. She smiled.

"Well…it started with me as his prisoner," she replied.

"Of course it did," he deadpanned.

"But...you know, then I started to see that there was more than just the beast on the surface. Cora kidnapped me though, before we could really explore our feelings and let him think I was dead," she explained.

"Yeah…I think she is one person that no one is going to blame if they want to dance on her grave," he quipped. Belle snorted.

"No argument there," she agreed, as his phone chimed and he checked it.

Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Uh yeah...just Emma. I guess Geppetto showed up accusing Snow of turning August against him. David threw him out," he mentioned.

"That awful," Belle said.

"The wood carver has no place in August's life anymore," Rumple mentioned, as he came upstairs.

"He's mostly harmless though, right?" Belle asked.

"On his own yes...but with the Blue Fairy on his side, don't be so sure," he replied pointedly. Neal knew his father hated the Blue Fairy and never really knew why. But Emma's family was his too and that included August. If she was a danger to them...then Neal would definitely be keeping an eye on them both...

[astrologista]

Important facts about Varian: he doesn't see himself as a child.

"But I-I'm not a... child..."

At 14 some would argue, especially in Varian's time, that he's right. He's not a child. By modern standards, he’s coming of age. Not a kid, but definitely not a full adult.

But Varian tends to act in immature and impulsive ways and, as we've seen (almost got himself killed how many times now?), still needs his father's protection very much so. (Even now. Uh oh. I just made myself sad.) He may be much more intelligent, creative and insightful than the average 14-year-old, but an important distinction to make is that smarts does NOT equal maturity. (Seriously, even in real life, for me as a "gifted kid", that particular false correlation gave me such a weird complex, I can't even tell you.) Just because a 14-year-old skips three grades and is now a senior in high school, or goes to college, does NOT magically make that person a mature adult capable of consistent and rational decision-making. (’tis developmental biology, friends.) Sure, parents should always let their kids "try on" independence and let them make some of their own little decisions, but all the time knowing that, being young, the child will end up making some mistakes and learning from them. And the parent will be there to pick up the pieces. But eventually, they’ll learn how the world works.

This is a problem for Varian because, at least when it comes to authority, he doesn't learn. He hears, but he doesn't listen. He thinks he always knows better, and that based on sheer accumulation of knowledge, he should be able to conquer any challenge. We've never seen Varian with a friend his age. You could conclude that he may not have any, based on the rumors that have always said he's dangerous. So what's a kid to do instead? He reads. He accumulates enough knowledge in his solitude so that one day he can prove how great he really is to his dad and to the world. (But no pressure, right?)

But the weird thing is how Quirin thinks of Varian. I guess all parents think of their children as children forever and into perpetuity. (Heck, look at King Fred.) "Children have no place in court." As if to say, "You're a child, and you really should know that by now." Old Corona, being a more rural region than Corona proper, is likely a place where social roles are more heavily enforced. No one is to go "outside the mold", so to speak. A kid like Varian sticks out like a sore thumb. He's effusive, he emotes a lot, he can be shy, but once you get him talking about a subject he's passionate about, you just can't shut him up. That's part of the reason why Quirin seems so exasperated. Varian just won't act the way Quirin thinks a child should act, but despite everything, I think he loves Varian too much to crush his spirit. If he were crueler, he'd use all his power to keep Varian from doing alchemy. But I think Quirin knows Varian's going to do alchemy anyway no matter what happens. That, and he just really wants for Varian’s happiness (and god willing, his safety).

The most interesting piece of this is that despite everything, Varian really does know his place... but only when he's threatened. When Quirin growls "That is enough, Varian." and glares at him in a threatening way, Varian immediately looks like someone slapped him, because that's the last look he wants to see on his dad's face AND he actually looks like he might be genuinely scared of his father right then. (Corporal punishment was a big thing in these times.) Even though Varian was correct and justified in demanding a reason for all the lies, the way in which he petitions his father isn't the most tactful approach he could have taken. Only when Quirin treats him like a child, does Varian remember that, hey, he is kind of a child. And he remembers who he's talking to, his father in a direct position of authority over him, and musters up the conditioned response of "Yes, sir." (Later, Varian has mustered up enough courage to not only interrupt his dad when he's really at the end of his rope with him, but also to physically push him aside, again using a disrespectful tone. It makes clear that Varian seem to think of himself as Quirin's equal. At least when it comes to black rocks.) I don't think Quirin wanted to treat Varian in that manner. It seemed to be something he only did as a last resort. And it's kind of sad, in a way. Once kids reach the age of reason, they should be able to be reasoned with concerning their behavior, moving away from the toddler method of punishment vs. reward, or using fear of punishment to control behavior. I mean, you would probably whip out "That is enough, Varian." maybe if he were 3 and pitching a fit down at the alchemy supply store because you won't buy him the deluxe Bunsen burner or something. But Quirin seems to have other things to worry about other than his son's pride or what he has to say, so he uses it anyway. And Varian seems really hurt and sad after Quirin just walks away. He actually pushes Rapunzel's hand away. It's like that moment of weakness is what he's really trying to avoid, to keep private. That he's not really what he says he is, and even though it might be painfully obvious at times, still no one can know.

