Storm of the End: Book One

Chapter VII.I: No Time To Cry

Aaron stumbled towards his mother.

I couldn't stop him. I couldn't move at all.

This... This just wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

Aaron put his hands up to Jessica's face, and stared into the dead eyes of the woman who had given birth to him and nourished and cared for him for the twelve years of his life on this earth.

The screams rang out again, tearing through the air around us. He didn't even notice. I still couldn't move.

Then the tears started to flow from Aaron's face again, and he wailed out to his mother.

I managed to recover a bit from the shock, and sluggishly moved towards Aaron. I moved so slowly, my body was so defeated, that it felt like time was going backwards. I paid no heed to the other corpses, my gaze rested on Aaron holding the corpse that had been his mother in his arms. Holding Jessica.

I knelt down next to him, and I knew that there was no way for me to comfort him now. I waited for the tears to come in torrents down my face, but was surprised to feel only two, one in each eye. Why?

It was then that I finally realized that as soon as I woke up this morning, as soon as I felt the rain and wind, as soon as I saw those jets fly into the city, I already knew that Jessica was dead. I had already wept for her in my heart. I clung to some impossible hope that we would find her, but deep down I knew that it was impossible. I realized that I hadn't come here to find Jessica; my whole reason for coming into the storm was to find answers... to find out what was going on. I had used Jessica as an excuse.

You idiot, I told myself. You piece of trash! You put Aaron's life in danger to find your answers, and even now you know nothing! And now Aaron has to see Jessica like this! I cursed and cursed myself a million times over. How could I have done something like this?! You both might not even make it out of here alive!

I heard a crash come from below, and the screams echoed through the building again. We had to go, oh God, we had to leave Jessica here. How was I going to tell that to Aaron?

How could I have done this to him?!

I tried to say his name, but my voice came out as an incomprehensible mutter.

I spoke up, "Aaron!"

He didn't hear me; he still stared into Jessica's eyes. Oh God... he had her eyes. They were that same shade of deep blue. I hadn't noticed how similar they were... until now. Now the tears came flowing down.

There was a commotion going on downstairs: they were coming.

We didn't have time to cry right now.

Choking back my tears, I grabbed Aaron by the shoulder and shook him, "Aaron. We have to leave right now. Something's coming. The same things that did... this. We can't stay here."

He looked up at me, but didn't move. I wrapped my arms around him.

"I'm sorry Aaron..." my voice was cracking as I spoke, "I'm sorry you had to see this, I shouldn't have brought you here! I'm so, so sorry..." I sobbed, my voice quivered, "But we have to go. We have to go, or we will both die. I'm sorry... Oh God, Aaron, I'm so sorry..."

The noises grew louder. They became increasingly more frequent. Aaron turned to his mother one last time, and so did I. I'd never see her again; we'd never be together again. I took in everything that had been done to her, and burnt it into my brain for me to remember forever.

Her legs had been cut away almost down to the bone, her torso was covered in huge gashes, one of her arms was missing and the other had a chunk torn out of it as if something had bitten it off. Her face had been untouched for the most part, except for a trail of blood that went from the corner of her eye to her neck. It looked like she was crying tears of blood.

Something caught my eye next to her... it was her wedding ring. I snatched it up and put it in my pocket. This would be my memento of her.

Jessica... I'm sorry.

As the screams rang out again, my pain and sorrow was transmogrified into boiling hatred. Hatred towards the creatures that were making their way towards us. I would make them pay.

I didn't know how, or when, but I would make them pay! But now, I'd only get myself killed. I'd only cause Aaron more pain.

Aaron stood up.

"Let's go," he whispered.

His voice sounded completely lost and swallowed up by despair. It was my own fault for letting things turn out this way, I should have been more careful.

But now was not the time to regret; now was the time to run. I heard the noises reach the stairs. We didn't have much time.