It's not even a coincedence that Varian talks to Rapunzel, the King, and the Queen in the way that he does in SotSD. Varian just shows zero respect for authority in that episode. Any good kid should, and in his earlier episodes, he SEEMED to have the utmost respect for the crown and all it symbolized, bowing and calling Rapunzel "your Highness", and insisting that every word from Rapunzel was important. So why the 180? Or was it just Varian's true nature coming out? In SotSD, Varian was just very sharp, cruel actually, with his language. Any other kid in Corona would never dare speak to an adult, much less the KING, QUEEN AND CROWN PRINCESS of the entire fudging kingdom in the manner that Varian did. Literally, the three most important people in the whole kingdom. And he didn't just get sassy or fresh or make fun of the way they dress or anything. He went right for the jugular. "For the first time in your life, YOU are in no position to demand ANYTHING." and "Oh, so NOW you care about what I WANT? And all it took was threatening the things you love the most..." and casually talking about "shattering" Rapunzel in front of her parents and, who could forget, "She's right, DAD." Not to mention how he treated Queen Arianna when he kidnapped her. 

Worse and worse yet, probably one of the most shocking faux-pas that I think Varian committed was yelling "Quiet!" at Arianna during Ready as I'll Ever Be. This gets back to my earlier point. Varian does not see himself as a child (unless Quirin is "reminding" him of it). He now sees himself as not just the Queen's equal, but actually "higher" in status than even her because he has the power now. He's holding the cards. He has the queen in checkmate. (What do you want to do in a chess game? That's right. Capture the Queen.) But like, let's forget that she's the freaking QUEEN OF THE ENTIRE KINGDOM for a moment. Let's put that little nugget of info aside. This is an adult woman in maybe her early 40s and a 14-year-old boy we're talking about. In my house, if I ever told my mom "Quiet!" in the manner than Varian did, I would not be able to finish my singing number because my ass would be grass before I could continue. Telling someone "Quiet!" in that way would actually assume that THEY are in the lesser, child role. Disrespectful doesn't even begin to cover it, man. When you consider the social context, yeah, it’s really pretty bad. Varian just has a very distorted view of his "place" in Corona. Maybe he even feels that there’s no place for him. While there's nothing wrong with challenging and bending the rules of who society says you should be, and no one says you have to conform to every cultural norm of your identity, Varian seems to have this very warped view of his identity re: Corona, especially where he's leveraging social power that he simply doesn't have. He's not old enough or mature enough to wield the type of judgement skills or tact that would allow him to be perceived the way he wants to be perceived, and he’s demonstrated that. Perhaps in Varian's mind, he sees himself as an older, more proficient alchemist and he hopes that if he performs that role, everyone will indeed see him that way. But when the facade fails, he sulks and starts acting more childish and restrained again. It's actually hard to tell which personality is the real Varian. But I think the writers may have been trying to get at an important truth about growing up - when you're 14, you've got your childish self and your adult self warring for domination over your soul. Varian's good, pure but childish self is still intact in there. He can’t stay that person forever, he has to grow and change. But instead of growing into an honorable and stable adult, his adult self is being twisted into this dark persona, partly because of events outside of his control. His immediate response to this is to project as much of the blame outward, externally, as much as he can, and this is more of a coping mechanism than anything. Basically, he's trying to subconsciously protect his developing mind against the overwhelming guilt and shame from what happened to Quirin. That's too much emotional pain and baggage for someone that young to deal with alone. I'm pretty sure seeing Quirin frozen in the amber literally scarred him for life, not just because of the state that Quirin’s in, but because Varian knows deep inside that he played a huge role in putting him there. But that doesn't mean Varian can't redeem himself. It just means we're going to see probably more erratic and unpredictable behavior before he can organically reach that point, and forgive himself.

Speaking disrespectfully to the Royals is just part of that process, but it struck me as just being really a self-empowerment exercise. Some people listen to self-help videos. Varian does this. And if he can exert his power over them, he can exert power over anyone. And not only to speak like that to them, but to literally put his hands on the Queen as he's talking to the King. There's something just really creepy about that. The point is, no matter who you are, you just... don't say these things? It's a matter of respect. It's the society and times and the context that they live in under a monarchy. Obviously, the laws that govern speech are much more loose and lax in our democracy and real life. But think about the context here. Some off-color language could easily get somebody hanged in these times. And if Quirin could see what Varian's been doing, he would actually be shocked. Horrified. How could his son say or do these things? (lol now I'm imagining what if the amber had stopped around Quirin's neck so he was still stuck but he could talk and be aware of the proceedings around him. He'd be like, "VARIAN! Please, your Majesty. My deepest apologies. He hasn't had his nap yet.")

tl;dr Varian's never going to grow up unless he starts dealing with the reality of who he is and how he can grow to be a better person, and start taking responsibility for things he's done, while acknowledging that some things are just out of his control. And to do that he needs like, a lot of love and respect and hugs :^3 I mean, a lot a lot.

[beautifulannihilationbook]

Chapters 1-9

CHAPTER 1: WELCOME TO HELL… I turn the dial on the radio desperately searching for a human voice other than the emergency alert broadcast. Just five minutes ago, I watched in horror as a cascade of nuclear warheads descended upon every major population area in no less than a five-hundred-mile radius. They glassed the cities and towns with ground shaking explosions, as they detonated I felt the searing heat and did my best to shield my eyes from the blinding light. After I regained my senses I realized I was stranded in the middle of West Virginia; the EMP from the nuclear detonations fried the car’s circuitry and overheated the engine. Luckily, for me I was on my way to deliver parts to an automobile repair garage, and had with me all the necessary components to perform the needed repairs, and after about an hour, I was back on the road. Coming out of the rural purgatory that I had been navigating for the past hour I finally find a station, but it is not what I expected. “Hello world, can you hear me now? Have I made enough noise for you to take me seriously? It doesn’t matter, even if any of you are still alive, you won’t last long, the world is in flames, quite beautiful don’t you think? I call it hell on earth, the epitome of my soul. Rot in your own flesh, you worthless pieces of meat, goodbye.” Says the voice on the radio in an eerily calm voice. I recognize the voice immediately. I cannot believe he actually did it; he could never forgive the world for what happened to her. He swore his existence to making everyone pay for it. I just never understood how a simple human had a capacity for love so intense that losing it could bring such devastation and malice. Though there is much about him I never understood. The way he could never seem to make friends, despite his intelligence and true kindness, and how he could find the best in the worst of people. He was always mysterious, a little dark too. However, he was never violent, and always willing to forgive. I guess we all have our breaking points, and he reached his a long time ago, when he met his love and lost her too. All in one tragic year in high school, the same year we met, and I found out what our future would hold. He explained to me his many plans for military experiments, I guess this one was a success, because everywhere I look right now, I see fire. Now I have no plan on what to do, so for now, I will just keep driving. CHAPTER 2: “THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS” Allan was always a quiet kid, never got in fights, always avoided trouble, and tried to get good grades. He also never stood up for himself; he never even really talked. He seemed like he was always thinking. Many people did not know what to think about him, so they decided he was dangerous. It might have just been rumors, it might have been the hair, or even the frequent all black clothes, but people tended to get scared when he was around them. When he actually tried to get close to someone, they would push him away out of fear. They did not understand the vast capacity of love, kindness, generosity, and understanding that this kid had. He did everything he could think of to change the way people saw him. However, nothing really changed, he was simply too shy, he could not bring himself to talk to people. He was afraid of everything, the world scared him. He had voices seemingly all around him, jeering, hating, and condemning him to failure. Sometimes, they were even inside his own head. However, he was smart, and he had a knack for technology. He knew how to make things, and make them well. His peers did not realize it, but his teachers knew he was bound for greatness. He had already taken college level classes, and patented a new type of high-density photo reactive material for television screens. It was his best work at the time; he knew how to create complex materials built to withstand lots of rough handling. Eventually it would serve him in a very interesting way. Though in this period in his life, it served only as a hobby. His true passion was passion itself, expression, writing, poetry, and love. He admired romanticism, and he fell in love with Edgar Allen Poe, and Shakespeare. It reflected the way his mind worked, dramatic representation of love, betrayal, loss and revenge, the desire to avenge, and the total sense of despondence when the loved is lost. This embodied his life, and it would eventually make it into a tragedy. When he got into high school, he had a few problems with a few girls, each one scarred him bad, but one would never be a scar, it would remain an open wound. Her name was Anna. She was two years younger, a free spirited girl. She was a sweetheart on the outside, but like a trick candy the inside was bitter, sour, and it would burn your mouth if you tried to bite into it. Allan would make the mistake of biting hard into the rough sugary exterior and it would break, revealing the bitter filling that would burn his mouth like an acid, and yet he would still swallow. With separated parents, and a drunk, abusive father, she needed to grow up fast. She adopted a calm and collected personality in the hardest of situations. To make up for it, she acted childish around her closest friends. It was a mask she made, a way to hide her pain. Perhaps she wasn’t aware of it herself, but she was losing herself to the act she was putting on. There was one person, however, that she used a different mask around, a person who she would victimize in an ironic bout of unfortunate circumstance that would destroy his life, and countless more. His name was Allan Garren. She approached him one day, when she noticed him gazing from afar, and something deep within herself sparked a strange desire to be with him, made even more intense by her sadistic persona that had quite the opposite intentions. Allan was wary at first. He was mistrustful and cautious. However, Anna was prepared and capable. She drew him out with her charm, and gained his trust quickly. Soon he loved her in the most inconceivable way. Now no matter how bad Anna would treat him, he never saw her differently. He was completely blind to his own pain. Even though everything he thought he had was a game. The game that would prove as a checkmate for the entire world. CHAPTER 3: LIES AND LOVE CAN BE THE SAME THING Anna was a pretty girl; she was popular, talented, charismatic, creative, and sadistic. She loved life and wanted to be a mom. Although she had been through many rough spots in her time, she had a good life. One day, in eighth grade she met a kid named Allan. Biggest. Mistake. Ever. She decided to have a little fun with him, she knew from the rumors around school that he was strange. She caught him staring and took her chance, approaching him and introducing herself. He was shy, but she knew how to bring him around. She pretended to be in love with him, it was like a game, a dangerous game, but a game nonetheless. She played with his heart; however, it was more of a voodoo doll than a board game. She was enjoying it until he started planning a future around the “relationship”. That’s when she devised her creative escape plan. Starting with the fake depression. She acted as though she had uncontrollable episodes in which she spewed out nonsense about being possessed and cursing people who get too close to her. It scared him, but it only intensified his desire to be there for her even more. After that plan backfired, she decided that she would tell him that she was incapable of love. This may have caused him extreme pain; however, it once again made him want to be the one to help her learn to love. It was, after all, his Shakespearian passion. Seeing this desire, she thought that it would be efficient to convince him that she is unfixable, and that she was not good enough for him. This only accomplished one thing; it made him feel even more worthless, because he felt he was not good enough to make her happy. She knew she could easily tell him she just didn’t love him, but part of the game was to avoid personal guilt. This became worse and worse as she continued to try to slither her way out of this relationship without having to feel guilty. She dragged it out over the summer, unfortunately she found out she had caused Allan to become extremely depressed, to the extent that he had nearly attempted suicide twice. That’s when she decided there was only one way to break it off indirectly. She told a close friend about the suicide threats. She played the victim of a scary stalker psycho, telling about the obsessive nature of Allan’s love. Naturally, her friend told her father, who in turn contacted Allan and demanded that he cease all communication with poor little Anna. This caused Allan to hate himself, so Allan decided that he would get help, truly believing he had hurt her. At that point, she had completely abandoned him. Never again did she think about what she had done to someone that she secretly felt something special for. Until one day, it hit her. Then everything changed. As for him, he never forgot what he had done to the only one he had ever truly loved, and it tore him to shreds. However, for Anna, it solved all her problems for a long time. Allan, even after the hospital, never really recovered, he remained obsessed with Anna, and though he loved her, he never spoke to her again, as he respected her wishes to remove him from her life. CHAPTER 4: SCORCHED EARTH Driving through what used to be Cleveland, I search for any signs of life. This was of course a pointless endeavor; the earth here has literally been turned into glass. Fallen buildings lay everywhere, rubble scattered like fallen leaves in autumn. I wanted to hold onto hope, but it doesn’t take long for me to give it up. I don’t even bother to get out searching what few structures still stand; no one could have survived it. Downtown Cleveland is not even there anymore; it’s only a crater now. The massive loss of life here is too much to think about. I begin to zone out when suddenly out of the corner of my eye I see someone running towards my car; it’s a young dark blonde girl, probably fourteen or fifteen, she’s short and emaciated. I stop and pull the 44. Magnum out of its holster. I step out of the car and run over to her, tears and blood stream down her face, her arms and stomach are lined with cuts and bruises. I grab hold of her and hold her head against my shoulder. “Hey, hey, what happened to you?” I ask, rubbing her back. She angrily shoves my hand away and pulls back from me. “They killed her, they're all fucking dead!” she screams through filthy tears and blistered lips. “Who killed who? What are you talking about?” I ask. She looks at me, startled and confused, as if I’m the one who should know the answer instead of her, but after she thinks for a moment her confusion turns to horror. She doesn’t answer my question; I don’t think she can in her dissociative state. “They’re still chasing me” she says after a few moments, her breathing speeds up and she begins to hyperventilate, “they won’t stop, they’re not done with me.” I look back at where I saw her come from, sure enough, about forty yards away is a group of men with rusty blades in hand, they are clearly out of their heads on some kind or kinds of drugs. I pull the young girl behind me and raise my gun. I fire a warning shot, but they hardly seem to care; whatever narcotics they had taken left them oblivious to reality. “If you don’t want to die today, turn back where you came from” I shout. To no avail, it’s as if they couldn’t even hear me. “ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID?” the girl screams furiously, grabbing for my gun. I look at her, realizing just from the look in her eyes that they weren’t going to stop their pursuit so long as they were breathing, and I knew in that instant that they don’t deserve to breathe anyways. I sight them in with my magnum and fire, two bullets strike skulls, one strikes a heart, the last two strike lungs. After the last man drops to the ground, I reload and check their vitals, four dead, the fifth sputters and coughs; I kneel down and roll him on his back and look him in the eyes. I doubt there was anyone really in there, pupils dilated, eyes bloodshot, he was dead before I shot him. I sigh, taking in a deep breath, and standing up to orient myself towards the young woman I just recued. She has stopped hyperventilating, she looks calm, but I can tell it’s not calmness, she’s zoning out of reality, “Are you okay?” I ask, realizing it was a stupid question the moment the words leave my lips. “No” she says, not breaking eye contact with the ground. She tries to wipe the blood and tears from her face, only succeeding in smudging the muck even more I move myself into her line of sight and hold out my canteen, maintaining eye contact, the eyes can sometimes speak better than the lips. She looks at the canteen, motionless for a few seconds, her eyes fixed hypnotically on the cap. “Thanks.” She replies, with an empty monotone voice, not looking to me, but still to the canteen. She holds it, remaining motionless, and seemingly slipping back into a trance. I take back the canteen and pour water on the sleeve of my shirt, using the dampened cloth to wipe her scarred and bloody face. “What’s your name?” I ask, dabbing her face with my shirt. “Ashley” She replies, her eyes are still gazing, unmoving from the spot where the canteen was. She seems to be calming, realizing she is safe for now. "Ashley huh? I like that name." I say, handing her back the canteen. Her eyes slowly turn to me. Her head follows after. “Drink some water; I have more in the truck.” I say, pushing the canteen to her face. She takes it and gulps it down, taking only a moment to breathe between drinks. When she finishes she looks back to me, holding the empty container weakly towards me. “So what happened back there? Who were those people?” I ask. “Those people.” She says, her monotone voice haunting my ears. “They took us, my friends and everyone else from the fallout shelter we were hiding in.” she explains. Her eyes are terrified “They shot all the men and raped the women, they raped us all,” She continues. “Even the children.” She adds, her voice monotone and emotionless. Tears fill her eyes; she suddenly looks terrified. She turns to me, her eyes expressing more agony than I’ve witnessed in my whole life. “Everyone I know is dead.” She says. Her breath is shallow; she speaks as though she didn’t already know the information she was hearing from her own mouth. "Hey, it is going to be okay, you’re safe now, you just survived, you didn't let them win." I say, attempting to reassure her. "Oh they won alright.” She says, a laugh split with a sob escapes her mouth, “they may be dead but they got everything they wanted from me” she adds, her words barely audible through her gasping cries. "Ashley, I can't even imagine the pain, but I can tell you this, from now on, you and I are family, and I will protect you, now we need to get somewhere safe, the others might be coming, come with me” I say, taking her hands. “Don’t touch me!” she shouts, pulling her hands back and stepping away. “Okay, okay.” I say calmly backing away, holding my hands up. “They’ll kill you too” She says, pointing at me and slowly backing up. She slips on some rubble and falls backwards. I quickly advance and catch her by the hand. “Well if we are both gonna get killed, then how do you feel about some revenge along the way?” I ask, pulling her back upright. The subtle smirk on her face was all the answer I needed. Chapter 5: MASTER OF ANNIHILATION “All the players have shown their hands, but I hold all the cards” Allan soliloquizes as he targets the world with nuclear Armageddon. “I am about to end the game with the sweet kiss of death” he continues as he flips the switch to send the nuclear holocaust on its way to humanity. “I’m sorry I could not have been there for you the one time you needed me. I never did a single thing right for you, I caused you so much fucking pain, not a single moment of serenity,” he says to his beloved lost one, Anna. “What the fuck was I waiting for?” He asks himself as the hundreds of nukes rocket from the facility, causing the ground to shake. “I could have saved you, you deserved better than what you got.” he continues with increasing frustration and pain, as he preps his experimental gunship for launch. “YOU DESERVED TO LIVE!” He screams as he flips the self-destruct switch on the nuclear missile complex’s leftover warhead stockpile. Instantly, the entire planet seems to shake, the mechanisms in the complex begin arming every single warhead, moving them all down to the lowest platform at the base of the mountain. The event that was about to occur made Allan’ fingers twitch with excitement. He exits the lift out of the mountain detonating the system of C-4 on the mountaintop. The mountaintop begins to cave in on itself, burying the entrance to the complex in hundreds of tons of snow and earth. As he counts down the minutes to the explosion, he smiles to himself. “Retribution” He mutters as he pauses in front of his massive gunship. “Time to wake up” CHAPTER 6: FLASHPOINTS EVERYWHERE “Sir, we have a problem” says Colonel Jack “We have flashpoints, over 800 all across the board!” he continues with a stunned impression plastered on his face. “This is unbelievable, the entire world has been hit, all except for Russia” says Captain Ed, staring in amazement at the map. “Sir we have an incoming transmission, its coming from everywhere, someone has hijacked the entire satellite system!” says Comms Officer Gerald. “Put it on now.” says the Captain. “Welcome to my lovely exhibit, I call it home, you call it hell, and I honestly cannot find a difference between the two. For me, the world has always been a living punishment of the worst possible kind; I just made it look more like one. Anna was the one and only good thing I could find in it and you animals let her die; no, you all contributed to her death.” bellows the almost inhuman voice of Allan through the PA system. “And so now you burn with the rest of this pitiful world.” He adds, ceasing the communication. “What the hell?” says the confused comms officer. “Sir there’s something on the horizon!” yells Jack, looking closely at the radar, “it’s a nuclear missile!” he adds. “DIVE, DIVE!” yells Ed. The massive submarine dives deep into the ocean as the nuclear missile detonates above them disintegrating over a hundred feet of water, causing a small whirlpool to form. “Are we okay?” Ed asks frantically The officers all check their systems, turning to Ed and giving a thumbs up. Ed breathes a sigh of relief. “What the FUCK was that about?” asks Jack angrily. “My daughter. . .” replies Ed. “What?” Inquires Jack “Anna” he responds, solemnly, as he remembered what happened. CHAPTER 7: REVENGE IS SWEET “Hey I never got to properly introduce myself, I’m Joseph.” I say, smiling at her in the rearview mirror. “Hi Joseph.” she says unenthusiastically. “Are you gonna be okay?” I ask, fishing through my duffle bag. “No, I don’t think so” she says staring down at her bruised thighs. “Ashley I am so sorry. I know I cannot undo what has been done to you and I cannot cure you of the memory of that hell, but I am here for you and I will listen to whatever you have to say and do my very best to help you recover.” I say, putting my hand on her shoulder, with one hand and putting a 44. Magnum in her lap, “Do you remember where those bastards were holding you?” “I remember every fucking detail.” she says solemnly, taking the gun and examining it. “Where at then?” I ask “Museum of Natural History” she says, checking to see if the gun was loaded, smiling when she finds the cylinders populated by six hollow point rounds. “How fitting, they are after all, about to BE history” I reply with a chuckle. Ashley’s lips turn just enough to be considered a grin. I take a turn back towards the museum. Back when I was younger I used to go there all the time, but since then, the place has changed significantly, after the year 2018 they lost a lot of funding due to a change in the administration, President Trump wasn’t too interested in funding museums, it took money away from the development of bigger better war machines. The museum became little more than a few exhibits featuring animals that used to be alive, so now it may include exhibits with African lions, tigers, and polar bears all of which became extinct in the last five years. “Did you ever get to see the museum when they had dinosaurs on display?” I ask “I never went there, I wasn’t all that interested in history, I went to the science center a lot though, and the rock and roll history museum.” She replies. “Ah yes, the Science Center,” I say, reminiscent, “I must have been there at least a hundred times in my life” “Did you ever try that spicy chocolate from the gift shop?” she asks. “No, that sounds disgusting.” I say, laughing ‘It was pretty nasty” she agrees, smiling. “Did you ever try the astronaut food” I ask “Yeah, the ice cream was actually pretty good” she replies. “That was the only good one.” I say, “The rest were disgusting” I laugh She looks content, smiling at the floor. I take the exit leading towards the natural history museum, “We are almost there, are you ready for this? You don’t have to go in.” I say, looking at her through the rearview mirror. “I need to do this myself.” She says, confidently, “I have to see them die.” “I’ll be right there with you.” I say reassuringly. As I pull into the driveway, I see a couple dozen bodies of young women lying naked on the lawn, Ashley sees them too, her face expressing a horrid combination of fear and anger. “Ashley, aim for the lungs” I say grabbing my shotgun and preparing to go in, Ashley follows right behind me. One of the bikers spots me and before I could get a shot out, he yells “Intruder”. All of the sudden there are four of them. Ashley wastes no time, shooting all four in less than 6 seconds. We rush into the building and check the halls to make sure it’s clear, then head into the main lobby. I have to cover my nose when we walk in, it smells like blood, shit, and semen. The floors and walls are splattered with blood, there are mattresses scattered on the floor stained with blood and god knows what else. I notice two more bikers, I shoot one and Ashley shoots the other. Then I see him, a huge man, the skin around his arms is stretched by the size of his muscles, I get a sick feeling in my stomach when I see the way he looks at Ashley; I run straight up to him and with the adrenaline from my anger I manage to tackle him to the ground and pin him. “REMEMBER ME BITCH?” Ashley screams, firing her two remaining rounds in his kneecaps pausing to reload, and then emptying all six cylinders striking his critical muscles, essentially disabling his movement. As Ashley reloads once more, I jump off of him and back away out of fear, she unloads the third set of bullets into every non-vital organ I can think of. She then pulls out a knife, already covered in dried blood, the look in her eyes is unsettling. She jumps on top of him and begins stabbing him repeatedly, carefully avoiding his heart and lungs. “Ashley, what are you doing? Just kill him!” I shout as the man screams in agony. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MAN DID? ALL THE PAIN HE CAUSED?” she screams in return, looking into my eyes through her tears. “I WANT HIM TO BEG ME TO KILL HIM” “I can’t even imagine, but torturing him like this won’t change what happened, it only brings you down to his level” I reply as I carefully walk towards her. She loads a single round into the chamber and points the gun at me. “Ashley, look at me” I say, holding out my arms, “I know I just met you, but I know this isn’t who you want to be” She stares at me for a second; she gives me a look I can’t quite explain, her lip quivers and she starts to cry, then places the gun to her own head and pulls the trigger. “ASHLEY NO!” I scream, only a fraction of a second too late I grasp her wrist as the gun falls from her hand; as it hits the ground my heart drops. “Goddamnit Ashley…” I cry out, “Why!?” My heart skips every other beat as my chest contracts. I pull her in as her body melts into my arms. I take in shallow breaths, as I attempt to bring myself back to reality from my panic. I look down at the blood on my hands. I hold her silently, my heartbeat slowly returning to its normal rhythm. “I don’t want to be anyone” She cries, her lungs straining to take in air through her chest muscles tightened by the agony she is in. “Did you know the chamber was empty?” I ask, gently rubbing her back with my still shaking hands. She shakes her head against my shoulder. “I’m sorry I pointed it at you” She sobs. “It’s okay, that’s not what I’m upset about, I hope you know that.” I say, starting to cry. Ashley is interrupted by a loud coughing, followed by labored laughter. We return our attention to Ashley’s rapist. “Even now, though I am bleeding out on the ground, my men dead and my body useless, I still have the power to kill you.” He says proudly. Ashley picks up the gun once more and spins the cylinder. She then points the gun directly against his head and pulls the trigger. *click; the hammer lands on an empty chamber, the man stops laughing. “You are not a monster.” She says, pulling back the hammer once more. *click “You are not my greatest fear.” *click “You are a killer of people weaker than you” *click “You are a coward” *click “And because of that, even I am stronger than you” The hammer strikes the center of the back of the bullet casing, igniting the gunpowder and sending the round through the man’s skull and into the ground beneath him. Ashley pauses for a few moments before speaking. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.” she says, wiping the tears and mucous from her face before standing up. “Aren’t we going to look for your friends?” I ask as she walks back towards the exit. “I already found them,” she says pointing to the lawn where the broken corpses of women lay. “Ashley. I’m sorry,” I mutter, but it’s pointless, no words can express the pain I feel for her, and nothing can console her after what she’s experienced. We both walk silently to the car, this world is cruel, and I don’t know why anyone survived this hell. CHAPTER 8: EVERY TRAGEDY HAS A VICTIM “Sir, what about her? You told me your daughter died in an accident.” inquires Jack. “Well I lied, she was killed, and I wasn’t there to help her. You see, Anna was a CIA agent sent on a mission; however, it turned out that her mission was to spy on China. While doing her mission, she found out way more than she was supposed to. The government was raising taxes by a ridiculous amount, taking people’s homes, killing innocent people, and destroying the environment, but then she went even deeper, she found that the US government was in on it, in fact China had been acting under the control of the US. Anna tried to get to the public with this, but the CIA stopped her and had the Chinese kidnap her. Allan knew what was happening and he warned everyone, when no one listened, he went in and tried to save her. Damn kid nearly succeeded too.” Ed explains “What? He went in alone. Sir that’s impossible.” Exclaims Jack. “You have no fucking idea what this kid had for my daughter.” Says Ed. “He’s only human, how could he assault a fortified military compound single-handedly?” Reasons Jack. “With makeshift body armor and a machete. . .” CHAPTER 9: LAST WORDS LEFT UNSAID… ” Anna where are you?” Echoes my blood-curdling scream through the gore filled halls of Alcatraz. I have taken nearly 80 rounds and my armor is starting to fall apart. I clean the blood off my machete, and reload my pistol before returning it to its holster. Turning the next corner, I hear what sounds like crackling electricity. It has to be where they’re keeping her. I kick in the door and am immediately thrown to the ground by the immense force of buckshot to my chest. “I got him!” he says triumphantly to the other men in the room. “Watch out!” they scream back in horror as I get back up and rip the gun from his hands. He swings his fist at me; I dodge it and slice his arm off. “Where is she?” I scream as I snap his leg and continue into the room. The man screams out in pain, I rip my pistol from its holster and plant a round in his skull. As soon as I walk through the door, I freeze. I stare in agony at the abomination before my eyes, God, please no. “Stop right there!” the men shout, lifting their weapons with their shaking arms. “What have you done?” I ask, slowly turning my head to face them. I am trembling with anger. I begin to step towards them. “We were only following orders.” One man replies with his shaking voice. “What does it matter? Your life ends here.” says the other man with foolish confidence as he opens fire. I brace myself and charge, as the rounds flatten against my armor, I press forward, channeling my anger into my forward motion. “Why won’t you die?” screams the man. His magazine is empty. I take my chance, grasp his shoulder, and thrust my blade through his sternum and into his heart; I stare into his eyes as life fades from his body. “It’s not my time yet, but now is yours” I say, pulling my blade back as he falls to the ground. I turn to the shaking man. “Please, I didn’t want anything to do with this sick assignment” he begs. “And yet here you are, following orders.” I say to him as I step forward. “I was dead either way; you don’t understand these people I’m working for; you see what they did to her. Now what do you think they would have done to me?” he says. I look to Anna, she is naked, covered in electrodes, strapped to the wall, bruised, cut and beaten. I step towards the man. He is trembling. The gun falls from his shaking hands as he backs away. “And who are these people you work for? Who gave this order?” I ask “I… I don’t know… evil people… but they are government workers, the order came from high up.” He replies I knew it; the American government has grown more and more corrupt. It looks like Anna had gotten to close to their secrets. “If I ever see you again, you will die, now run!” I shout to the man. “I’m so sorry.” He says as he runs through the door. I turn to Anna. “I’m sorry I was too late…” I say as I walk to her, but I stop, frozen, as I notice her chest moving, she is still alive. “ANNA!” I scream, running to her. “ANNA CAN YOU HEAR ME” I scream, but her lips are glued shut. “If you can hear me Anna, nod twice,” I say. *Anna nods twice “Fuck, Anna I’m so sorry.” I say, tears beginning to fall. * Anna tugs at her restraints “Let me get you down from there” I say, taking my knife out to cut through the restraints. *Anna shakes her head That’s when I see it, spikes on the wall, driven through her back; if I take her down, she would bleed out in minutes. “Damnit Anna, there’s nothing I can do!” I cry out * Anna shakes her head furiously She is trying to say something; I can barely make it out. “Anna, do you want me to kill you” I ask with my broken voice. *Anna nods twice “Very well, we shall go together I say, pulling a grenade off one of the men. *Anna shakes her head furiously “Why Anna? Why can I not end it all here?” *Anna shakes her head slowly “Fine” I say, dropping the grenade and pulling out my pistol. “Please forgive me Anna.” I say placing the gun to her temple *Anna nods slowly “I’m sorry…” I whisper as I pull the trigger. The world becomes silent. I stand there in that spot for what feels like an eternity. When I regain my sense of reality, I begin to cut her down. I pick up Anna’s body, and carry it out of the building. Blood drenches my body, as with hers. Someday, I shall make the world burn for this.